Chloe wasn't one to enjoy violence. Other than for self-defense, she'd never been interested in fighting. She'd always thought that violence only bred more violence in an unending circle of animosity.
Right now, she felt foolish. Downright foolish. Those creatures weren't going to stop just because she didn't want to fight. They didn't care. They'd planned this ambush to destroy every single one of them. And Chloe should have been able to fight or, at the very least, defend herself and be useful to her friends.
She saw one of Tris’s many spare blades flash at her belt.
"Can I have a knife?" she asked her.
Without sparing her a glance, Tris pulled a long, curved knife out of her jacket and threw it behind her.
Chloe's fingers wrapped around the hilt, grabbing it like a lifeline. At least now she didn't feel so very useless.
The creatures were almost on them, close enough for her to see that their faces seemed wrong, contorted into a mask of hunger and horror. What were they?
The first line reached the huntsmen, and blades fell on blades in a thundering clash with such speed that Chloe could barely follow the movements.
The things had sharp, vampire-like teeth, though much longer than any vamp’s fangs Chloe had ever seen. And it wasn't just their canines—at least four, and sometimes even eight, of their teeth protruded from their mouths.
They didn't have the strength, but they had the numbers. Chloe saw one fallen creature crawling on the floor, mouth wide open to bite Bash. She screamed, "Watch out!" and ran to her friend.
Too afraid to give much thought to her actions, she plunged her knife deep inside the creature’s skull before its jaw closed on him.
That was when she realized she could be helpful. The huntsmen were protecting her and the witches, and she could protect them by looking around and defending them from sneaky attacks.
She concentrated on that job, awkwardly pushing her knife through legs, over shoulders, and under arms.
She would have sworn that a lifetime had passed, but Mikar appeared only minutes later, Cat by his side.
Something changed in the air. Chloe could almost taste fear. The moment the creatures saw them, they attempted a retreat. And she understood why.
Mikar had never seemed threatening to her until then. He was certainly muscular, and there was an edge to his dark eyes. But she'd never stopped to think what he'd done to earn himself a place as one of Levi's guards.
Now she knew she was facing a killer. The sort of man who took lives with ease, perhaps even pleasure. At his side, Cat was a tigress. A cat ready to pounce and play with her food.
The creatures never had a chance.
Chloe saw nothing more than shadows in the wind. Claws flashing and blood pouring out of ripped throats. She'd been impressed by Gwen's hail, but Cat's hands propelled thunder that destroyed everything in its path.
An instant later, all but one of the creatures were in pieces on the ground, and the street was silent and motionless. Then, as if freaked by the atmosphere, a nearby car alarm rang out.
Tris laughed. She laughed.
And the next moment, Chloe was laughing too.
Everything was hilarious.
They were alive.
A Conversation
"Let's get out of here now,” Mikar said, walking quickly toward the huntsmen’s quarters. “This is bad news. Has anyone been bitten?"
There were noes all around.
"Good. Let's go in."
"What were those things?" Chloe asked.
"Ferals. Vampires affected by a blood sickness that makes them insane. They're insatiable and incapable of thinking very much. Seeing this many in one place can only mean one thing: they were ordered here. Spelled, or mind controlled. Faster," Mikar admonished, although they were already practically jogging.
He was really freaked out, she could tell. Chloe quickened her pace, and in no time, they'd arrived in front of the huntsmen's house.
Jack stopped in front of Mikar, sizing him up. His jaw tight, he said, "You helped tonight."
Mikar gave no reply.
"I know you were told to protect her, but you helped us too. You may stay with us if you'd like. Both of you."
The vampires looked taken aback. Chloe guessed they weren't often invited inside huntsmen’s quarters.
"Appreciated. But someone has to watch the house from the outside."
"Chloe was attacked inside, too," Cat argued. "I'll stay with her. If that's all right with you," she added, to no one in particular.
Mikar looked like it definitely wasn't all right with him. Before he could protest, Chloe said, "Sounds great. Thank you. After last night, I'll sleep better with you here."
Reluctantly, the other vampire nodded. "All right. I'll call Levi with an update."
