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over my head come crashing down. The Darkness batted it away as if it were made of tin foil. It hit the wall with a loud clatter, leaving a dent in the panel. The vamp was another matter. It picked me up and threw me against the opposite wall. I hit so hard, I felt the metal shudder beneath me.
    I brought up the UV gun, but the creature smacked it out of my hand. The gun skittered across the floor out of reach. The vamp snarled, flashing fang, eyes glowing a demonic red. It was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman, it was so emaciated. Definitely a soul vamp. A vampire who'd had a human soul trapped within it. And it was hungry.
    It slashed at me with long fingernails. I twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding having my face redecorated. I twisted around, throwing a kick that connected with the vamp's knee. I heard something snap, and the vampire tumbled to the floor with an unholy shriek. I went for my gun, but the vamp, ignoring its broken leg, leaped at me. We went down in a heap, and the thing grabbed me by the hair, smashing my head into the steel plating of the floor. Warm blood gushed from my nose.
    I freed the knife from my wrist sheath and stabbed backward blindly. I must have connected, because the thing screamed and rolled away from the blade. It was enough that I was able to use its momentum to throw it off me. I rolled with it, stabbing again with my blade. I missed the heart, but it screeched enough to let me know it was hurting.
    Jumping to my feet, I ran for the gun. The vamp caught my ankle, and I went down. Hard. I was pretty sure I saw stars, but the Darkness pushed back the pain, forcing me to focus. My fingers closed around the gun just as the vamp's hands closed around my throat, squeezing. I choked, gasping for air. The vamp squeezed harder. Tiny spots of black danced across my vision. The Darkness roared in anger. It wasn't about to let me die.
    With every ounce of focus I could muster, I pointed the gun back over my left shoulder and gently squeezed the trigger. The vampire screamed, letting go long enough for me to suck in oxygen. A second shot, and it was off me, rolling around on the floor clutching at its face. I smelled the stench of scorched flesh. It turned my stomach, but the Darkness laughed with excitement. It liked the smell. Which only made me feel sick.
    Rolling to the side, I pointed the UV gun and pulled the trigger over and over. Blast after blast of UV light hit the vamp in the chest until, between one moment and the next, it went up in flames and then exploded into dust.
    The sprinklers overhead suddenly burst into action, turning me into a drowned rat. But at least it washed away the blood, both mine and the vamp's. Staggering to my feet, I tucked the gun into the waistband of my jeans and staggered toward the nearest flight of stairs. I wanted to push the Darkness back where it belonged, but I kept it with me. I needed it to overcome the pain and fatigue. It was the only way I was going to get the hell out of Dodge before I got caught.
    I heard the faint sound of voices and the fall of booted feet coming my way. Hurry , the Darkness whispered. I ran.

Chapter Five
    The minute I got to the top of the stairs, I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, willing the Darkness back into its hole. It didn't want to go. It snapped and snarled, but slowly slunk away to that place inside me where it lived. I couldn't help the small sigh of relief. One of these days I may lose control for good, but today was not that day.
    My phone had two bars, so I sent Eddie and Kabita a text: Got him . A couple of workmen passed me in the hall and gave me some strange looks but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if the looks were because I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be or because I was a hot mess.
    I stared down at myself. Hot mess. For sure. I was covered from neck to toe in vamp blood. Fortunately, because vampires were technically dead, their blood was more blackish brown than red,