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the archway that separated the kitchen from the main room. He moved so quickly, Leisha could barely track him. Before she could react, her son had his claws and fangs out and bit into Katie’s neck while he clawed at her stomach with one hand. The woman had no chance to scream, but was gurgling through the blood pouring out of her throat while her limbs flailed helplessly about her.
    Jumping up and rushing toward them, Leisha screamed out, “Liam, stop! What are you doing?”
    There was nothing she could do. Katie was already dead. Liam stepped back and Leisha could see that her neighbor’s head was barely attached to her neck. The body teetered for a second before sliding to the floor, leaving a large red smear on the couch. Katie’s head was almost facing up at an awkward angle while her body was on its stomach. Blood covered the rug and pooled over the hardwood.
    Struggling to keep her breathing under control, Leisha took a deep breath and blurted the first coherent thing she could think of. “Did you even drink her blood?”
    Liam’s claws were retracting into his cuticles and his fangs back into his gums. Leisha still thought it odd that he had fangs and claws when no other vampire did.
    “I had a little.” Her son didn’t seem contrite in the least.
    “Liam, why in the hell did you do that?”
    “There’s no time. I heard her thoughts. The immortals will be here any second.”
    Her gut twisted. “What? How would Katie know anything about that?”
    Instead of answering, her son ran upstairs. Leisha followed behind and grabbed her emergency pack from her bedroom. Leisha’s was mainly filled with her favorite weapons; she figured she could always buy new clothes later.
    She retrieved her bag and hurried down the stairs. By the time she got to the landing, Liam and Samantha were coming down with their possessions while Nikita entered from the down the hall.
    “There are immortals all over the park behind your house,” Nikita announced in an unperturbed tone.
    Samantha and Liam stopped a few steps above her on the stairs.
    Drawing in a deep breath, Leisha listened intently. She detected more immortal heartbeats quickly approaching from either side of the street in front. “We’re about to be surrounded,” she said grimly. “We need to use the alternate exit.” She turned to Samantha and Liam. “You two go first. Nikita and I will cover the door to make sure no one follows.”
    Samantha swallowed loudly and nodded. Liam appeared reluctant as he followed behind Samantha, but didn’t protest.
    Leisha moved to the china cabinet at the back of the main room and knocked it over. The glass shattered as it hit the floor, echoing loudly and spraying her legs as she opened the hidden panel in the wall. Nikita stood behind her as she pulled out a machine gun and machete and handed them over.
    She kept a sawed-off shotgun and another machete for herself. Turning, Leisha saw that Samantha had already pried open the exit that had been hidden under the rug and ushered Liam into the makeshift basement. Katie’s blood started to drip into the opening.
    Leisha had dug the escape herself a few months back. It was slightly unstable, the earth threatening to collapse the tunnel at any heavy vibrations. She planned to use that to her advantage.
    The vampire watched Samantha barely finish her descent just as both front and back doors crashed in with resounding blasts. Samantha froze and stared at Leisha with wide eyes. Nikita brushed past Leisha and jumped into the small basement to pull the young woman into the tunnel and out of Leisha’s sight. When he didn’t reemerge, Leisha assumed he was rushing the two down the escape route.
    Guarding the entrance of the basement, the vampire turned to fight off the intruders.
    A man reached out to grab her and she swung her machete and cut off his hand at the forearm. His agonized scream was cut short when she kicked him in the solar plexus and he fell into three immortals directly