Bathe In Fire - Shadows of the Night 2

Chapter 37

Hi!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and, above all, for reading. I can't really put it into words, but it all makes the writing experience so much more rewarding! I had to grin while writing and editing this one. I hope it will make you smile too! :D

Lara

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Chapter 37

Back on holy ground again.

It was beyond me why it even surprised me that the head vampire had chartered a private jet that actually belonged to him in the first place. Apparently he had gone to great lengths to come to my rescue. I snorted inwardly. No, he didn't exclusively come to my rescue, I reminded myself. He came to kill Gina Cox and company and did in an innocent human in passing. All without blinking.

The allusion that I was going to set my feet on holy ground was fitting, but not entirely true. After changing from plane to helicopter at the outskirts of New York City, we had landed on the roof of the Blood Line Hotel. For a moment I watched the machine as it vanished into the night sky in silent awe.

The overpowering need to do something was still brimming inside of me, however. If the mayor was murdered by a vamp, and the news was made public, things would go south faster than you could say 'Holy witch'. Alexander took my arm wordlessly and steered me into the building without so much as glancing at me. With dismay I realized that we were followed by his top vampire flunkies Zack and George. Not one of them said a single thing. And I was still in the dark about the mayor's whereabouts, or life status for that matter.

I did my best to ignore the heavily armed vampire security around us and followed the head vampire down a set of stairs that looked familiar. I held out until we entered the elevator and a serious fit of claustrophobia seized me.

I stared at George and Zack's unmoving backs. No one talked – or respired, for that matter. Alexander was standing right behind me and way too close. His power was beating into my skin like a cool, silken caress that sent goose bumps down my spine. As if the situation we were in was not discomforting enough, the hotel's old-fashioned ideal-world-music sent me even more on edge. Yeah, being in a confined space with three vampires was doing a number on me.

"So, I guess Brown and the Force are already on the move?" I heard myself say. I had made it into a half question. We – Brown, the Force, someone! – had to get to the mayor in time.

All Alexander graced me with was silence, however. I resisted the urge to turn around and face the head vamp.

"Do we know the mayor's current location? And where the hell are we going now?" I said impatiently.

No answer. I stared at the elevator doors. Guilt. A powerful, sour taste in my mouth. If I hadn't gone to Dunkirk, all this would have never happened. It was my fault that the mayor of New York was in danger. If he died... No! I had to do something about it. I was going to do something about it.

The silent ringing of the elevator gave me the cue. We had reached the floor the head vampire's office was located on. I followed the vampires once they stepped out of the elevator. Alexander walked past his office to open a door two rooms further down the corridor. He held it open for me and raised a mocking brow at my hesitation.

Figuring that he wanted to give me details once we were inside, I ignored the gesture and walked into the room as if it was my own. It was a boringly normal hotel room, even though one with luxury furnishing. As soon as the vampire had closed the door behind him, I turned around, facing him.