The Blood of a Nightlock

Chapter Twenty-One

Reaper pushed the students into locker rooms and instructed them to lock the doors and to open them for no one except Reaper or Mitchel. Fremont lingered at the back of our group, watching as Mitchel moved around the gym.

"You should go with the kids." I told him. "You can protect them if something happens."

"She's right, Greg. You and the novice guys can go into one locker room and the novice girls can go in the other."

"I need to be here." Fremont said.

"They come first." Mitchel reminded him.

Fremont watched Mitchel for a long time before he nodded. He squeezed my shoulder and headed for the locker rooms, the novices falling in line with him.

"Mason," Mitchel called to him.

"Yes, Sir?" He asked.

"Stay with us. I'd feel better knowing you're out here with us." Mitchel handed both of us a stake.

Emmet smiled. "Thank you."

Mitchel's walkie crackled on his hip. "We have a code four! Vampires in the hallway pushing towards the gym!"

I didn't recognize the voice.

Mitchel's eyes met mine as he spoke into the walkie. "We're ready and waiting. Holding the gym. Watch for traitors amongst us."

"Selena let them in on a fake shift change."

He nodded. "Get ready." Mitchel told everyone as loud snarls carried through the hallway. "We're at war."

A sea of vampires surged into the gym. This was bigger than any attack we'd experienced so far. This was huge. They collided with members of The Chosen at a rapid pace. Punches were exchanged that sounded like bricks being smacked together. We moved towards the threat, Mitchel swinging first, his fist connecting with a vampire's jaw. The vamp took the impact, his head snapping back and falling to the mat. Mitchel carefully and precisely slid a stake through its chest before moving onto another. I moved into the crowd throwing punches and babying my leg when I could. Emmet was fighting alongside me. This was the future we were fighting for. This was Emmet and I being able to join Dragon Tribe... together. This was a future where Nightlocks were back in hiding. A future where we fought vampires without the worry of Nightlock blood. Without the worry of my blood...

We were holding our own, the vampire numbers decreasing slightly against our much smaller group. We fought endlessly. I thrust a stake through a vampire's chest and lifted my eyes to the catwalk above. The white-haired vampire was there, staring down at me, a sick smile on his lips. Jimmy was beside him. His eyes were on me as well, a sad look on his face. I'd been made.

Mitchel grabbed me and pulled me back as The Chosen went to work.

"They know." I said to him.

He slid his eyes to me. "What?"

I glanced up at the catwalk and his eyes followed. "They're staring at me like I'm meat ready for slaughter."

"Well, if Abrodon wants you, he'll have to get through me." Mitchel said as he sent a punch into a vampire. "There's a bigger mole. Someone who knew the whole plan. Someone who knew you were a Nightlock. There's no other way they could have known."

Jimmy moved down the catwalk, jogging down the steps and rounding the structure.

"Jimmy's coming towards us." I said.

Mitchel speared his vampire and straightened up.

"Listen, Mitch," Jimmy said as he started across the mats, "I didn't want to do this."