Darkling

"It looks like an Ecstasy party here," Camille said in a low voice.



"As long as it's not Z-fen," I said, looking around. She was right. The decor was directly out of some psychedelic love-shack dream, right down to the glowing lava lamps and black light posters in the corner. I blinked, thinking that Exo Reed had some pretty kinky turn-ons.



"Do you think Exo's around?" Delilah asked.



"I don't know," I said. "But try to remember, he and his family live on the premises."



"Not exactly the best environment in which to raise kids." Chase glanced around. "If he weren't a Supe, I might think about calling in child welfare to check things out."



A little ticked, I shushed him. "That's not my point. This is their home, there are probably kids on the premises, so let's try to keep from wrecking the joint or putting anybody else in danger. Which is why I don't want to involve Exo in our fight. I don't even want him to know about it until we're done, because if Dredge charmed him, Exo might well give us away without meaning to. Get it?"



"There—the elevator. Or do you want the stairs?" Delilah pointed to the stairwell at the end of the hall.



Elevator would be faster, but his room was only on the fourth floor. "Stairs. That way we won't get a nasty surprise if the doors open and Dredge happens to be standing there. Or any of his cronies."



My thoughts raced ahead as we jogged up the steps. How would we do this? Dredge was terribly strong, and it would take everything we had to bring him down, especially since he was tied to Loki. My heart told me we could win, my head warned me that counting on victory was an invitation for disaster.



As if reading my mind, Delilah asked, "What's the plan? I assume you and Roz go in first."



I nodded. "Yeah, we have the best defenses against him."



"And we have the most payback to deliver," Roz said, his voice grim. "Don't forget, I lost my family to him. Everyone in my family."



"Are you just going to try to stake him?" Camille paused on the landing leading to the third floor. "Is he immune to magic?"



I leaned against the stairwell wall. "If we go in trying to stake him, he'll win for sure. No, it's going to take more of a battle than that. He is vulnerable to some forms of magic. You don't have the ability to resurrect, do you?" I was joking, but barely. Morio seemed extremely well versed in death magic, and I suspected he was far more than the youkai he let on to be. "That would probably kill him."



"You'd need a powerful necromancer for that," Morio said.



Chase glanced at him, apparently running along the same lines of thought I'd been. "You and Camille have been working some mighty powerful hoodoo. Got anything in that spell book for vampires?"



Morio glanced at Camille and shrugged. "Perhaps. We might be able to slow him down a little or to cast an illusion that might catch him off guard. Do you know what he's afraid of?"



I thought for a moment. "Yeah, or at least something that will make him hesitate. Can you create the illusion of Fenris standing behind us?"



"Fenris?" Roz asked, staring at me. "Ah… I think I see where you're going with this."



"Who in the hell is Fenris?" Chase asked.



Camille frowned. "A giant wolf. Son of Loki, the havoc monger."



Morio inclined his head. "I could probably keep up the illusion for a few moments, but he's going to figure out it's not the real thing before long."



"A few seconds will buy time. Time when he's not paying attention to us," I said. "When we go in, I want that wolf behind us. Change of plans. Camille, you and Delilah are in front with me. Roz, you're next with Morio. Camille, you shoot a bolt of lightning to fry his senses. Chase, stay back and be ready to grab anybody who gets severely wounded and drag them out of danger. Roz, what have you got?"



"I'm heading in with a stake, but I've got something else up my sleeve." He pulled out what looked like a cherry bomb. "This is a garlic smoke bomb. Ignites on contact with the undead. Yeah, this baby should throw him into a tailspin. If nothing else, it will jolt him into a world of pain while we fight. You won't be able to handle it, either, Menolly, so if I end up playing Emeril, then sweet cheeks, get your cute little ass out of the room stat."



I grimaced. "Ugh. Keep that thing away from me unless it's absolutely necessary and for the sake of the gods, warn me if you have to use it." I closed my eyes. There was no sense putting it off any longer. "Okay, let's go. Be careful, please. I don't want to have to sire anybody else tonight, and trust me, you do not want to fall into Dredge's hands."



