Page 70 of The Soulless Witch

Roman

Flickingmywrist,Ibroke the neck of the hunter as he tried to push the stake deeper into my chest. Unfortunately for him, he had missed the heart, but the goddamn blessed wood was still burning like the pits of hell. I let his body drop to the ground, reaching for the weapon.

It scorched my fingers when I wrapped them around it, but with a swift yank, I threw it across the bloody floor. Hunters of all kinds lay in heaps on the ground, throats torn or hearts missing. And among the human bodies, puddles of stale blood and bones simmered where the vampires, who weren’t fast or skilled enough, had been vanquished. Too many, this battle had taken too many lives, and I was never going to hear the end of it. But it was a necessary sacrifice, one that I was willing to make again if it meant keeping the brunt of the Order’s power away fromher.

There was no way to stalk a vampire without them knowing. I hadn’t met a human yet who could do that for more than a few minutes without me spotting them, and once I knew they were onto me, I could form a proper plan.

With me protecting Celeste and keeping her by my side, it was only natural that they’d think I wouldn’t let her go far from me. Sending a few vampires to stand outside the headquarters we were about to hit should have been enough to tell them where I planned to strike, and with Celeste and me expected to show up here, I knew they would stack on more hunters at this location, leaving the others less guarded. That also meant they wouldn’t be keeping the hostages here, which would allow the other teams to free them more easily.

“Master, there are more of them coming!” Oscar, the leader of the nest I had hijacked, rose from the floor a few steps away from me, where he had been feeding on his last victim. Blood dripping from his chin and sharp nails, he truly looked like the monsters the hunters were preaching against. But he was strong, vicious, and extremely capable, so if he survived this night, I was going to recommend him for the rise to a Master. If my word continued to hold any weight, that was, considering the mess I’d made.

“Did you see the man I showed you?” I asked as more hunters poured through the corridors that joined at the foyer in front of the empty holding cells. Some of them carried crossbows while others walked with swords and sashes wrapped around their chests, each holding several blessed stakes. Vampire hunters, most of them. Very few were equipped with guns—they were a liability since those could be used against them, while metal did little to hurt us. The only way one could stop a vampire was sunlight, decapitation, or blessed wood to the heart.

“I did,” Oscar replied, snarling at the humans while the remaining vampires—half of the original size of the nest and only one of the offspring—retreated toward me. None of them had fled when the hunters almost overwhelmed us, or when their comrades started dying at a rapid rate. I applauded them for that, even though part of me found praising someone for behaving like a monster appalling. “He and a few others ran into that corridor some minutes ago.” He nodded to my right, his eyes remaining on the vampire hunters, just as one of them shot at him with his crossbow. Oscar twisted his body, easily avoiding the sharpened wood. Baring his bloody teeth at the humans, I could feel his thirst surging. The others were hesitant though, no doubt realizing that the task I had given them was much more dangerous than they thought, and it threatened to take away the thing they had strived so hard to achieve—immortality.

I looked at the corridor on the right, noting the curve and the bend at its end that suggested it was going downward. Even with the blood, fear, and death permeating the air, it was easy to catch the humans’ scents.

“Get everyone out of here,” I ordered, and Oscar whipped his head in my direction, eyes widening. One of the hunters took the chance and shot his bolt at him, but I caught it before it sank into the vampire’s chest. Oscar made a startled noise, taking a step back and locking his eyes on the human that had fired at him. The killing intent oozing off of the vampire made me grimace.

“Master, are you sure?” Oscar snarled, his gaze darting from one hunter to the next, as if he was calculating his chances. “We can take them. Once they are dead…”

“...more will be sent over,” I finished, letting the bolt drop to the floor with a clank. “We achieved our goal here. Follow the scent of that witch hunter, it should lead you to a tunnel. Get your charges out and lie low until I find you.”

