As the cowboy managed to shoot the vampire in the face, Ariadne screamed a terrible, inhuman scream and launched herself over the big table, straight toward Beatrice. She was still in the nulls’ proximity, so her scramble across was more functional than graceful, but she dropped into Beatrice’s lap within a second, trying to dig black fingernails into the other vampire’s eyes. Dashiell cried out and tried to pry Ariadne off his mate, which caused the vampire sitting across from him—Carlos—to jump onto the table himself, trying to protect Ariadne.
Of course, Jesse only barely registered all of this, as he was in the middle of an old-school playground fight with Jared Hess. The two of them made a fairly even match: Jesse had trained in combat at the police academy, but Hess was fifty pounds heavier and fast as anything. Hess recovered from the tackle to pound terrible blows on Jesse’s head and shoulders. Jesse jerked his head upward, slamming it into Hess’s jaw, which snapped shut with an audible click. Hess released him but clubbed Jesse away with a punch on the ear, forcing him to roll away. For a moment, the world seemed to have lost gravity, and Jesse struggled to get his feet under him.
Hess stood up first and aimed a kick at Jesse’s face, which he dodged fairly easily. Hess ducked Jesse’s two return punches, driving a fist into his stomach, which forced Jesse to bend in half and take a breath. Hess took advantage of the pause and looked around frantically for the gun, but it was long since out of his reach. When he turned back to Jesse, though, the cop was ready for him, clasping his fists together and driving them up into Jared Hess’s nose. Hess screamed with rage as blood flooded down his shirt, then swung blindly in Jesse’s direction. Off balance, Jesse stumbled back and couldn’t avoid Hess’s vicious kick to his left knee. Jesse screamed with pain and shifted his weight as the knee threatened to crumple under him.
Dropping into a roll, Jesse crawled over to Scarlett, Hess right behind him, and she looked up and nodded in a moment of perfect understanding. She thrust the Taser into his hand, and Jesse turned and managed to flick it on just as Hess’s hand closed around his throat. Jesse felt the secondary volt run through Hess’s fingers and into his own neck, but by the time he registered it, Hess had gone limp, crumbling into a puddle six inches from Scarlett’s sneakers.
The girl—Corry—cried out in fear and anger, and clutched at Scarlett with her good hand.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Scarlett soothed, and Jesse looked around the patio.
Hugo the vampire was dead, and the cowboy guy was clicking an empty gun at his chest over and over, presumably trying to destroy his heart. The two women had moved to the foot of the long oval table and were wrestling on the ground, paying no attention to either modesty or fairness. They didn’t fight like girls in movies—both women had kicked off their shoes and were doing their damnedest to land punches, though there was also more than a little ripping out of long hair. Beatrice had a long line of blood bisecting her face. Next to the patio doors, Dashiell and Carlos were circling each other with wary, fearful eyes. Both of their clothes were torn, and blood dripped from a gash on Carlos’s torso. The air was filled with Ariadne’s taunts and everyone’s heavy, labored breathing. As though they weren’t used to it, Jesse thought.
“Why are they still human?” Jesse whispered to Scarlett, nodding down toward the women. “Aren’t they out of your range?”
“It’s her,” she said, looking at Corry. “She’s too upset; it’s making her perimeter expand.”
“Let’s get out of here while they’re all distracted,” Jesse said, moving toward Corry.
She whimpered, clutching Scarlett harder, and he felt like an unspeakable tool. Yeah, move quickly toward the scared girl with the broken arm, he scolded himself.
But Scarlett was shaking her head. “I can’t go,” she said quietly. “You have to take her out of here.”
“What? Why?”
“Beatrice,” Scarlett said, nodding down toward the other end of the table. “She can’t fight Ariadne unless they’re both human; Ariadne’s way too powerful. I can’t let her die.”
Jesse cursed in Spanish.
“She’s a vampire!” “She’s also kind of my friend. And I can save her.” She met his eyes. “Get Corry out of here; get her to safety. Check on her family. Please, Jesse.”
He searched her face for a long moment, then sighed and nodded.
Scarlett saw his acquiescence and bent her head to whisper in Corry’s ear. Jesse heard her say, “He’s a good man, honey, and he’s going to get you out of here. He won’t hurt you, I swear to God.”
Corry sobbed, nodding, and Jesse handed Scarlett the Taser and gently gathered Corry into his arms.
“Go,” Scarlett said, and he gave her one more look and limped toward the door.
In the kitchen, Jesse staggered toward the interior door and tried to get his bearings. “Albert!” he hollered impatiently, and he was surprised to see Albert actually come running. “How do I get out of here?” he demanded.
“Go down this hallway, take the last left, and the first right after that puts you in the foyer.” Albert pointed.
“Give me my gun.”
The vampire hesitated.
“Take the ammo, Albert, just give me the damned gun!”
“Okay, okay.” Albert fumbled the clip out of Jesse’s police-issue Glock and handed it over, grip first.
“Thanks. Go help your master. You might get there in time to look like you’re actually trying.”
“Fuck you,” Albert said, but he took off running back into the kitchen. Jesse watched him go, said a prayer for Scarlett, and fled the house with Corry.
Chapter 34