Chapter 10: Secrets and Sieges

I was practically falling over my own feet as Mikael and I raced into the house, catching our breath when we reached the living room. Balthazar met us at the bottom of the stairs, and I could tell from the look etched into his features that he was certainly worried. That look somewhat faded when he saw us, and I think he was incredibly relieved that we were okay.

"I've tried to get into contact with some of the angels in Lafayette Cemetery, and tell them that we need reinforcements, but they are beginning to experience an influx of demons there, so they will be occupied for a good while," he sputtered.

"Have you tried contacting Haniel?" I inquired.

"She's still busy over in Beijing. I've contacted her at least three times with no response."

Yikes. We were basically on our own. As if you couldn't guess that already.

"What should we do, then?" I asked.

"We need to prevent them from actually getting into the mansion. Abira, you and Mikael will remain in here for the rest of the day and help me maintain guard. You will both need to utilize the sniper rifles you brought up in order to gain a long-distance shot." He gestured to the two rifles I had brought up- an EDM Arms Windrunner and a Barak. "I will hold the ground in here, and I will try to contact my superiors to try and get reinforcements."

"Where should we shoot them from?" Mikael piped up.

"There are two balconies on the third floor, and they provide a view of the entire driveway and a little bit beyond that. Those should make great vantage points."

Mikael and I nodded gravely. "And if we find they're getting too close?"

"I thought of that. Here," he responded, handing us each what appeared to be Bluetooth earpieces. "If you two need to fall back, I will come on over these."

I put the piece in my right ear. "Thank you, Balthazar."

Smiling, he said, "May God be with you both."

"A bit windy, but not too bad," Mikael shouted to me from his balcony. He had chosen the balcony on the right, and brought up with him the Windrunner, as it was much bigger and heavier, and me, being all of 5'4" and about 165 pounds, it would have towered over me.

"So do you know how to shoot a sniper rifle?" I shouted back over the roar of the wind.

"Never too late to learn," he replied.

"Just be sure the scope is fixed and that you mind the recoil. It can hurt like mad if you're not prepared."

"Got it!"

The sound of rumbling engines drew us both to the front gates of the house. In a long convoy, there was an assortment of armored trucks and what appeared to be...tanks?

I pressed the call button on the earpiece, and the minute that Balthazar picked up, I reported, "Balthazar, they've got tanks and armored trucks coming through the front gate. I doubt that our bullets will be enough to stop them."

"Aim through the windshield for the trucks, and also aim for the engine block. I have gotten into contact with my superiors, and they will be here any second now." The line clicked after that.

I aimed the Barak carefully at the front truck, the one trying to ram down the gate and failing to do so. Stilling my breathing, my finger snaked itself around the cool metal of the trigger, and pulled.

BOOM.

The recoil hit my shoulder pretty hard, but I watched with satisfaction as the bullet pierced through the glass and struck the driver directly in the head. The vehicle stopped moving at that exact second, but I had to be quick, as the demon in the passenger seat attempted to seize the steering wheel and climb over his dead comrade in order to finish what was started.

A sudden second gunshot shook me out of my thoughts,and I looked over at Mikael, then back at the truck. Both demons were graveyard dead.

"Nice shot!" I hollered over to him, to which he turned to me and gave a kind of grin. But the minute he turned around, his expression became grave.

And I could see why.

One of the tanks had turned in the direction of the balconies, and seemed to be staring at us through its hollow eye.

My earpiece buzzed slightly, and when I answered, Balthazar greeted me with a deep shout, "GET OFF THE BALCONIES. THAT TANK IS ABOUT TO FIRE!"

We hesitated for no amount of time, and booked it downstairs to where he waited. But the next second, a deafening explosion sounded from the third floor, and that floor crashed onto the second floor, which came barreling down onto the first floor. I remained crouched under the coffee table in the middle of the room, my hands over my head as a protective shield. Nothing but smoke and rubble greeted my gaze for a few moments.

"Guys? Are you okay?" I yelled.

The silence that followed my shout made me panic a little bit, but then I saw the tall silhouette of Mikael appearing from a nearby pile of rubble. "Okay!" he shouted hoarsely.

A small wave of relief crossed over me, then Balthazar declared, "I'm okay!"

Cautiously, I slid out from under the table and sat up. From the hole left in the third floor, I could tell that the right balcony was blown to pieces, and that the mortar fired at us had scorched what little I could see of the room. No doubt, the house was heavily damaged.

Balthazar and Mikael gazed up at the hole for a good while before focusing on the scene around them. "At least we're all okay," Balthazar muttered, shrugging in an attempt to add a little humor.

KABOOM!

A second mortar blew open the area where the left balcony had been, causing more of the third floor to crash down, but this time it landed...

Right on top of me.

I felt a moment of blinding pain all over my body, but thanks to my rapid vampire healing, the pain faded quickly. But something else was wrong.

I could feel my fangs slowly slide down from their resting position, and my eyes throbbed slightly as they turned dark red. At that moment, I felt the hottest and most aggressive kind of anger fill my veins like napalm, and I started to stand up, shoving the rubble off of me as my super strength also kicked in. Once I fully rose, though, and faced Mikael and Balthazar, I froze.

Mikael's eyes were wide, and in an instant that anger was gone, and in place an icy, brutal fear throbbed through my body.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "I knew you were a vampire this whole time!" Within an instant his vampire face took over, and he slammed me against the nearby wall.

"Your blood was much too sweet for a human, and don't think I noticed your vampire speed," he growled as he pressed his hand to my throat. The area began to grow fuzzy, and I could faintly feel his fangs brush against my neck.

"Hey! Get off of her!" Balthazar shouted, and I felt the pressure on my throat lift. Mikael had been thrown against the far wall. Balthazar's eyes were glowing as he kept him pressed against the wall.

Well, that was what I saw before I, you know, fainted.