At the ring, the newling nodded at another, and in seconds, a big, heavily muscled guy in his midtwenties stepped up. He had to be all of six feet seven—taller than Eli. I could tell he was on something. Eli shrugged out of his shirt and stepped into the ring. The big mortal came at him like a truck.

Eli gave a good show. He toned his strength way down and let the guy get in several good punches. I watched in fascination the movement of muscles across Eli’s back, his biceps, and the raw power he managed to restrain as he fought. Finally, he popped the guy in the jaw and the mortal hit the floor, out cold. Eli spit on the floor beside him and stepped out of the ring. The newling moved, said something to him, and Eli made his way back to me.

His firm grasp on my arm was almost painful. Eli’s mouth pushed to my ear. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before you do something else stupid and get pulled back into the ring.”

I glanced over my shoulder as we moved through the crowd. I limped for good measure. “Yeah? It seemed like the right thing to do, Dupré. That first guy was gonna kill that kid.”

“And what do you think’s been happening all along? What’s going to happen tonight? We can’t stay and babysit them all.”

I rounded on him the moment the crowd thinned. “I didn’t come here to fight mortals. I thought we were here to take care of a bloodsucking problem.”

“You fightin’ again, Bro?” Luc asked.

Eli nodded. “Yeah. So it seems. Luc’s head lifted, and he gave a short nod. “Let’s go. We’re meeting the others outside, rooftop.”

I felt the newlings’ eyes on me the whole way out.

Luc, Eli, and I were first out the door, so we free-ran to the rooftop across the street and down a ways, and waited for the others.

I paced.

“Why couldn’t we just round up all the newlings inside? Trap them in? Gather the ones in the quickening phase, destroy the newlings, and take the freaking hell off?”

Luc shook his head. “Riley, Riley, Riley. No patience, huh? Just like before, there are reasons you can’t just rush in and do.” He tapped my temple. “Think, smartypants. Remember how the Arcoses could control the boys from before with a single thought? Well, whoever is controlling this band—Valerian reborn—can do the same thing. He gets one whiff of interference and things could turn really, really ugly. They outnumber us.”

“And they’re mixed in a building filled with mortals,” Noah said, leaping up beside us. The others joined him. He grinned at me. “No matter how much of a dick some of them are.” He punched my arm. “Crack shootin’, Poe. I’m impressed.”

Eli glowered and moved closer.

Seth interrupted, angry. “Riley, you didn’t have to jump in like that.”

I looked at my brother. Worry etched his green eyes, and the muscles in his jaws clenched, dark brows slashed into a frown. “I could’ve done it.”

“Hey,” I said, and hugged him. “You know I’m unpredictable. I couldn’t stand seeing that one guy log into the other one. He’d have killed him. It was instinct, not a plan. I promise.”

Seth pulled back and met my gaze. The wind caught and pushed his hair to the side. “You gonna do it again?”

“Yes,” I answered. “But you are all going to be there to back me up. I have the newlings’ attention. We’re getting somewhere.”

Seth frowned. “I don’t like it, Ri. But okay.”

Noah walked over and draped his arms over each of us. “You two are just so darn cute,” he said, mercury eyes twinkling. He glanced at Eli. “But let’s go. That is, if you want to save a few souls.”

Seth threw me a whatever glance. I couldn’t help but grin at Noah’s ridiculousness, and we followed him and his roof jumpers over the ancient city of Charleston. Eli ran close to me—so close I could feel the air he moved.

One major difference between vampires and mortals with tendencies I’d like to quickly point out is mortals have to pee. “Guys, no way can I leap from one more rooftop with a full bladder,” I said as we stopped to inspect the area. I glanced down. “There’s a Denny’s. Open twenty-four hours. I’ll be right back.” I turned to descend.

“Whoa,” Eli said. “Wait up.”

I quickly stopped. “Oh come on, Eli. Gimme a friggin’ break. It’s right down there.” I bent down, rested the heels of my palms on my knees, and peered down and into the restaurant. I pointed. “Look. You can see the bathrooms from here. Straight in the back.” I rose and glared at Luc. “I pee alone. Got it?”

“Got it,” Eli said. “I’ll be right outside the bathroom door. Waiting. While you pee alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

In a flash, as I praised God I did regular Kegels, we descended the building, leapt against the trunk of a magnolia, and fell to the sidewalk in a crouch. I glanced around and ran across the street and into Denny’s. Eli ran beside me.

“Ma’am, this isn’t a public restroom,” an older waitress said.

