Page 83 of The Vampire's Thirst
The Arisen Dawn soldier sensed Dax’s stare. When he raised his head, his gaze locked onto Dax. Shooting a two-finger salute to his forehead, the guy with the asshole grin sprouted wings and took to the sky.
When Aeternals began rising from the ground, not dead after all, panic set in among the American soldiers. They ran. Officers yelled commands at their backs. Dax gave the humans kudos. Despite their fear, they heeded orders, returning to the fray. But a few Aeternals already used the retreat to scatter onto Bozeman streets.
Thorn tangled with a strung-out animus demon who was hitting him with electrical shocks. Probably on too much Gold Dust to do any damage to the experienced wolf. Thorn shook off the current, his lips curled back from his canines in a snarl. Bad idea to piss off a Firebrand shifter.
Oomph.
An Amazon crashed into Dax with a frontal assault while a satyr jumped him from behind. Sandwiched, he shook his head to stop the ringing bells. Together, they flung him onto his back. With both fists flying, he fought his way to his feet. The female landed a solid to his gut. The other attacker battered his jaw. Dax ducked, bobbed, and weaved, pulverizing first one and then the other.
He crouched. Before he could rush his opponents, the Amazon sailed overhead to face-plant on the street. Lights-out.What the fuck?No time to ponder the situation. The satyr landed an uppercut. Pissed-off, Dax pummeled the guy. Jab. Cross. Lead-hand hook. Back-hand hook. Uppercut. Duck. Put him away.
Slipping on the blood which saturated the streets of Bozeman, Dax righted himself. The heady scent shot to his nostrils. Battle blood was tainted. A likely trip to the bludfrenzy.Fight it. Too late.His beast snapped. His lips drew back, fangs sliced through his gums, and his eyes filled with crimson.
Dax’s chest rose and fell with deep breaths. At his feet, a barely alive Arisen Dawn ylve lay, his blood soaking into the dirt. Dax stooped to dip his fingers into the male’s wound. He brought them to his lips. His tongue flicked out.Tangy. Burying a hand between the male’s ribs, he pulled out the heart. After he stole a lick, his lips curled into a savage smile.
A thirsty Dax zeroed in on a berserker. The sound of the behemoth fighter’s pulsing carotid thumped in his ears. With blurring speed, he took the Arisen Dawn soldier into the crook of his elbow, knocked his legs out, and slid a blade along his throat. Sinking to the ground with his prey, Dax cradled the male in his arms. His blood lust in full swing, he fed from the wound.
His hair matted with the gore of battle, Dax drew a hand across his mouth. Half-wild, he looked for the next rabbit.
****
Armedwith the knives and guns Dax had passed off, Chiara and Fin hopped out of the She Beast, refusing to desert the men they loved. They hid behind an old storefront with an around-the-corner view of the chaos. The scene was straight out of a horror movie starring monsters and the US Army.
When they arrived, Dax had been in trouble. Two on one. Chiara raised a hand while she mumbled words. Her spell sent a huge woman soaring above her vampire. She was okay with a one-on-one. He could handle those odds.
She glanced at Fin, who had a far-away look in her eye.
“What’s wrong?” Chiara pulled her head back around the corner of the building.
“Nothing. I’ve been testing my gift since we left the truck. Like I said, it’s new. Not perfected, but I think I just talked to a bunch of wolves. They’re coming to help. Two bears caught the message also. It’s weird, right? I’m telling them to hurry.”
“No stranger than anything else we’ve seen.” Chiara risked another peek around the corner. A large Aeternal was firing at soldiers. Lifting her hand, she dropped the guy to the ground.No guilt.These were not good people.
Spotting Chiara, an Arisen Dawn attacker raised his weapon to shoot. She flicked her wrist, slamming the gunman into a brick building.Splat.
After toppling three more Aeternals, she rested her hands on her knees, took a deep breath, and brushed escaping tendrils of hair from her face. Using magic was as tough as an hour of Zumba. She was weakening. Dax had told her she needed to learn to feed, to draw power from others to cast a spell. Now was not a good time.
Fin tapped her shoulder. “Listen.”
Chiara straightened. Wild howling wolves raced into the battle, attacking only Arisen Dawn soldiers while humans retreated to safety.
She smiled at Fin as a grizzly reared onto its back legs and snatched a guy off the ground by his head.
Catching her breath, Chiara sensed her vampire. Down the street, he clasped a man in his arms. Dax twisted the guy’s head off to send it rolling. He drew the back of his hand across his lips, blood dripping down his chin. With his canines bared, he charged another Aeternal, burying his fangs deep.
Dax’s head snapped up. Cold, red-streaked eyes fixed on Chiara. In a blur, he flashed from the scene to stand in front of her, his blood-streaked hair whipping behind him, caught in a windstorm of his own making. One arm curled around her back to slam her against his chest. He threw back his head, his savage roar thundering through the air. Chiara let him press her cheek against his blood-stained tee.
When his mouth crushed her lips, his tongue lashed out, demanding entry.
Though revolted by the coppery taste of blood, Chiara allowed the kiss. Something was wrong. She smoothed her palms along his thickly muscled arms and stroked the feral beast. His need was so great, it rippled beneath his skin.
Dax’s hand tangled in her hair. He growled, unable to form words.
With his fist knotted in her dark curls, he ripped her head back. His eyes, wild from his fresh kills, locked onto hers. She should fear this man, this vampire. His control was broken. Every bone, every muscle in his body was a hard plane, carved in savagery. He could snap her neck with just two fingers. Yet, he would never harm her that way. Rather, he came to her for help.
Dax cupped her bottom, lifting her against his hard arousal. He growled, the sound primal. “Stop the madness.” His voice was a raspy whisper.
She traced the wound on his shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
