Chapter 31: A Promise

Cross raised his hand, and his vampires surged toward us. The booted feet made an unpleasant noise while marching, and the hallway lights dimmed under their rush.

Jenna opened a salt canister and poured its contents on the vampires' heads. The salt crystals landed on their heads with burning effect, making two of them fall to their knees while scratching their scorching skin.

Dorian lifted the iron rod and swung it towards one of the vampires. The impact produced ringing sound, as the creature dropped on its knees letting the dark fluid drain from its ears.

Zoe ducked the approaching arm and struck a vampire's legs with the pipe. The pipe found its target, as the victim's knee broke and sent him falling face-first on the ground.

Vance stood behind our backs while reading spells from the grimoire.

Cross fought his way through the vampire crowd and approached us. His red eyes fixed on me, and he forced his wounded vampires out of the way. "You are mine now." His fingers grabbed my neck.

I ducked under his arm and stabbed his chest with the silver locket. His fingers burned as they touched the hot metal.

He quickly grasped my wrist. His cold fingers found their target, and I lost any feeling in my fingertips.

Mira screamed in pain.

Her body arched in the chair and her copper-wired wrists snapped in two, dropping her arms on her sides. Blackness flowed out of her mouth in smoky stream and gathered above her head.

"The deal is off," Raze said through Mira.

Jenna faced the door and stared at the approaching vampires. "He broke free!"

The smoky substance gathered in the air and shot to two of Cross's vampires. The smoke entered their nostrils and blackened their eyes while collapsing their bodies.

Cross laughed. "Very well. Now this is getting fun." He let my wrist go and moved back.

Another vampire appeared in front of Dorian. The short creature slashed Dorian's side, and he groaned while grabbing his wound. His legs collapsed, as he fell to the floor.

He tried to rise and stand on his feet, but the vampire pulled out the knife and stepped back.

Dorian pressed his hand against the wound, and dark fluid began flowing out through his fingers. His face paled while his jaw clenched tightly.

"I'll save you, Dorian!" I yelled while running to his aid.

The man's hand tightened in agony, and the blood splattered out through his fingers. My voice seemed very distant, as Cross caught my jacket from behind. I struggled in his grip and felt my neck being suffocated.

Zoe struck the vampire's head with the pipe. The pipe connected with its temple, and the vampire stumbled backward, losing his balance. He fell on the floor with an expression of surprise.

Vance shouted some binding spell from the grimoire and pointed the book to Mira. Blue light shot out of the pages and hit the girl's chest.

Raze roared, "Not again!"

Black smoke that had been swirling above Mira's head disappeared inside her body. Her eyes changed colors while her head fell down.

Vance held the silver locket aloft. It shone brightly, and the magical symbols that were inscribed on its surface started glowing as if having a life of their own. "I trapped a piece of the soul in it. What remains of Raze inside Mira is weak now."

Cross glanced over his soldiers. About half of them lay on the floor either dead or injured, and those who remained stood backing toward the stairs.

He suddenly grabbed Zoe's coat and dragged her to his chest. His hand wrapped around her throat, and she immediately choked.

"Stop fighting, or you die!" Cross yelled while staring at me.

Zoe's body jerked in his grip, and her pipe dropped to the floor. She choked, while her hands grabbed his arm in desperate attempt to shake it off.

Dorian was on the floor with his hand pressed to the wound. His chest rose and fell in agony as dark fluid trickled onto the floor.

Cross directed his attention to me. His red eyes showed no sign of blinking. "You want her back?" He squeezed Zoe's throat while speaking, and she choked louder. "Come to my estate tomorrow night. Alone. Without any tricks, or she dies."

Zoe gasped desperately. "No! Don't listen to him!"

Cross dragged the girl to the stairs, and she fell with her feet scraping against the wooden steps. His vampires followed after him, pulling along all those who couldn't walk themselves.

Zoe's shoes left dark traces on the floor, and the girl grabbed the doorframe trying to get loose. But Cross removed her hands one-by-one.

"Release her!" I shouted and ran toward the stairs.