I hurried past her. “Honey, will you order me a burger to go? Rare,” I said to Eli. He growled. Seriously—what was she gonna do? Drag me off the toilet? I all but skipped to the back and pushed into the women’s restroom while Eli stayed behind to deal with Mrs. Denny’s. I hit the end stall, made fast but careful business of taking care of business (eleven blades strapped to my body, don’t forget) and, relieved, finished. Flushing the toilet with my foot, I moved out of the stall and to the sink to wash my hands. I splashed water on my face, rubbed my eyes, and when I opened them, she stood behind me—a girl, dressed in black destroyed jeans, clunky black biker boots, a black and red ribbed tank with spiked studs along the collar and arms, and a headful of black dreads. Gaze fixed, she stared at me through the mirror, unblinking, at the pulse near the base of my throat. She licked her lips.

I knew then what she was.

In the next second her face contorted, her jaw unhinged unnaturally, and jagged fangs dropped. Her eyes went white, the pupils pinpoint red, and she lunged.

Part Eight

MELEE

“You know that person you said there’s no such person? I think he’s in there. In person.”

—Lou Costello, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein

“Oh my freaking God, when will this end? I’m tired, my body aches, my language has gotten worse, and I’m dying for a smoke. Charleston is crawling with the undead, and they’re mean little fresh fuckers trying to earn their place in the vampiric world by hunting down me—and others like me. Hello?! No, thank you! I’m ready to rock and roll, do the hokie pokie, do a little dance, make a little love, and get down tonight. In other words, wrap this shit up and take a goddamn vacation.”

—Riley Poe

“Whoa!” I barely shouted. Then I ducked, lunged, pushed with my feet, and bounded off the sink, then the wall, and landed across the bathroom in a low crouch.

The she-vamp crashed into the mirror. Glass shards fell into the porcelain sink.

It didn’t make her very happy.

A strangled, pissed-off, inhuman sound emerged from her throat, and she lunged at me again—damn, she was fast—with fangs long and face weirdly distorted, some gross juicy stuff dripping from the corner of her mouth, her dreads flying all over like so many Medusa snakes; she wanted me and wanted me bad. I wasn’t wasting any time with her. I ducked and dodged again, bounded off the far wall, ran the length of all five sinks, broke a few faucets; reached down the back of my pants, drew my blade, and, the moment I landed, turned, aimed, and released.

The look of shock as my silver buried to the hilt in her heart was picture-worthy.

Dropping to the floor as though every bone in her body had melted, she immediately began to convulse.

The bathroom door flung open and crashed against the wall. Eli stood there. Luc and Noah ran up behind him, staring. Luc’s face showed concern. Noah, well, he was smiling, as usual. Eli looked pissed.

“Sick, sick!” Noah said, like a proud daddy. “You just nailed your first Charles Town bloodsucker, babe.” He slapped my shoulder. “Sweet.”

“Riley, what the hell?” Eli said, as if something were my fault. I had to freaking pee! That was it! He read my thoughts, and his gaze softened a little.

“Sir, excuse me,” the waitress from out front said behind the door. She was trying to look over Luc’s shoulder. “What’s going on in there?”

Luc turned and backed out. “Oh, my sister, ma’am. She’s sick. Threw up all over the floor. Flu, I think. You gotta mop? I’ll take care of it.”

“Just a minute,” I heard her say. “You’ll clean that up, right?”

Luc glanced at me over his shoulder. “Sure, no problem.”

I watched yet another vamp turn to dust, this time right in the freaking Denny’s women’s restroom. What a way to go.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eli said, grasping my elbow. He did a lot of that lately, and I couldn’t decide if it was endearing or annoying.

“I need to clean it up,” I said.

Luc cleaned up the mess; he literally swept the dust into a ziplock and pocketed it. Then we left.

“Ever see her before?” Luc asked Noah, behind us.

He shook his head. “She was a totally random rogue; I didn’t recognize her, and apparently she’d been lying in wait in the bathroom for her next victim.” He grinned at me. “Bet she wasn’t expecting a vampire slayer strapped with pure silver to have to pee.”

I looked at him. “Vampire slayer with tendencies, dude.” I shook my head. “I’m just glad she at least let me finish peeing first.”

Back on the rooftop across from Denny’s, Seth paced. The moment I swung up, he rushed at me. “Ri! What’s freaking wrong with you?” he said, anger burning in his eyes. “Why do you have to keep doing that?”