Beyond The Fangs

Chapter 45

IZEL

"Perseus," I heard Jaeger breathe out, and I didn't like the way his voice sounded.

"Glad to see you're alive and well, cousin," the vampire, Perseus, purred. "Though I'd have preferred if you were dead." His gaze flickered to me, "aren't you going to introduce her?" Jaeger didn't answer so the vampire continued, "I suppose there's no need for introductions since I already know who she is, but I should at least introduce myself. Greetings, I'm Perseus," he bowed mockingly, "the Zas."

"The—the Zas?" I stammered.

"In the flesh," he confirmed. 

He looked less intimidating than I imagined, but I knew more than anyone else not to judge a book by its cover. He had peach skin, long blond hair and light brown eyes, almost bronze. Like Jaeger, he was tall, with quite the figure. The Zas wore all black, and just by his gait, I could tell how arrogant he was.

"And, unfortunately, the cousin of the Impurity beside you," he added.

"Cousin?" I dared a glance at Jaeger and noted how tense his jaw was. 

Perseus laughed, a deep, menacing sound, "did he not tell you?" He cocked his head to the side, "how much do you not know about him?"

The Zas was probably trying to distract me, to get me to lose my focus so he could take me down easier, well that wouldn't work. I sheathed my dagger and replaced it with my sword.

"I know enough."

"Did you know that it was because of him that his parents died?" The Zas continued, and he noted the slight crease of my brows then grinned. "You didn't know that either? Well, if it wasn't for the Impurity, both his parents would probably still be alive." 

"It wasn't his fault," I defended, realising he was implying that they died only because he was an Impurity.

"Oh, but it was," the Zas retorted. "The few people Jaeger's ever cared about have ended up dead, and now, you're going to join the list, darling."

"Don't you dare call me that."

"Or what? You'll kill me?"

"Precisely."

"Hmm, you're confident for a human," he drawled.

"And you talk too much for a creature from hell," I spat.

The Zas' lips curled, "I like you, I think I'm going to keep you."

The Zas took one step forward, and I took a deep breath, exhaling as I prepared for his attack. 

"But I'm not in the mood to fight," he said, and suddenly a swarm of vampires appeared around us.

"You can fight them," the Zas continued, "Then I'll leave once I get what I need."

Jaeger and I fixed our holds on our swords, watching the vampires surrounding us.

"There's about 18—"

"19," I corrected Jaeger.

"Oh, sorry for not being specific enough."

"Go ahead," the Zas said and the vampires didn't hesitate before they stormed toward us.

One after the other, they kept coming and coming and coming from all directions. I killed one and before I knew it, another one was on me. We didn't even get a second to breathe and I felt my arms losing strength the more I pierced vampires with my sword, pulled it out then pierced another. I got hit more than a couple of times, as did Jaeger, but neither of us were taken down by it, not until another swarm of vampires appeared from nowhere, but this time, they weren't regular vamps, they were Supremes and Quearus'. The Zas got us to use all our energy on the vamps so we wouldn't be able to handle all of these.