Chapter 36 ∣  Pierce My Heart

-Tamsin

Lost, hiding in the shadows is exactly what I do best.

Locaine...he surprised me, he lied to my father, protecting what I know. He could have easily turned in anger, flying into a rage and possibly killing him, after all, it would have been his great-grandchild. Though he showed such self-restraint and control, it was hard to judge if he was lying or not about seeing what happened.

Maverick descends from Locaine.

If his grandfather can control himself...I know he can as well, it will hopefully just be with time. Hopefully, what we are seeking out has nothing to do with him.

Zak leads the hunting party, feeling out of place among the hunters, but at the same time, they have absolutely no idea where I am. I honestly could have just run and hidden, but then I'll be in more trouble than it is worth.

When they slow, approaching the house, Rainier nears two bodies that have multiple stab wounds near the sidewalk. The blood had dried, pooling away from their bodies. Whoever had stabbed them, had made sure that there was no possible way they would live.

The killers are merciless as well...striking their hearts and saving them for last. Their deaths were as painful as possible...

Ryker catches sight of the open door to the large mansion, asking, "Is it possible they are still here?"

"They?" Zak arches a brow, "I'm not buying that this was a group of rogues..." he eyes the blood on the ground and then glances to the doorway, "I have my suspicions." Rainier's eyes meet Zak's nodding at what they silently confirm.

They think this is Maverick's doing.

He couldn't possibly have done this...

...could he?

Why would he?

Why would he even risk getting caught?

"Clover, stand guard out here, Tamsin will watch you," Zak orders, Clover drawing her Oneida and nocking an arrow. You know, because she totally doesn't trust someone, she can't see watching out for her.

Can't blame her.

Not that very fond of her myself.

Besides, if she is in any real danger, I'm sure her brother will just poof into her spot and take the beating for her. I still am amazed at how their twin ability works, never able to grasp exactly how they do it.

Zak draws his blades, both flipped backward and running up the length of his arms, while Rainier has both of his chain sickles coiled in his hands. With Ryker's scythe at the ready, they approach the building, edging with caution.

Once they go beyond the point at which I have a clear view of them, I sigh. I can smell the blood. There is so many mixed together it is quite difficult to distinguish who is who.

Though it is silent, Clover keeps her Oneida ready, glancing down the street and then back to the other end. I sit on the high tree branch just above her, my eyes drifting around in case there is obviously something she can't see.

If this was Maverick...

...and he is still being driven by whatever force to end lives, I wouldn't want to be in that mansion right now. He could still be around, in fact with how much he dislikes Zak, it wouldn't surprise me that he cleverly set this trap.

I am very wrong though when the three hunters exit the mansion, talking lightly among themselves.

"It had to be him," Zak is frustrated.

"There is no solid evidence," Ryker shoots back, shaking his head, "it could easily have been a group of rogues."

"Did you not see the dismembered bodies? Or was I the only one looking?" Zak scoffs at him, turning his attention to Clover as they cross the street.

Ryker retorts, "Well, a vampire doesn't have to use blood magic, if you're referring to Maverick...they could easily have ripped apart all of them."

"That's the answer your sticking with?" Zak arches a brow, "One rogue couldn't possibly do that much damage," he glares at the blood that had spilled on the street, "unless they have an advantage."

"Again, it could have been multiple rogues," Ryker is actually thinking outside the box, not being so quick to blame Maverick.

Rainier appears thoughtful and states, "Whatever or whoever killed this coven, still broke the law. Did you happen to get anything else from the informant?"

"Yes," Zak replies, "apparently, there are some old warehouses in the forest not far from here. They've seen vampire activity that didn't associate with that covens usually do."

"Well then," Clover smirks, "I'm up for a good hunt."

Two rangers and two hunters that have already proven themselves time and again...no vampires stand a chance...unless they are purebloods. Then again...

...Maverick is the only rogue pureblood vampire that I've ever heard about, making his name span across the world as the King's exiled son.

