Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
The baton flew toward her face as the guard tried to crack her jaw. She dodged the blow and then stepped into his space, not giving him a chance to bring his baton up again. She kicked him in the kneecap, whirled around, and brought her knife across his chest. He gasped in shock more than pain, then blocked her next hit, sending the knife tumbling out of her reach.
“Motherfucker,” she swore as she skidded away from the monster and back into regular motion.
“Going to enjoy feasting on your blood, you little bitch,” he snarled.
She dropped to her knees, sliding his feet out from under him. She rolled to her back and kipped up to standing. The vampire had crashed unceremoniously to the floor, but he was already lunging for her as she returned to her feet. She moved out of the way, jerking into slow motion. She retrieved her second knife from her boot and rammed the side of it into his skull with blunt force.
The vampire stumbled. His eyes went wide with surprise, but he was still heading toward her. She would have to be quick and decisive. Maybe her knife wouldn’t cut through bone, but it could do some damage.
Then, just as she darted toward him, Graves appeared. He moved at shocking speeds—such that even her slow motion could barely track him. A blur of heat and gold light as he intercepted the blow of the vampire, deflected it with his forearm, then twisted the vamp so he had his back to Graves’s chest. Time slowed even further as the vampire realized he had been bested. Then Graves snapped the vampire’s neck, and he crashed to the floor, dead.
Kierse came back into motion with a wince. Everything had been so quiet. But as soon as she returned, it was like the world magnified the sound.
“Thanks,” she said, breathing heavy. “Think anyone heard us?”
Graves shot her a look that said all she needed to know. “Open the door across the hall.”
Kierse jumped into action. She jiggled the locked door handle and then tested it for magic, but there were no wards. She smiled and put her other skills to work. She withdrew a trusty hairpin and flipped the lock in a matter of seconds. So much for Mafi’s parlor tricks when her bobby pin could do the same thing.
A closet. A totally normal janitor’s closet. Excellent.
Kierse and Graves hauled the guards inside. She frisked the vamps, removing a handgun from one guard, stuffing it into her boot. The second guard had a key card like what they used for the checkpoints, but it had the Men of Valor logo on it. She slid the card into her opposite boot, then closed and locked the door again.
Graves drew a ward on the doorknob, applying his magic to it in a sizzle. The smallest hint of golden light and the smell of leather and new books wafted in the air. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe that she’d never smelled it on him before.
“Now for the fun part,” she said.
They turned back to the vault. It was relatively innocuous, just a large, gray metal door with a handle, save for the key card reader on the wall next to it.
“You’re up,” Graves said.
Kierse straightened her shoulders and felt the excitement rush through her body. She loved this part. It made her blood sing. All of that magic she had used was about to be restored. Her hands pulsed with excitement, and she quickly shook it off and got into position.
She tested the handle. Locked, of course.
Then she drew her magic to her and felt around for the wards. She blew out a breath. Walter hadn’t skimped on this. The warding system was like trying to break into a bank vault. It had a pattern and what appeared to be a warded combination lock. She’d never seen anything like it before.
“What is it?” Graves asked.
“It’s a combination lock like on a vault. I have to break the wards in a certain order for you to go inside with me.”
“Or what?”
She frowned. “Do you want to find out?”
“No.”
“Do you have to go inside with me?”
He just leveled her with a flat look. He wasn’t coming this far and not going inside that room.
“Fine,” she said with a laugh. “Go be a lookout.”
Kierse got to work as Graves hung back at the other end of the hallway. She steadied herself and pretended like this was any other lock she had opened before. She ran her hands across the various wards, recognizing the sun symbol threaded through Walter’s warding. The wards didn’t touch her—she just absorbed them—but if she didn’t want to be caught doing it, then she needed to figure out this code and figure it out fast. Quick hands, skill, and intuition made a thief valuable.