The heavy footsteps grew louder. Everyone in the chamber fell silent, aware of what was coming.

  Kai met Levi’s eyes, unmoving. Renzo and his monsters were coming to kill them all. Levi had to make a choice, but Kai would force his hand if necessary.

  He wouldn’t leave his fate in the hands of another. If commanding the vampire to hand over his blood stash made them enemies, he’d accept the consequences.

  Better to face future problems than die today.

  “Ashes,” Levi muttered. He pulled his finger from the shallow hole he’d created in Kai’s chest. Warm blood trickled down Kai’s abdomen. A finger-sized hole in his shirt revealed skin beneath.

  Levi turned toward the cave wall where the Dark Horses stood and raised his hand. A glass vial of crimson liquid emerged from a crack in the wall and hovered toward him. He grasped, staring at it with trepidation. It was the size of Kai’s hand.

  Levi glared at him, offering the vial. “Take half,” he said, voice tinged with fury. “Not a drop more.”

  Kai nodded. The red liquid held a deeper darkness within. Light died around it. Not ordinary blood.

  Kai grasped Levi’s shoulder with his working arm. “Thank you.”

  He meant it. The vampire was pompous and intolerable. But when it mattered, he’d stayed. That revealed much.

  This blood mattered to Levi. He shared it anyway. The bastard was growing on him.

  “Hurry, cretin,” Levi urged.

  Kai didn’t disappoint him. He released Levi’s shoulder and took the vial.

  “Don’t blame me if…” Levi hesitated. “If something strange happens.”

  Kai frowned. His chest tightened. But second thoughts were a luxury he didn’t have time for. Dakas was incoming.

  Two choices: use the blood or die.

  He might recover from the minor inconvenience of death, but he’d leave his crew dead, captured, or enslaved by Renzo’s puppetry.

  Kai was no vampire; no telling how the blood would affect him if he drank it. But his suit’s enhancement might not increase his healing speed enough. Only one choice.

  Bet on both.

  He carefully poured a quarter of the blood onto his suit. The hole Levi’s finger had created in his shirt closed in an instant. Kai drank a quarter, then returned the vial to Levi. Levi manipulated the blood, returning the vial to the wall crack.

  The effects were obvious and fast. Energy surged through his body. His soul essence filled to the brim. His suit’s thirst was quenched, its reserves overflowing.

  This was the strongest he’d felt. Ever.

  His body rejected the abominable purple tentacle, pushing it out of his chest. Sharp protruding bones opened wounds that instantly healed. The expelled purple flesh hit the ground with a muted thud. His chest wound pulled itself together before he could observe the process.

  His suit repaired itself too.

  Dark fury surged through his body. Then cold. A chill burst from his soul, soothing the burning rage.

  Side effect of the blood?

  The fury was new, but he’d felt the chill before. From the Black Book. Leaking from Kharon’s Scythe. When his soul bonded with Levi.

  The effect of Death God’s Lineage. Probably.

  He felt like himself, but better, stronger, faster, more durable. His missing fingers hadn’t returned. No surprise there. Whoever’s blood this was, it couldn’t counter the effects of his decay.

  But that didn’t matter.

  His shoulder healed itself. Fresh flesh ejected Rusk’s threads. His suit parted, allowing them to fall. The threads stopped mid-fall, floating back to Rusk. He studied Kai’s recovery.

  Kai extended his healed right arm, his hand open and expectant, summoning his dark sword. The mostly smooth texture of its hilt greeted his hand as the malevolent blade cut through dimensions and manifested.

  He looked to Levi. “We’ll hold the corridor.”

  The corridor’s narrow space provided a natural defence against the monsters. If they made it into the chamber, all bets were off and chaos was inevitable.

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  Levi clenched his fist. Shadows thickened around them. The sparse lamps flickered out. One lamp atop the pedestal stayed lit.

  Kai’s gaze swept over the others. “The rest of you stay here. Don’t attack unless I say.”

  Alira stopped creating small ice sculptures for Merek and looked up at Kai. Her brows furrowed. “I can help.”

  “Help by being our backup. Our skills are better for this fight.” He gestured to himself and Levi. “We can heal through any reflected damage. You can’t.”

  He sighed. “If things go well, the rest of you won’t have to do a thing.”

  Alira nodded, but her shoulders slumped. Rusk manipulated threads, weaving a corset together, when his head turned toward Kai. “Call me if you need me.”

  Kai smiled. “Of course.”

  Lilith didn’t offer her services. Bones littered the cave, but her unarmed skeleton soldiers would be useless in the narrow corridor.

  Merek looked up from the ice sculptures he was examining.

  Kai met his gaze and gestured toward the dark horses at the far end of the cave. “Stay near the horses.” The Dark Horses’ red eyes cast an ominous glow over Merek as he approached.

  Kai turned toward the corridor. Levi followed. Darkness flooded forth from Kai’s chest as he walked, morphing into Silas.

  Silas’s fire stream and flame form was a perfect counter for Dakas’s Gift. Fire couldn’t burn the wraith, but a constant stream would burn through Dakas’s barrier.

  With no room to dodge, Renzo and his monsters were walking into a scorching hell.

