A Cat's Chance in Hell (43 page)

Julius could see his nostrils flaring as he breathed in the air and all its scents. “He was still alive at a little before midnight, Claudia heard him making some kind of noise and went to check on him just before she went off duty. She said he looked pleased about something but wouldn’t discuss it with her. She incidentally heard Gregory on the phone on her way out, and that was the last anyone heard from either of them.”

Kyle completed a circuit of the room and began a second round. “So the scent you’re after will be less than four hours old,” he mused, mostly to himself, so Julius didn’t reply but drank his wine and attempted to keep a leash on his rage.

“
There are only four scents newer than Claudia’s,” Kyle said as he got back to his starting point again.

Julius held up his hand to stop Kyle from continuing as they heard soft footsteps approaching.

Alexander entered the office again. “Everyone is under guard in the gymnasium,” he informed Julius, giving Kyle a nod in greeting.

“
That’s probably not necessary,” said Kyle. “Unless you or Alexander killed Sebastian, your killer is Gregory.”

Julius noticed the shock hit Alexander as hard as it hit him, it felt like some kind of spell had been cast at him, freezing him in place, not allowing his body to move while his brain tried to comprehend the impossible. Kyle seemed to sense their anguish and he walked over to the desk and refilled Julius’s glass. Minutes must have passed before Julius finally unfroze, he could feel a bone-deep sadness dragging at him as he finally picked up the wine glass and drained it in a single swallow.

“
You’re absolutely sure?” Alexander asked in an emotionless voice.

“
Yes,” Kyle said, there was sympathy in his voice. “Sebastian must have scratched or cut him with something, I can scent small traces of his blood in here.”

As the shock gradually wore off and reality started to seep into Julius’s mind, he realised that they were faced with pieces of a puzzle that didn’t seem to be making sense. They needed more puzzle pieces before the whole picture started to emerge.

“
What did Sebastian find that had him excited?” he demanded from no one in particular, banging his fists on the desk in frustration.

“
If it was on his computer, we’ll never know,” Alexander said bleakly, “Gregory must have taken it with him.”

“
So, whatever he found was worth killing for,” Kyle prompted. “Do you think he found more traitors in your Clan?”

“
That’s very possible,” Alexander said.

Kyle had started pacing, on the far side of the room from Sebastian’s body. He mused as he paced. “He was a computer geek, right?” He looked to the Vampires for their affirmations. “Have either of you two checked your e-mail or intranet to see if he forwarded you anything?”

Julius could have kicked himself that the thought hadn’t occurred to him. His hand twitched and the new computer purr to life. A few quick clicks later he’d found what they were looking for.

“
You’re right, there’s something here from him.”

A feeling of dread washed over him as the other two rushed over to watch as Julius opened the first of several video and audio clips.

Kyle knew there was trouble brewing seconds into the first clip; Julius’s face was a mask of undiluted rage, Alexander’s was pinched with disbelief and betrayal. It was clear now that Gregory had been working with Stephan and Genevieve as well as a Werewolf in Julius’s employ. They’d all been feeding information to Danté’s Clan and taking orders on ways to undermine security and stir tensions in Julius’s Clan. It was apparent that Gregory had realised Sebastian had found this footage and his cover was blown, so he’d killed Sebastian, grabbed his computer and run to Danté. As Julius and Alexander looked at each other in horror, thinking of the kind of information that would now be in Danté’s hands, a sudden thought occurred to Kyle.

“
Sebastian was the one who tracked Gabi’s details for you, correct?” he asked, sudden tension locking his jaw, making it hard to form the words.

“
Yes,” Alexander replied, slightly confused.

Kyle knew the moment that Julius caught up to him, as the wine glass Julius had been holding fell from his hand onto the desk, fracturing from the impact.

“
Her address is on that computer,” he said hoarsely, unconcealed fear in his voice.

Before any of them could react further, a phone rang. Kyle recognised his own ringtone and patted his pocket before pulling out his phone. He glanced at the call ID.

“
It’s her,” he breathed.

