Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1) (11 page)

Jesus Christ, this was how they settled their disputes. Pistols at dawn or sunset or whatever the hell time they did it. They were out of their damn minds!

“Why would you kill each other over this?”

Armand laughed again and Demetri growled threateningly and took a step towards him but Mary pushed him back.

“Don’t worry, Cordy, it doesn’t go that far,” Mary said, her voice reassuring. “We fight until someone drops their guard enough that we
could
stake them. You don’t actually pull the trigger, so to speak, you just touch the heart with the stake and you win.”

Cordelia was slightly relieved to know that no one was going to end up dead. Still, she didn’t want to see Nicky get hurt. She had started this and it wasn’t fair for her to rely on the others to fix her mistake.

“I’m not going to let anyone get hurt because of my stupidity.” She turned to Katerina. “I’m the one who originally issued the challenge so I think it should be my decision who fights for me. I want to challenge this guy from whatever clan it was to fight, me and him, nobody else. Will you let that happen?”

Katerina looked at Mary and Demetri and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “She is right. It is her choice who will face him. I will mediate the challenge. Armand, twentieth son of Aldric, do you accept the challenge issued by Cordelia, second daughter of Zopyros?”

“About damn time,” Armand said, rolling his eyes and Cordelia had the sudden violent urge to claw them out of his skull. “I accept the challenge.”

Katerina bowed her head to him before continuing. “Who do you nominate as your seconds?”

Cordelia looked to Mary, who looked furious but still nodded her head at the unspoken question. “I pick Mary.”

“I nominate Matthew, twenty-first son of Aldric.”

Katerina nodded her acceptance of the seconds. “Very well. I will speak with Cassian in regards to the location of the challenge. It is also best if I take the young man here with me for safe keeping. I will call you when we are ready to begin.”

Katerina headed towards the main area of the club to find whomever this Cassian was, Zeke following close at her side, zombie Gabe between the two of them.

“See you soon,” Armand nodded in her direction and went back down the hallway, presumably to go tell this Matthew person what was going down.

Cordelia turned to Mary and Demetri. “So any pointers for me?”

“You are an idiot,” Mary said, glaring at her.

“No I’m not but you sure are treating me like one,” Cordelia snapped at her. “I don’t need you or Nicky or anyone else to fight my battles for me. I got myself into this; I can get myself out of this.”

“Look I get that you spent most of your life alone, taking care of yourself because your mom was a bitch but you have people who care about you now. We want to help you and so let us do it!”

Cordelia was shocked at her words. They cut sharply because Cordelia knew that they were partly true. She had gotten so used to having no one around who cared about her. She was so used to going it alone with no one to back her up she didn’t even think about how the others might see it as her locking them out.

“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Cordelia said. “But I’m not doing this because I’m used to being on my own. I’m doing this because I don’t want to see anyone get hurt because of my stupidity. You guys care about me but I care about you too. So if anyone is going to get hurt because I was stupid, it’s going to be me.”

“That’s sweet, Cordelia,” Mary said, smiling at her before her face slipped back into that annoyed older sister expression she had been sporting before. “But you are going to get hurt and I don’t want Nicky to get pissed at me because you got the shit beat out of you.”

“Thanks for the vote of  confidence,” Cordelia said sarcastically.

…the alley out back…use the fire exit in the rear east corner…

Cordelia was startled by Katerina’s voice thrusting in on her thoughts. That particular new trait was going to take some getting used to for sure.

“We have to go to the back alley.”

“Cordelia please, there is still time for us to call Nicky and have him handle this,” Mary pleaded but Cordelia shook her head and headed towards the back exit of the club.

“I’ll be fine. I do know how to fight. It wasn’t just my mother who bullied me growing up. I bloodied more than a few lips in my day.”

“This isn’t a playground fight,” Mary warned but Cordelia didn’t respond. She’d made her decision, there was no reason to argue about it anymore. She was going to win this fight because if she didn’t, Gabe would belong to Armand and she wasn’t going to let that happen.

Chapter 6

The back alley had absolutely no charm to it. It was your standard run-of-the-mill city alley, with dumpsters and piles of junk that hadn’t made their way inside the dumpsters. Street lamps cast an orange light over the surrounding brick walls, hiding the dirt and pollution that had darkened the mortar.

It wasn’t fancy but Cordelia noticed immediately that the surrounding buildings were at least two stories and not a single one had a window that faced the alley. This section of the city was completely sealed from prying eyes. It was the perfect place for two Shadow Walkers to duke it out over the life of a human.

Katerina and Zeke were already there with a male Shadow Walker standing next to them. He was tall and lean with long limbs that knew how to wear a suit. He regarded their arrival with watchful eyes that next to his olive skin, appeared to be the color of garnets. His bone structure was exquisite, high cheekbones and a cleft chin, his full lips the only soft lines.

“Cordelia, this is Cassian, third son of Galenos. He owns this club as well as being a member of the High Council,” Katerina introduced the stranger.

