Emery crossed the street, where the overhead lights were burned out.
His pursuers were still stalking him. They were getting bolder, drawing more magic around them.
Ahead, he spotted a dark alley shrouded in shadows. It was basically calling his name. Emery had come to Golden City for work, but he’d already taken care of his job. If someone else wanted his particular brand of work, who was he to deny them the pain they were asking for?
His fangs burned at the thought of more blood.
Maintaining an air of nonchalance, Emery slowly made his way over to the dark alley. He flexed his back, his wings taut, as he drew shadows from his palms. The darkness slithered around him like snakes, and he knew without turning around that his pursuers had followed him.
Perfect.
A lazy grin stretched across Emery’s face as he slowly turned around.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” He cocked a brow, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. “Can I help you?”
The two men who had stalked him across the city stared at him from across the alley. Delicately pointed ears, elongated canines, and aglimmer of violence marked them as fae. Both were tall, though not as tall as Emery. One was dark, whereas the other was light. Raven hair stood in stark contrast to the white, almost blue hair of the other fae.
Both fae extended their hands, and magic flickered above their palms. Not the colored magic of elves, but true, elemental power.
Water hung above the raven’s hands while green vines sprouted from the other’s fingers.
“That depends, bloodsucking scum.” Raven stepped further into the darkness of the alley and flexed his fingers.
Emery scoffed. “On what?”
“On whether you come easily or not,” said the other.
That wouldn’t be happening. He had no intention of letting them bleed him. Vampire blood was sold on the black market, often used by other species to ward off the Fade.
The two fae lunged towards Emery, but no one was faster than a vampire. He stepped into the Void, shadowing behind the two fae. His wings were outstretched as he grabbed them by the back of their collars.
Pulling on the strength of his kind, he slammed them headfirst into the brick walls and let them drop to the snowy ground. The resounding boom was satisfying, but nothing kept a fae down for long.
“Fucker,” growled the white-haired fae as he clambered to his feet. “You’re going to pay for that.”
No, Emery was quite confident that wouldn’t be the case. He opened his palms, shadows swirled around his palms, and he made a,come get me,gesture.
The fae obliged him. They charged at him, their magic spinning around them.
Darkness and light collided in a thunderous boom. Water, earth, and night clashed, lighting up the night sky.
Emery shot a bolt of pure shadows at the raven fae, and the man cried out as he crashed into the brick wall. Mortar fell on him like snowflakes. The other fae yelled, throwing a curtain of vines at the vampire. He sidestepped them, his wings beating as he flew into the air.
Raven stood, an animalistic growl rumbling through him. “Fucking hell, we just wanted your blood, but now we’re going to kill you slowly.”
Emery didn’t even bother answering him. Instead, he released the full power of his shadows.
Night flooded from the vampire, blanketing the entire city block in darkness. He was a flurry of death as he dealt with the fae, their screams of terror as he ripped them apart limb from limb, feeding his bloodlust.
Thiswas his calling. Emery served Ithiar as he had since the day he was Made. He was a weapon, a creature of the night, a tool of Death itself. It didn’t matter that the old times had passed. There was always a need for death, even in the Republic of Balance.
Emery let the sweet call of his purpose envelope him as he finished off the fae. It wasn’t like they didn’t deserve it—they’d stalked him halfway across the city with the intent to harvest his blood and sell it on the black market.
He knew what people did with vampire blood. They sold it to the highest bidder, letting them use it for everything from healing to buying near-immortality.
He didn’t feel a single shred of remorse as he pulled back his shadows and took in the alley.
Blood coated the walls. The snow was crimson. The broken skids piled in the back were painted in scarlet. The fae were irrevocably broken. Their necks were snapped at horrible angles, and their throats were a mess of blood and gore.