Chapter 22

Gabi’s mind hit full consciousness the moment she heard Razor growl. Her hand instantly flashed to the 9mm strapped underneath the bed, and she ripped it free of its mount. Yes, it was highly illegal, and yes, it had cost her a fortune to have smuggled into the country, but she figured if anything nasty enough to require the use of it was in her home she would happily take the legal consequences. If she was still alive when the cops arrived. It was a small, compact Glock 19 with an extended 19 round magazine, and it had been a long time since she last fired it, though she made sure it was cleaned and oiled at least once a month, and Glocks were renowned for their unfailing reliability.

In the darkness, Gabi could see Razor fuzzed out to his fullest size, on his tiptoes and glaring at the bedroom door, the low growl in his throat continuous and menacing. Gabi didn’t doubt him; she could feel the Vampire presences and smell the sulphuric stench of Demon. She released the safety on the Glock, eased herself quietly out of bed and hit speed dial 1 on the mobile next to the bed without picking it up. She grabbed Nex from the dressing table and shoved the scabbard into the waistband of her pyjama bottoms. When she heard the click of Kyle picking up the call, she yelled at the phone while keeping the gun trained on the bedroom door.

“
Three Vampires, unknown number of Demons. Get back-up and get here. Now!”

Kyle’s panicked reply was drowned out by the sound of the bedroom door exploding inward. Gabi ducked to avoid the bigger splinters of wood and threw herself into a diving roll, landing in the corner of the room nearest the door, out of the direct line of sight of anyone, or anything, entering. She flattened herself against the wall and steadily took aim, waiting for the first head through the shattered doorway. Slinky, shocked by the noise and commotion, beat a hasty retreat off the bed and into Gabi’s wash basket, while Razor emitted an ear-piercing shriek and launched himself at the first Vampire through the door. The Vampire was tall and thin and fairly old if his aura was anything to go by. He entered somewhat casually, obviously not expecting any kind of attack on entering the room; he apparently thought he would find a shocked and panicked woman half asleep in the bed. The onslaught of an animal the size of a half-grown tiger, with teeth and claws to match and shrieking like a banshee, completely threw him off his stride.

A second Vampire was directly behind him, though so much shorter than the first that he was all but invisible in the darkness. Shorty, in his haste to get in on the action, shoved Lanky straight into Razor’s attack. Razor took Lanky at face level sinking teeth into the Vampire’s cheek and clawing at his eyes and nose. The tall Vampire lurched backward screaming and batting at the enormous cat. Shorty simply leapt over his beset companion and headed for Gabi’s bed with a long knife and a coil of rope in his hands. Gabi could only imagine the confused look on his face when he suddenly looked down and found the tip of a curved blade protruding from his chest. She wondered briefly if he had any idea that he was already dead when he fingered the sword tip dazedly. She didn’t bother waiting to see his body shrivel, she put a bare foot on his back, kicked him forward onto the bed and yanked Nex free, then spun to face the Demons now pouring through the door. They seemed to be slightly distracted by the Vampire rolling around on the carpet, screaming, with a large cat attached to his face. She switched the gun to her right hand and smoothly began pulling the trigger, aiming at the eyes gleaming maliciously in the darkness. Her heart was pounding like a thoroughbred at the finish line and adrenaline was screaming through her bloodstream, but her mind remained calm and clear. She knew she was hugely outnumbered, and Kyle was not going to make it with reinforcements in time.

“
Raz,” she screamed at the huge cat, pulling at his mind to let the Vampire go and backing away to one of the large bay windows that looked out over her garden. Escape was the only option now. She knew the woods and surrounding farmland like the back of her hand, if she could get out of the house, she could lead them a merry chase across country and bring them back for Kyle and company to finish off. She was running out of bullets fast. Damn, why did Demons have to have so many fucking eyes?

Four of them were lunging around the room blindly, making wild grabs for her, but more had appeared in the doorway. The room was a seething mass of grotesque bodies, skeletal arms and dank, acrid breath. She put more bullets into their faces, trying to dodge sprays of blood, and used Nex to hack at arms, hands and fingers reaching for her. Razor was still wrestling with the first Vampire, Gabi tripped over the bones of Shorty as she backed away from a rotting arm and tried to get close enough to Razor to pull him away. She slammed Nex into the throat of one of the smaller Demons who had spotted her in the gloom and made a lunge at her, she leapt clear of the acidic blood and heard the carpet and floorboards hiss as the Demon fell forward and began trying to crawl towards her.

