The second vampire had been a woman, judging by her long brown hair, curves, and makeup decorating her now-grey face. The stake was buried in her chest, and unseeing black eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
He searched his heart for remorse, but he didn’t find any. They’d attacked them, pure and simple. It had been his life or theirs, and they’d clearly had no regard for him.
A gurgle came from behind him, yanking him from his thoughts. “It… hurts.”
Isobel.
Nikhail spun around to find the human on the ground in agrowing crimson pool. Wide, fear-filled eyes met his. Jayson was crouched beside her, crimson threads of magic swarming around him as he pressed a hand against Isobel’s neck. A laceration scored the length of the Death Elf’s back, but he didn’t seem to notice it.
“Fuck,” Nikhail breathed.
He forgot about his own injuries—the bite on his neck would heal on its own, and his arm could wait—as he dropped to his knees on Isobel’s other side. Her breath stuttered, and even before Nikhail dragged his eyes up to Jayson’s, he knew this wasn’t good.
He crossed the room and took Isobel’s hand in his good one, his heart sinking. Gods, she was frail. Small, like River. Her skin was far too cold, and his gut contorted.
Nikhail had been in death’s presence enough times to know that there would be no coming back from an injury like this. Not for a mortal, not even if they got her to a hospital. She had lost too much blood, and her neck was a mangled mess beneath Jayson’s hands.
Fresh, hot anger burned in Nikhail’s stomach. The rebels did this. The ambush and the attack were their fault. The Representatives were problematic, but the Black Night wasn’t going about things the right way. Violence only begot violence, and death only led to more death.
This was no way to bring about change. There had to be another solution, another way to make things better, but he wasn’t sure what that would be.
“Did we win?” Isobel whispered, her brown eyes slowly rising to meet his. “Can I go home and see Carlos now?”
Nikhail sucked in a sharp breath, her words daggers burying themselves in his heart. It was worse, knowing that she had someone waiting for her at home. Worse, knowing thatshe’d never make it back to them. She was so young, and she didn’t deserve any of this.
Shame curdled his stomach. He knew so little about Isobel, even though they’d worked together all week. They’d been so focused on their tasks; they’d barely spoken about their lives outside of work.
Until this moment, he hadn’t even known she had a partner. He wasn’t usually like this, but he’d just been so preoccupied with getting back to River.
And now, it was too late.
Footsteps pounded on the ground outside, and Nikhail glanced up as their backup finally arrived. Guns drawn, the soldiers stared wide-eyed at the bloody scene.
Too little, too late.
Ignoring the other soldiers, Nikhail held his teammate’s gaze. “We won, Isobel.”
“We did?”
He forced his lips to curve into a small smile. It felt wrong. “We did. You did such a good job finding this place.”
Isobel’s bottom lip wobbled, and her eyes were glassy. Her breaths were ragged. Time was running out.
As a young fae, Nikhail had never seen death. It wasn’t until he joined the military that he witnessed someone losing their life for the first time. He thought he’d gotten used to it after having served for nearly two decades, but apparently, he was wrong.
“Do you… think… so?” Isobel whispered hoarsely.
Her blood poured over Jayson’s hand, coating him in crimson, and the soldier met Nikhail’s gaze, frowning. She didn’t have much time left, and they both knew it.
The air was somber as the other soldiers pressed their backsagainst the walls, giving Isobel a modicum of privacy as her life drained away.
“I know so,” Nikhail assured her.
Even with all the death in this room, they were surrounded by mountains of paper that had been guarded by a horde of vampires. Surely, they’d been here for a reason. He was almost positive they’d find something in these passages that would help them in their fight against the Black Night.
He said as much to Isobel and added, “You served your country well.”
It was what he’d want to hear if he were in her position.