Page 288 of His Sunshine Baby

Nathaniel’s right about one thing at least: this will be over at dawn. The vampires are obviously waiting for the sun to go down and the sky to get dark. If this war lasts until the morning, we will have won.

Strangely, in this very moment, I miss Nora. She’s like my other half, the power that completes mine completely. I can feel her, her aura linked to all of the wolves just like mine. It’s pure white, not like my golden, shining light. It’s similar, yet different, like the lights of the Sun and the Moon. I’m sure we would be invincible together. I have to make sure I can be strong enough for two as long as I can.

I try to channel my inner wolf as much as I can while this unbearable wait goes on. More and more vampires gather. I can’t see them all, but we can feel them, like pests crawling and lurking in the shadows. There are a lot of them. I’m starting to wonder if this woman told the truth. If there are thousands…

Suddenly, I feel Nora’s bond with the other wolves and I weaken. I can tell. Her labor is starting. I glance up, and sure enough, that barrier I was feeling is shaking too. The Royal’s Aura is going down. Sylviana had poured her magic into that barrier, but whatever it is, it won’t be enough.

The sun’s almost set, and the enemies have gathered. My friends and I spread among the wolves, getting ready to fight. I exchange one final look with Nate.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, my sunshine.”

Once again, the barrier shakes. The vampires come closer, just a few feet away. All the wolves are growling.

“Wait until my signal,” yells Damian.

Time to see if our weeks of preparation will pay off. All the wolves are waiting, ready to fight, but staying within the perimeter we marked while the vampires come closer. I don’t see the witch! We need to find the witch and kill her as soon as we can! Sylviana hasn’t arrived yet either, but the hospital is so close…

Suddenly, one of the vampires screeches, a horrible sound familiar to their race. A lot of wolves growl back, but as expected, no one disobeys the King.

As all of the other vampires screech in response to the first one, the warning becomes terribly clear. There’s a fucking lot of them. I can’t count them all, but one thousand or two is the minimum. Holy Moon Goddess. How many did that bitch of a witch gather?

“It’s gonna be one fucking feast,” sighs Liam before jumping into his black wolf appearance.

“They are not touching a hair on my children or my wife,” growls Damian back.

That’s it. Once they are done screeching, a handful of vampires start running, and dozens follow. No one on our side moves yet. We are all waiting, as Damian and I glare at the line of our border. Suddenly, Nora and Sylviana’s protection disappears at once, and the vampires keep running, wide, scary smiles on their faces. Yeah, keep smiling, you monsters.

The first bomb explodes a couple of seconds later. One by one they go off, following the line we established and blowing up dozens of vampires each. Their limbs and blood is sprayed around, and some wolves step aside to avoid it. In a few seconds, the fifteen bombs we had planted exploded, killing maybe two or three hundred vampires at once. The ones who were running behind them slow down, and Damian’s grin is terrifying.

“NOW!”

The King shape-shifts in a split second, the huge black wolf’s appearance exhilarating everyone. All at once, the wolves start running, going past the ravaged line and jumping on the first lines of vampires. I start running too.

“The bombs! Can’t believe we used the fucking Gold Moon’s idea!”

“Liam, shut the fuck up and fight!”

Sure enough, I don’t have time to squander any more time chatting with him about my idea. It’s a fucking battle here. I jump on the first vampires I see, using my silver poles to beat the shit out of them. I want to use my weapons as much as I can before I shape-shift. I am the only one who can wield silver, the one thing both of our species fear.

Despite the ones we blew up, there’s still way too many vampires waiting for us out there. We start holding a clear front against them. The best warriors target the groups of vampires, while the weaker ones of us attack the isolated ones.

I have to focus on fighting my own battles while keeping up with everything going on and directing the others with Damian when needed.

“The east! Guard the east! One just ran past us! Joe, get him!”

The betas are acting as the second line of defense, planted to kill any vampire that gets past the alphas and warriors. Levi and Joseph are the busiest, as the Lewis’ are faster and right behind Lysandra, who’s mostly playing around.

“Lysandra, just go for the kill! We don’t have time for that!”

She growls but obeys, and her wolf starts making a slaughter of her surroundings. We made sure to keep the Alphas among us isolated, as we tend to get violent. Damian, Nate, and Liam are terrific too. I almost can’t recognize them, it’s a bloodbath in their area.

Unlike us, the vampires are uncoordinated and acting randomly, counting on their huge numbers. They are focused on one thing: entering Silver City, and probably killing Nora. We are not going to allow that.

I keep fighting, hitting every vampire I can, avoiding their bites and claws and kicking without distinction. My poles are covered in vampire blood, sticky and smelly, but I don’t give adamn. I’m caught in that dance of death, I can’t slow down or catch a break. It’s a race against time, and it has just begun.

More and more vampires keep coming; I can feel some wolves struggling to keep up and soon, the first mortal bites. As soon as one of ours is in bad shape, two more wolves jump in to help them, but the situation is not so good. Except for our line of Alphas, most wolves are giving their all, and one second of inattention is fatal. I need to go on, I can’t stop to mourn the dead, but I can feel it. The ties that were binding me to them, brutally cut off, or slowly growing thinner until they are no more. Shit.

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