He offered his hand and Cordelia shook it. “This is quite a rare treat. We haven’t had a challenge issued in some time and certainly not one issued by a fledgling.”

“Well I figured I should make a splash on my first night out,” she said with false bravado.

Cassian let out a crack of laughter. “I like you. Nicky has chosen well. On behalf of the Galenos clan, let me welcome you to our world, Cordelia, second daughter of Zopyros.”

She nodded her thanks, not quite sure how to reply. There seemed to be a lot of formal traditions within the Shadow Walker world and she wasn’t sure she would ever get used to them.

The metal door that led to the club slammed open and the sound of cheering flowed out into the alley. Armand emerged, followed by a dozen other Shadow Walkers whooping it up. Armand and a blond male, who she assumed was Matthew, detached from the group as they joined the other club goers who were lining the alley.

Katerina stepped forward, her hands held aloft and the din of the crowd lowered to a murmur.

“A challenge has been issued between Cordelia, second daughter of Zopyros and Armand, twentieth son of Aldric, for the vein of this human. The High Council has acquiesced to the challenge and shall observe it this night.”

The crowd roared causing Cordelia to jump. Wow, this group really did want to see some blood spilled on the concrete and it seemed like they didn’t care if it belonged to her or Armand.

What the hell was she thinking? She should have let Nicky take her place. She was so not ready to do this. Smacking around some bullies and slapping away a few grabby hands at work did not prepare her for a back alley brawl. Shit, was she ever out of her element.

“Who stands as second to Armand, twentieth son of Aldric?” Katerina asked and Matthew stepped forward.

“I, Matthew, twenty-first son of Aldric, do,” Matthew responded with a slight lisp.

“And who stands as second to Cordelia, second daughter of Zopyros?”

“I, Mary, second daughter of Zopyros, do,” Mary answered.

The seconds stepped back and it was just her and Armand left facing Katerina. She handed each of them a blunted wooden stake and instructed them to take ten steps back. This really was old school. Cordelia watched as Armand tossed his stake in the air and caught it effortlessly. She, on the other hand, was clenching her stake so hard she was worried she was going to draw blood.

“All manner of fighting is allowed with the exception of biting,” Katerina told them. “First one to land a clean shot to the heart is the victor.”

Cordelia tried to relax her muscles, wanting to loosen herself up first but she was too nervous. The only plan of action she could think of was to kick him in the balls the first chance she got and pray that was enough to bring him down. It had been her tried and true fighting style back when she was a kid being bullied by her classmates.

…Don’t take your eyes off him for a second…

Demetri’s voice echoed through her mind, followed by Mary’s.

…Fight smart, not hard…

She shook her head to try to dislodge the others but it didn’t work.

…Keep your arms up to protect yourself…

…Be a moving target, it will keep him off balance…

…Okay Mom and Dad, thanks for the advice. Now get out of my head…

Thankfully, they listened to her and her mind was vacated, only her own thoughts remaining.
Kick him in the crotch!

Katerina held her hand up high and the crowd cheered again.

“Fight!”

Armand moved in quickly and before she could get her hands up, he jabbed her square on the chin. Bells rang in her head and she stumbled back a few steps, her vision blurring as black spots popped up.

Armand laughed and gave her a pitying look. “This is going to be easier than I thought.”

As her anger flared, her vision cleared and her fangs emerged and she growled low in her throat. She swung a fierce left hook straight at Armand’s head, catching him right in the ear. The blow sent his body flying through the air before crashing into the asphalt a dozen or so feet away.

She was momentarily startled by the strength she possessed now. Armand seemed surprised too but he recovered quickly and lunged at her. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. She hit the ground on her back and, using his momentum to her advantage, she wedged her foot against his chest and kicked him over her head towards the pile of garbage.

She rolled over and scrambled to her feet but before she could launch her next attack, pain exploded as a foot landed square in her stomach and she dropped to her knees.

As she tried to catch her breath, Armand stepped in front of her, a rusted crowbar in his hands. He swung at her head but she managed to dodge the blow, throwing herself to the pavement. She cracked the back of her head on the ground and her brain slammed around the inside of her skull.

Her vision was blurred but she could still make out a large shadow looming over her. Suddenly her shoulder exploded with a fiery pain and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her vision came back into sharp focus and she saw the crowbar sticking out of her shoulder.

Her head lolled to the other side and she saw Armand prancing around, arms raised in victory as he goaded the audience. She could also see Gabe standing on the sidelines, staring at her with his glassy eyes. She couldn’t just lay here and let Armand win. She had to take him down or Gabe would belong to him.

She wrapped her hand around the crowbar right where it protruded from her shoulder. Her hand slipped against her own blood as she gritted her teeth and pulled. Slowly and painfully, it slid from her shoulder and she grunted as quietly as she could, afraid to get Armand’s attention. This would only work if he did not see her.

The crowbar emerged from her shoulder with a sickening slurp and she nearly burst into relieved tears. That arm was useless now though, the ligaments torn when the metal had pierced through her. She used the crowbar for leverage, digging it into the ground and pushing her pain-wracked body off the ground.

