“Oh hell no!” she blurted, her voice a bit strident. “After what I just saw in that vision, the only person with fangs I trust is you. I’m staying here.” Just the idea of being alone with someone else who had fangs terrified her. She’d much rather stay here and take her chances with Aidan. He was the only one she trusted not to kill her. “Or better yet. Why don’t we just get the hell out of here?”
He shook his head. “They’ll move on to your neighbors down the street and kill them if I don’t stop them.”
Damn it. She couldn’t let them kill Mr. and Mrs. Crimshaw. Both were in their eighties and had never once complained about Dana running a business out of her home or looked down their noses at her because she claimed to be psychic.
Turning back to her bedside table, Dana yanked open the second drawer and drew out a 9mm and spare magazine.
Aidan cursed. He must have read her thoughts and her fears though, because he didn’t try to change her mind.
Reaching into his coat, he drew out a gun. “Take this.”
She did, then frowned down at it. “What is it?”
“A tranq gun. It’s point and shoot just like your 9mm and will drop any vampire in his tracks.” He drew out his cell phone and dialed. A second passed. “Ethan. Are you at home?” He looked at Dana. “I’ll be right back.”
Before she could blink, he vanished.
Her mouth fell open.
Aidan reappeared, his hand on the shoulder of a man who looked enough like him to pass for his brother. Dana guessed the man was about six foot four inches tall with short black hair and brown eyes like Aidan’s. He wore black cargo pants, combat boots, and a black T-shirt that hugged muscles as huge as a professional bodybuilder’s.
“What the hell?” the man demanded in an American accent.
“Vampires will attack in one minute,” Aidan told him. “I’ve weapons in my bag. Arm up.” Then he vanished again.
The man’s eyes flashed amber.
Fear rising, Dana backed away from him.
“Where’s his bag?” he asked.
She pointed to the duffel.
The man blurred. When he stilled, he held two shoto swords and had several daggers and throwing stars strapped to his body.
Aidan reappeared, his hand on the shoulder of a woman.
The woman was about Dana’s height with longish brown hair. She, too, wore black cargo pants, heavy boots, and a black T-shirt. But her shirt hugged a narrow waist and full breasts.
She smiled up at Aidan. “That is so cool!” She also was American by the sound of it. Then she saw Ethan and Dana. “Oh shit. What’s wrong?”
“Arm up,” Aidan told her. “Vampires will attack any minute.”
The woman blurred. When she stilled, she bore as many weapons as the men.
Aidan crossed to Dana and touched her arm. “Dana, this is Ethan and Heather. I trust them absolutely.”
Both nodded and said, “Hi, Dana.”
Aidan turned away so he could strap on more weapons. “Tell them what you saw in your vision, sweetheart.”
Dana glanced at the others. “I went downstairs. Vampires attacked, crashing through the door and the bay window. They tackled me and bit my neck and wrists.”
Ethan swore.
“I yelled for Aidan. He appeared and started fighting them. The ones who were biting me tore open my neck and wrists.”
More curses.
“Aidan knelt over me and started healing my wounds. A vampire came up behind him. I tried to warn him but couldn’t. Then the vampire swung a machete and decapitated him.”
Aidan spun around to look at her. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You didn’t let me finish earlier.”
Heather swung her swords with a flourish, anger sparking in her pretty features as her eyes began to glow with amber light. “Well, that’s sure as hell not going to happen.”
“You’re damned right it isn’t,” Ethan seconded.
“No, it isn’t,” Aidan added and headed for the hallway. “Heather, you stay with Dana and keep her safe. Ethan, you’re with me.”
Dana stared at him. “What?”
Heather turned to Ethan. Rising onto her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands still clutching weapons, and pressed her lips to his.
Ethan closed his arms around her and deepened the kiss.
Glass shattered downstairs.
The kiss ended. “Be careful,” they said simultaneously.
Then Ethan and Aidan blurred and disappeared down the hallway.
Heather glanced around. “Is there a room up here that doesn’t have any windows?”
“Yes,” Dana said numbly. “The bathroom.”
Heather motioned to the doorway. “Let’s go.”
Thuds and crashes sounded downstairs as Dana led the immortal woman to the bathroom and ducked inside.
Heather nodded. “This’ll do.” She stationed herself in the doorway, facing outward.
Dana’s nerves jangled as she listened to the sounds of violence below.
“I know you’re scared, Dana,” Heather said over her shoulder. “I sure as hell was the first time I encountered vampires and immortals a year ago. But don’t worry. We’ve got this.”
“Upstairs!” a male bellowed outside.
More glass shattered, this time on the second floor.
Heather stepped out into the hallway, then left Dana’s line of sight.
Blades clashed with metallic shicks and tings. Thuds sounded. Grunts of pain and curses filled the air, all masculine.
Dana cautiously approached the doorway and peered out.
Heather fought two vampires that had apparently crashed through Dana’s bedroom window.
Had they jumped that high? Could vampires do that?
Yes, Aidan said in her head. Stay vigilant. More intend to follow those. If they overwhelm Heather, call or think my name.
Okay. As Dana watched, three more vampires entered the hallway from the guest bedroom beyond Heather and the vampires she fought.
Two of the newcomers were blond. One was brunet. The first two had eyes that glowed a vibrant blue. The eyes of the third glowed silver. All flashed fangs and grinned with glee when they saw their friends fighting a woman.
Raising her 9mm before they could do that blurry-fast-motion thing, Dana fired multiple shots, hoping Heather wouldn’t inadvertently jump in front of the bullets. The first blond vampire’s head snapped back as a hole appeared between his eyebrows. The second blond’s head did the same. Neither went down though. So as their brunet friend gaped at them, she shot both in the head again.
The arteries, Aidan said in her head. Hit the major arteries.
Oh. She fired again and thought she managed to hit the first two in the carotid arteries, because they collapsed.
Their friend turned a look of outrage on her and roared as he streaked toward her in a blur.
Panic flaring, she fired at what she thought was his chest.
One of the vampires Heather fought grunted as he leapt away and inadvertently took the bullet.
Dana fired again. And again.
The brunet vampire racing toward her stumbled, slowing enough for her to see him better. As he leapt past Heather and her foes, his eyes still on Dana, Heather spun and swung her sword. The vampire’s body dropped to the floor as his head flew through the hair and landed at Dana’s feet.
Dana jumped away from it as it rolled past, then looked up in time to see Heather step back as the two vampires she fought dropped, lifeless, to the ground.
Heather grinned at Dana, her face splattered with blood. “Excellent shooting.”