Nightfall (Pact Arcanum Integrated Serial Edition) by Arshad Ahsanuddin Read Free Book Online

them, we work together to take them down—house by house—making sure we kill them all before we move on to the next. Anything less and they’ll just rebuild after we turn our attention elsewhere.”
    “You wouldn’t be first to try to have it both ways, my friends,” Antonio said sadly. “Fighting a war takes focus, discipline. You can’t do it part-time.”
    “Maybe not,” admitted Rory, “but I’ll be damned if I throw away everything we’ve worked for to fight a meaningless holding action for the rest of my life.”
    “I agree,” said Ana. “We need to find a way to win, or nothing will change.”
    Antonio’s mouth twisted in a faint smile. “Sentinels don’t fight to win, Ana. They fight to kill the enemy. There are always more of them around the corner.” He shrugged. “You’re young. You’ll learn. In the meantime, we’ll play your game. Where would you like to begin?”
    Takeshi grinned. “Home is where the heart is.”
    Antonio drummed his fingers on the table. “The entire western United States is held by House Jiao-long. You want to start by pitting yourself against one of the Firstborn?”
    “Identify the enemy,” Take said coldly.
    Antonio’s smile widened. “So be it.”
     

CHAPTER 4
     
    March 2020; House Jiao-long Stronghold, Hong Kong, China; Five years later
    Aleksei Magister Talizered stepped silently over the charred bodies of his enemies as he surveyed the carnage in the skyscraper. Amid heavy fighting, the Jiao-long vampires had attempted to retreat to the ground or the roof, only to find the way barred by House Talizered soldiers advancing from both entry points. The jumper blocks the intruders had cast over the building prevented their prey from teleporting away, while new Talizered soldiers jumped in from their staging areas on neighboring rooftops, using the perceptions of their comrades already on site.
    The battle was fierce, but the House Jiao-long forces, already decimated by Sentinel attacks over the preceding months, were outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. In the end, it had all come down to cold numbers. His forces had triumphed, and the enemy commander who had ruled the base was shackled to the floor with chains of magic.
    Aleksei regarded the opposition leader with an affectation of disinterest. “Tell me your name and rank,” he said in a heavy Russian accent.
    The enemy vampire glared at him, her fangs fully extended as she hissed in reply, “I am Chan-juan Consul Jiao-long, and you will suffer for this insult, my Lord. When my Master—”
    Aleksei backhanded her across the face, feeling her jaw break beneath his forceful strike. Ignoring the gruesome crunch of fragmented bone, he grabbed her chin and held her head still. “Your Master is not here, Consul. He has abandoned you to seek bigger game across the sea. You and your people will all die here tonight … unless I allow you to live long enough to swear allegiance to me. What say you?”
    The vampire kneeling at his feet grimaced, revealing a mouthful of fractured teeth, and quite deliberately spat in his face.
    Aleksei nodded gravely. Placing a hand on either side of her head, he crushed her skull before ripping her head from her body. The severed head clunked to the floor as he walked away without a backward glance. Wiping the bloody spittle from his face, he addressed the strike leader who led the House Talizered forces. “Kill them all,” he said casually. “Burn the bodies and scatter the ashes. Let the name of House Jiao-long be forgotten here.”
    The soldier bowed. “Your will, Master.”
    Aleksei strode from the room toward his escort of handpicked soldiers. He had numerous House Jiao-long bases to visit this night. He wondered idly what he would do if one of the base commanders accepted his terms and surrendered. Why contemplate the impossible? House Jiao-long was beaten. They would not sacrifice their honor just to live with the knowledge of their defeat. He smiled. If