Oscar gave another loud snarl, then took a step back, moving toward the corridor to the right. I held my ground while the others slithered after him, only the faint rustle of clothes suggesting any movement. A few of the hunters shifted impatiently, eager to give chase, but with me in their path, they couldn’t rush in. Not unless they had any brains left in those hate-filled heads of theirs.

“You’re dead, vampire!” The one at the front sneered—a tall, bulky guy with vicious scars marring his face and neck.

“I’m well aware. I was there when it happened,” I replied, unclasping the cufflinks on my shirt and rolling up my sleeves. Every set of eyes followed my movements as if even blinking could put them in an early grave. Which was true, but I was over this bloody encounter. I could no longer hear Oscar and the others, which meant they must have reached the tunnels. “Now, shall we part ways? I’d hate to kill any more of you and I’m needed elsewhere.”

Several of the hunters spat on the ground, a few raising their weapons. A quick head count told me there were thirty-two of them, and while the corridor was too narrow to allow them to charge me all at once, it would still let them come in bulk. If I stayed to finish them all off, then I’d be giving that witch hunter even more time to get to Celeste, and if that stupid werewolf couldn’t protect her…

“I’ll take that as a no,” I sighed, beckoning them with my fingers. “Hurry up then. I don’t have all night.” I just needed to take a few more down and send them into chaos, since I wasn’t stupid enough to turn my back on them while they still had those crossbows. Regardless of my power, a well-aimed arrow to the heart could kill me as easily as it could kill any offspring.

Three of the hunters charged. One of them swung with a long, curved blade, aiming for my neck. The others thrust their own set of wooden weapons—something between a stake and a staff, with extremely pointy ends, which I had no doubt would do the job of sending me into oblivion. I sidestepped the first blade, grabbing the hand of the second hunter and breaking his wrist. The third one sneaked behind me, trying to sink his stake into my back, but I ducked, elbowing him in the groin. He bent over, gasping for breath, when I sunk my nails into the side of his throat, tearing his trachea off. His body slumped on the ground as the other two charged again, three more drawing near in search of an opening between their comrades’ attacks.

I waited until the corridor was too full of bodies for anyone to swing a longer blade and broke the neck of the idiot who tried to tackle me to the ground. Then I ran.

It took them a second to realize that I was gone—my kind wasn’t one to run from a fight even if the odds weren’t in our favor—but I had a reason to keep my eternity. Andthatreason needed my protection. Taking a blow to my pride was a small price to pay.

I found the door leading to the sewers open, the smell of dirty water and waste mixing with that of vampires and humans. The staircase dipped down, the roof low and narrow while the thick mold crept up the walls. There were no lights, and the only sounds were of sloshing water and dirty critters scouring about. Still, these hunters probably knew those tunnels better than me, and having to fight them off while trying to find my way would be too bothersome.

The shouting behind me grew nearer as the vampire hunters followed in pursuit. I stopped at the bottom when the door burst open and an arrow flew toward me. It dashed past my cheek, narrowly missing my head.

I balled my hand and slammed it into the wall. My fist cracked the concrete, a large rapture slithering over the wall. The hunters paused, staring at me with wide eyes. I punched a second time, then again and again until I heard the low, reverberating crack I was waiting for. The roof shook and a few pieces chipped off. The hunter in the front tried to run toward me, but another grabbed him, pulling him back just as a giant piece of rubble fell in front of the door.

Locking on the human smell, I ran. The ground shook as the sounds of the crumbling corridor echoed through the sewers.

I had to get to her. As much as I didn’t want to see her hurt by the loss of those humans, I wanted even less to see her dead by their side. I couldn’t endure another hundred years without her.

So I ran toward the enemy, praying for the first time in centuries to anyone who would listen.

Let her be fighting. Let her be safe. Let her be alive.

Chapter 37

Celeste

Icouldn’tseeanythingfrom the thick smoke that hung in the air. No, not smoke, something else—something with a much stronger, acrid smell. Something that not only made it hard to breathe, but it turned my tongue and throat numb.

---