Warning Character death. There will probably be quite a bit character death in the next couple of chapters to make it more realistic. I know, I know, people will hate me. But hey…
Chapter 7.
Music was pulsing through her brain, and Winnie had to wonder whether she would still have any hearing left by the time she got out. But simple things like hearing weren't important when they were dealing with the life and well being of her boss, of one of the leaders of the shape shifters, of her friend.
She still remembered the day they'd met, Keller had seen her shooting at targets with her orange fire, had watched the severe determination on her face, and started talking. Before she knew it, Keller had requested her for her first mission and Winnie was forced into something more violent than anything she'd ever experienced.
And she had been loving every minute, until this happened.
It had torn the whole team apart, along with the additional members of Illiana and Galen. Galen was obviously terrified and depressed, along now that his soulmate was gone, he didn't seem to be able to operate without Keller, and Illiana wouldn't leave her room – which was probably a good thing, now that there weren't as many guards to guard the wild powers.
Sure, the Wild Powers were the most important people, but they didn't have as high a chance of winning against both the vampires and the shape shifters.
"Winnie, you got anything?" Poppy's lively voice cackled down the communicator in her ear, "have you got anything, anything at all?"
She didn't, she'd talked to over a dozen witches who remained true to the Night World. Her coppery hair was now a deep brown, her eyes changed to golden with contact lenses and she was wearing so much make-up her face felt clogged together by it, but she couldn't be recognized – all of the spies had to do it, even a protesting Morgead. None of the witches could have possibly known she was Daybreak from the way she had acted, and yet there were perfect blanks. She couldn't exactly come right out and ask where they'd taken Keller.
Morgead's voice was in her head next, less lively than Poppy's, more weary, "me and Poppy have a vampire here – name's Josef – he's a Night World Elder, absolutely notorious, hates human with a passion. Poppy's…ummm…keeping him company right now," the way he said it made Winnie think she was more likely making out with him, wouldn't James be pissed if he knew? "we're going to try and get him outside…try any means necessary to get it out of him. You up for it?"
Winnie choked back the bile threatening to take over her throat, any means necessary? But if he had information leading to the whereabouts of her friend, then Winnie was about to do anything, besides, Morgead and Poppy might need someone to brain wash him afterwards. Poppy was a witch, but not very well-focused on it, she liked being a vampire more. They might need her.
"sure. Should I get Gillian?"
there was a hesitation, and awful thoughts circled in Winnie's brain for a while, until Morgead spoke again, "she's too innocent, Winnie. Poppy and I already agreed that we'd leave her out of anything violent."
Poppy and I already agreed, sure, they were the leaders of this little party, the one's Thierry had put in charge, but since when had it been up to them to decide who was too innocent to do anything? And why did they thing Winnie wasn't?
"Oh…Okay… I'll follow you out," she heard herself saying, but the pit in her stomach made her feel sick.
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Rashel 'the cat' Jordan crept through the shadows as though she had been born in them, beside her Blaise Harman was slightly less diplomatic. Her steps were heavy, but what could you expect from a witch who had never been involved in a raid before?
They were at a warehouse in Las Vegas, it was a known Night World smuggling bay which they sometimes took prisoners too. Rashel and Quinn had spent a lot of hours stalking the place out when humans were being sold as slaves from there, but they had never attacked it, instead attacking the vans that transported them.
Rashel prayed that the Night World didn't know they knew about it, because it seemed a likely spot to her. She was the one in charge of this little escapade, and she'd marked out four of the most likely places that they could have taken Keller and the Draches. A part of her had wanted her whole team to split into four and each one take a spot, but that would have been dividing their resources, and possibly causing a bigger risk to the Daybreakers.
"owww!" Blaise howled as she slammed into the back of Rashel, almost knocking both of them flying. Rashel brought herself into a semi crouch just in time, making herself have a larger surface area so that she didn't trip, then she brought one leg around so that she was facing the witch who had almost risked the whole mission, "Don't do that, for Goddess' sake," she hissed, "if you can't keep focus, then go away and send Thea instead."
