Lilith/Cain

“No, this is a bad plan and I don’t want to do it.” Angie shook her head quickly, closing her eyes as she did.

“We’ve already done it once tonight,” Sybil pointed out cheerfully.

“I almost died and you broke every bone in Gabriel’s body,” Angie pointed out.

Sybil smiled broadly as she punched Gabriel in the shoulder. “Aw, he’s fine now.”

Angie continued shaking her head. “We broke through a regular plate glass window just now and that was bad enough. Who knows what kind of reinforcements Cain has on his building. We could just bounce right off.”

Sybil raised her hand up. “That won’t happen. Callie told me to save you by jumping from this rooftop and back into the building. I got caught up in… some stuff, and couldn’t make it across the street in time so I had to do it backwards. We can totally make it back across from this side.”

Angie looked at her in exasperation. “What were you so busy with that we now have to do this twice?”

Sybil rolled her eyes. “Do you want to save your brother or not? I’m pretty sure Cain’s not up there cuddling him. Look, I’ll go ahead first and break the glass. I’m the only one strong enough right now.”

Sybil back up all the way to the opposite end of the roof. Angie looked at her in confusion, then at Gabriel. “What does she mean she’s the only one strong enough? I’ve seen you tear apart-”

Her words were cut off as Sybil shot across the roof like a lightning bolt. She didn’t sail off the roof as much as she jetted. She hit the building on the other side with terrific force, crashing right through the glass like a bullet.

Angie squinted her eyes at the jagged glass a few stories below, then just stared in disbelief. “How is she so powerful? Last year she wasn’t even a vampire.”

“Callie was the one who picked her,” Gabriel remarked. “She would have known she would be this powerful. And that she wouldn’t be able to use influence.”

Angie looked at him sharply. “What do you mean?”

“Did you notice how she bribed the old woman rather than trying to convince her that we were supposed to be there? Even with the severity of our entrance it would be a simple matter for almost any vampire. Sybil doesn’t have that ability, and her blood and body probably compensate with sheer brute strength.”

Angie looked back at the broken window, Sybil was waving at them to follow. “But she looks…”
Gabriel picked her up easily. “That’s not her influence, but Cain’s. His influence is the only thing that protects her. The only thing that makes her look human.”

Angie wrapped her arms around his neck and put her face in his chest as he backed up to the opposite edge of the roof.

Their trip over the edge was smoother than the last one, though Angie held on for dear life while also hoping they didn’t hit a stray piece of glass. Surprisingly, there was no impact with the glass, only Gabriel’s feet hitting the carpeted floor.

Angie looked over his shoulder at the large rectangle of emptiness in the window. Sybil shrugged. “I figured I would just slide it open and make things easier.”

“We should hurry.” Gabriel set Angie back on her feet.

“What is going on in here!” a new voice came from the hallway.

Sybil swore and sprinted to the door. It swung open, revealing a blond woman in a black suit. She wore glasses with silvered lenses. “Sorry about this,” Sybil said with sympathy as she hit the woman on the back of the head. She fell to the floor without another sound.

“She won’t stay out for long. Let’s get upstairs.”

xxxXXXxxx

“Just how long do you plan on menacing us?” Chris asked angrily. “Just finish us off already!” He was on his knees, hands on the carpet.

Cain loomed over him as if from a great height. “You are my toys now, why should I give you anything you ask?” Azri hung by his neck from Cain’s hand. “Besides, this is fun.” Moving only his arm he threw Azri into the wall. Azri didn’t move to shield himself and simply fell to the floor.

“God dammit, he’s your son!”

“Can’t a father play with his child?” Cain queried. Azri groaned as he got to his feet. “See, he’s fine. He likes it. Don’t you, Ga’vriel?”

“Sure.” Ga’vriel coughed as he forced open his windpipe. “I’m having a blast.” He glanced at Chris, then focused back on his father. “Humans don’t make good toys. Let’s just keep doing this.”

Cain smirked. “I know you’re just trying to protect him, but I admire your guts.” With the wave of a hand he sent Azri into the desk. Azri groaned again as several ribs cracked.

Cain looked down at Chris and all mirth dropped from his face. “You come here, into my building and threaten me. You shot at me. What should my response be to that? I should just let you go, so you can terrorize me again at some future date?”

