Sepia Blue- Nameless: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 4 by Orlando Sanchez (best self help books to read .txt) 📗

Wake knew the odds were against her. Drinkers were dangerous Unholy. She may have had the training of a Hunter, but she didn’t carry the sword of one. Her gun was useless, and getting in close to use her blade had proven potentially lethal.

Still, she needed to buy Jas time to get away.

“You say that like you’re leaving this fight alive,” Wake said, throwing a knife at Tekt. “Only one of us is seeing the sunrise, Unholy.”

As Tekt dodged the knife, Wake backflipped off the roof, landing silently on the street below. A few seconds later, Tekt landed with a crash, destroying the concrete beneath him.

Wake had another weapon to use. It was dangerous, and meant she needed to get in proximity to the Unholy—close enough to touch his skin. She made as if to run, tripping and falling in the process as she held her ankle.

“It would seem your fight ends here,” Tekt said, approaching her. “I would have preferred it lasted longer, but I still have another hunt this night.” He sniffed the air again. “Her scent is close and her fear is strong. I will find her.”

Wake knew Drinkers needed to claim their victims by touch. This was a dangerous ploy. If she waited too long, it would siphon her life—but if she acted too early, it would disengage and she would lose the element of surprise.

“You leave her alone,” Wake said, holding her blade in front of her as she slid back. “It’s me you want. Come end me, if you can.”

“You still don’t understand,” Tekt said. “Both of you will die tonight. You will only be the first of many. Soon, my lord will free us from our prison. We will roam these streets free to feast on your kind until we are sated.”

“Not while I’m still breathing,” Wake said.

“A situation I plan to rectify,” Tekt said, closing the distance and grabbing Wake by the neck. “Now you die.”

Wake felt the immediate pull on her life energy. She felt a heavy weight descend as the will to live was slowly siphoned from her mind. Her body and thoughts felt sluggish as she pulled another blade from a leg sheath and buried it in Tekt’s side. She was running out of time.

He laughed, ignoring the blade.

“Resistance is futile,” Tekt said, tightening his grip. “Your life is mine tonight. Your blade is useless against me.”

“Alone…maybe,” Wake said with a gasp. “Not when I do this.”

Wake traced a ward on Tekt’s face as her vision tunneled in. The blade in Tekt’s side bloomed with red energy and exploded. His face held an expression of surprise as he fell to one knee and looked down at the gaping wound in his side where the blade had been.

“I…I underestimated you,” Tekt said, still holding on to Wake. “No matter. Once I feed, your life energy will heal me. You have failed.”

A single shot rang out in the night.

Tekt’s head jerked back as his muscles contracted. The force of the bullet flung his body back, breaking his grip on Wake. She fell to the ground as he spun in place and fell several feet away before being reduced to dust.

Several minutes later, a figure stood over Wake.

She couldn’t make out who it was in the dim light, but it didn’t matter. Tekt had drained her to the point of near unconsciousness.

“Finish…finish it,” Wake said with a gasp. “Even if I fall tonight, we will never surrender to the Unholy.”

“Judging from your gear, you’re a Sister,” the figure said. “Gunmen don’t go around making a habit of killing Sisters.”

“If you’re a gunman, where is your Hunter?”

“One more step and I put a bullet through your skull,” Jas said from the darkness. “Put the rifle down.”

“Don’t think so,” the gunman said, looking at Wake. “She with you?”

“Yes,” Wake said with a slow nod. “Jas, put your weapon down. This gunman just saved me…and I thought I told you to get to Anna.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you to die,” Jas said, stepping out of the darkness and holstering her gun. “If you were planning on dying, I was going to stop you or die in the process.”

“I hope you’re not planning on dying,” the gunman said. “We’ve had plenty of that lately.”

“Wasn’t planning on it, but it was close there for a moment.”

Jas stepped close to Wake and slowly helped her get to her feet.

“Let’s try to postpone the dying for tonight,” the gunman said. “We’re going to need as much help as we can get.”

Wake narrowed her eyes and fought to stay conscious as she held on to Jas for support.

“You saved my life,” Wake said, peering into his face. “Who…who are you?”

“You saved yourself,” the gunman answered. “That Unholy was dead, he just didn’t know it.”

“It would have killed me in the process.”

“There was no way it was going to heal itself from that wound. Nice move with the exploding blade, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Wake said, remaining still as a wave of nausea washed over her. “Who are you?”

“I’m just a gunman, looking for my Hunter.”

“How does a gunman lose his Hunter?” Jas asked. “You must not be very good at your job.”

“I did manage to end the Unholy that was busy strangling your Sister.”

“Good point. Still, Jas is right—Hunters don’t lose their gunmen,” Wake said. “They are linked.”

“My Hunter has some issues with that. Not her fault. Her sword is too powerful.”

“Do you have a name, gunman?” Wake asked.

“Maybe he lost it along with his Hunter?” Jas said. “He does look a little old to be gunman. Maybe his memory is going too?”

“I didn’t lose her…It’s complicated. The name is Cade.”

“I’m in your debt, Cade,” Wake said. “What do you need?”

“I’ve been tracking this male Hunter, one who wields a dangerous dark blade. His trail led me here.”

“You lost one Hunter and are tracking another?” Jas asked. “A male Hunter? Since when?”

“Since Regional was homicidal enough to give this Agent a dark