"Leave us alone," Dahlia warned.
But she could see their eyes. The two priests on her side were ready, and the further she crossed over, the more brilliant their power glowed. The color wasn't one she remembered in life; it was nearly yellow, but not. It matched the reflections on the deadly spikes each man held. Those eight-inch-long spears of silver were the only thing that could truly kill the undead. That they had them meant they'd been expecting to find something. The question was what.
"Mei?" Dahlia said softly as the men tried to surround them.
"Yeah."
"They knew we were here."
Her friend laughed, but the sound echoed with emptiness. "That's easy enough to deal with."
"Yeah," Dahlia agreed, "we eat them."
Yet it was a standoff. The priests expected the monsters to attack. The monsters just wanted to be left alone. Both sides knew what came next, but neither wanted to start it. Seconds ticked by as Dahlia watched the men before her, looking for any twitch that indicated one was moving - but nothing. The only thing missing was Thane, the fool who'd started it all. In other words, the inquisitors were stalling.
"They're waiting for more!" Dalia breathed as the realization hit her.
Mei's response was to scream. The sound was like a banshee, ripping through bones and muscles - and the fight was on. Dahlia lunged at the man closest to her, ducking the glowing spike aimed at her heart. As she moved behind him, she caught his elbow, wrenching it back to incapacitate the arm. He tried to grab the spike with his other hand, but she shoved his head to the side and dove for his neck. His life was forfeit. She had no other option.
Her teeth broke through the tender flesh as her eyes found her girlfriend. One man was on the ground, the other was swinging at Mei haphazardly. Dahlia didn't have time to enjoy her meal, so just tore, pulling the flesh away from the priest's throat in a single gulp. Blood dripped down her jaw as she rushed toward the man on the ground.
Mei must have seen, because the nu gui began to fight back instead of simply defending herself. The next time her attacker swung, Mei tore into him, ravaging his body. That was all Dahlia saw before her own face was buried in the neck of the man beneath her.
So close to reality, he tasted even better. Each bite of flesh was like candy. Each drink of his blood revitalized her. Hormones were coursing through his body as it prepared to die and she savored each one, the energy filling her like nothing else could. Each taste made the colors more vivid. She could smell the leaves rotting beside the building. The urban pollution stung her eyes. The sounds of cars on the other side of the building were like a symphony. It was almost like being alive, and Dahlia wanted it so badly.
But the last man decided this was the perfect chance to attack. With a roar, he rushed in, his spike held high for the hardest thrust he could manage. Dahlia dropped her meal and spun, lunging into the fool with her fist first. Her hand punctured his chest, missing his heart, so she grabbed a handful of whatever she could reach. Then she pulled, yanking it all back out.
The priest died with a gurgled whimper of pain. Dalia just lifted the handful of viscera to her lips and checked her lover again while she ate. If the inquisitors had found them, then they'd need all the vitality they could get. She swallowed another mouthful of life. Beside her, Mei moaned with the pleasure of her feast. Four men dead, and there was no reason to waste them.
"Dahlia!" In her heightened state, the voice was like the song of angels.
She looked up at the sound of her name and saw him. Thane stood braced just out of reach. His eyes moved over her blood-coated face, taking in the proof of her monstrosity, and he lifted his hand. Clenched in his fist was another of those deadly spikes.
"Idiot," she snapped. "If you'd snuck up on us, you may have had a chance."
He flipped the spike into the air lazily, and caught it. The bastard looked smug, not upset about the loss of his fellow inquisitors. "I'm not stupid enough to take on two vampires alone." He pointed toward her feast with the weapon. "Figured it doesn't end well."
"They weren't alone."
"Hm." He shrugged. "Kinda proves my point. Priests, always thinking they're all-powerful. Oh, right - since you didn't kill me, I'll give you a heads-up. There's about twenty inquisitors heading this way. How about you step the fuck back from those bodies?"
She dared a glance back at her lover. "Mei, I think we need to go to plan B."
"You sure?"
"Oh yeah," Dahlia promised. "Dawn. If I don't see you first, good dreams, lover."
"You, too," Mei agreed. "I love you, flower."
"Just stay safe," Dahlia said softly as she wiped the blood away from her chin. Then she nodded.
That was the only warning Thane got. Pushing forward with all her newly devoured strength, Dahlia rushed him, slamming her shoulder into his chest. Behind her, Mei ran. Neither woman doubted there were more coming. Inquisitors were like locusts. They always moved in packs that destroyed everything in a city. They were a plague that called themselves salvation, but Dahlia knew how to lay low. Considering she'd just fed very well, she wasn't even worried about it.
Thane grunted when she hit, then pushed back. The bastard was strong, but she didn't want to kill him. She wanted to lead him and his kind away from Mei. When she tried to shove past him toward the other end of the alley, he grabbed her, pulling her around.
For a split second, they were face to face. Hers was back to the one she normally wore. His wasn't shocked at the blood on her chin, but his eyes glowed with power. She watched his lips move and knew Words were about to come, so she did the only thing she could think of. She kicked him in the balls.
"Bitch!" he hissed, but it was enough. He let go.