  Silas transformed into a man-shaped flame, stepping into the corridor. Levi entered next, with Kai bringing up the rear. Levi’s flexible Gift suited the corridor better than a sword.

  Kai’s positioning mattered little; he could teleport wherever he willed. He commanded his sword to take a shape more suitable for close-quarters. The dark blade complied. It contorted into a short sword, long enough to maintain distance and short enough to avoid hitting walls when swung.

  The heavy steps drummed with increased volume.

  Dakas entered the corridor, large shoulders scraping the cave walls.

  Levi’s fangs sank into his hand. Blood surged from the wound, levitating and twisting into a red shield.

  “Fire,” Kai commanded.

  Silas thrust his arm forward, unleashing a river of flame. Air thinned, becoming hard to breathe. But all three of them were undead - they didn’t need air. Fire illuminated the passage ahead. Darkness remained behind him. Light couldn’t pierce it.

  The sound of glass shattering echoed through the corridor. Dakas’s purple skin blackened, peeling to reveal black muscle.

  The monster shimmered; a fresh Dakas took its place. Another crack. The new monster burned like the old. Kai sensed Renzo outside the cave.

  Unfortunate.

  The bastard was smart enough to stay back and avoid becoming ash. The fire stream continued without pause. Kai laughed.

  The stench was overwhelming. Burning flesh and rot.

  The plan was working.

  A wet, purple tentacle shot through the flame, blistering and blackening. Its end split apart, revealing long black teeth as it neared Silas. Levi’s arm swiped downward. A piece of the bloody shield flew forward, shifting into a blade. It cleaved downward, severing the unholy tentacle and evaporating in the fire.

  The severed segment fell. It sizzled before flaking, turning into ash before it hit the ground. The remainder retreated through the flame, charred and shrivelling. Dakas roared. The sound of glass shattering sang again. Silas had forced the monsters into a corner. Even when they covered for each other’s recharging Gift, the constant flame subdued their damage reflection.

  Their large, muscular frames filled the corridor, making them easy targets. The burning monster shielded its face with peeling arms. Then retreated. It wasn’t long before Silas’s flame chased the corrupted monsters from the corridor completely.

  The fire stream ceased. Kai didn’t have to move a muscle.

  Renzo called out. “You can’t stay in there forever. We’ll be here waiting when the starvation hits. You won’t escape.”

  A smile tugged at Kai’s lips. Renzo assumed they wanted to hide and stay on the defensive. He wasn’t expecting a counterattack at night.

  Good news for once.

  He must’ve assumed his two monsters could protect his avatar through the night. He was half right - abominations would have a hard time with Dakas’s Gift. But he overlooked the power of an immortal vampire.

  Information about the vampire race must be scarce, even for Renzo.

  Kai looked at his secret weapon. “Levi, is there any food in here?”

  Levi’s brow crinkled. “Human food? Why would I need that?”

  Kai sighed. It made sense. The bastard only drank blood. But considering he’d kept oil lamps on hand for guests, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect food storage. In truth, Kai hadn’t expected much. Time would’ve rotted any provisions.

  His attention shifted to the wraith. “Stand guard. Burn anything that enters.”

  Silas nodded, turning to face the corridor entrance.

  Kai and Levi returned to the chamber, staying beside the corridor, prepared for another attack. The others raised their heads, looking toward them with expectant expressions.

  “All done?” Rusk asked.

  Kai shook his head. “They’ve retreated for now. But they might return before dark.”

  He retrieved his black bag filled with infinite space. “Anyone hungry?”

  Rusk spoke up first. “I could eat.”

  “Me too,” Lilith added.

  Merek’s stomach grumbled. “I am.”

  Alira scoffed. “I starved for a week in siege training. I’ll be fine for less than two days.”

  Kai’s gaze found Levi. The vampire cleared his throat. “I’m still satiated from earlier.”

  Yeah, you better be. Greedy bastard.

  Kai could relate. His unnatural hunger had been satisfied with the souls of the dead. But he needed his crew in top shape for their night plans.

  He reached into the black bag, pulling out a chunk of blue snake meat. “I brought dinner.”

  Every face in his crew studied the meat, then grimaced - except Rusk.

  Alira chuckled. “If you want to kill us, there are easier ways.”

  Kai frowned. “What do you mean? This is high-quality stuff. Even Kharon said so.”

  She continued. “That meat is obviously poisonous. It’s blue. Humans can’t eat that.” She shook her head. “And I’d be careful taking food recommendations from Demons…no offence.”

  Shadow licked his lips, salivating. Levi shrugged. “Humans are picky eaters.”

  “I’ll try it,” Rusk said.

  Alira hit his shoulder. “No, you won’t.” Rusk’s gaze fell to the floor.

  Alira’s eyes returned to Kai. “A little hunger won’t kill us.” She gestured to the blue meat. “But that will.”

  Kai sighed, slicing and tossing a strip of meat to Shadow before returning the rest to his bag.

  Shadow released a mouthful of flame before sinking his teeth into the delicious snake meat. He understood good food when he saw it.

  “Stay alert,” he said to the rest of them. “We’re gonna need you when all hell breaks loose.”

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