Page 97 of Betrayed in Blood
She didn’t understand why her injury suddenly hurt, but then she felt the burn of silver. The asshole shot her with silver bullets. Her body would automatically purge the silver. The pain must be coming from the bullet being expelled from her body. Her legs were still numb. If her body was doing any healing, it wasn’t helping her legs.
When she straightened, she tightened her grip on her short blade and immediately swung upward. The steel edge glided off the other vampire’s blade. He brought the blade around again, and she managed to block it.
In a standing position, he had all his weight to bear as he swung, but she was strong. And though her arm shook from the exertion, she didn’t give an inch.
“Well, aren’t you a strong one?” The vampire pulled back and paced in front of her, keeping his eye on her. “I normally don’t play with my prey, but I don’t get the opportunities like I used to. You know. Back when we weren’t so civilized.”
His swing came fast, but she was ready for it and blocked it easily. Then he spun around, and when the blade came again, he held it with both hands as he brought it down with a sickly grin.
Her blade fell from her hand before the swing came, and when it struck, she held up her arm in defense.
The slice came fast, and she felt it to the bone. The only reason it didn’t go all the way through was that the vampire hadn’t kept his blade sharp. It didn’t matter. The intense pain surpassed the growing one in her head.
Her vision went dark, and she didn’t think it was from the loss of blood. She was defenseless, and before she hit the floor, she heard the unmistakable thud of a head hitting the floor.
Then the voices came.
“Simone is down. We need a healer and donor. Now.”
She would have laughed if she could. A healer couldn’t put her head back on her neck.
“We have to clear the scene first.”
“There’s no time.”
She sighed. There was never enough time. She’d been so close to having her own House. An image of a dark-haired man came to her. Gaius. No time to make amends. Maybe he was dead, too.
“Simone. Simone. Oh god, Simone.”
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Decker’s wolfchased the vampire, slamming into his back and dragging him down. The wolf immediately went for the neck. He was taking a chunk out of it when he heard the gunshot. The vamp struggled to toss the wolf off when Decker stopped and turned to scan the area.
A wolf lay on its side. It was impossible in the darkness of the driveway to see who it was. A vampire stalked toward it, the gun still in his hand as he raised it for another shot. Decker was too far away to get to him in time.
Out of nowhere, another wolf flew out from the shadows and took the vampire down. There was no mistaking this wolf. Full black, blending with the night—Elijah. That meant the downed wolf was Rachel.
Elijah ripped into the vampire’s throat, chomping at muscle and tendons until the body went limp. He lifted his blood-soaked muzzle and glanced around until he spotted Decker. His lips lifted in an angry snarl before he lifted his head and howled.
The musical notes sent shivers over Decker. It was a call that couldn’t be ignored. His wolf instincts took over, and much like the beast inside a vampire, Decker no longer had control.
It was war.
The red wolf glanced around in search of other prey. He sighted in on another vampire. The wolf, even in a manic rage, could identify friend from foe. He ignored this particular vampire, recognizing him as one of his temporary pack and, not seeing another immediate threat, glanced down at the vampire who was building strength beneath him.
The wolf nudged him with his muzzle. Then he sniffed at the vampire’s neck, licked it, and let the taste of blood fill him with centuries-old hatred of those who’d kept them down. Treating them no better than dogs in chains.
He howled in return, pleased as the sound echoed through the night. When the vampire beneath him squirmed, the wolf bore his teeth before tearing into the bloody neck, ignoring the screams that finally quieted as the head separated from the body and rolled away.
He didn’t stop there. His ears pricked.
Another vampire shot out into the night. Then another one after that.
One of Decker’s vampire team members chased after them, but the red wolf was faster. He raced past the vampire and met up with the black wolf. Even though Decker had been the team leader before the shift, his wolf slowed, allowing the black wolf, as Alpha, the first kill.
The two wolves took the vampires down in what their team members would later say was an amazing synchronous attack. And while the swiftness of their kill was a bit unnerving to the vampires, they understood why their House leader had partnered with the shifters. And if nothing else came of that night, a stronger bond had formed between the two species.
Decker, taking control of his wolf but remaining in its form, laid down next to Rachel. He was still keyed up. Elijah, who’d taken the time to shift back to human, knelt naked next to him and ran a hand down his back, ruffling his fur.
