Jonny checked his phone the second Charles reported in. The vamp was late, but Charles was only late when there was an issue. Expecting the usual long report, Jonny frowned when he read the four words Charles had sent instead.
You better come now.
Jonny scanned reports coming into the makeshift command center to ensure his other teams weren't in trouble in before Traveling to the location he'd given Charles. By and large, their first night dedicated to raids was successful. Two of the five places they hit had been hideouts for the rogues. A third was a backup safehouse that appeared unused and the other two already abandoned. Jonny would happily take three out of five and call it a victory.
The vamp he materialized near jumped and then stepped aside. Ten rogue vamps lay dead on the ground in front of the entrance of the warehouse with two of his vamps posted as guards.
"North bay," the vamp beside him said. "Charles is expecting you. Cut through the warehouse, ikir."
Jonny strode forward into the darkened side of the warehouse, aware of his vamps stationed periodically along the way. When he entered the lighted half, he slowed. Charles had two vamps with him, but it was the carnage that caught his attention.
Jonny was at first surprised then pleased to see three dozen dead rogues before him, until he saw who sat in the middle of them, her head bowed and frame shaking. The sight of Ashley alone and trembling made something twist inside of him. He canned the emotion. He had too much to lose as it was without letting his feelings cloud his judgment.
"What happened?" he asked without lifting his eyes from her.
"I don't know," was the quiet reply. "Your little Natural just went crazy and started killing everyone. We helped, of course."
"Ashley doesn't kill."
"She did tonight."
Something's wrong.
"We've searched everywhere and found nothing here. No reason for there to be wards or so many of them located in one place. I suspect Valon was here but slipped away before we arrived," Charles continued.
"Get everyone back to Virginia. Pick up dinner along the way," Jonny ordered.
"You got her? My Taser's missing."
Jonny snorted. "Yeah. I'm good." He waited for Charles to move away before he ventured into the killing field. Jonny picked his way through the dead, attention on Ashley. She was soaked with vamp blood; even her hair dripped with it. Any doubt he had about her killing was gone by the time he reached her. Her knives were at her side, and her arms wrapped around a shoebox. Concern fluttered through him, no matter how hard he wanted not to feel anything.