Firestorm Ch. 02

The two adversaries danced around each other, the vampire on the offence and Micah simply defending, reluctant to hurt an innocent.

They were so absorbed circling each other that when the club's exit door cracked open, it startled them both.

The woman that walked into the alley was human, and Micah cursed her luck. The vampire, seeing a new, weaker prey, shifted his focus, forcing Micah to place herself in front of the human so the vampire couldn't reach her.

The human was slight of build, with deep chocolate skin and braided hair. Her brown eyes widened in fear as she let out an ear-piercing scream.

Micah shoved the woman behind her when she tried to run. That momentary shift in focus cost her; the vampire sank four long, lethal talons into her stomach. Micah bit her bottom lip as she stifled a scream. Trying her best to ignore the pain, she slammed her fist into the vampire's face. He stumbled back.

Micah pushed away the strange fear that continued to plague her and turned to the woman who cowered nearby.

"Damn it, lady, would you stop trying to run! The safest place for you is behind me right now."

The cunning vampire was quick to exploit the other woman's arrival. Micah blocked his swipes but she couldn't move out of harm's way without leaving the human vulnerable to attack. She suffered a blow to the chest that knocked the air out of her lungs.

Hissing in pain, she wrapped an arm around the wounds on her belly. She had lost her focus for only a millisecond, but it was enough. The human behind Micah screamed loudly when the vampire reached her.

Enraged, Micah growled, her claws extending as she rushed the vampire whose fangs were now embedded in the human woman's throat. She swiped the back of the vampire's knee with all the power she could muster.

He lost his balance and was forced to retract his fangs from the woman. Micah swiftly turned and grabbed the vampire in a headlock. She broke his neck to incapacitate him, knowing the damage would be temporary. She shoved hard and watched as he slammed into the wall behind him, dazed. It gave her enough time to grab the woman and escape back into the club.

The human was beginning to weaken from blood loss and had to lean against Micah. She half-dragged, half-carried the woman toward the base of the staircase where she had last seen Caspian, hoping the nearby vampires were too busy partying to be attracted by the scent of their blood. Micah could hear the woman's pulse start to slow down. She needed help to get the woman to safety and heal her.

She reached the staircase and was surprised but relieved to see Caspian gliding down toward her. He pulled the now unconscious woman from Micah's grip and she gratefully released her hold on the human.

"What happened?" Caspian asked as he easily lifted the woman into his arms.

"Vampire plagued by blood lust," Micah uttered the words through pain-clenched teeth.

Caspian just nodded in answer as he walked rapidly toward the front exit with Micah and the rest of his entourage following closely behind. No one said another word as they returned to the waiting cars.

The ride back in Caspian's limo was a silent one. Micah tried not to move to avoid aggravating the sting of the wounds in her belly. Though she was certain Caspian and Leigh could smell the blood that seeped from her wounds, their masks of indifference never wavered.

They seemed unaffected by the scent of blood that filled the car. Micah had never witnessed such restraint in vampires, except for Dante. It was Dante who had raised her, trained her, and showed her that life didn't have to be painted in blood.

"How bad are your injuries?" Caspian finally spoke, his voice ice-cold and detached. Micah wanted to scream; when he spoke in that tone, she doubted he truly gave a damn about her answer.

"I'm fine. Shallow wounds," she lied. "How's the human?" Micah looked at the dark-skinned beauty cradled almost gently by Caspian and suppressed the pang of jealousy she felt.

"Her heart rate is steadily decreasing. As soon as we are at the manor we need to assess whether she can be saved."

By the time they arrived at the manor, Micah was feeling incredibly weakened. She had lost a lot of blood but she was determined to help heal the human. Micah may be a warrior, but she also was a healer; she was hard-wired to help the innocent.

Caspian alighted and carried the human woman into the manor. The other vampires alighted but quickly went their own way, leaving Micah behind as if they couldn't bear to be near her for much longer.

She stepped gingerly out of the car and felt her world spin, forcing her to place a hand against the limo to stabilize herself. She focused on the feel of the cold metal against her palm until the wave of pain subsided.

She drew in a harsh breath then entered the manor just in time to see Caspian moving gracefully up the spiral staircase. It was a struggle but she climbed the stairs, knowing she was falling farther behind but unwilling to ask for help.

Each breath she took was becoming more labored than the last. She didn't know how much longer she could ignore the pain and dizziness that were a result of her injuries, but she pressed on.

She reached the landing and saw him enter a doorway down the hall. From the blueprints, she knew it was one of the infirmaries in the manor. Another vampire, a petite female, followed him into the room almost immediately.

With painful effort, Micah forced herself to follow them. She reached the doorway just as another wave of pain crashed through her.

It proved to be too much. All the color in her field of vision faded slowly to black, and a sudden heaviness pulled at her limbs.

Too drained to fight any longer, she succumbed to the pull, her eyes rolling to the back of her head before she even hit the ground.