Until I Die

Georgia introduced everyone after the show, it was clear that Sebastien didn’t have a clue what Vincent was. And Vincent, after almost a century of practice, was a pro at acting human.
Georgia gave me a happy check-it-out-our-boyfriends-get-along look. I turned to say good-bye to Jules and Giulianna, who were leaving with a tired-looking Ambrose, and then checked my watch. It was almost midnight. In a few short hours he would be lying on his bed, stone-cold dead. No wonder he hadn’t brought a date.
The bartender locked the front door behind them and began cleaning up as we stood around and waited for Sebastien to unplug amps and finish things up with his band. “I know you wanted to go out after, but it’s taking them forever,” I finally told my sister. “I think we’re all ready to leave.”
“Just a sec,” Georgia said. She skipped over to where Sebastien and his group were working, gave him an enthusiastic kiss, and began making arrangements. I glanced around to see Violette and Arthur standing against the wall, looking like they’d rather be anywhere except here. If they had enjoyed the evening, they sure weren’t letting it show. As we made our way to the back door, they followed silently behind.
“So I’m meeting Seb and his band at a bar just a few blocks away. Wanna come?” Georgia asked, directing the question at me and Vincent and ignoring the fact that the others were even with us.
“What do you feel like, Kate?” Vincent asked, putting his arm around me as we exited the building and began walking down the tiny cobblestone alleyway toward the main street.
“I’m pretty tired,” I admitted.
“We’ll walk you to the bar and wait till Sebastien arrives,” Vincent said, throwing his free arm around my sister.
“I won’t say no to a revenant escort,” she said, “not that this neighborhood’s dangerous or anything.”
“I beg to differ,” came Violette’s voice from just behind.
We turned to see four dark shapes walking toward us down the alley. A wave of ice-cold fear washed over me. Numa . After two months of near invisibility, here they were, looking larger than life as they bore down on us with a steady but rapid pace.
Vincent and Arthur drew their swords from their coats so quickly that I didn’t even see them move. It’s a good thing it’s winter , I thought. Where would you hide a two-foot rapier wearing shorts and flip-flops?
Vincent handed me his sword and drew another from inside his coat, before shrugging off the garment and throwing it to one side. I saw Violette’s blade flash under the lone streetlight as she dropped her down-filled coat to the ground. She too had come prepared.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Georgia start to panic as she tried the doors of the adjoining buildings, pulling forcefully at their handles. She shrieked a curse as she realized that everything was locked. “Stay behind us,” I yelled with a shaking voice, just as the first two numa arrived and began swinging their swords at Vincent and Arthur.
I knew what I was supposed to do. We had gone over it in my weaponry lessons. As the least experienced, I was expected to act as the second line of defense. If forced, I should fight. If not, I should stand behind Vincent or anyone else who had already been doing this for several lifetimes. I held my sword in front of me, bouncing nervously on the balls of my feet, ready to spring if I needed to. Be calm , I thought, pushing the fear into a far corner of my mind. Get into the rhythm .
Vincent had led his numa to one side of the alleyway and was fighting it with a fury that made my blood feel like it was shooting instead of flowing through my veins. Once again, I saw him as the avenging angel that he had been for much of the last century.
Violette had faced off with another numa, using the same martial arts skills I had seen Charlotte practice to make up for the drawback of her tiny frame. Her assailant was struggling just to keep up. She would have the advantage in no time.
Arthur was fighting the other two numa, using himself as a shield to keep them away from me and Georgia. I assumed that his strategy was to stall until either Violette or Vincent could dispatch their foe and join him to even up the odds. He seemed to be succeeding until, with one concerted effort, the two attackers pushed past his blade and leapt by him to land right in front of me.
I held up my sword just in time to meet the numa’s as it crashed down toward my head, and