Another minute and we emerged onto the fourth floor and headed down the empty hallway. I counted doors, stopping in front of the one that should contain Dredge. As we neared the door, the overpowering smell of vampire filled the air. He was here all right. Chances were he knew that his newborns—or most of them—were dead. If we were lucky, he wouldn't know who'd killed them. If not, then he'd be waiting for us.



I glanced back at everyone. "Let's rock this joint." I kicked open the door and rushed in. Camille and Delilah behind me. There was a sudden hush. At first I thought a lot of people had been talking and abruptly fell silent as I entered the room, but then I realized that I was only facing Dredge. There were no other vampires in sight.



"Menolly—" Delilah's voice quavered. I glanced over my shoulder for a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to realize that only my sisters had followed me into the room.



Dredge settled himself on the side of the writing desk that overlooked the window, a triumphant smirk on his face. He was as I'd remembered him, gorgeous and deadly, dressed in a pair of black leather pants and vest.



"Well, it took you long enough," he said. "What? Surprised that I'm ready for you?"



"Hell. He set up a magical barrier," Camille said glancing back at the door. "Menolly, the guys can't get through." She took two steps back and I could feel her energy flare as she let loose with a blinding light.



Dredge covered his eyes and I leapt forward, but the light fizzled and I barely sidestepped him as he almost grabbed my wrist.



Hell and hell again! Damn Camille's ever-present faulty wiring. I'd have to buy time, give the guys a chance to break through the barrier. "What's the matter? You're so afraid that you had to separate us?"



He let out a low whistle and shook his head. "On the contrary, pretty Menolly. I wanted to have a small, intimate party. You're going to find that no one without Otherworld Fae blood can enter that barrier. No humans, no demons… Oh yes, I know you're running around with that incubus spawn and the fox cur. But unfortunately, for you, the three of you are my guests here. You can't break back through the barrier, so, no girls, it's just us. You, me… and your sisters." He rubbed his hands together. "I'm going to enjoy tonight."



I glanced around. "Where are your cronies, Dredge?"



"Off doing other tasks I assigned to them. Trust me, I don't need them to clean up the mess that I'm going to make of you."



Hell, then they were still on the loose. "Bring it on, Dredge. I know all about you now. I know who you serve."



Dredge crossed his arms across his chest and waggled a finger at me. "Menolly, Menolly, Menolly, shame on you, girl. You've been running with the wrong crowd and now I'm going to have to tear you to bits. Then I'll take your sisters down, screw them till they beg me to die, and I'll turn them. Then I'll set them loose on your beloved city to terrorize the dreck that live over here."



"Leave them out of this. This is between you and me."



The smile disappeared and ruthless Dredge came out to play. "Shut the fuck up. I call the shots here, traitor."



Camille raised her arms and, with a feral look in her eyes that I'd only seen a couple times, began to chant.



By the light of the moon, by the brilliance of sun,



by the wrath of the Huntress, I command it begun.



By fuel born from anger, by the pain it can bring,



I call through my body, a shower of lightning.



A huge crash filled the room as a brilliant blue bolt shattered the window, splintering the desk behind Dredge into shards. A chunk of wood flew up, lodging in his arm. Close, but not close enough. Another fork of the blue fire wove through the metal frame on the bed. The bedclothes burst into flames.



Dredge narrowed his gaze. "You just earned yourself a special place in hell, girl," he said, and the next second, he was standing beside Camille.



"No!" Delilah slashed with her outstretched dagger. The silver clipped his arm and he jerked, giving Camille time enough to make tracks to the other side of the room. Smoke was starting to fill the air as the quilt burned brightly and she muttered something under her breath. A deluge of rain filled the room, soaking all of us and putting out the flames.



I took advantage of the chaos to leap forward, stake at the ready. Dredge whirled around and we collided midair, dropping to the floor in a desperate wrestling match. He was on top of me, clawing for my throat, but I managed to push hard enough against his shoulders to keep him from grabbing hold of me.



