She remained crouched as they made their way through the woods enshrouding the back of the buildings lining the main street. It took them almost an hour, but eventually they located a large building surrounded by a heavy contingent of vamps. The windows of the home were all covered with thick drapes, making it impossible to see any movement within.
Aria studied the back of the faded blue home. There were ten windows on the wall, but no way to get to any of them with all the vampires standing guard. Even if she could somehow lead them away, the five bottom windows were covered with bars. She may be able to tear the bars free, but not without alerting someone to her presence. There was no way to get to the windows on the top floor, no trees near them or any sort of vine climbing the house. Her eyes settled on the two chimneys on the roof.
The entire building was surrounded by vampires on the ground, but no one was on the roof. Her eyes darted to the buildings on each side of the home. One was too short, she’d never be able to get from that roof to this one, but the building next door was a little higher. The only problem was the pitch of the roof on the house before her.
She bit her lip as she studied the rooftop. It was one thing to hop between trees; it was another thing to run up and across such steep angles. She could do it if she could find some nails or tacks to stick through the soles of her boots; she would have an easier time gripping the shingles then and wouldn’t alert anyone to her presence. If someone did hear her, they’d most likely think she was a raccoon or a squirrel.
“You can’t seriously be considering that,” Max said when he caught the direction of her gaze.
“If she’s in there, I can do it,” Aria replied. “Tacks will help me grip the roof.”
“Let me pull those out of my ass for you,” he retorted and she glared at him though he couldn’t see it from behind her glasses. “You said nothing reckless.”
“It’s not reckless, not if I plan it right. Now shush, we have to keep watch.”
“You’ll break your neck,” Max pressed.
“Good thing that won’t kill me anymore.”
Now he scowled at her as his hands fisted. “I might.”
“Get in line,” Xavier muttered under his breath and Aria glowered at him. He didn’t look at all repentant as he glowered back at her.
Aria turned away to study the vampires surrounding the building. This home was the only one with such a large number of vamps outside of it. It had to be where Sabine, or whoever she was, was staying, but she couldn’t do anything until she knew for sure. “I have to know if she’s in there first,” she murmured.
***
Daniel
Daniel watched the vampires in the doorway as the first one broke into a grin and stepped inside. “Three trapped little piggy’s,” he said.
Behind him, William adjusted his stance to keep the door beneath him from opening again if Tempest should try to come back out. The other two vamps stepped into the barn as Timber pulled the staff from his back and brought it before him, to hold it there. He grinned back at the vamps beckoning the first one forward with a wave of his fingers.
The vamps hesitated when confronted with Timber’s eagerness for a fight. They exchanged a look. “Easy prey,” one of them said to the others, and Daniel nearly laughed out loud.
Behind him, William chuckled, drawing the vamp’s attention to him. “Vampire,” one of them said to the others.
“Give this guy a cookie. You’re pretty observant, aren’t you?” William inquired of the vampire as he nocked his arrow against his bow.
The vampire’s lips skimmed back to bare his lethal fangs at William.
“About as observant as a rock,” Timber replied.
Daniel remained unmoving, studying his opponents as they fanned out farther. Judging by their lumbering gait, their lack of weapons, and the way they all moved separately from each other, they had no formal training in weapons or defense. They also hadn’t been working together for long. Otherwise, they would know not to let the one with the blond hair go to the right. He had a barely noticeable limp, but he would be slower to move off his right foot and was a weakness to their line.
They relied on their vampire strength to carry them through any battle they encountered with a human, but they were awkward for vampires. Strength meant nothing if they couldn’t catch their opponent. Even Timber, for all of his lumbering size, was quick from years of having to be. He could pick a pocket before anyone ever noticed him in a crowd, a seemingly unattainable feat considering he was impossible not to notice, but Daniel had seen him do it many times before.
These three vampires would tear someone’s jacket off while trying to shake their hand. Daniel couldn’t help but smile at the men. This was going to be a good time.