"Alright, let's move then," Zak concurs with his hunter buddies, taking off in the direction of the forest. I, of course, sit back and just follow, sighing at how this night is turning out to be.

It isn't all that long before we start to see the bay that connects to the forest's edge. There are a few warehouses, lined up on different lengths of the water, quiet as it is, you can still hear the heartbeats of every living being that resides in there.

At least I can anyway, the hunters have no idea just how many rogues are at this den.

It will probably be in their best interest that I inform them...

...then again, my orders are to stay hidden unless things go terribly wrong. They are just fucking peachy now, so why bother? Maybe they will be smart and just not bite off more than they can chew.

If I can smell the vampires...

...the vampire must know the hunters are nearing their little encampment.

Their blood is pulsing, racing faster as they approach the closest warehouse. I can hear not only the hunters' but also the vampires' hearts, changing and drumming to a different tune as they are coming closer together, their contact not that far off.

Soon there will be blood.

But who's?

"Draw them out," Zak says quietly, "don't go in there."

Rainier already has his chain sickles out, coiled on either side and touching the ground, Ryker ready as he nears the edge of the door. I watch as Zak signals to Clover, true tension she has on the string is ready to loosen at a moment's notice.

It is then, that she lets the arrow loose, aimed at one of the painted black glass through the windows. There is a high-pitched scream, knowing the arrow had found one target.

Seconds later, multiple rogues swarm from the warehouse buildings, Ryker slicing three that come through the front door. He cuts their bodies in two pieces, dropping to the ground as he darts back away from the onslaught of vampires.

"Shit..." Zak growls under his breath, Rainier flicking his blades at two vampires that close in where Clover is positioned.

My heart stops in my chest when I catch the scent of Maverick...

He's here...

"Onyx," one of the vampire's yells, my head snapping in the direction of who they are referring to, "take them or kill them?"

"Get one," the tall vampire with dark hair and light green eyes responds. They close in on Clover, splitting the hunters apart into staggered groups.

Ryker immediately leaps from the ground and out of view, balancing on a tree limb nearby. I know exactly what he is planning.

"You're going to scream so much before we kill you," one of the vampires spits before three rush Clover.

She sighs shrugging her shoulders and in the next second, it is Ryker whom they are dealing with. Before the vampires can pull back, he swings his scythe, chuckling, "You picked the wrong person to fight."

Zak's yell startles me, seeing that they had gone for him once everyone focused on Clover. He is thrown through the doors to one of the warehouses and that's when I kick into gear.

"Don't!" Rainier yells at Ryker when he starts to go in after him.

I smell them first before they come into view.

There are more hunters closing in on this location and the fear of discovery for Maverick outweighs how I think about the rest of them.

Moving quickly, I weave through the shadows, bypassing every vampire that is running past me as they continue to either retreat or take another stab at ending the hunters' lives. Zak had killed three, trying to work his way back out.

Maverick...

...where the hell are you?

There it is, near one of the back doors.

Silently, I open it, readying to have him escape before the hunters closing in will surely overpower them all.

I can see the blood on the ground from the fallen bodies of the vampires, my heart racing at the thought of revealing myself. If he doesn't get out of here now...he could very well die despite how much power he has. There is so much chaos and confusion, surely, he can't focus on everything at once and by the look he holds, he isn't quite sure what to make of the situation.

Materializing behind him, I grabbed onto the back of his coat, throwing him through the door and out into the wooded area. He catches himself, his eyes looking to where the hunters are coming from, my footsteps are louder than I would like as I come through the door to also get away from the danger.

I can't blame him...

...he must have been startled by my actions.

"Run-" I am cut off, Maverick turning around, gripping my shoulder and feeling the piercing pain of something ripping through my heart. I look down for a moment, seeing a blood dagger shoved into my chest, my body going rigid at the force of it sliding into my heart.

My eyes widen, my breathing all but comes to a halt when his eyes find mine. His eyes hold shock, and his faint voice sounding like a whisper when he says, "Tamsin..."

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The Rogue Pureblood Vampire by K. A. Young.

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