They were harsh words, but Rashel said them only to knock some sense into the witch. She didn't want Thea to come. They needed to sneak their way into the warehouse, and a seductress with enough charisma to charm herself over would be more helpful in that respect than a medically-inclined witch, who would probably see a shape shifted animal hurt and insist on helping it.
Don't be mean, Rashel told herself, but she couldn't help it, she felt disdain for anyone who wasn't a fighter. She associated most with Jezebel, Keller and Poppy from the girls in Circle Daybreak: two vampires and a shape shifter. She almost laughed when she thought about it.
"Sorry," Blaise murmured, pushing her midnight black hair into place, "I wasn't expecting it to be so dark."
"We're underground, what did you expect?" Rashel hissed, "torches lighting the place, fireflies shining and showing the way? Of course it's dark!"
Galen had finally got his ass in gear, Rashel thought, and helped try to save his soulmate instead of moping. In spite of her annoyance that it had taken him so long, Rashel had to appreciate that she didn't know whether she'd be able to do it if Quinn was the one who was missing. He'd organized for some mole shape shifters to come to the warehouse and dig under it to get them a passage into the warehouse. Guards, of course, had come on their rounds and Rashel had had to resist the temptation to stake them, had instead let the witches brainwash them into thinking everything was fine.
Now, she thought, as she burst out of the tunnel and into an empty storage room, you can stake them, she pressed the communicator on her black leather vest and yelled into it, "Okay we're in, come on!"
Calm down, Rashel, she heard Quinn's laughing voice in her mind and had to chuckle herself, because of course the idea was ludicrous, she was on an adrenaline high.
The door to her left bust open, and Rashel and Blaise were faced with half a dozen vampires. There was no point in Blaise trying to charm them all at once, or even brainwash them. She'd never manage it, the only thing left to do was fight.
"Stay behind me," Rashel hissed to Blaise, stepping forward, "I can handle them. Summon some witch fire if you can, if not, just stay back."
Blaise nodded, forming her hands into a circle as light grew inside of them, getting larger and larger, Rashel heard the occasional mutterered word. The vampires charged.
In a split second, she had reached inside her shirt and was pulling out her prized stake. Too bad she didn't have her marking tools with her, it would have been amusing to let these vampires know exactly who they were dealing with.
"This kitten has claws," she whispered, before instead of after she staked the vampires as her good-luck statement. Then she was tearing through the vampires, thrusting her stake in and out of their bodies with such a fury that surprised even her; before, she had liked, not to take her time, but at least give them some opportunity to fight back. Now, she was unstoppable, she lunged with her stake at yet another vampire, it mummified in front of her. There was only one left, she stared at him.
"Rashel!" there was a cry from the back of the warehouse, and Rashel – in her rush – had forgot all about Blaise. Now, the witch in question was locked in a deadly embrace with a vampire and his teeth were coming down.
She ran, with all her might to the other side of the warehouse, but the one that she had assumed was the last grabbed her leg and pulled her back on her stomach, Rashel dropped the stake accidentally, then rolled onto her back. With her other leg, she kicked the vampire in a place that all men – vampire or not – don't like to be kicked, again and again. He fell to the floor in pain and she grabbed the stake, digging it into his heart before he could recover.
She turned just in time to see Blaise fall to the floor; the vampire had drained her dry and…disappeared…Rashel didn't see how it was possible, but he wasn't in the room.
She pressed her communicator, "Blaise, Goddess," she looked over at the girl, slumped dead on the floor, at her empty form, the vampire hadn't left a drop of blood in her, "Oh goddess, she's been drained. She's dead," she didn't know who she was talking to, until Quinn's shaky voice came through the other end.
"Goddess, Ash…he…he dived in front of a stake…for me…" he paused, "Thea doesn't think she can do anything for him. The poison's too far into his heart…I can't tell her about Blaise yet, not while Ash's life might be…"
Rashel didn't need to hear anymore, one of their friends was dead, another dying. Ash was Quinn's best friend, Quinn had known him since he was a kid, and he was…
"Oh goddess, those bastards," she hissed, heading towards the door.
