Midnight Craving: Midnight Vice, Book 1 by Lolita Lopez Page B

filled her nostrils. Oh, yes, Renata was down here all right.
    As they rounded the curve of the stairwell, a protective ring of four vampires came into view. They
    encircled a large shipping crate. Dirt clods had been scattered about, probably from Renata burrowing into
    the Hungarian soil to heal.
    Weapon raised, Jace wasted no time in picking off the first two vamps his aim settled upon. The liquid-
    capped bullets exploded within their bodies, spilling a toxic mix of garlic juice and holy water. Hissing, they
    clawed at their oozing chests as they fell to their knees and slowly expired.
    But before Jace could pop off his next two rounds, the crate exploded. Amid a cloud of dirt, wood
    chunks bounced off the walls and ceiling. Isla brought her forearm up to shield her face from the debris. At
    the sound of fists contacting skin, she lowered her arm. There were suddenly four more vampires in the
    room and they had Jace. Where the hell did you come from?
    Jace fought against his captors but it was no use. There were too many of them. Isla lifted her knife,
    ready to fight to the death—and then Renata spoke. “Look at me.”
    Isla resisted the dreamy whisper.
    “Look at me.”
    Renata repeated it like a mantra, each time louder and more powerful. Isla tried to keep her gaze
    focused on Jace’s imploring eyes but it was futile. She couldn’t disobey Renata. The pull was far stronger
    than any she’d ever felt. The knife fell from her fingers and clattered to the ground. She turned toward
    Renata.
    In the instant their eyes met, absolute agony seized Isla’s body. The fever and the need were so strong
    she feared her blood would boil in her veins. Wetness pooled between her thighs. Nausea roiled in the pit
    of her stomach. Eyes locked on the rejuvenated vampiress, Isla collapsed to the ground and convulsed, her
    body jerking so hard she just knew her bones were going to snap.
    Through the haze of misery, she heard only thing. Jace. Screaming her name.

Chapter Five
    As Isla flopped on the stones, Jace felt something inside him snap. They’d come too far to lose it all
    now. He’d die before he let Renata slaughter Isla as she had her family. From somewhere deep inside, the
    full force of his angelic heritage surged. Time seemed to slow as he broke free of the hands holding him
    captive.
    Grabbing fistfuls of the shirts on either side of him, he slammed together the heads of the two vampires.
    There was an explosion of broken fangs and dark black vamp blood. He dropped the unconscious duo and
    launched into the fray.
    It was a blur of hands and feet, snapping fangs, swiping claws and hisses. Without his gun he was no
    less lethal. Like Isla, he kept weapons strapped to his ankles, in this case a pair of blood-stained wooden
    stakes that had saved his life more than once over the years. Wielding them like fighting knives, he swung
    and stabbed, using them defensively as much as offensively. He hooked his right foot behind the knee of
    the vampire just to his right. As the off balance vampire lurched forward, Jace planted the stake in his heart.
    He wasted no time, jerking the stake free as the vampire burst into flames and attacking another
    bloodsucker. The momentary shock of seeing his partner ablaze gave Jace all the edge he needed. With a
    violent swing, he hit the sweet spot. He slammed his heel against the stunned vamp’s belly, freed the stake
    and sent him hurtling backward.
    Facing off against the last two drones, Jace set his sights on the weakest of the pair. They traded blows
    and blocked kicks, circling as they bobbed and weaved. The vampire swiped at Jace with his scarily sharp
    claws and slit open the black leather arm of his jacket. Narrowly averting a serious injury, Jace jumped back
    and to the side. He tried to read the vampire’s face, to anticipate the undead bastard’s next move. When the
    vampire jumped forward, Jace leaned to the right. With a backhanded move, he slammed the stake