Cross stopped, turned, and glared at me. "Tomorrow night. Alone," he growled before dragging his hostage away. His footsteps resounded loudly, as the vampires descended the stairs and disappeared from sight.

The front door slammed.

Silence descended in the hallway. The only sounds that could be heard were Dorian's gasping breaths and drops of dark fluid hitting the carpet.

I rushed to my partner's body and knelt beside him. The carpet was drenched with blood, and it soaked through my jeans. "Let me see," I said trying to remove his hand from his wound.

He refused to obey. "It is deep," he gritted between his teeth. "Press harder."

Jenna crouched besides Dorian and pulled his shirt up, revealing the bloody wound. The wound was deep and blackish. "His knife was covered in something." She pressed her hand to the wound and got his gasp for a reward.

Vance came and stood over the bed holding the grimoire. He looked at Dorian's wound and frowned. "I'll need my medical kit. It is in the room."

Jenna glanced at me. "Get him inside. I'll call the ambulance," she said rising to her feet and pushing his shoulders up.

I grabbed him under his arms, and we dragged him to his bed. His feet dragged in blood leaving dark streaks on the floor.

Mira was on the floor beside the chair with closed eyes. She was breathing faintly.

Vance pulled his leather medical kit from the desk and opened it on the bed. Alcohol and various herbs could be smelled inside, along with some disgusting concoctions of his creation. From that he pulled a needle and thread and a small vial of something green-colored.

"This will hurt," Vance said and poured green liquid from the vial onto the needle.

"Do it," Dorian muttered through his teeth while pressing his hand against the wound.

The vampire pushed the needle into the wound, and Dorian arched his back while gripping the bed sheet hard.

I held his shaking hands firmly, afraid that he would lose his control.

Jenna approached the window and watched the parking lot while pressing her palms against the cold glass. "They took Zoe," she whispered, staring ahead. "She is gone."

I looked at the door and saw the trail of blood on the carpet. The same trail that ended in the broken pipe.

Vance pulled the last stitch, tied it off and released me. "He will live, but he won't fight tomorrow. The venom is still in his blood, and the stitches will rip," he said sitting on the floor.

Dorian leaned his head back to stare at me while breathing heavily. "Don't go tomorrow," he rasped while pressing hard against the wound. "He'll kill you."

I gazed into his crimson-colored eyes seeing all the fear in them. "I can't leave Zoe," I answered, holding his fingers firmly in my palm. "She is my friend."

"She is bait," Dorian whispered. "He uses her to lure you out."

Jenna turned to us. "Cross doesn't care about Zoe. He needs your magic, and as soon as you come he kills her," she replied.

I rose and walked to the window watching the deserted parking lot. The snowfall had ceased, leaving nothing behind except car tracks.

"I'll need a plan," I told Vance and Jenna. "A better plan than the previous one."

He looked into the grimoire. "If we prepare a binding spell for Cross, I'm sure it will work."

"How long will it take?" Jenna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Vance glanced through several pages and stopped. "All night. But I can do it."

Dorian leaned forward on his elbows, gasping for air. His face was pale with a cold sweat on his forehead. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you don't," I interrupted and stepped close to him. "You can't even stand."

"It doesn't matter. I can still fight," he insisted while struggling to his feet.

I walked to the door and picked up Zoe's pipe from the floor. "I'm coming to Cross's house tomorrow night," I said determinedly. "And I'm taking Zoe with me."

Mira stirred, slowly raising her head. "I can help," she whispered, opening her brown eyes. "Raze is weak. The locket took away most of his magic, and I can control him now."

"You almost died," I remarked.

"Yes, but didn't die," she continued quietly. "And I owe Zoe. She saved me more than once."

Jenna supported Dorian helping him sit on the bed. "Let me help you," she offered, while pulling his t-shirt up.

Vance opened the book to a marked page. "If Mira can control Raze, she can use his smokescreen. It is the only thing that can hinder Cross."

I walked to the window and looked at the dark sky where the snow was falling again. "Tomorrow night," I concluded. "We end this."