Page 70 of Redeemed
With that, he’s gone, running faster than any were could match. Assuming our new friends are weres and not vampires. One, a little guy on the end, takes off after him, moving human-fast.
“You heard what he said. Now shift.” I bark the command and as fast as possible, I’m shoulder to shoulder with three wolves. Marcus yips, his muzzle pointed toward the guy who’s gone after Trajan. I nod, and he takes off.
Cool cool. That leaves me, Abby, and Cliffe to take on eight or nine…whatever they are. Not human, I can tell that much.
Maybe it’d be smarter if we all ran after Trajan.
Things get blurry, fast. My wolf’s vision is at once more acute and less coherent. Abby and Cliffe wait for my cue.Because you’re the alpha, dumbass. I’m the alpha, and I’ve already sent two packmates off into who-knows-what danger. Some of our opponents have shifted, so now we’re facing a couple of werecats, a bear, and a fierce hawk, who’s perched on the shoulder of the one who might be their leader. With luck the others are strigoi, those charming vampire/zombie hybrids.
Or else they’re real vampires, and we’re epically screwed.
I settle my skipping heartbeat with a low growl. They’re blocking the way out. We need to keep this group occupied long enough for Trajan to get somewhere safe, we need Marcus to get back here in one piece, and we need to get the hell out of here.
And if we cull a few of Jacques’ allies, that’s okay too.
All right then. I glance at each of the wolves next to me. Abby’s wolf’s calm determination gives me a hit of confidence. Cliffe’s wolf vibrates with excitement.Good. This kid wants a fight.
Together we move in their direction. The hawk takes off, swooping overhead. A cat yowls, the sound lifting the hairs on my neck. Abby’s on my left, matching my pace, while Cliffe lopes easily at my right. The hawk dives at us, a feathered bullet. We scatter and it pulls up, talons extended. Too close.
I start to run, heading for the guy in the middle. He pulls out a pistol. A streak of pain buzzes across my shoulder. I launch myself at him.
I lock my jaws on the wrist of his gun hand, shaking hard. A cat screeches, followed by a sharp bark. I recognize Abby, which sparks anger. The guy I’m fighting yells, “Kill the wolves. Kill all the wolves.” I lunge again, this time knocking him to the ground.
A sharp swipe of one paw opens his throat, although he doesn’t bleed much. Still, even a strigoi gets slowed down by a wound like that. I check on Cliffe; she’s holding her own against a pair of cats. There’s already one in the dirt and it’s not moving.
Abby’s been trapped up against a pile of rocks by a pair of strigoi and a mangy looking wolf. I want to help but the bear picks me as a target. I’m faster—I think—but I won’t leave Abby and Cliffe. So, stand and fight against a creature that’s probably double my weight with longer claws. Good times.
I growl, baring my fangs. It’s on.
The bear’s fast, but I’m faster. The bear is mean, swiping at me with those giant paws.
But god help me, I’m meaner. I clamp my jaw on the meat of one shoulder. He roars, standing up on his hind legs. I hang on, scrabbling my claws against his side.
The hawk shrieks and I catch a flash of movement. On instinct I let go and the bird plows into the bear’s thick side. I’m coiling for another spring when a gunshot stops me.
“Desist.”
A vampire stands on a rise between us and the road out. He’s aiming a pistol into the air and his grin turns my stomach. Cliffe’s standing on three paws, snarling silently, and Abby?
Abby’s pinned on the ground by a pair of the strigoi. One holds a gun, and it’s pointed directly at her head.
“I have so many questions,” the vampire says. “So why don’t you all get human so you can answer them.”
It’s not a question. He doesn’t say please. I catch Cliffe’s eye and give her a nod. She scowls like she’s going to protest, so I keep her locked in my glare. After a heartbeat, she bows her head.
I shift, too fucking worried to notice how easy it is. Standing there as naked as the day the doctor slapped my ass, I turn my glare on the vampire. “Tell your friends to lose the gun.”
He’s tall and slender, with the long curls and sleepy eyes of a romantic poet.Names probably Raphael or Percy or something. Flipping a curl over his shoulder, he gives me what’s supposed to be a seductive smile. I let my flat expression say I’m not seduced.
He shrugs in a can’t-fault-a-guy-for-trying way. “You ignored the signs. No one is supposed to be on this beach at night.”
“The signs?” I smirk. “You get ’em from a movie set or something?”
“I have a permit.” He tries to out-smirk me, which makes me laugh. I mean, my goal was to give Trajan time to get as far away as possible. Cracking lame jokes works as well as anything else.
“The gun?” I prompt, and Percy waves a hand in Abby’s direction. The strigoi ease off, and in a flash of light and heat, Abby shifts. We share a glance and move closer together. Cliffe stretches and flexes one hand, working out the kinks from her wolf’s injury.
Percy-the-vampire palms a cell phone. “Now since I did you a favor, you can do one for me. Tell me who you are and what you’re doing here at this time of night.”
