STEP (The Senses) (44 page)

From the corner of his eye, he saw the commotion around him as the Senses crashed through the windows and attack
ed Liam’s underlings.

Balen leapt for Abby, encasing her in his embrace. She was flailing and screaming with words that were
unintelligible. Damien was uncertain whether she was screaming at him to kill her or for him to kill Liam. The later was his plan regardless of what she was raving.

Liam’s fist slammed into his jaw with a brutal punch
, and he felt his neck crack and blood swimming in his mouth. He staggered backwards and shook his head, trying to clear his vision.

Shit, he had to think about fighting instead of Abby.

He retaliated with a swift kick to Liam’s chin, then another to his chest, making the vamp stumble backwards into the glass table, which shattered beneath the weight.

Damien focused his eyes on his adversary. The burning swirled and his vision went red. He let the power build until Liam leapt from the shards of glass and came for him. He shot the laser beam of heat at the vamp’s neck.

The bastard saw it coming, ducked, and rolled across the floor like a goddamn leopard on some kind of Agility Quick Tablets. Damien growled deep in his throat as Liam came like a rocket with a full body slam.

They both crashed to the floor, Liam on top as he s
ank his dagger nails into Damien’s throat and squeezed.

Abby’s mind swarmed with confusion as she watched Liam and Damien. Her body was crying out for Liam to come to her, and yet in the back of her mind she was screaming Damien’s name. Instinct ruled her body, straining against Balen’s arms. She needed Liam desperately, yet her mind was filled with fear for Damien.

How could she live without Liam’s blood? It was calling to her; it fed her mind and body like a mother’s milk to her baby. His voice ruled her thoughts, as if a string attached her to him. Even if her mind detested doing as he said, her body could do no other. It was as if her body knew that he was its survival.

Please Damien, remember the promise,
she begged. He’d refused it that day in the cottage. But now that he’d seen her, maybe . . . maybe he’d realize that her life meant nothing. She couldn’t live this way.
Don’t make me live like this.

Balen tightened his grip around her midsection, dragging her back towards the door. “Kilter Scar,” Balen called.

She looked to her right as she heard a deep roar from across the room. Kilter’s Scar, half man half beast, came running towards her. Balen let her go, and she tried to run but Kilter’s Scar wrapped its arms around her chest and nearly crushed her ribs.

Balen ran towards Kilter.
Kilter was fighting off two vampires, trying to make his way towards Rayne, while Jedrik was sending bolts into a vamp that had Tye in a grip-lock around the neck. A wolf came out of nowhere, leaping though the air at a vamp who was trying to jump up into the beams. The wolf’s jaws clamped down on his leg and, with one shake of his head, ripped the vamp’s leg off. They both crashed to the floor, then the wolf dove for the throat. With one vicious bite, he tore open the vamp’s neck, shaking the flesh with triumph.

“Talu,” Balen called and the tiger
came running and then jumped. It vanished into a beam of light where it merged with him.

The scent of blood was overpowering
. Her gaze darted unwillingly towards the bloody vampire Talu had left on the floor and her heartbeat increased. Her mouth began to water and her need tripled at the sight of the red fluid that was her only way of survival.

She had fought it constantly, but having it in front of her, seeing it so close, was an unbearable agony. She cried inside her mind for the sickening betrayal of her body.

She had to get away. She had to escape before Damien died for something that he couldn’t save. Her.

“Get to Waleron. Now!” Keir shouted to Tye, Jedrik and Balen.

Rayne saw Jasmine’s webs wrapping around Waleron. She was backing away, her hands on his wrists, pulling Waleron with her. Every movement he made, Rayne could see him wince as the webs tightened around his body.

Rayne looked up at her chains, jerking on the manacles that sliced into her wrists. Jasmine was nearly at the back door. Tye and Jedrik were fighting two of Jasmine’s Long Necks
, and they weren’t going to get to him. Roarke was holding off two vamps, while Kilter and Keir had their backs against the wall, fighting off three of them.

“Delara! Balen!” Rayne screamed.

Delara raised her head just as she drove her dagger into a Long Neck’s jugular. Her gaze went from her to Waleron and Jasmine.

Balen ran straight for Jasmine.

Delara followed, dagger in one hand and an axe-like weapon in the other.

An arrow went flying through the air and
embedded in the wall inches away from Jasmine’s head.

“Rayne,” Delara shouted. She threw the axe-like weapon at the chain at the top of the ceiling
, and both chains dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. “Knife,” Delara warned and threw it towards her. Rayne grabbed it as it slid across the floor.

Jedrik was on her right
, shooting a bow and arrow at whatever was entering the front door.

Rayne recognized them immediately—the CWOs from the compound. Two Long Necks, and five Worms, at least that was what Roarke had called them because they could grow back
their limbs and they loved damp weather. They smelled like apples and had cold gray skin that sweated profusely. But the scent that slammed into her was from the garbage-reeking Long Necks.

“Balen
, duck,” Delara yelled as she threw a knife at Jasmine. It plunged into the drywall centimeters from Jasmine’s head.

Balen leapt
, diving onto Waleron and sending him crashing to the floor. Rayne threw the knife as hard as she could, and it struck Jasmine’s left shoulder. Jasmine flicked her fingers towards Delara and webs came shooting forth. Delara dove to the right while Balen sawed at Waleron’s webs with his knife.

“Bitch,” Jasmine screamed at Delara. “Know that I will hunt you, torture you, then have you beg me for mercy.”

Jasmine shot both hands forward and webs went in every direction, blinding them all for mere seconds. When the webs dropped, Jasmine had disappeared.