When she was on her feet, her vision swam and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself. Armand still had his back to her and so she took her time to aim. With all the strength left in her body, she threw the crowbar at Armand. It spun end over end across the alley where it buried itself deep in Armand’s neck. Blood spurted in every direction and had she not severely damaged his vocal chords, she was sure he would have screamed in pain.

She did not repeat Armand’s mistake of taking time to gloat and grabbed up one of the fallen stakes. She tackled him at the waist, taking him down hard. She turned him over and pressed the stake against his chest, right above the heart.

She held it there for a second, part of her wanting to push down all the way and kill the bastard. He deserved it. She could feel the darkness inside of him, as if it was bubbling up out of his throat like his blood. She clenched the stake tightly and tensed her muscles, ready to drive the piece of wood home.

...DON’T...

The single word was enough and she unclenched her fist, letting the stake drop from her hand and she rolled off Armand, panting as she sprawled back against the pavement. A cry went up from the crowd and she felt hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump to her feet, ready to take on the next foe.

Except it was just Demetri, his face grim, as if it pained him to see her like this. She looked down at herself and realized that she was covered in blood. Her shoulder wound was serious; if she had still been human she would have already bled out.

At least she looked better than the other guy did. She watched as Matthew and a couple other males carried Armand out of the circle, disappearing into the crowd.

Demetri led her back to where Mary was standing and he quickly began to look over her wounds. Cordelia let him go about his business, all the time smiling in satisfaction at Mary.

“Someone who just got their shoulder torn up shouldn’t look so damn smug.”

Cordelia chuckled and then groaned as her cracked ribs protested the movement. “I’m so damn smug because I won.”

“You got lucky,” she told her, but Cordelia could hear the pride in her voice.

Demetri finished checking over her shoulder and seemed nonplussed by the damage. It really said something about the things that he had seen if her shoulder that closely resembled ground chuck didn’t bother him.

“You should be okay. Once you feed everything should heal up fine,” Demetri said, taking off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders. She welcomed the warmth, not realizing how cold she had been even in the warm summer night.
Oh right, the massive blood loss
. 

“Speaking of feeding, you better go mark your friend before someone else decides to throw down a challenge for him,” Mary said, nodding to where Gabe was standing between Katerina and Zeke. “We don’t get too many fights like this so they are going to think there is something real special about him.”

Mary and Demetri held her elbows as they walked over to the others and Cordelia was grateful for their support. Her knees were a bit wobbly, mostly from the pain that radiated from her shoulder. If she had to make the walk herself, she would have fallen down for sure.

“The moment you bite him, whatever control Armand had over him is going to disappear,” Mary told her. “As soon as his blood is in you, you’re the only one who will have control over him. He might react badly and if he does, you are going to have to calm him down. Don’t get squirmy about digging through his head.”

Cordelia nodded her understanding but she wasn’t quite in agreement. Despite her practice on Marcus and Olivia under Nicky’s tutelage, she still didn’t feel comfortable with the mind reading. No matter what Nicky said, she still felt as if she was committing a personal violation.

Katerina bowed her head and smiled when the trio stood in front of her. “You fought well, Cordelia, second daughter of Zopyros. You have won the right to this human. You may mark him as your own.”

She reached out and grabbed Gabe’s hand, pulling him towards her. He came forward, that vacant look still in his eyes. He did not seem to understand a single thing that had happened around him. The mind mojo had done miracles and she wondered how he would be acting if he was in his right mind. 

“I’m really sorry about this,” Cordelia whispered.

She placed her hands on the sides of his face, tilting his head to the side. She had to make this quick. One suck and then they were out of here. She didn’t need all these people watching her. She may have come to terms with the whole feeding on blood thing but it still felt like something that should be done in privacy.

She struck quickly, his body tensing beneath her hands as she pierced his skin. She took a tentative draw, ready to get this over with and get out of here.

At least that had been her plan until his blood spilled across her tongue, warm, luscious and achingly delicious. Marcus and Olivia hadn’t tasted like this. They had tasted sweet where Gabe was all sorts of spicy on her tongue. It was heavenly.

She groaned and latched down tighter on his neck, pulling again and again, relishing the heady taste of him. It was as if his blood was a straight up jolt of electricity, every inch of her skin tingling as he filled her. His blood fuelled the healing in her body and she felt her shoulder stitch itself back together, the mobility in her arm restored.

She wrapped her arms around him; the hard lines of his body flush against her soft curves. Heat bloomed between her legs when she noticed the hard length of his erection pushing into her belly. Desire had her holding him tighter, drinking from him in longer draws. She wanted him, more than she had ever wanted any man in her life and she was going to take him. He began to tremble and she dug her fingers into his shoulders, trying to keep him in place. She didn’t want to stop. She would never get enough of this.

The growl that came from her when someone grabbed her shoulders and hauled her away from Gabe was inhuman. She fought the hands, while trying to keep a hold on Gabe, her teeth snapping and snarling. She needed more of him. He was
hers
. She could take as much as she wanted.