That was either a warning or a reminder for Cat, Chloe guessed. She shot a glare at Mikar. She'd never judge someone because of their family—not after what had happened with her father.
"Wait a minute," Jack called to Mikar as he retreated. "Bounty hunters, witches, and now feral vamps all going for Chloe? And you guys, the upper crust of vampire society, watching her back? If we hadn't been here, she would have been dead by the time you arrived. If we're her first line of defense, we need to know what's going on. So we can be prepared."
Chloe already knew Mikar's answer before he said it. "I don't have the clearance to get into it. Let's just get through this trip. Then I will personally ask Levi to bring you up to speed." He swept all of them in one glance. "All of you."
Her included, then.
She held on to that.
The night wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, partially because Blair was traveling with the entirety of the GV catalogue in her bag, which included a sleeping draught almost as efficient as Alexius's, and partially because Cat was sleeping in the next room. After seeing her in action, Chloe had never felt safer.
She woke up to her phone vibrating on her bedside table. Chloe looked at the screen and frowned in confusion. Not only was the call coming from an unknown number, but it was also requesting a video feed.
Yawning, she pressed the green button. If the caller turned out to be a creep, hanging up would be easy enough.
On the screen, an all too familiar face wearing a smug grin appeared. She groaned.
"Did I wake you up?"
"It's…" She glanced at the time on her phone. "Six in the morning on a Sunday, so yes."
"My apologies."
Why did everything he say sound so sarcastic? To her surprise, she didn't feel the need to push, irritate, and question everything he said today.
"I hear you've had quite the trip so far."
He said it carefully, as if wondering whether mentioning her trials might make her break. But she wasn't breaking. She wasn't afraid—not anymore. Fear had given way to determination.
Chloe didn't know what made her tell him, but she said, "I want to train. I want to be able to hold my own if something like that happens again. I don't want to freeze or feel hopeless."
If he'd laughed, she might have truly hated him. But Levi's smile broadened.
"Excellent," he said.
"And I want you to tell me who's after me. And why. It makes no sense. It's not about my dad, is it?"
The human attackers in NOLA had made sense. But the magic and the feral vampires really didn't.
"And don't just threaten to kill me to shut me up. I know you won't."
"You've never been more mistaken," Levi said, a hint of fangs flashing. "I'll tell you who's after you—if only so you know what you're up against. The reason why isn't something I will divulge quite yet."
That was something—a huge leap compared to where they'd been just two days ago.
"Well?"
His grin disappeared. “You’ve been told about the seven, the families that rule our kind. While those behind the attacks on you have done their best to remain in the shadows, it is quite clear that they have resources. The power to control ferals, the money to hire bounty hunters. At first, they were human, and if that scheme had worked out, no one would have suspected the source of the attack. But Mikar and the rest of my guard have stopped over a dozen killers—some well-renowned and expensive.”
The truth was even worse than her suspicions.
“Not many have the power to go to those lengths. I fear you’re targeted by one of us. A royal. An old and powerful creature.”
“But why?” she asked, almost pleading.
Levi hesitated. “An interesting question. Some among our kind can see the future. Perhaps you may become a threat to our kind someday."
Definitely not what she'd imagined.
"That literally makes no sense. I'm just…me."
Chloe Miller. Twenty-Five. Good with numbers and with ravens. Unless he was hiding money and she ended up figuring it out while working for the taxman, she didn't see how she could ever threaten an ancient vampire.
"I'm just human."
"So were the creatures that cornered you yesterday. Once, long ago, they were just human."
Chloe winced. "You're saying I could become gross and crazy."
"I'm saying some people evolve."
She wasn't quite done with him yet.
"So why are you helping me if I could be dangerous?" She couldn't say that with a straight face.
Levi laughed. "You asked. I answered. I never promised explanations."
She glared. "You're incredibly irritating, you know that?"
Levi held his hands to his heart, pretending to be hurt. "It wounds me. Truly."
She had to roll her eyes.
"Are you coming back today?" he asked her.
She nodded. "That's the plan."
"Good. Training tonight. On the hill."
Chloe opened her mouth, then closed it again. "No, I meant I'd train with…Jack. Or Mikar. Or maybe I could ask Professor Anika."