Sicilia hurried back to the SUV as soon as Aurora gave the all clear that the museum was vacated from all Vampires, other than the ash variety. She’d done everything she could to help Paul out before her hunt started, but when she’d had to let him go to concentrate on the attack, he was still struggling.
“Talk to me, Paul. How’s it going?” she asked as she climbed into the passenger’s seat, hoping to get a little bit of peace before the rest of the team got back to the vehicle.
“Everyone seems to have reacted well to the aspirin and the transfusions, except for Stanley. He’s pulse is barely detectable, and he’s pale.”
Requesting visuals from Paul, she assessed the five victims. He was right; four of them looked like they were resting peacefully, as if they might wake up at any moment and be fine, but Stanley, a larger man with a buzzcut, didn’t look good at all. “Okay. I think you should move them all back to your headquarters and wait for Jamie to get back to you.”
“Even Stanley?” Paul asked, and Sicilia could pick up hesitation in his voice.
“Yes, even Stanley. Keeping him there won’t help any, and he seems stable enough to move. Just be careful getting him across the moat.”
“I’ve got a team working on clearing that right now,” Paul replied, and she could pick up on a slight chuckle in his voice. She could only imagine what the team was up to, now that the house was clear of Vampires.
“I wish I could be of more help, but I’m sorry I can’t do much from here.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been very helpful. We’ll get them moved, make sure they’re stabilized, and I’ll be in contact with Jamie. Thanks a lot, Sicilia.”
“Good luck.” She took a deep breath, wiping some blood off on her pants she just realized was there from when she had to put Aurora’s hand back together. Overall, the hunt had been a success. It had taken some time to clear the basement of at least a dozen Vampires, but they’d made it through. Now, she was ready to go home and relax.
Aurora and the rest of the team members who were riding in her vehicle were on their way out, and a huge smile illuminated their leader’s face. Aurora had done well on her first mission as a leader. Sicilia rested her head back, happy to have that over with, but as she checked her IAC for what was happening elsewhere, her stomach tightened. Not everyone was out of the clear yet.
* * *
Cadence’s head was throbbing, but she heard Aaron calling her name and slowly opened her eyes. His face hovered above her head, and she could feel wet, sticky blood still dripping down the side of her face. But she didn’t think she’d been shot in the head. “What happened?” She noticed her IAC was back and a flood of messages hit her all at once. She brushed them off.
“Alex shot Fergus, the Vampire who bashed your head in, with his sniper rifle. He aimed right over your shoulder,” Aaron explained. “Try not to move. Martin’s going to put you back together.”
She did as she was told. As Martin placed his hands on the side of her head, Cadence closed her eyes. The pain began to subside almost immediately. She could only imagine what she must look like with a huge chunk of her hair missing and her scalp a bloody pulp. If Alex hadn’t been there, who knows what might’ve happened? Aaron probably could’ve taken the shot, too, but he would’ve hesitated, afraid he’d hit her instead. Alex likely had a better angle, a better scope, and not that kind of fear.
“Feeling any better?” Martin asked.
Cadence whispered, “Yes,” still afraid to move her head too much.
“Good. I’m afraid I can’t do much more. Getting both of you to halfway is about all the juice I can keep in the tank.”
She opened her eyes and looked at Aaron. He was ashen, as if he was still bleeding some and had been this whole time. “Why didn’t you let him fix you all the way?”
“Because I realized you were walking into a trap,” he answered. It was hard for her to be mad at him when he’d been trying to save her, probably did save her, since his negotiating with that bastard Vampire had given Alex enough time to line up the shot.
“Where is Alex now?”
“Uh, here, my lady. At your service.”
She couldn’t shift her eyes to look at him, but she could see him through Aaron’s IAC when her fiancé turned his head. Alex was bowing, and she couldn’t help but giggle. Now, that was a Revolutionary War hero she could get on board with. “Thank you kindly, my dear sir.”
He chuckled at her attempt to sound as formal as he always did. “It is an honor and a privilege, my lady.”
“All right. That’s all she wrote,” Martin said, sitting down on his haunches. “I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until you get back for Jamie to fix the rest of you. Both of you.”
“Can I sit up?” Cadence asked.
“Sure, but don’t move too quickly. I know that’s hard for you.”
Aaron helped her up, and she leaned back against the car door, trying to get the world to stop spinning. “A lot of good my speed did me tonight.”
“I think Holland must’ve basically possessed Fergus to give him that kind of strength and speed.” Aaron’s hand was still on her shoulder as if he was afraid to let her go.
“I was thinking the same thing. He jumped on me so quickly.”
“Well, the good thing is, all of our hunts were successful tonight. And we only lost six Hunters, so that’s something.” He gave her a sympathetic smile, knowing the only number she would’ve found acceptable was zero.
“Six?” she asked. She tried to shake her head, but it hurt. “Anyone I know?”
He knew what she meant. Of course, she knew all of the Hunters, at least by name and area, but she wanted to know if they’d lost anyone else she’d met, like Becky. “No, I don’t think so. We don’t ever want to lose anyone, but the fact that we took out over three hundred Vampires all over the world tonight and only lost six Hunters is an amazing accomplishment, Cadence. The training you’ve been doing, the other programs you’ve put in place, those are really working. You should be proud of your team--and yourself. I am.”
