I’m rooted in my spot.
Terrified.
“What is this, then? A little human. That pea shooter won’t do a damn—” I pull the trigger.
One shot.
Then two.
Then a final one to his forehead. He stumbles backward into the room and falls down. Two more men blur in, and I waste no time. The moment I have the shot on one of them, I take it. One to the chest.
Another to the head.
The third man blurs forward and slams his body into me. The resounding crack from the back of my head hitting the wall is all I hear as my body slides to the floor. Pain. Instant. Agonizing.
But I know I can’t stay down.
Vision blurry, I look up as the man who hit me like a battering ram moves closer, black boots thunderous on the tile floor.
“You’re here for me. Leave her be.” Walker clears his throat and attempts to stand.
The vampire laughs. “Haven’t you heard? Any humans that assist the traitors are on the council’s kill list. We have the freedom to take out anyone who gets in our way. Regardless of their faction.” The vampire reaches out and grabs Walker, ripping him forward.
Head throbbing, I scan the floor for my gun, careful not to make any sudden movements that the vamp might track.
“Goodbye, psychic. I can’t say the world will be a worse place without you in—”
A gunshot.
I barely have time to react when the vampire stops speaking and sputters, swaying on his feet. He drops Walker, so I scramble over to him, hoping like hell he didn’t rip any stitches or do any damage that will need another surgery.
Pulling the detective into my lap, I stare up at a petite brunette I’ve only ever seen one other time. She levels her firearm on the vampire again, and pulls the trigger once more. A man stands behind her, crimson eyes narrowed on the vampires on the ground.
In an instant, he’s ripping their heads from their bodies and tossing them to the ground.
I scream as blood splatters the walls.
“Easy,” the brunette scolds. “You called us.”
“What the—why did you—they were dead.”
“Always have to remove the heads to be sure,” the woman says. “How is he?”
“Alive,” the detective chokes out.
I lift his gown and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that the stitches from his trip to the OR are still intact. “Fine.”
The man who relieved the vampires of their heads glances down at the bodies and grimaces. “I’m getting my guys in here, but with how high profile this is, we may need to get the human police involved.”
“Agreed.” The woman withdraws her cell phone and kneels next to Walker. “Keep nearly dying on me and I’ll kill you myself. You know, save you the trouble.” She flashes a brilliant smile at him, and he returns it, though his is much weaker given the amount of pain he must be in. “Hey, Cap. We have a situation here at the hospital. Some vampires came in and made quick work of some staff and patients.” She pauses, listening to someone on the other line. “Got it. See you soon.”
She ends the call and glances up at the man. “Your guys coming?”
“On their way.”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re friends of Bronywyn’s, but who the hell are you?”
The woman smiles. “Detective Rainey Astor. This is Shay Tarnley.”