Kanin met her in the center of the room, the katana whirling through the air. They moved faster than I could follow, slashing, whirling, leaping back and lunging forward again. The female vamp moved like some kind of mutant cat, springing at Kanin on all fours, even in high heels, raking at him with her claws. She was insanely fast, ducking the sword, leaping over it, teeth flashing as she shrieked and screamed and danced around him. Watching them fight, a cold feeling spread through my gut. I’d seen brawls before, even participated in a few. This wasn’t a brawl; this was a brutal, screaming free-for-all between two monsters. I couldn’t have beaten her, I realized with a sick feeling in my gut. Kanin was doing fine, fending off her attacks and striking back, vicious blows that barely missed the snarling whirlwind of death, but she would’ve torn me apart.
I was so focused on the female vamp, I didn’t see the other vampire until he was behind Kanin, that thin, sharp blade moving to take off his head. I started to yell a warning, cursing myself for not seeing him sooner: the female was a colorful, lethal distraction while her partner moved in silently for the kill. But before I could say two words, Kanin’s hand shot out, grabbed the female by the hair as she shrieked and clawed at his face, and threw her into her partner. They hit each other with a sickening crack. The male vampire stumbled backward, wincing, while the female vampire crumpled to the ground.
I thought that was it for her. The force Kanin had generated could’ve put a hole through a brick wall. But a half second later, the vampiress stirred and rose to her feet, shaking her head. She didn’t even look dazed.
Now I was scared. I was certain the fight had been half over, but both enemy vamps approached Kanin again, smiling. Kanin waited patiently, the sword at his side. Blood streamed down the side of his face where the vampiress had clawed him, but he didn’t seem to notice it. As they got closer, they split off, circling him from different directions. He raised the sword, circling with them, but he couldn’t watch them both at the same time.
As expected, the vampiress attacked first, bounding in with a growl, and Kanin spun toward her. But halfway there, she stopped, leaping away, and the male vampire lunged at Kanin’s open back.
Faster than thought, Kanin whirled, slashing at the second attacker, a blow that was vicious and powerful, but also left his back unprotected again. The male vampire ducked away, grinning, as the vampiress turned on a heel and flew at Kanin once more, silent and deadly. I saw the triumph in her eyes as she leaped at him, fangs bared, claws slashing down at his neck.
Kanin didn’t move. But I saw the point of the blade turn as he spun it around and stabbed backward, passing it against his ribs, and the vampiress’s lunge carried her right onto the tip, which went out through her back.
The vampiress screamed, equal parts fury and pain, and ripped at Kanin’s shoulders. He stepped forward and in one quick motion, drew his other blade, yanked the sword out of the vamp’s stomach and spun, cutting off her head.
The head bounced twice, then rolled toward me and stopped a few feet away, glaring up with a frozen snarl. I shuddered and looked back toward the fight, where Kanin was still facing the remaining vampire. It roared, fangs bared, and lunged at him with the knife stabbing at his chest. Kanin took one step back, sweeping both arms forward in a scissoring motion as the vampire came within reach, cutting through its head and chest. The head fell away and the body split open, and the vampire crumpled to the pavement, nearly cut in two.
I bit my cheek, pressing my face against the pillar to avoid being sick. I didn’t have much time to recover, as Kanin swept up and hauled me away, thrusting the sword back into my arms.
“Hurry,” he ordered, and I didn’t need encouragement this time. We raced back to the hospital, where Kanin told me to stay put and not leave the underground until I heard from him again.
“Wait. Where are you going?” I asked.
“I have to go back and dump the bodies,” he replied. “Somewhere on the surface, to lead the Prince away from the tunnels. Also, I’m going to have to feed before the night is out. Stay here. I’ll be back before dawn.”
He leaped up the elevator shaft, vanishing into the darkness, leaving me alone. I drew my sword, staring at the blood marring the once-pristine blade, and wondered what demons Kanin was running from.
Chapter 7