“You kidnapped my mom,” Chris pointed out.

“And I deserve to be killed for that? I thought humans were supposed to take the moral high ground?”

Chris’ fingers dug into the deep plush of the carpet. “You threw my sister and her boyfriend out a window.” His voice was bitter, dark at the edges.

“They were intruders. Anything that happened to them on my premises is entirely their fault. The law is on my side.”

A tinny, but cheery tune started playing softly. Cain reached into his pocket and the tune grew louder. He put his phone to his ear and it cut off. “What is it, Smith?”

There was no other sound in the room and Chris was right next to Cain, so he could hear the words dimly. “Gregori Smythe is dead.”

“By whom?” Cain kept his tone controlled.

“Arthur Statton fought him, but it looks like Vivian Ecklund made the kill shot. Both Dr. Merrick and Dr. Barnes are missing as well.”

Cain quit the call and put his phone back into his pocket. “This is unfortunate news,” he said quietly. “My entire biological research team is gone in a single night. It took me ages to convince Dr. Smythe to join my side, and his brother is beyond even my persuasions. Someone will have to pay for this in blood.”

“I’m right here,” Chris pushed against the carpet till he was just on his knees. “Vivian’s my mom. I’ll take her place.”

Cain’s eyes narrowed. “Stepmother, you mean. You’re not related by blood.”

Chris shrugged. “And that matters?”

“To me it does.” He turned to the double doors separating his office from the waiting room. “Fortunately a replacement is on her way right now. Surely she would be glad to lay down her life for her Mother’s. She did come all this way in the first place to save her.”

The double doors burst open just as the elevator across the waiting room arrived with a blythe chime. The aluminum doors slid open, revealing Angie, Sybil, and Gabriel.

Angie stepped forward, her gaze steady. “Vivian Ecklund has been rescued. Just give us back our brothers, Cain, and we’ll get out of your hair. We won’t come back and you can continue with whatever schemes you have that don’t involve my family.”

Darkness flowed out of the office, covering the walls and floor of the reception area. “It is far too late for diplomacy now,” Cain replied. “One of my most useful employees lies dead because of your mother.”

Sybil spoke up before Angie had the chance. “Maybe you shouldn’t have kidnapped her then.”

An invisible force threw Sybil back into the elevator, pinning her to the wall. The doors slid closed again and the down button lit up.

“I require blood for blood,” Cain spoke, his eyes only on Angie.

“I don’t want to fight you.” Angie kept her eyes on him. “I just want my family back, then I will go. You won’t ever see me again.”

Cain’s red eyes glittered. “Are you certain of that? What if I told you Arthur Statton died in this building? Would you be willing to walk away then?”

Angie’s eyes widened. “Arthur?” Her voice was a breath.

“Did you think he would just stand by while your mother was stolen? Even as old and feeble as he was? Knowing that if he tried to rescue her, he walked into certain death?”

“He isn’t feeble!” Angie shouted. “He is the best hunter in the world! He could kick your ass a thousand times!” Gabriel put a hand on her arm but she shrugged him off. “There is no way he could be taken out by one of your flunkies!”

“And yet his blood has soaked into the floor and walls of this building. He was torn into, savaged, broken.” Cain smirked. “Defeated.”

Anger made Angie breathe hard through her nose. Her chest heaved with each breath. “Just give me back Chris and Azri,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Trade yourself for them. If I slaughter you, I will release them. If you want, you could also try taking them from me.”

“You know this isn’t a fair fight,” Gabriel interjected before Angie could respond.

“Fairness is such a selfish word,” Cain replied. “Why should one weaken themselves in order to be ‘fair’ to another? Both parties should go all out, with everything they have, and see how they truly stack up.”

“I’ll need my weapon then,” Angie asserted.

“But of course.”

Angie’s silver pistol slid across the dark floor, stopping in front of her feet. She kept her eyes on the mass of shadows in Cain’s office as she stooped down and retrieved her gun. She quickly checked the clip and found it mostly full, outside of the shots she herself had fired.

She snapped her clip back into place and loaded the first bullet into the chamber. “No point in waiting around, is there?”