Stormrage by Skye Knizley Read Free Book Online Page B

were probably something more.
    With that thought in mind , Raven reached into the purse slung over her shoulder and withdrew another Automag three. This one, unlike her father's that she carried, was new, having only been fired enough times to break in the magazines and adjust the sights. She slammed a fresh magazine into the grip and held the weapon out to Levac.
    "What's this?" he asked in surprise.
    "A real gun," Raven replied. "You may need the firepower tonight."
    "But I've got the…" he started.
    Raven shook her head. "That's still a nine mil popgun, Rupert. Trust me on this. I have a bad feeling about what is about to go down. If things go south, aim for the head or heart. Anything else will just slow them down and piss them off."
    Levac took the Automag and weighed it in his hand before sliding it into the pocket of his trench coat.
    "You're the boss," he said. "But I wasn't planning on shooting anyone tonight."
    "Ye ah, and things always go the way we plan."
     
    * * *
     
    The old meat packing plant was set on the far side of a courtyard. Even at this time of year old bushes, weeds and timber poked through the crust of snow that covered the yard. An old fountain that had once burbled water from six spitting cherubs now sat covered in graffiti and choked with weeds and ice.
    The buildings around the courtyard did indeed appear to be abandoned , just as Paco had said. Most were peak-roofed old storefronts, the front windows smashed on both the first and second floors, making them look like jagged mouths full of sharp black teeth. By contrast, the plant had recently been painted white with a red stripe a meter from the ground. Gang signs Raven didn't recognize decorated the building, but only below the red line. Gas lights illuminated the small lot in front of the building as well as the sloping walkway that led to the main double doors. A dozen people leaned against the wall in various states of Thirst withdrawal while a man in a thick black jacket stood by the door letting them in only after the Thirsty had handed over what looked like enough cash to buy a small country.
    All this Raven acknowledged with her first glance, but it was the figure huddled in the pool of light beneath one of the gas lamps that had her attention. She walked straight across the courtyard and knelt next to the teenage girl who was shivering and whimpering in the throes of deep withdrawal. Raven thumbed the girl's eyelids back and was relieved they were bloodshot blue rather than the milky white of hopeless addiction.
    Raven pulled off her jacket and put it around the girl's shoulders. "Honey? Can you hear me?" she asked in a gentle voice.
    The girl tried to nod , but only managed to wag her head uncontrollably.
    "My name is Raven, sweetie . This is my friend Rupert. Everything is going to be okay," Raven said, stroking the girl's hair.
    She looked up at Levac, who was standing next to her looking angry.
    "Rupe? Go get that Paco kid. I'm sure he has a car of some kind, get him to take this girl to the Sisters of Mercy. Tell him if he doesn't, I will blow a hole in him you can drive a truck through."
    Levac nodded and trotted off the way they'd come. Raven watched him leave and then turned back to the girl. She felt for a pulse in the girl's neck and was frightened by how weak it was becoming.
    "Shit," Raven muttered. "She's going to die or the Thirst will take her."
    With little hesitation Raven leaned forward, extending her fangs as she neared the girl's slender neck. Steeling herself she bit through delicate flesh and artery, filling her mouth with the sweet taste of blood and the sickly flavor of Thirst. She let go and spat the mouthful of blood into the snow, only to repeat the process twice more. When she was finished she licked the wound in the girl's neck, healing it as if it had never been. She then bit her own wrist and held it to the girl's lips. The girl drank instinctively, savoring Raven's claret. When the color returned to the