Chapter 38

I had to torture to the best of my knowledge which included sharp objects and UV light. I didn't stop until they bled and burnt badly, leaving them screaming in a blood curdling manner. They weren't talking and we had already spent an hour; getting nowhere

"Where is the nest?" I asked and one spit a gob of their blood at me. Of course, had it been on my face, I would have killed them, just because I got so wrapped up in my episode of brutality.

I glared at him and curled back my lips.

"Is that how you answer?" I asked the other one, the one that tried to lure me, let out a chuckle.

"Oh, honey, you're never going to see it because we ain't talking." he said. Then, I grinned.

"I wouldn't be so sure, if I were you." I said and began a truth spell. It would be a little tricky without the candles and stuff, but the incantation alone would suffice. In continued until I could feel that familiar sense and then asked again.

"A house on the other side of the tracks, on the south side of town." My vampire said and then seemed stunned. However, he quickly glared at me and began cursing at me. I turned to my mother with a gloating smile and she just shook her head.

"Should have started with that." She said and I rolled my eyes.

"That wouldn't have been any fun." I said and crossed my arms over my chest. "Plus, it took a lot of time to practice that spell, so it demands a lot of concentration even if I nailed it." I added and pumped more dead man's blood into the vampires before letting them go.

"You aren't going to kill them?" my mother asked me as I left the little shack. She followed me and repeated the question as well as adding to it. "We know the location, so why let them go there? They're just going to warn them."

I went back to where my mother left our bags and took out a long and strong knife. Only then did my mother's questions fall silent.

"You could have just said so." She said and I sighed.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked and now she sighed.

"I think you enjoy this too much." She said and I let out a small laugh. I couldn't really deny that. "I think Gadreel should –" she began and I shot her a glare.

"Heaven needs him more than I do at the moment." I said and, although my words didn't say it, my tone of voice did. I missed him and I wanted him to come back, but I knew Heaven was more important than me.

I returned and killed those vampires and got all of our stuff and walked back to my car. I was pretty covered in blood, but I covered up so none of it would get in my car. My mother got in, shivered a little, and sighed as she glanced at me.

"You're going to the nest right now, aren't you?" she asked and I glanced at her with a grin.

"The faster we do this, the sooner we can get out of this town and sleep." I said and my mother sighed again, but nodded. "The faster I can dream of Gadreel." I said and caught a smile broaden on her lips.

We drove to that location and then I had turned off the ignition, letting the car roll to a stop in silence. We had enough dead man's blood, but the problem was just how much vampires we were facing.

We got out of the car and I glanced at my mother as we walked around to the front of my car.

"They'll smell us as we approach." I said and my mother looked a little panicked at that moment. "No worries, we'll be okay." I said and she didn't seem convinced.

"Just going to go in there, knife and blood blazing?" she asked me and I thought about that Bon Jovi song, which made me smile. However, my mother stared at me oddly.

"Yup." I replied and just walked up to the place. It was a not so bad house. If it had been fixed up, it would have looked nice. I didn't see any movement, until the front door creaked opened. I stopped and remained still and my mother joined me.

"I'm calling Gadreel." She said and I shushed her. I was beginning to think that she volunteered on this hunt only to watch over me and pray for Gadreel to rush in and rescue me at the small sign of danger… or a broken nail.

There was no more movement and I knew it was an invitation. They knew what I was, somehow… and they were waiting.

I began approaching the house and was very cautious. Suddenly, all these vampires rushed out of everywhere and we were surrounded. My mother and I were back-to-back, looking at all the vampires. There was an easy dozen and most of them were sniffing the air and glaring at me.

Oh shit, they could smell the blood of the vampires that I had killed earlier.

"Now would be a good time to call Gadreel." My mother whispered and I elbowed her. I knew we could handle this and whispered a prayer to Gadreel, telling him to ignore my mother.

"We're fine. Heaven's more important." I said and looked at the vampires. "It's more important than me." I said softly, as if it was a strange independent thought that found its way to my lips without my knowing it.

One vampire stepped out and I knew he was the leader of the nest. However, there was only one that looked at him and her facial expression didn't tell me that she looked up to him. It seemed more to me like she stared at him with disdain.

"You think you can come here and kill us?" the vampire said and laughed. "You're out numbered and out skilled." He added and the other males laughed. I glanced around and noticed that the females just watched us, expressions blank. I had never seen a vampire nest before, but I was thinking that this was normal.

"You killed people and didn't think hunters would be on your ass?" I asked him and he grinned at me, glancing at the other males, then back at me.

"Oh wow, two hunters. We're in trouble." He said and the males all laughed.

At that moment, the female that looked at the leader with contempt launched at him and all the females followed her example.

I watched the madness and realized what was happening: the vampires were turning on each other and not just that; the females versus the males. It was a power struggle of the sexes gone to battle.