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All That I Am	By : kitten7315 Category: Anita Blake > Het Views: 5397 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Anita Blake series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Summary: -- Taking the battle to them.
Authors Notes: Special thanks to my beta and muse Rebecca. Feedback is greatly appreciated

Chapter 18

There was an aggressive silence that hung heavy in the SUV during the drive, as if each occupant’s mind was mentally preparing for the upcoming battle. We parked the suburban a block away from the warehouse. I sat looking out at the sky. The sun was leaving a trail of various hues of reds and oranges as if it was setting the normally blue sky on fire, preparing it for the night sky.

I turned my gaze from the sky to look around at the warehouses dotting the landscape. In this section of the warehouse district the warehouses were all being converted into apartments and lofts. Most were still under reconstruction, so it was very lightly populated. It was the perfect place to hide out. The warehouse we were looking for was isolated, so we didn’t have to worry about collateral damage.

“Bernardo and Sylvie with me,” I said, putting the strap of my new P90 across my body so the gun would rest on my right side.

“I’ll take Bobby Lee,” Edward said.

“That leaves Claudia and Jamil with Micah,” I said getting out of with the rest. We all stood silently while some of us double checked our weapons and ammo.

Edward reached into his bag and pulled out blue prints. “I got these from the company that remodeled this place.” He spread the plans out on the hood and we gathered around.

“They left the roof access, so Bobby Lee and I will gain entrance through there. Claudia, you guys take the rear entrance here, and Anita, you will go through the front. I want them to know you are here, and hopefully you can distract them long enough for us to get into position. I doubt they will expect an assault from two other places.” Edward turned to me, “I want you to act as the decoy. Just knock on the door and tell them whatever you want, but give us at least 5 minutes to get in the building.”

“Gee thanks, I just love to play bait. Let’s get this over with,” I said, feeling anxious at the upcoming events. I closed my eyes briefly to offer up a prayer, to whoever might be listening, that we would all make it through this. I opened my eyes and steeled myself. “Let’s go.”

The day sky had finally given up its hold and night was beginning to claim its prize, as we swiftly and silently made our way towards the warehouse. We went off separately to our designated paths of approach. As Bernardo, Sylvie, and I made our way to the front, I sent a mental message to Jean-Claude giving him a brief description of our plan. I felt him fill me with some of his power in response.

I pounded on the front door and took deep steady breaths to help calm myself. I really wanted to just shoot first, but I had to give the rest of them as much time as possible. Shifters have very acute hearing and could probably hear and smell us all, but they didn’t necessarily know that the other two groups were with me.

A male wereleopard answered the door. He was at least 6 feet tall with an athletic build. “Ah. Anita Blake,” the man said with a sneer on his face, “The Executioner, herself. I take it you got the package that I left at your house for you? You just saved me the trouble of coming to get you.”

My hand tightened its grip on my Browning. I really, really, wanted to just shoot him. I felt Bernardo gently squeeze my left arm, reminding me why I couldn’t just shoot him… yet. “Where’s Caitlin? I owe her for messing with one of my leopards,” I told him. I had already begun my journey to the dark room of my mind that housed my ease for the kill. I felt it take over and spill into my eyes. I saw the sneer on fac face slip and uncertainty briefly take its place, before he wiped it clean of all emotion.

“She isn’t here, but she did leave you with a few surprises. I doubt she would mind if we gave them to you early.”

It felt as though time took a deep breath and held it. The wereleopard moved with a blur of speed towards me, trying to reach for my gun. My body acted on instinct and moved with even quicker speed backwards. I had my gun up, aimed, and fired before he reached the place I had been standing. The sound of my gun firing exploded through the night causing time to release it’s breath.

He had a surprised look on his face when his body fell to the ground dead with the fatal bullet in his head.

Bernardo approached the door in a low crouch and peeked quickly into the room beyond. Sylvie, standing behind him, had her claws out and ready. I mimicked Bernard’s movements, going to the other side of the door frame.

“I can only see four,”nardnardo said, pointing to my side of the warehouse.

I was about to take a quick peek in when bullets splintered the door frame causing us to move a little farther away from the door.

Shit! It was rare that shifters carried guns. Most of Rafael’s people did, because most of them were either body guards or professional soldiers.

I heard someone from inside shout, “There are some coming from the back!”

Gun shots and the sound of a vicious shifter battle in another part of the building clued me in that some of our people had made it inside. I looked over at Sylvie and Bernardo, signaling that I was going in first. I flattened my back on the wall and slowly slid along until I came to the door.

Just as I was about to do a quick peek inside, I sensed another wereleopard’s beast coming angrily in our direction. Without having to give them a look of warning, I knew Bernardo and Sylvie felt the wereleopard coming as well.

I moved with a blur of speed and entered the warehouse, intercepting the wereleopard. As soon as I had a visual on him, I fired my Browning and dove for cover, never breaking my stride. The bullet caught the shifter in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

I took a quick sweep of the room, catching a brief glance of Claudia taking cover behind support beam, returning fire on three shifters that were focused on her. Jamil was engaged in his own battle with a wereleopard and a werebear that were in full animal form. Micah was holding his own with two more leopards.

