A first wave of vampires descended, monsters all, clearly the youngest and most inexperienced. Devon lunged, grabbing the first by the neck and ripping with his strong jaws. The creature screeched, then gurgled.
One by one, the wolves around her followed suit, attacking the closest vamps, unfortunately opening a hole directly in front of her. As if she’d done this all her life, she posed with the sword. It wasn’t something she’d learned in martial arts. Her knowledge was older than that. Ingrained in her somehow.
Two mid-level vamps slowed as they neared the group, eyeing the sword like it was a beast of its own. The one on the right put on another burst of speed. Charity pivoted and then swung the sword. The blade sliced through the neck of her attacker like a knife through cream. The head rolled away and the body fell to the ground.
The other was upon her immediately.
She turned, ready to slash. A streak of black stayed her strike.
Devon rushed in and jumped. He tore a lump out of the throat and then carried the wounded creature to the ground so he could finish his work. Another vampire was already coming, though. And two more to follow.
Charity ran forward, needing more space. A vampire came at her from the left and one from the right, their hands out and their claws extended. Fangs hung from their black gums.
Charity stabbed the first, hitting the heart perfectly, like there had been a target directing her home. The one on the left reached for her, but she dodged and then curled her fingers around its swampy, bony wrist, yanked, spun, and let go. It flew toward Andy.
She pumped a burst of power in that direction. Energy exploded. Two vamps went flying, clearing the way for Andy to grab the vampire that smacked onto the ground and rolled. He pounced on it immediately, ripping through its chest to get to its heart.
A vampire charged her, its fangs flashing. She pivoted and backed down, slicing off its reaching hands. Another came at her from behind. She turned, swung, turned back, and stabbed, dropping the vamp before dancing left to a clear patch of ground. The dance was so easy somehow. So rewarding.
Her blade gouged another vamp, missing its heart. Charity ripped to the side, fixing her mistake. It howled, squirming as it died, creating a temporary blockage for the creature behind it. Charity used the opening she’d created to shove a vamp away from the red-splotched white wolf. Hopefully that wasn’t Yasmine’s blood.
A fierce growl was followed by a yelp. Fear zipped through Charity’s battle high. She slashed the creature in her way so she could see. A gray wolf lay on its side as a vamp descended.
Before Charity could react, Devon was there, ripping the creature away.
A claw raked her arm. Charity spun and punched, the creature too close for her to maneuver the sword. Her magic exploded on impact. The creature’s head sailed ten feet further than its body.
She hacked through another’s middle. The vampires were attacking more fiercely now—no longer trying to simply catch her, but trying to maim her to make the extraction easier.
Bring it.
Electricity sizzled down her blue blade, almost like the thing was a conductor for her magic. The vampire’s guts sizzled as the sword slid deeper into its gut, the creature howling as it staggered backward.
Gracefully dancing to the next vampire, she swung her blade, swiping off a leg, then an arm. She pushed out with her palm, scattering the few creatures clustered in front of her, but the older ones were pushing in on her. The faster vampires with more experience and battle savvy were surrounding her, trying to get at her back. She couldn’t turn fast enough, or deliver potent enough cuts with her sword. Combat came naturally to her, but she still was far from experienced.
The beginning of the end.
Charity raised her hand in the air to attempt sunlight. Maybe it would give her and the pack the chance to run. If they made it to the cars, they’d have a chance.
Focusing on her middle, she felt magic surge around her, followed by an earth-shattering roar that shook her bones. Other, smaller roars chorused, followed by the shrieking of a vampire and what sounded like a loud bellow.
Backup had arrived.
Charity shoved her palm forward, exploding the vampires in front of her out of the way. Then froze.
She stared into the gleaming red eyes of some sort of gray-skinned humanoid ram. Two hoofed legs ended in an exposed manhood and the bare torso and arms of a man. Black horns curled out from a bald head. The mouth was too big, filled with fangs, and the creature stood at least eight feet tall. It did not carry a weapon, which made her somewhat nervous. The only time a fighter didn’t need a weapon was if he was a weapon himself.