Jackson tested the handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked, but a quick burst of fire soon fixed that. He opened the door carefully; darkness greeted us, but not silence. All hell had broken loose somewhere down below.

He opened the door wider and peered inside. No fist or gunshot greeted him, so he moved farther into the stairwell. I followed but paused at the edge of the railing and peered down into the darkness. The ongoing noise of the battle below was all-encompassing, but I nevertheless had the vague suspicion someone was headed our way.

Jackson got out one of his guns and flicked the safety off. I did the same. My fire might be my best weapon, but that earlier intuition about reserving my fire was getting stronger.

And I really, really didn’t want to know the reason behind it. I might just run if I did.

We edged carefully down the stairs, keeping our backs to the wall and our guns trained on the stairs below. The sensation that we weren’t alone was growing, but I couldn’t hear any breathing or steps.

Could be vamps, Jackson said.

Possibly. But even if they’d wrapped the shadows around their bodies, that wouldn’t explain why I couldn’t hear their steps.

If Rinaldo has been hiring from the Coalition, it’s possible he’s gotten a few ex-military types, Jackson said. Could explain the lack of noise.

We reached the next landing and the door to the third floor. I glanced down, the hairs at the back of my neck rising. Whoever—whatever—was down there, that instinctive part of me did not like it.

Do you want to check this level while I keep an eye on the stairwell?

He hesitated. I’m not entirely sure it’s a good idea to split up.

It’s not like we have any other option. We can’t risk whoever’s below getting past us.

His frustration slipped through me, but I was right and he knew it. Shout if you need help.

As long as you remember to do the same.

Always. He opened the door and silently slipped through.

I caught the edge of the door to stop it from closing again. Jackson made no sound as he disappeared down the hall, but I could tell his location by the whereabouts of his body heat.

I wished I could do the same with whoever was creeping up from below. They were still weirdly quiet, and I was getting very little in the way of heat. Which meant that either they didn’t have any—and even vampires had detectable body heat, even if it was lower than that of a human—or there was some kind of magic involved.

If it was the latter, it might just be Rinaldo. Who else would bother?