Page 19 of Wolf Bitten

Liquid poured over me, and my chest constricted. They must have nicked an artery.

This would be over in seconds.

Then something strange happened. The vampires at my neck slowly retracted their teeth and started to gag.

“Get up, and let’s go,” Slade gritted out as water rushed past.

He was running out of magic.

Warin and the other male vampires were hunkered over, choking on the water Slade was firing at them, leaving only one vampire for me to deal with. I reached down and gripped the long hair of the vampire at my wrist then yanked hard. The teeth retracted, but some of my skin shredded as she released her hold. I kneed her in the face and scrambled to my feet.

I was woozy, but I managed to stand up. Then I saw something that petrified me and made me forget all about my blood loss.

Three more vampires were trying to reach me, but Glinda was holding them off, protecting me.

Why?

The ceiling over the battered door shook harder. Slade shut off his water, grabbed me by the waist, and dragged me over the threshold as my blood hummed harder.

It was so strong, and I couldn’t control it.

“Sky, move. Please,” Slade murmured, sounding agonized. “Calm down and help me get us out of here. I can’t pull you anymore.”

Warin and the dark-skinned vampire recovered, and their gazes homed in on me.

I got my feet under me and rushed out behind Slade, damn near slipping on the cold, wet, rocky floor as we exited a tunnel that hid the door to the underground bunker. Drops of water hit my face as the bunker ceiling crumbled, blocking the captors inside, but then the door suddenly morphed into a rocky embankment. The door had vanished.

Shit. They’d been cloaking it with magic. No wonder Raffe couldn’t find me.

The ground shook from the impact, and I could only assume that the roof had collapsed, and I slipped again. Water pelted me in the face, forcing me farther back.

“Be careful, or you’ll fall,” Slade rasped, grabbing my shirt and pulling me to his side. “You need to calm down.”

It hit me where we were.

Underneath a waterfall, on a ledge no more than five feet wide. The waterfall hit the edge where I'd been standing.

This kept getting better and better, and he was right. I had to calm down, or this small ledge would crumble away. I closed my eyes and pictured Raffe again.

My blood soothed to a high fizz, calming enough that we weren’t in imminent danger. “How do we get down?”

“There.” Slade pointed to the left. “We have to climb down the rocks.”

It looked like a drop-off. Lovely. “You expect me to be able to dothat?” I didn’t do physical exertion—or rock climbing—for a reason.

He sighed. “That’s our only option, and there’s no way I can carry you.”

I shivered, the adrenaline wearing off and the October chill setting in. Standing here wet wasn’t doing me any favors. “Fine.” He was right. There was no point in complaining. This was the hand we’d been dealt.

“I’ll go first and help guide you.” Slade walked slowly around me to the edge.

Fear curled its cold claw into my stomach, but I pushed it aside. Freezing up—no pun intended—wouldn’t do me any favors.

“Slow and steady. I won’t leave you behind.” Slade touched my arm and forced a smile.

I wished it had given me more confidence.

He went over the edge, and I followed suit. I tried to place my hands and feet exactly where he did, hoping like hell that my clumsiness didn’t kill us.

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