Mathias shadowed his men’s moves, he didn’t want them to die or get injured. Some of them lacked the skills and training that he and the others had. He made sure they didn’t have a lot to do.
Xavier, Eric, and Sam focused on beheading them in any way they could. They used their hands and teeth.
The twins double-teamed, they were lethal this way. They fought through the army of vampires back to back, killing at the same time watching each other’s backs. Solara kicked a vampire towards them, they leaped into the air caught him on each side, and split him, as they landed on the ground.
Stephan weaved through the vampires he was looking for one in particular but couldn’t find him. He assumed that Solara, Xavier, or Mathias had him, they were the only ones who hated him and had as much reason to want him dead as he did.
Scarlet slouched in the back seat. She was worried and not knowing what was happening was driving her crazy. She watched Kayla as she pulled into the Warf, she had a blank stare on her face.
Kayla never liked not knowing, her gift had given her the chance to always be in the loop. As for now, she was too far away to know what was going on with the guys.
When the car came to a halt, Kayla dropped her head on the steering wheel, “I can’t take this. Not knowing whether they are dead or alive. Whether or not they need help.” She turned back to face Scarlet.
“How are you and the baby holding up?” She sighed as she dropped her eyes to Scarlet’s hand, where it lay protectively over her belly.
She caressed her baby bump. “We are fine. I think he is awake, he won’t stop fussing.”
“I know he is awake. Your mind is blank again. Nikki, I assume you have been through enough battles in your lifetime, what should we expect?” She turned to the front.
“I don’t know. The only guys who have seen any action are Xavier and Sam. Sam has seen most of it.” Nikki sighed and put her feet up on the dashboard. “He knows how to handle himself and he always watches the backs of the guys he is with. The only one is worried about is Eric. He is new to this and young.”
“Is that why you wanted to take his place? Why wouldn’t Xavier let you?” Kayla had just sold herself out. She had heard Nikki mentally curse Xavier out.
“Because I am a female. That is the only reason they brought me to San Francisco in the first place.” She chuckled at how absurd it sounded. “Women aren’t encouraged to join the army. We are given the same if not half the training the men are, and we can sign up if we want to, but it isn’t encouraged.”
“Isn’t that kind of nineteen fifties?” Scarlet looked up from her belly.
“Well, you have to understand that most of the elders are from the fifteen fifties let alone the nineteen fifties.” She pulled her hair up and tied it into a ponytail.
“Fifteen hundred? Some of you are older than Stephan. I thought that only vampires could live that long?” Scarlet didn’t want to sound ignorant but they didn’t teach a unit in immortal creatures at the university.
“So how old are you?” Kayla looked over Nikki her lips curling into a grin.
“I am fifteen and that is technically forty-five.” She returned Kayla’s smile. “Eric is the youngest of the four of us, he is seven which is twenty-one, and Xavier is eight which is twenty-four. Sam is the oldest he is fifty which is one fifty.”
“You age once in three years?” Scarlet was worried about her baby, she didn’t know how she was going to pass a three-year-old as a newborn.
Nikki and Kayla heard the panic in her voice, they turned back to look at her. Scarlet was terrified about how her life was going to turn out with her unique child.
“I don’t think you should go Scar. This is going to be too much for you.” Kayla reached out to touch her knee.
“It will be dangerous for you to try and bring this child into the world on your own. Scarlet, you may not survive this.” Nikki was looking right at her hoping that she could hear the concern hidden in the words.
“I know, but I can only make that decision after Stephan gets here.” She thought of her plan to leave in the morning.
Scarlet thought about staying in San Francisco. If Zen was killed she could, but for how long. How long would it take for them to send more vampires after Stephan? How many more times would he send her away to hide while he fought for his freedom? How many times would his past put her in danger? Put her baby in danger?
Scarlet had a lot to think about and not much time to do it. She knew the fight would soon be over. How long did it take immortals to kill each other?
“Besides the both of you could fly to Washington and help me with the birth.” Scarlet referred to them both, Kayla was her friend and Nikki was the only one she knew with an idea of what she was going through.
***
The numbers were reducing. They were becoming less on the field. Stephan knew that soon it would all be over, he wasn’t sure who had the upper hand.
He slammed one of the vampires into the ground and stomped on his head as if he was putting out a small fire. He stood still and looked around. He saw one of Mathias’ men he was dead, other than him the rest were still fighting.