The sound of machine gun fire drifted downstairs as a battle broke out upstairs. Looks like we all made it in, question was would we all make it out?

Judging from the fighting upstairs and the shifters I counted downstairs, there were more than nine shifters here. I guess this was the surprise Caitlin left for me.

Sylvie came through the door and to my location, with a burst of speed. She stopped briefly to gauge the situation. Before she could take off towards Jamil, a rain of bullets coming from upstairs blocked her path.

Bernardo had also moved inside, taking a position beside me. I tossed him my P90 and he provided Sylvie with some cover fire.

My focus turned to the three shifters exchanging fire with Claudia. I fired in their direction, causing them to divide their attention between us. Claudia and I were able to take them out, then turn our attention to the ones firing from above us.

All of a sudden, I sensed a vampire coming in my direction with tremendous speed. I threw myself in a sideways roll, causing the vamp to miss me. I fired off several shots as I came out of my roll, only hitting the vamp once in the leg.

The bullet never slowed him as he tried coming at me again. I was taking aim to shoot again, this time for a more lethal shot, when an obscure figure intercepted him and they both went down. I caught a glimpse of red hair and knew it was Damien that had taken down the vamp. I pushed power down our connection to aid him in his fight as I headed slowly toward the stairs, trying to dodge the bullets being fired down.

Bernardo and Claudia were still exchanging fire with the shifters upstairs so it gave me a small window of opportunity to try and get up there. I signaled to them, indicating what I was trying to do.

From my position I could see where the four gunmen were, on the balcony overlooking this floor. There was one near the stairs and three spread out along the walk. With a burst of speed, I went up the stairs and shot the shifter near the stairs, before diving for cover. I quickly reloaded and began firing at the other three. They turned their focus to me. Someone from below caught two of the gunmen with bullets to the chest.. I shot the other one just before another vamp came in my direction.

All of a sudden he stopped and then vanished down the stairs. Before I could question why, a werebear, two werewolves, and a wereleopard came running towards me.

I fired a couple of shots in their direction, before running in the opposite direction. I saw Edward and Bobby Lee, both covered in blood, coming out of a room ahead of me. They headed towards me firing at the shifters that were hot on my trail. Edward paused and tossed me his shotgun.

I caught the shotgun, quickly holstered my Browning, turned, and fired, catching a werewolf in the face as he launched himself at me, splattering myself with blood and other bits of flesh. Gotta love close range weapons.

Edward and Bobby Lee stopped the other werewolf and the wereleopard with a wall of bullets, but the werebear still came bounding toward us. The three of us continued to fire at it until the werebear finally went down with a sickening thud.

The warehouse went deathly quiet. “Is everyone ok?” I yelled, breaking the silence. I heard a chorus of replies. It sounded like everyone was still alive. “We’re coming down.”

The three of us cautiously made our way downstairs. I paused at the bottom step looking out into the warehouse. It had a litter of broken furniture, glass, and bodies. Everything and everyone was either coated or heavily speckled in blood, but we were all alive.

“I am sorry, Anita. One of the vampires got away,” Bernardo, said limping over to me. I looked over at the vamp that Damien fought. Looks like he took care of the head and heart for me already.

“Don’t worry about it, Bernardo. He won’t get away next time,” I told him.

“Jean-Claude sends his apologies for not coming himself. The Traveler showed up right at sunset. He sent me in his stead,” Damien explained, while wiping the blood off his sword and then sheathing it.

Shit! I thought I would have more time before I played vampire politics.

“Jean-Claude is sending someone to take care of everything,” Damien told me as if reading my thoughts on what to do about this mess.

I nodded and then headed towards the door, navigating my way through the carnage strewn around the area that served as our battlefield.

I stepped out into the night and looked up at the now darkened sky, displaying it’s near full moon for the night creatures to worship. I offered up my prayer of thanks for keeping us all alive.

*****

We made our way back into the bowels of the circus in a reflective silence. An air of danger must have kept itself wrapped around us, because no one spoke to us or would even come near us.

We silently parted ways, all going in whatever direction we needed. I headed towards Jean-Claude’s rooms so I could take a much deserved shower.

I had taken off my shoulder holster and was working on my knives, when I walked through the door. I stilled immediately at the sight of an unfamiliar vampire sitting next to Jean-Claude.

Jean-Claude took in my blood covered body with a frown, “I would have felt it if you had gotten hurt, ma petite.”

“Not my blood. Just have a few bumps and bruises,” I told him with a shrug, looking questioningly at the vamp sitting next to him.

“I am glad all went well. May I present the Traveler in his true body,” he said, doing an elegant gesture with his arm.

The Traveler turned and faced me directly and smiled. My eyes got wide with surprise. Why can’t I come across some ugly vamps every once in a while? Too many beautiful vampires under one roof could cause my heart to fail. My only relief was that Traveler liked men.

TBC
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All That I Am