Roarke sliced the head off a Long Neck and came running towards her. He had blood all over his T-shirt and several wounds on his bare arms. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up against him. His hand stroked her head as his lips came close to her ear. “I’m going after her. I have to.” He pulled back so he could look at her. With one finger, he traced her lower lip. He glanced over his shoulder to where Kilter fought then lowered his head and
, with a fierce urgency, claimed her lips. His tongue plunged into her mouth with what seemed like starvation. A low growl. His body pressed hard against her. Mouth warm and filled with unadulterated desire as if he knew he’d never taste her again. She was frozen beneath his kiss, mouth lifeless to his demand. She felt nothing and he knew it. He groaned, pulling himself away.

“Stay close to him.” His hand cupped the side of her face, eyes staring into her as if . . . as if it was going to be the last time he ever saw her. “He loves you, Rayne.”

“Roarke . . .” But he was gone.

“Rayne, damn it,” Kilter yelled from across the room, trying to get to her, but several Long Necks stood in his way. “Move.” Something pulled her feet right from under her. A vamp had her chains in his grasp and was pulling her towards him. She slid across the floor, trying to scramble back, but he yanked and she fell forward again, arms outstretched.

Balen was already on his feet trying to get to her, but five Pests came charging in the back door where Jasmine had vanished. Delara and Balen fought them off while Waleron finished sawing at the last of the webs on his thighs.

“
Rayne,
” Waleron said. “
Use your ability.
”

The vamp grabbed her by the wrists and she bit her tongue to stop from screaming. Concentrate. She felt his bloodlust swarm into her with a feeding frenzy. His coldness. The rage. She sucked it into her body, trembling at the darkness that dragged her under. Shivers raked her body as his emotions grew stronger. His hands suddenly began shoving her away when he realized what she was doing. She pushed and pushed. Taking every last emotion from him until his hand dropped from her wrists
, and he fell to the floor.

“
Good girl,
” Kilter said.
“Now get the fuck out of here.”

Rayne looked at Kilter
, who was now fighting alongside Balen and Keir against one vampire and four Worms. One slice of Balen’s Telwar had decapitated one Worm’s head and the other Worms were real pissed about it.

They would protect him. Kilter would be all right. He had to be. She saw a path to the front door and took it. She ran. Her legs trembled as she dodged in and out of the overturned furniture.

“To the floor,
” Waleron shouted in her mind and she dove for the ground just as a vampire swept down from the second floor. She rolled to the side beneath a table as Waleron sent a bolt of energy towards it and knocked it off its feet.

“
Do you ever listen to me? Get the hell out of here, Rayne. I can’t concentrate,”
Kilter said, glancing with fury at her.

“
I’m trying, damn it.”

She jumped to her feet and swerved around Jedrik
, who was busy tackling a Long Neck.

She grabbed the door handle and tugged. It swung open and she felt the scream rise up in her throat as one mean
-looking man stood blocking her escape. She froze. Her feet glued to the floor, eyes wide with horror, as she stared at his furious expression.

“Get back,” he shouted. His muscular arm came out and pushed her aside. She landed on her butt to the left of the door. At first, she thought he was a GQ by his handsome appearance and was pissed at her attempt to escape, but when a Long Neck attacked him, she realized he’d been shoving her out of harm
’s way.

She scuttled backwards on her hands as the handsome guy’s face went a bright orangey red color. He slammed his fist into the Long Neck’s chest then
pulled out his still beating heart. The Long Neck writhed and screamed before it shriveled up and disappeared only to emerge again in its original form—a cockroach.

The stranger went straight into the heat of the battle
. Rayne noticed he was working his way towards Delara, who was still struggling against the blue-haired vamp she’d seen at the penthouse. Delara was on the defensive and losing.

Waleron
took one look at the handsome guy and give a single nod. “Edan.” The guy in return did the same. Animosity was evident, but they were willing to put it aside for this fight. Whoever the hell he was, the guy was authoritative and much needed.

She kept the wall at her back
, sliding towards the door again when she saw Abby suddenly vault away from Kilter’s Scar. The Scar looked shocked and confused at what happened. Rayne looked across the opposite side of the room to Kilter, who was pale and weakening. It was too much. Fighting and using his Scar was too much.

“
Kilter, call your Scar to you.”

“
Shit,”
Kilter swore as he saw that Abby was no longer under his Scar’s control. The black panther-like Scar ran towards him and leapt into the air, changing to a white light before it merged with Kilter.

Abby was running towards Damien and Liam. Neither one had any clue that Abby was free and was going to jump right into the fray.

Rayne took off after her, knowing the young girl getting into Liam’s hands would be detrimental to all of their existence, including Abby’s.

“No
, Abby,” Rayne shouted.

She ran hard and fast across the living room into the next room, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to intercept in time.
Serafina, damn it, why did you have to leave me?
Her Scar would’ve flown across the room in one swoop and stopped Abby. Rayne had no doubt that her Scar was just as tough as that huge panther-thing of Kilter’s.

Rayne stopped dead.

It was too late to stop the motion as Abby ran right into their battle, her temple taking a direct hit from Liam as he aimed for Damien. She went flying five feet in the air and landed in a heap on the floor.

Both men stopped with shock. Then a deep
, deafening roar emerged from Damien’s throat.

Rayne went for Abby at the same time as Liam and Damien. She reached her first and grabbed her by the shoulders
, dragging her backwards. Footsteps ran towards her and Abby. Rayne looked up to see Damien struggling against a minion’s hold and Liam standing over her.

He clutched her forearm, daggers digging into her flesh. He ripped Abby
from her grip, picked her up and threw her body like a rag doll.