Stranger danger

“Silas,” Cassandra said coldly.

The man standing outside the shattered restaurant window smiled slowly.

“Hello, love.” His voice was calm, almost pleasant. “Imagine my surprise when my wards went off last night.”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“This isn’t going to go the way you think it is, Silas,” she hissed.

“Really?” He chuckled darkly. “Because I think I’m going to kill you, collect a very generous bounty, and finally retire somewhere warm.” His gaze shifted lazily past her. “Unfortunately, your two little blood bags are going to die too.”

At that exact sentence, Crystal fainted dead away.

One second standing.

The next—

THUD.

“Fuck!” Joey shouted, dropping beside her.

Cassandra ripped the silver knife from her palm with a wet sound and hissed through clenched teeth. Smoke still curled from the wound.

Then she threw the blade.

Joey barely even saw her arm move.

The knife crossed the restaurant like a bullet.

Silas caught it casually with his off-hand.

Cassandra’s expression darkened.

“…Shit.”

Silas grinned wider. “Yeah. I invested in a few upgrades before our reunion, kitten.”

Joey stared between them while trying to shake Crystal awake.

“Joey,” Cassandra said softly.

“Yeah?!” he answered, rolling Crystal carefully into the recovery position like he remembered from high school health class.

“Run.”

Joey’s stomach dropped.

Not because she sounded scared.

Because she sounded serious.

Behind Cassandra, Silas slowly began walking forward, silver blades gleaming beneath the flickering restaurant lights.

Joey immediately remembered what Silas had said.

Your two blood bags are going to die too.

“Nope,” Joey muttered.

Before Cassandra could react, Joey scooped Crystal up awkwardly into his arms and bolted for the exit.

Behind him—

the restaurant exploded into ****.

Tables smashed.

Metal screamed.

Glass shattered.

Something hit a wall hard enough to crack concrete.

Joey burst outside carrying Crystal like a wounded deer and nearly slipped on the pavement.

“Jesus Christ—”

He staggered toward Crystal’s car before realizing he had absolutely no idea where her keys were.

“Of course,” he groaned.

Balancing her awkwardly with one arm, he searched her pockets.

“Please don’t wake up right now, this would be super weird…”

Finally—keys.

“Yes!”

He unlocked the car, dumped Crystal gently into the backseat, then turned—

CRASH!

Cassandra exploded through the restaurant window.

She hit the pavement hard, rolling across the parking lot.

Joey’s heart nearly stopped.

She looked awful.

Cuts covered her arms and face.

One silver blade protruded from her shoulder.

Smoke hissed from the wound while blood soaked through her torn clothes.

And yet—

when she lifted her head—

her eyes were glowing crimson.

Predatory.

Furious.

Silas stepped through the ruined window after her.

He looked battered too. Bloody cuts crossed his face and jacket, but unlike Cassandra—

he still looked controlled.

Professional.

Like this was just another ugly night at work.

“Well,” Silas said, adjusting his gloves casually, “now that we’re outside, there are significantly fewer tables for you to throw at me.”

Cassandra bared her fangs.

“I’m going to rip your spine out through your throat.”

Silas actually laughed.

“Oh, there she is.”

He started toward her.

Joey looked around desperately.

Weapon.

Weapon.

Weapon—

His eyes landed on something in Crystal’s front seat.

An old steering wheel lock.

“The Club.”

Joey grabbed it and slammed the car door shut behind him.

“Hey, asshole!” Joey shouted.

Silas didn’t even look at him.

“Fuck off, blood bag. I’ll kill you later.”

“Joey,” Cassandra snarled, never taking her eyes off Silas, “get out of here.”

“He’ll kill you,” she added, and for the first time Joey heard genuine fear in her voice.

That decided it.

A hot surge of anger ignited in Joey’s chest.

Someone was trying to kill his friend.

One of the only people who had genuinely cared about him in a very long time.

No.

Absolutely fucking not.

Joey tightened his grip on The Club.

“Babe,” he called out loudly, forcing a grin onto his terrified face, “you know you’re usually wrong about stuff like this.”

Cassandra blinked.

“…Babe?”

Silas stopped walking.

A cruel smile spread across his face.

“Well now,” he said softly. “Was I wrong, Cassandra?” His eyes flicked toward Joey. “Does the little blood bag actually matter to you?”

Cassandra said nothing.

That was answer enough.

Silas smiled viciously.

“In that case…” he murmured, pulling another silver dagger free, “perhaps I should kill him first.”

His arm snapped sideways.

The dagger flew.

Joey barely registered movement before—

THUNK.

“AHHHH—FUCK!”

Pain detonated through his leg.

The silver knife buried itself deep into his thigh just above the knee, sending Joey crashing onto the pavement.

White-hot agony tore through him instantly.

“You bastard!” Cassandra roared.

The sheer fury in her voice actually startled Silas.

“I’m right here!” she screamed. “You didn’t need to hurt him!”

Silas turned back toward her with a mocking expression.

“And there it is,” he said quietly. “You care.”

He started toward Cassandra again.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Joey’s vision blurred from pain.

His leg screamed.

But through the haze, he noticed something.

Silas was talking too much.

Distracted.

Confident.

Joey gritted his teeth, hauled himself upright on one leg, and swung The Club with everything he had.

CRACK.

The heavy metal bar slammed into the side of Silas’s skull.

Silas staggered a single step.

Then slowly turned his head toward Joey.

“You truly are an idiot,” he sneered. “Did you think that would stop m—”

“Nope,” Joey gasped.

With trembling fingers, he yanked the knife from his own thigh.

Pain exploded through him so violently he nearly blacked out.

But he **** himself to grin anyway.

“I just thought your big mouth might distract you long enough to get jumped.”

Silas frowned.

“What the fuck are you talking abou—”

GLRK.

Silas’s eyes widened.

Slowly, he looked down.

Cassandra’s arm was buried through his torso up to the elbow.

Her pale hand protruded from his back—

clutching his heart.

For one terrible second, nobody moved.

Then Cassandra squeezed.

The heart exploded in her hand.

Blood erupted from Silas’s mouth.

A wet **** sound escaped him before Cassandra ripped her arm free and let his body collapse onto the pavement.

She flicked her wrist once, spraying blood across the parking lot.

Then she stood there breathing heavily.

Covered in gore.

Silver smoke still curling from her wounds.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

And trembling.