"Why? Why did you turn on me? You ungrateful bitch, you traitorous dog! You dare to defy me? You dare to sever the cord?" He leaned back and let loose with his fist, slamming the punch deep into my stomach. If I'd been alive, the blow would have killed me. As it was, it knocked me off guard.



"Leave her alone!" I heard Delilah scream. The next moment, Dredge groaned and launched himself off of me, Delilah's dagger lodged in his right shoulder. Still not enough to kill him, but the silver had to sting like hell.



I took advantage of the distraction to flip to my feet. Dredge started to turn when Camille let loose with another spell. Unfortunately as the bolt of energy headed toward him, Dredge grabbed Delilah and pushed her in the path of the oncoming spell.



Camille immediately broke off the attack and the energy went rogue, darting to the side, clipping Delilah in the shoulder as it ricocheted toward the open window and went streaking out into the night air.



Delilah shrieked in pain, then turned on Dredge, her eyes wild. "You fucking bloodsucker!"



At first I thought she was going to turn into a tabby cat, which would leave us seriously down on firepower, but then I began to smell the scent of bonfires. Uh oh. Apparently somebody didn't want his Death Maiden killed. She let out a low growl that rose to fill the room, and Dredge, for the first time, began to look nervous. The distraction was just what I needed, and I launched myself again, stake held high.



Dredge managed to dodge my attack, but he didn't see Camille sneaking up behind him. She had something in her hands—not a stake, but something small—and as she leapt on his back, her arms closing around his throat, she wrapped her thighs tightly to the sides of his waist. Before he could shake her off, she slammed one hand against his mouth and held it there, even as Dredge clawed at her legs.



There was a muffled noise and she let go and fell to the floor, rolling away, her calves bleeding profusely from where he'd raked long gashes in them.



I sniffed. Oh shit, I knew what she'd done! She'd swiped one of Roz's garlic bombs and she'd just stuffed it into Dredge's mouth! The next second, Delilah shifted into her black panther form in a brilliant spray of light as the room echoed with her roar.



"What the—?" Dredge looked confused for a moment, staring at me, his eyes bloodred, before he suddenly started to choke. Clawing at his throat, he groaned, and I could see the pain etching its way across his face.



"Hurts, huh? But you like pain!" I strode over, ignoring the garlic, ignoring the disorientation the scent was causing me. I had one focus, one task: to eliminate the enemy. That was the only thing I had to do.



"Then maybe you'll like this!" I aimed for his stomach, kicking as hard as I could. The blow slammed him against the wall. Arms outstretched, he thundered against the stucco finish, cracking it with a long furrow. The room quaked again as he slid to the floor. He struggled to get up but Delilah landed at his feet, biting through one of the legs of his leather pants. She dug deep, I could see the bone as she ripped away a huge chunk of flesh.



"Delilah, get back. He's mine," I said. She gave me a questioning look, then padded away. Dredge was struggling to his feet as I raced in. I brought the stake down with all my force, driving it into Dredge's heart. "Die, just fucking die!"



He pulled away, staring at the wooden spike that was skewered partway through his chest. Why didn't he go poof? Was something wrong? And then I saw the shadow beside him. The form of a man, bathed in fire, holding a wolf leashed by a humongous chain. Both man and wolf stared at me, almost taunting me. But then, with a laugh, Loki turned to Dredge.



"Time to pay the piper," he said, his voice echoing through the room, a cacophony of drums and raging wind.



"No, no, not yet—not yet—" Dredge fumbled for the stake, trying to pull it out.



"No you don't!" I lunged forward, heedless of the scene that was playing out before my eyes. Grabbing the end of the stake, I fought with Dredge, fighting against his strength with all my might.



"This isn't the end," he whispered, staring up at me with those gorgeous, haunting eyes. "I'm not done with you yet."



"Haven't you ever heard of divorce, motherfucker?" I gave one last shove and fell against the stake, ramming it with my hands. The tip slowly slid the rest of the way through, piercing his heart, coming to rest against the floor beneath him. Loki let out a short bark of laughter, and Dredge gave one last scream before his body, born a thousand years before, burst into ashes that floated to the carpet. I tumbled to the side and came up in a crouch before the demigod.