Page 14 of Veil of Shadows

I’m headed your way as well,Lieutenant Mac snarled.

I lifted my nose into the air and sniffed deeply. Goddamn it, that stench still clung to the air. It was filthy. Unnatural. And I had no fucking clue why the hell it still lingered around with all this fucking wind ushering in autumn.

Unless…

Vampire!Lieutenant Gallagher finally managed to huff out.We’ve got a vampire down east-northeast of the compound! About eight and a half miles out!

I growled as I leapt from tree to tree, pivoting myself back around. I jumped from the treetop and slammed back down to the ground, shaking out my wolf’s fur. I dug my talons into the dirt. And as I took off in a dead sprint, I weaved around trees and leapt over downed trunks. The scent grew as I approached the direction my lieutenant called out. The ground seemed to rumble as all of my troops turned in the direction of Gallagher and sprinted like a bunch of motherfuckers.

And all of them were primed, ready for a fight.

Let’s slaughter this son of a bitch.

I want it’s fucking head.

I wanna watch that thing turn to dust. I promised my wife I’d tell her about it if I ever witnessed it.

Why don’t we put its head on a spike as a warning to any other vampires that try to approach us?

But, the conversation in groupthink stopped when a bombastic howl from Gallagher’s wolf sounded out. A strangled, pained howl that ricocheted through the night and shivered me to my fucking core.

You leave that fucking vampire to me,I growled as my feet battered against the forest floor, growing closer to my wounded lietenant.Team A, get back to the compound and take over the nightly patrol.

But, commander general?—.

I leapt through the air and jumped down a hill, skidding through the mud until I reached the bottom.Team B, you’re going to continue to take split shifts in the woods tonight. Figure out who’s staying and who’s heading back to the compound. Whoever’s staying in the woods needs to be with me. Whoever’s staying at the compound needs to head there now.

But, Ron?—.

I barked, sending the shockwave of my rumbling voice tumbling through the woods before I reached back out in groupthink.Team C, you’re in charge of trapping the compound. I want warning systems back up in the trees. I want snipers back in their nests. The whole nine. And Team D?

Finally, there was no fucking protest.Get some rest. Tomorrow’s another day, and you’ll be the team doing the first 24-hour shift switch out. Sleep, hydrate, and eat, because it’s about to get wild around here for a while. Now, go! You have your orders!

I let out another massive bark before I heard my troops scurrying through the woods. My nostrils flared as sweatdripped from between the undercoat of my wolf’s fur. I stayed the course, not stopping for anything until the stench of that vampire was too putrid that I couldn’t fucking stand it.

And as half of Team B came racing from the other direction of the woods, another whimpering howl resounded throughout the night.

Gallagher, we’re coming! Just hold on!Lieutenant Rhonda exclaimed.

I’m gonna slaughter that dead carcass if it’s done anything to my lieutenant.

Should someone tell his wife?

Do we need to reach out to Voss?

I jumped through the air, leaping over a rushing river as Gallagher’s pained cries finally surfaced to my ears.No one does anything when you have your orders.

Inever ran so hard in all my fucking life. But, the second I heard Gallagher whimpering, I pivoted. I took off running, racing through the woods while branches slapped against me left and right. I placed my nose to the ground. I tracked Gallagher’s wolf’s paw prints in the mud before I finally heard it.

A rushing sound of air behind me that whipped me around on all fours.

It’s… just the one,Lieutenant Gallagher managed to choke out.

Get him out of here and leave that vampire to me.

Are you sure, comman?—?

I barked with frustration.I don’t know what it is about everyone defying me this evening, but you can bet your sorry fucking asses you’ll pay for it in training this week. Now, get Gallagher out of here and get yourselves back to the fucking compound and leave the vampire to me.

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