Page 18 of Snowed in with the Vampire Prince

Grim satisfaction filled me. Yes, it was clear that the wolves didn’t like fire at all.

I turned back to where the Alpha still had Pierce by the throat. I prayed with all my might that he hadn’t killed Pierce yet.

That I still had time to save us both.

Fear was the only thing that gave me the strength to keep holding onto the burning log because each moment was even more excruciating than the last.

Around me, the other wolves started to stir again.

Not him. I thought fiercely. The flames licking my hands had nothing on the rage that ignited within my heart. You can’t take his life. I won’t allow it.

With that thought burning in my chest, I advanced on the Alpha.

Chapter 9

Pierce

If I had been a human being, the Alpha would have killed me by now.

Behind me, I heard James let out a cry of pain that sent me into a frenzy, grabbing at the Alpha’s throat and squeezing hard enough to grind bones. He released me at once but then ducked out of my grip, far stronger than a regular wolf should have been, and then darted back in to continue trying to tear my throat out.

However, we both froze when, a half-second later, the smell of burning flesh filled the room. There was a yelp from one of the wolves, followed by the sound of scrambling claws on my wooden floor. I heard rapid, barely controlled breathing, coming so fast it was nearly gasps, accompanied by the human footsteps that stopped right behind me.

“Get off him!” James grunted as a burning log connected with the Alpha’s head.

The Alpha leaped off me, letting out a high-pitched yelp.

I shot to my feet with murder in my heart. It must have been written all over my face too, because the Alpha backed away from me.

Or no, it wasn’t me he was afraid of. He backed away from James, the crazy human who had grabbed a burning log from the fireplace with both hands and swung it at his head.

James circled around me. Tears burned down his cheeks, and his teeth were clenched against the pain he very obviously felt. A lone human, holding the flaming log in front of him with both hands, trying to fend off a pack of wolves. One end of it was on fire, and the other end—which he was holding, like a goddamn lunatic—was red-hot glowing embers. Literal smoke rose from where he touched it. His face was set in a grim mask of determination that anyone could see, meaning that he was prepared to lay some serious hurt on the wolves, the consequences to himself be damned.

“Get. Out. Of. Here!” He bit off each word, staring directly at the Alpha. “I don’t want to be in your pack!”

The Alpha growled at that, but he gave James a look of grudging respect and backed away, stepping outside the cabin. The other wolves, one after the other, followed after their leader, forming into a semi-circle behind him, their pale inhuman eyes glinting in the firelight.

I knew that however badly the Alpha had thought he wanted James before, it was undoubtedly nothing compared to how he felt now. The sheer gravitas and physical courage it had taken James to grab onto a burning log and use it as a weapon were unlike anything I had ever imagined a human to be capable of. I’m sure the Alpha was having similar thoughts, and he was no doubt increasingly sure he’d made the right choice in selecting James.

But more to the point, every moment that passed was another moment James suffered. I needed to end this. Now.

“I am Pierce Bailey, the only progeny of Nathaniel Bailey, the Vampire King of Seattle,” I told the Alpha, invoking my position as I stared him down, forcing the words out of my injured throat. A wave of dizziness threatened to seize me, but I thankfully remained upright. No doubt about it, the wolf had wounded me. Badly. I forced myself to keep going, even though each word felt like broken glass that had been dipped in acid. “If you continue, you will risk a war with the vampires of Seattle. There are a lot more of us than there are of you. We will wipe out every last one of you if we have to. You have my word on that. Leave now, for the sake of your own people.”

The Alpha peeled his approving gaze away from James and glared at me. His snout was soaked in my blood.

But my words clearly sank in because then, with a huff, he turned and trotted off into the darkness. The other wolves followed behind, leaving James and me alone.

I didn’t waste any time. I closed the door and, moving at vamp speed, shoved one of my heavy wooden dining chairs under the doorknob. It wouldn’t keep the wolves out if they wanted to come back, but it would slow them down for a few moments, at least. I was banking on the possibility of impending war to be enough of a deterrent against them coming back.

At least, not right away.

I turned to see James still holding the burning log. In fact, he was carrying it back to the fireplace like a fucking crazy person instead of just dropping it to the ground. It was still burning him.

I sped over to him, grabbed the log out of his hands, and threw it back into the fireplace, where it couldn’t cause him any more pain.

“Show me your hands,” I ordered, even though each word cost more than the last. The Alpha had hurt me very badly, and I needed to heal.

With his eyes still tearful and defiant, he held out both of his hands. The skin of his palms was covered in angry red blisters. He was so badly burnt that the outer edges of the skin around his burns had turned black and brittle. It was a miracle he could even still move his hands at all.

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