Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(36)

Standing in the middle of the hall with no quick hiding place terrified me. I kept expecting someone to come storming up the stairs from the main floor. Creeping to the top of the stairs, I gazed down, finding the club operating as if nothing was occurring downstairs. What the hell?

Then a smoke bomb went off in the middle of the dance floor, and commotion broke out all across the main level. Good Lord, I hoped Jez wasn’t down there.

I moved back into the hall, away from the stairs. Jez, Jez, Jez. I chanted her name to myself, seeking her shifter vibe. There! I followed my senses to a door that said Lady Melanie.

There was no time for manners or knocking. The lock gave way easily enough under my adrenaline and power-charged strength, and I burst into the room. It was nice, much nicer than the rooms back home. Soft beige carpet squished beneath my feet. A flat screen TV hung on the wall across from a king-size bed adorned with satin sheets and a mountain of pillows. A mirror above the bed reflected the image of entangled limbs and luscious hair.

“Alexa? What the f**k? Knock much?” Jez was understandably confused and embarrassed. She looked up from between Sloane’s legs, and I did my best to avert my eyes.

“We’ve got trouble. Blood ring trouble. We have to get out of the building.”

“What?” Sloane was up off the bed instantly grabbing her clothing from the floor. “Where’s Jenner?”

“He’s downstairs with Arys. They were under attack by a swarm of angry vampires. They told me to run, to find Roscoe and to take you with me.” I motioned frantically for Jez to spring into action. She did, thankfully steadier on her feet than she had been earlier.

Sloane shook her head and smoothed her dress back into place. “I can’t leave Jenner. You two go. I’ll try to find a way to keep the peace here.”

“Keep the peace?” I asked, incredulous. “It’s total chaos down there. This is what you wanted Arys to help with, isn’t it? The blood ring won’t let you out.”

“There’s only one way out. Nobody just walks away from an operation like that and lives to tell the tale.” Sloane sniffed at the air, scenting my bloody wounds. She took a step toward me, and I held her off with a raised hand. “I can smell Jenner on you.”

“Yeah well, if we all live through this night, then he can tell you all about that.” I knew that look, the flash of hunger in her eyes. She couldn’t help it. It was in her nature. “Come on, Jez. We gotta go.”

She dressed in record time. Golden hair disheveled and lipstick smeared, Jez looked very much like a woman who just had a fun-filled romp with a lover. In about five seconds, she’d be running for her life.

“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Jez turned back to Sloane, concern heavy in her green eyes.

“I belong here, whether Jenner likes it or not. Just go while you still can.” As if it were an afterthought, Sloane pulled Jez close and planted a serious kiss on her. “When this shit is settled, we’re going to finish what we started here.”

Jez caught a strand of Sloane’s blonde hair, twisting it around her finger. “You got it.”

I would have objected to that if I hadn’t been in such a rush to get moving. Grabbing Jez’s hand, I dragged her into the hall. Several doors were now open as vampires and their willing victims surfaced to see what was going on.

We ran down the hall back to the fire exit where we took the stairs to the roof. As we rounded the landing, we ran right into a crossbow-toting blood ring member. He advanced on us with a grim smile, aiming the crossbow at my head.

Jez didn’t hesitate. She sprang forward and slammed her fist into his throat, following up with an elbow to his face then a knee to his groin. He grunted and stumbled down the remaining stairs toward us.

The crossbow went off, and I ducked, narrowly avoiding the flying bolt. It lodged in the wall behind me. I jerked it free while Jez continued her assault. The vampire was strong; he recovered quickly. He smashed her in the face with the crossbow. Her insanely high heels failed her, and she fell on the landing, almost tumbling down the stairs. I slammed him with a psi ball, immobilizing him long enough to plunge the bolt into his heart. I didn’t wait for the ash and dust of his remains to settle. I got Jez on her feet, and we surged ahead to the rooftop.

“Are you ok?” I asked, afraid to look back in case we were being pursued. So far so good.

“I’ve had worse.”

We found the fire escape mounted on the side of the building and wasted no time getting down to the ground. Jez kicked off her heels, carrying them as we descended. My lungs heaved, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it down without another encounter.

We waited in the dark space between The Wicked Kiss and the neighboring building. Nobody came down after us. Leaning against the concrete wall, I focused on taking a few deep calming breaths. It didn’t work.

“What the hell happened to you?” Jez spoke in a hushed tone. She gestured to the vampire bites decorating my neck and wrist. I was glad to see she didn’t have any. Sloane was lucky.

“Do you realize how long you’ve been upstairs with her?” I whispered furiously. “Arys lost the poker game. Shit got stupid. You missed Shaz’s cage fight.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? He won, right? Come on; tell me about it while we walk. You’ve got to get cleaned up, and we need a plan.”