Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 142050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
But come on, what did she expect? For those three fighters to chase a couple of the undead out into that parking area, stab the bastards back to their maker, and then flash her the thumbs-up so they could all forget about this?
Well, put like that, the answer was… yes. Yes, she did.
Instead, this was the real world.
On that note, she closed her eyes and did the best she could to calm herself so she could change positions. When she was finally able to dematerialize, it was just across the lot to the roof of Dev’s building. The wind was even stronger, as things were considerably taller than the walk-up, and as her body got bumped back and forth in the gusts, she thought about all the things that could get swept away and go airborne.
There was so much more ductwork and venting here, as well as a kiosk-like build-out in the center of everything—which she guessed was the top of the access stairwell. No security lights and no cameras, at least not that she could see. There was plenty of ambient light, though, probably even for humans—and they clearly came up here in the better weather, going by the grouping of lawn chairs weighted down with snow.
Oh, wait. There were some paths of footprints. Maybe because workmen had had to come up recently?
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd now what.
Heading for the ledge, she wanted to brace her hands on the lip as she leaned over, but she didn’t have her mittens and it was all ice and snow.
The yawning drop to the sidewalk made her stomach flip-flop, but at least she got herself orientated. She was looking over the front of the building now, the cleared steps of the entry and its twin lampposts directly beneath her.
Crossing the whole of the expanse, she checked the back exit. How had her brother and the fighters gotten in? Then again, as this was a human building, they could have just willed the locks to turn. Or if they’d wanted to be sneaky, they could have traveled through the glass of any window or the seams in a loose door—probably not the ductwork. Even though there would be no steel mesh to keep vampires out, it was way too dangerous to—
Someone came out of the back door.
Lyric’s heart stopped in her chest and she inhaled deeply through her nose. Which was stupid and maybe proved her brother’s point that she had no business being here: There was no chance of catching a scent at this height.
Oh… shit. Whoever it was had very white hair—was it an old person? Or a slayer?
She leaned farther out—
Her boot slipped, her balance tipped, and she careened toward the void.
Just as she started to go into free-fall, a blare of light spilled out from the roof access door. The fact that she turned to look at the illumination was what brought her body back to rights, the treads of her waterproof trail shoes catching hold in the snow just before she toppled over the ledge.
Except maybe it would have been better to free-fall.
A large figure cut a shadow through the glare coming out of the stairwell, and she had an instant regret. She had no weapons, no training, and if this was the slayer she’d sent her brother to kill—
Whatever it was turned its head toward her. And that’s when she heard an all-too-familiar voice—and not her brother’s or L.W.’s or Shuli’s.
“Lyric? What are you doing out here?”
Oh, fuck.
Dev.
* * *
Getting into the apartment building had been the work of a moment, and Shuli was glad that at least the entry had been no-drama. The other two had waited for him to arrive around back, and then even before they’d gotten a plan together, someone had come out of the rear door—not that they couldn’t have opened the thing, but hey, easy peasy thanks to the unwitting welcoming party. The basement had been clean—both from a housekeeping perspective and because it was lesser-free—so they’d found the open stairwell and gone up to the lobby on the first floor.
Nothing.
No baby-powder bullshit. No sounds of any struggle. No guns discharging anywhere.
“Up,” Rhamp said softly.
L.W. and Shuli nodded, and they silently ascended in formation, with Lyric’s brother in front.
At every level… nothing.
Well, no lessers. There were a lot of humans behind the numbered doors—which was a big change from the walk-ups and buildings Shuli usually swept through: The real estate in the field was always vacated and crumbling. Here, you had voices, televisions, food smells. And on the whole, he never had any problems with those rats without tails, at least not until they were inducted into the Lessening Society—hell, he got very close to countless women on a very regular basis.
At the moment, though? He found himself hating everybody in the building.
Okay, not all of them, he corrected as they continued upward. Just the man Lyric was clearly seeing.