“
Raz,” she yelled at the cat again and threw a mental order at him to let go and get out. He paused briefly, hissing at Lanky, and reluctantly began backing away towards Gabi. He never took his eyes off the Vampire, who was screaming and trying to hold flaps of skin and flesh in place on his face. Gabi noticed he was missing an eye and a couple of fingers, too.

The bedroom was fast becoming too crowded for Gabi to avoid all the searching arms and hands. They had closed off her escape from the bigger windows— there was only one option left. She leapt onto the bed and aimed a flying kick at the small window above her bed. The glass and wood gave way in a muffled explosion. She yanked the curtain out of the way, kicking at a scaled hand which latched onto her ankle, and fired another shot into the Demon’s face — it was her last bullet. She pulled herself up onto the window ledge and threw the gun at the Demon’s head, slashing Nex down onto another groping hand. Razor jumped up next to her as the hand, with six black-clawed fingers, began tightening inexorably on her ankle, compressing the bones together excruciatingly, claws digging into her flesh. She hacked at the toughened skin on the wrist, desperately sawing with Nex’s keen edge until she managed to severe the hand from the arm.

As the second clawed hand reached for her out of the dark, she grabbed Razor and pulled him with her as she tumbled backwards out the window, landing in a defensive crouch in a muddle of azalea bushes, soft earth and bark. She grimaced at the sting of dozens of glass and wood splinters embedded in her back. Her cotton pyjamas hadn’t been much protection. She let Razor go, giving him an order to hide, and praying to the Lord and Lady that Slinky stayed hidden in the wash basket. She took a second to pry the Demon hand off her ankle, suppressing a shudder as she unhooked the claws from her flesh.

Then Gabi and Razor spun as one to face the third Vampire materialising out of the darkness at the edge of the garden. He was tall and muscular and walked with confidence and controlled tension. Although he had nothing of Julius’s easy grace, something about the third Vampire brought Julius to mind. Gabi could just make out a cruel smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Then she realised what the similarity was to Julius; the Vampire’s power was colossal, it radiated around him like a tornado on a leash. She breathed in, allowing her body to flow into a natural, battle-ready position, Nex comfortable in her right hand.

Razor reacted before she could stop him, hurtling towards the powerful Vampire in a ball of angry, claw and tooth filled rage. To Gabi’s horror, the Vampire took Razor’s attack in stride, allowing him to get just close enough and then flicking out his arm, hurling Razor back against the side of the house with a sickening, bone-snapping crunch. The cat let out a feeble hiss and immediately tried to pick himself up. Gabi sent him a sharp order to lie still and play dead, and he subsided. Her temper, ignited just minutes ago by the assault on her treasured sanctuary, now roared into a howling inferno.

“
Let me guess,” she said in a deadly calm voice, “you would be Danté.”

Without turning to look, she could hear some of the Demons trying to climb out of the window, she needed to do something fast. If she could take out Danté the whole war would be over, but could she do it before the Demons took her down? Only one way to find out. She sprang at Danté almost before his name had finished passing her lips, rushing him, but instead of going for the obvious kill she flipped herself lightly over his head spinning as she came down to face his back and leaping to drive Nex into his chest as he spun to find her. But he was no longer there; he moved faster than her eyes could track; he’d done one of Julius’s disappearing tricks.

“
Yes,” said a balefully amused voice to her left. “I am indeed Danté. You’ll have to excuse my appalling manners. It has been a long time since I’ve found a need for them, and I am rather rusty.”

His voice was condescending in that nasal, upper class kind of way but also strangely hypnotic. Gabi realised that he was trying to control her mind, and once again thanked the lucky star she lived under for her immunity to Vamp mind control. She moved to face him where he stood several metres away and sank back into an offensive position. Damn, he was fast. Could she draw this fight out long enough for reinforcements to arrive? Maybe if she kept him talking.