They pilled the bodies on top of each other and set them on fire. Mathias’s friend has burnt aside from the others. Stephan had sifted through the dead bodies but hadn’t seen Zen and two of his men were also missing.
“Stephan these are only twenty-three bodies, and Zen isn’t here” Solara was upset he looked cheated out of something.
“Victor are you sure they were twenty-five?” Stephan turned to the twins not sure who he was directing his question to.
“Yes, I am sure. Zen must be planning something.” Victor answered back.
“What if, he went back to the house? Vincent!” Stephan’s voice boomed it was lined with panic.
The twins took off in the direction of the house, Victor leading the way, he was the tracker and they would find them faster together.
“I will stay here with my men make sure this is cleaned up, you should go,” Mathias shouted at them
Stephan and the others didn’t need his permission. They took off after the twins trying to catch up with them. They weaved through the trees and came up to the road. It was dark and at the speed, they were moving in, Stephan didn’t think any human could see them.
He ran down the streets, following the twins as closely as he could. Stephan stopped for a second when he realized where they were headed, the Fisherman’s Warf. He broke into a run, his heart beat-matching the pace of his feet.
It was the perfect setting, he had given Zen his stage. He had to reach Scarlet before he got to her.
***
Nikki pushed open the door and stood behind the car. Her body tensed.
“Scarlet I need you to stay in the car.” Kayla tried to calm her voice. She could hear the thoughts approaching them. She tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Scarlet a fake smile.
“What’s wrong, K?” Scarlet saw the panic in her eyes, as much as she had tried to hide it from her, it was evident. “Tell me.”
Kayla swallowed hard trying not to choke on the lump forming in her throat. “Someone’s coming and their thoughts are not exactly friendly. You need to stay here and lock the doors.”
“K, if a vampire is headed this way I doubt me locking myself in this stuffy Mustang will keep them out.” Scarlet was rubbing her belly frantically. She had planned to run away to protect her baby and now that she was almost gone a vampire was coming for them.
“Scar, you need to think about the little one in here.” she placed her hand over Scarlet’s and stopped her from rubbing her skin off. “I will protect the both of you.”
She looked up out the back window. Kayla could see Nikki pace around, she was waiting for the attacker.
“They are getting closer.” She called out to them her eyes darting around the Warf.
Kayla knew how far they were, she didn’t need Nikki to echo the thoughts that were loud and clear in her head.
“They? What does she mean by they?” Scarlet turned back and stared out the window. She began to panic, there was no way Kayla and Nikki could survive an attack from a group of vampires. They were going to get killed because of her.
“Scarlet look at me!” Kayla’s voice was firm, she needed Scarlet to have a clear mind just in case she needed to run and leave them behind. She wasn’t going to be able to that if she was hysterical.
“If things go bad I want you to get out of this car and run.” She held Scarlet’s face in both her hands and looked into her eyes.
So many thoughts were going through her head, the vampires who were after them, Kayla and Nikki not surviving the ambush and she wondered where the other guys were. If vampires were coming after them, did it mean that Stephan and the rest were dead?
“No, they aren’t dead.” Kayla was glad that the baby had chosen this time to sleep. “They slipped away from the fight. I can hear them loud and clear Scar, so don’t worry the guys are fine and they will be here any minute.” Kayla was sure about the first part, but she wasn’t sure how long it would take Solara and Stephan to get to them.
“Lock the doors behind me. The key is in the ignition. If you have to drive to the airport, wait for your flight and leave this place.”
“I can’t just leave without knowing you are ok.” She grabbed her hand and held it on as tightly as she could.
“Scar, Nikki, and I can take a beating, on the other hand, can’t. So please do me a favor, do Stephan a favor get out of here. Think about your baby and what a hot family you and Stephan will have.” She loosed her grip on her hand and got out of the car.
“I love you Scar.”
“I love you K.”
Kayla circled back to the car and stood at Nikki’s side, they were almost there.
Scarlet scrambled into the driver’s seat, strapped herself in, and firmly put one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the key in the ignition. She was going to give her child a chance at life. Kayla was right, she was more fragile than they were and she wouldn’t survive a hit from them.
Scarlet kept her eyes on the rearview mirror, her hand tightening on the wheel. “We are going to be ok baby, your aunty K won’t let anything happen to you. And your daddy, he won’t let anything happen to your mommy.” Her hand dropped from the wheel to her stomach and she caressed it gently.
“Hallo!”