Tahoma
Tahoma exited the car despite Renata's pleas. She didn't quite realize how strong he was, and that some stragglers, despite them grouping together being strange, were nothing to him. The inside of the car shone with the bright light, reassuring him that she was safe from them in the meantime.
As he removed a weapon off his body, he surveyed their surroundings and realized there were far more than he had initially assumedâmaybe ten or fifteen. He muttered a curse at this new development. He doubted even Nirvi had seen anything like this, and she was over eight hundred years old.
Were stragglers evolving?
He loosened up his muscles and focused his strength. He noted that the first one attacked him instead of displaying the usual docile behavior they possessed toward the undyingâit's not like vampires had the fresh blood that stragglers sought. With a quick slice of his weapon, their head came clean off.
They still weren't especially quick, so he mowed through them. They didn't put up much fight, much to his relief. He didn't appreciate being exposed out here with Renata stationed like a sitting duck.
There were around five left when he paused to look back at the car. He honed in on Renata's horrified expression and knew he needed to speed things up. The last thing she needed was one more experience of trauma.
He refocused, but it was too late. The person was on him.
Tahoma twisted to meet them, whoever they were. They shouted in response to the speed of his movements. He caught the first hit with his blade. They too were quick. They were older than he thought they would be.
He grunted as the stragglers continued to close in while he fought off the assailant.
He could have easily killed them, but he needed to subdue them and question them on his own turf. Things were just too risky and unknown. He waited as they fought on. After only a few seconds of learning their movements, he found his opening. He spun and shot out his foot fueled by his mighty strength. There was a crunch, followed by a feminine scream that waned as the body flew across the road.
He removed a couple stragglers' heads along the way as he ran after the assailant who was clutching their face.
She was clutching her face, trying to stop the bleeding. "No," she whined as more blood dripped. The idiot didn't even bother to wear their armor during this mission. Tahoma was extremely insulted that he was seen as an easy target.
"You're good," Tahoma commented, "but you're still too young and too arrogant to bring your second skin. Whoever sent you has just signed their death warrant...and yours." He didn't waste anymore time and rendered her unconscious with another kick of his foot.
"Tahoma?" Renata shouted from the car. He appreciated the worry in her tone. He was also glad that she didn't step out of the car. His senses didn't pick up on any more threats nearby, but he preferred to be safe rather than sorry.
He put a hand up and walked in the line of the car's headlights. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "I'm gonna move the spikes. We'll wait for reinforcements and head back."
Her shoulders sagged. "Okay, Nirvi said she is out of town but is sending someone named Aharon?"
Tahoma smiled and only gave a thumb's up in return.
He turned away and jogged up the road. Once he was able to get the spikes out of the way, there was a familiar woosh of air that stirs the hairs around his head.
"I thought Nirvi was attempting to be funny when she said you and your friend were being attacked by multiple stragglers," a thick voice mused to his side.
Tahoma looked over at Aharon, whose sharp, dark eyes shone with intrigue. He was slightly shorter and thinner, but was only younger by a century or two. Tahoma met his glowing red gaze and shook his head. "Thank you for coming. I've never seen anything like this." He gestured to the gruesome scene around them. "I'm not sure what to make of it."
"It has to do with her," someone else answered.
Tahoma took a defensive stance and snarled at the new incomerâwho also happened to be an incredible pain in his ass. Aharon matched that pose, directing it at the ever relaxed Keone. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Tahoma demanded.
Before Keone could answer. The car door popped open behind them in the distance and a furious Renata marched forward, away from safety much to Tahoma's displeasure. "What the fucking fuck are you doing here?"
"Shall I kill him?" Aharon asked, finger hovering over the trigger of his handgun.
Keone rolled his eyes.
As much as Tahoma wanted to ask Renata to return to the car, he knew it wouldn't make a difference as she joined the other three. Everyone froze as Renata stalked straight up to Keone and delivered the loudest smack which echoed into the night sky. It was so forceful that the vampire's head actually whipped to the side.
Tahoma arched his brow but remained silent. He didn't quite understand Renata's hatred for Keone or his insistence on being her personal bodyguard.
