Page 53 of House of Vampires and Flame

Letting out a warrior’s roar, Sy charged.

The Shrieker moved like a blur toward her as well. This Shrieker was superior to the others in speed and strength, even more so than the ones we’d fought last week. Sy sidestepped at the last second, her claws extending and slashing toward the Shrieker’s heart, but it twisted away like a slippery eel.

Baring her fangs to flash a vicious smile, Sy leapt high, thrusting her claws toward the Shrieker’s neck sideways. The Shrieker rolled away, its machine parts squeaking. But Sy had already altered her course, her claws slicing off the Shrieker’s left arm in one sweep.

Our foe screamed in pain.

“Shut up and take it like a motherfucker!” Sy barked as her claws opened another gash on the Shrieker’s hide from the side.

The Shrieker charged, and Sy retreated, then charged again, cleaving a chunk off our enemy. Sy was going to bleed the Shrieker dry and weaken it before going for the fatal strike.

But the Shrieker started regenerating.

Sy split-kicked it before leaping and landing on its back. Just as we started wondering why this Shrieker didn’t have lethal tentacles, a pair of ragged bat wings burst out of its back.

Shit! That was why it could breach the Veil! It had flown in with a drop of my blood in its dirty veins. And that was why this Shrieker was more powerful than the others.

Furious, Sy slashed at the Shrieker’s wing with the brutal force of her claws. The Shrieker flapped and thrust its other wing at Sy, the talons digging into her ribcage. Sy gasped in pain, and I dove in to absorb most of it so she could keep fighting.

While I curled into a ball, fighting my tears as a jumble of pain burned in my head, Sy bellowed, hacking and ripping the Shrieker’s cervical spine. The Shrieker fell to the dirt and rolled onto Sy, pinning her under its weight.

Ragged breaths wheezed out of Sy. She was much bigger and more muscular than me. Pinned down by the Shrieker’s crushing weight, she was immobilized. The Shrieker screamed victoriously even though Sy had weakened it, its claws grabbing Sy’s wrists while its other hand’s claws produced a magical chain that emitted my father’s foul magic.

Once it succeeded in chaining us, it’d be game over. Ruin’s minion would drag us all the way back to him.

Icy fear and terror choked me, closing the air passage to my lungs.

Never! Sy snarled. We’ll fight to the bitter end!

Or die trying. I signaled her that I was going to take control of our form.

In mid-shift, Sy’s size shrank as I took over, which gave us room to maneuver. When I surfaced, I always had the same outfit and gear that I wore previously. My knees bending, I pulled Deathsong from the sheath on my boot and jammed it into the Shrieker’s gut with all the strength I had. I didn’t stop there. I dragged it up the Shrieker’s flesh and machine parts until it pierced my foe’s heart.

It felt like forever, but the Shrieker finally shuddered and let out one last bone-chilling shriek.

I wiggled out from under the dead Shrieker, its blood and gore soaking me from head to toe. I gagged at the stench and retched before I rolled onto my back and just lay there to catch my breath.

The job wasn’t done. We needed to erase the evidence of the Shrieker. Forcing myself to get to my feet, I stared at the Shrieker’s large corpse.

I shook my head. I wouldn’t take magic from Underhill to burn the body.

Let’s dump it in the lake, Sy suggested.

I gave the lake a look. Blue light and mist hovered over it, the light coming from the depths of the water. It was so pure and clear that all I wanted was to guard it.

I shook my head. “No, I might swim there. And if things don’t work out for us in the school, we might have to live by the lake for a while. We’ll just take care of the body the old-fashioned way, like digging a grave. Feel free to take over anytime.”

I’d rather she dealt with the blood and gore.

Sure, I’m the grave digger, and handling a murder scene is my specialty, Sy said.

“Of course. I tip my hat to you.”

Didn’t you hear the sarcasm in my tone? You’re not only getting softer, you’re also getting slow, little chubby cherub Bob.

“I’m not that chubby.”

I haven’t fed for a while, so I can’t do any heavy lifting. You’ll have to clean up the mess yourself. I’m taking a much-needed nap now to regenerate.

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