Page 56 of Sergi
“Then we stick with our plan.” Remus’s gaze flicked to the window. “Let’s get some rest before dinner.”
Bella rose. “Take the beds. I need to check on a few more things.”
The two males took a bed as Rafael came in and dropped to the floor near the gear, his body turned on his side. The male had been working hard, and he wouldn’t stop until they found Sergi and Carlos. There wasn’t anything more Devon could say to reduce Rafael’s survivor guilt. He had to work it out on his own.
Devon stared at the ceiling and ran through the planned mission one more time before letting his thoughts turn to Cressa and their time on the south coast of Spain. He didn’t know how long he’d slept when shouts woke him. It was dark, but he didn’t waste time to glance at his watch as he flew through the door.
Several team members raced ahead of him toward the front of the inn, where they took up defensive positions. Devon didn’t stop until he found Remus, who was kneeling over one of the wolves. It was lying on its side, panting heavily.
“What’s happening?” He asked.
Remus stood. “Four vampires attacked. I don’t think they were expecting wolves. We took down three, but one male took off toward the woods.”
“How long ago?”
“Only a few minutes.”
“Have we sent anyone after him?”
Bella rushed over. “I was getting ready to send a vampire and a shifter. We were able to save one for questioning.”
Devon checked his boot to ensure he still had a dagger on him. “I’ll go.”
Remus began stripping. “I’ll follow as soon as I shift.”
Then Devon was off, racing in the direction Remus had pointed. Although it was dark, Devon easily found a trail and assumed the vampire would take an easy path until he put some distance between him and the village. Once he felt safe, he’d veer off to confuse anyone trailing him.
The vampire had to be caught before he reached the lab. They couldn’t lose the element of surprise. He wasn’t sure where these four vampires had come from, and he hoped Bella would get something out of the one they kept alive.
Devon ran some distance before spotting a small deer trail. He stopped and listened. The snapping of twigs came from the right. The same direction the deer trail headed, and Devon took the path at a dead run. He’d traveled a quarter of a mile before a wolf sprang from the woods.
The massive wolf stopped in the path. His coat was a dark sable, and it looked as if someone had dipped his ears and tail in a pot of black ink. His eyes changed from a fiery, red glow to dark brown.
Remus.
This was the first time Devon had met his wolf. The red glow returned to the wolf’s eyes, and he raced off into the woods. When Devon followed, Remus stopped and tossed his snout to the right.
Devon understood, and he raced back to the path to continue his pursuit. Remus would flank the vampire.
If compared from a human perspective, one would expect a younger vampire to be faster than an ancient. The fact was, in most cases, the opposite was true. He would agree that many of the aristocrats couldn’t keep a long and fast pace. He snorted. Most could be taken down in the first mile. But vampires born in Houses built from the old days, when war was an ever-present danger, the older one was, the more deadly they were.
Venizi was right when he’d said the vampire race had become too complacent. The larger Houses kept a well-trained security team and cadre, but the smaller Houses had become dependent on the stronger Houses for safety. Over the years, there were fewer Houses training their people as House Trelane and HouseVenizi did. And without continued training and testing of skills, their Houses would remain weak.
The difference between Trelane and Venizi was that Lorenzo wanted to old days of war, where vampires were the dominant species. Devon envisioned a world where vampires, shifters, and dreamwalkers formed an alliance, not to take over humanity but to live as true equals, maintaining a sustainable balance.
The bottom line was that while Devon was a few minutes behind the vampire, he’d eventually overtake him. The only question was how far he’d have to run to catch him.
The answer came sooner than he expected when the vampire he’d been chasing came racing toward him. If he was shocked to see Devon, the terror in his gaze overrode any concern.
“Wolf. There’s a wolf coming.”
Before the vampire reached Devon, he fell face-first into the ground.
That wasn’t the best way to describe it. He was trampled to the ground by the wolf who now stood on the vampire’s back, his fangs gripping the vampire’s neck. He shook the vampire a few times until the male went limp.
Remus stayed on the vampire, but he lifted his head and looked toward Devon. Blood dripped from the wolf’s fangs, but Remus would stop if Devon asked. He considered the situation. Bella said they’d saved one, so they didn’t necessarily need this one.
Devon waved Remus off and squatted next to the vampire. He slapped the male’s face until he woke.