"That felt fantastic, so I would say something to prevent me from doing it again," she snapped.
Keone straightened himself. "I was told you had awakened but thought better than to seek your company right away. I was at Nirvi's place just now when I heard the phone call with you, so I came as fast as I could."
Now Tahoma was annoyed but decided against expressing it. Not that Renata wasn't doing so enough for the both of them. "Once again, all you're confirming is that you feel entitled to sticking your nose into business that has absolutely nothing to do with you. I am none of your business."
"Renata, I don't think you understand how strange this is," Keone shot back. "There is over a thousand years between us three and we've never seen something like this. And those spikes," he pointed toward them, "tells us that someone is behind this. Someone is trying to hurt you or something."
Renata scowled. "Or something?"
"Perhaps whoever set the trap just wanted to see what you are made of," Aharon suggested. "There has been plenty of buzz around Nirvi's guest, the reason why all of the rest of her trusted, undying soldiers were ordered away from her home."
Tahoma studied Aharon, and from his suggestion, he realized one of the human's on their staff must have been gossiping with the undying, revealing certain things about Renata that fueled the rumors surrounding her identity and capabilities. Tahoma would be addressing that as soon as they returned. "As much as this brainstorming is useful, we need to get back to the house. It's not safe here out in the open."
Renata stepped closer to Tahoma. "Agreed."
"I'll order a clean-up," Aharon said as he removed his phone.
Keone stared at Renata. "I was hoping you've considered meeting with Angel." Tahoma's stomach dropped once he realized Keone's intentions. The thought of Renata meeting Angel seemed foolish, and if he could, he'd keep them as far away from each other as possible.
Renata stared at him down right back with hostile eyes. But there was something else deep in the dark brown or her irises, something akin to fear, a disturbed kind that made Tahoma unsettled. "I've been a little busy, if you haven't noticed."
Keone stepped forward. "I can take you to them. I know you don't trust me, but you don't have to. Meeting him may provide answers a lot quicker than whatever it is you've been doing with them."
Tahoma studied Renata who didn't respond right away. She wasn't as quick to snap like before. She was pensive and simmering in her own indecisiveness. He wanted to warn her away, entice her to tell Keone to fuck right off. Yet, as much as he wasn't Death's biggest fan, perhaps their knowledge could be of use.
Renata looked at all three men. She returned to Keone. "When?"
"Now or as soon as possible."
Tahoma tensed. That was way too soon. He couldn't keep his questions to himself. "Why so urgent? What is he afraid of?"
"Death fears nothing," Keone snapped. Tahoma wanted to laugh at such a childish answer. He always had the biggest hard on for his boss, the grim reaper.
"Perhaps he should," Aharon interjected, pointedly looking at Renata. Good point.
Renata crossed her arms. Her words were rushed but there was a different determination about her. "I'll meet with them. Tonight."
Tahoma hated how satisfied Keone was by that, but he watched the resolve in Renata's face and wondered if she was making a mistake. He didn't want to undermine her, but he worried she had no idea what she was doing by agreeing to meet Angel. "Are you sure?"
Renata scoffed. "Not really. But after what happened at the hospital. And here. I don't know if an MRI can beat Death itself. And I have one condition." All the men watched her in curiosity. "We'll meet at the diner Tahoma and I just went to. I'm not going to Angel. He's coming to me."
Keone hesitated.
Tahoma couldn't help himself. "Need to check in with Daddy first?"
Keone glared in response. "What time?"
"Ten," Renata answered and began walking back to the car. "If you two can manage that."
"We'll be there."
Tahoma didn't know what to make of any of this as he decided to follow after Renata. He had already texted Nirvi and Rocio that they needed to talk.
He gently touched her arm before they could get into the vehicle. He studied her as he asked, "hey, are you okay?"
She paused and didn't look his way. "I just want to get back. I've got a long night ahead of me."
As she pulled away, he needed to extend his protection, "I will be there by your side, if you want."
She gave a soft smile, but it hardly fought against the stress that wore down her features. "I do."
Tahoma. "Good, then we should get going."