Page 71 of Beta Hybrid

Zenna whimpers at my side, eager to help him.

‘Mother, please!’ Evelyn cries. ‘Stop!’

Drusilla’s head turns unnaturally fast. ‘Be grateful I’m not ripping your boy apart piece by piece. Though, I still may.’ That bloody grin. She turns her attention back to Callen, who is sobbing and heaving breaths in between pained gasps, writhing uselessly against her grip.

This is what he gets from his own kind, for helping us.

In one fluid movement, a blonde woman—vampire—launches herself at Drusilla and Callen, but Drusilla raises her hand to catch her. The blonde ducks her and breaks Drusilla’s hold on Callen, quickly yanking him away.

‘Siobhan,’ Zenna breaths.

I know that name. Will’s vampire.

Drusilla growls, low in her throat, and lets out an annoyed sound. ‘Enough of this.’ She marches over to Siobhan, splayed on the ground with a blind Callen. A sound rings out, then a wave of power shudders through the mountain.

Will and Aidan march up to her, with Noah and Lexie at their sides. The wolves both launch themselves at the Origin before I can stop them, so I surge with them. The vampire only has two hands. She can’t stop all three of us.

‘Cai!’ Zenna shouts.

For a moment, everything slows as I shift, faster than most, and use my hind legs to push myself toward the Origin. Noah and Lexie come at her from another side, more spells blasted at her, too. Siobhan takes the opportunity to strike as well. Together, we stand a chance. Alaric! I call my Origin.

As the four of us reach her, my blood runs cold. That chilling smile is still painted on her pale face. I’d like to tear it off with my teeth. I snap at her as my teeth move closer to her shoulder and am almost surprised when my canines meet cold flesh. I bite down as hard as I can and shake violently.

The other two wolves attack her head-on. Drusilla knocks Lexie to the side, sending her sprawling into a nearby tree with a sickening crack. Lexie whimpers and goes still.

Noah goes to bite her head. Bold. Angry. He misses and Drusilla ducks, giving Siobhan the opening she needs to bite down on the vampire’s other wrist, snagging an artery. Drusilla growls, trying to shake us off as Noah turns and runs back for more.

Evelyn joins in, too.

We have to hold on until Alaric arrives. Our saving grace. We can do this.

Drusilla dislodges Siobhan and catches Noah by the throat. My cousin growls in her face.

‘No, please—’ Zenna shouts.

Drusilla gives her a measured look. ‘No? You want to save this one?’

‘Yes. Don’t kill him.’

Evelyn runs at Drusilla and gets a sharp kick to the ribs and buckles. She takes a breath and tries again. Drusilla’s nails slash at her throat. Evelyn gasps, clutching at her neck. The Origin smiles down at one of her daughters as she falls to her knees, clutching the wounds, blood spilling through her fingers.

I’m still biting down hard, but the vampire is healing. Her skin is reforming, even while my teeth are still buried in her flesh. The cold skin is hurting my teeth, refusing to allow me to remain. I shake harder, hoping to open the wounds again, but Drusilla swipes down, leaving a deep gash with her nails just behind my ear. I open my mouth to howl in pain just as one of my canines cracks from her healing skin pushing me out.

‘You look like you need a snack, dear,’ Drusilla says to an increasingly-pale Evelyn.

Zenna runs forward and sets her hands on Evelyn’s shoulders, trying to haul her back, out of danger, and get to me at the same time. ‘Let Noah go.’

Drusilla pouts, as though considering. ‘Hmmm. No.’ In the moment she starts to turn her wrist to crack his neck, another wolf jumps on her arms, teeth digging in deep. Lexie. She thrashes with every ounce of her strength to save her mate. So I jump up and bite down on Drusilla’s shoulder, too, thrashing for all I’m worth.

Drusilla finally growls and releases Noah, and we all back up. She sets her gaze on Noah. ‘I will have your head stuck at the foot of my bed and I will smile down at you every night.’

Lexie roars and throws herself at Drusilla just as the ground begins to shake. Drusilla’s ears prick and for the first time, fear dances in her cold eyes. She panics, kicking out at Lexie before my mate can drag her away, breaking ribs. Drusilla slashes out at Noah, gouging into his left eye. She makes quick work of the couple, to my horror, then turns back to me.

‘Time to wrap this up, I think.’ She flashes a smile. ‘I notice the babies aren’t here.’ Her eyes trail up the mountain. ‘Are they hiding?’ Her gaze sparkles.

The gashes on the side of my head are deep, aching, but I will not let her get to Reagan, the others. I take a few steps back for a running start, knowing she won’t simply duck out of the way.

Drusilla smiles with her teeth as I launch myself at her. This time, she doesn’t go for my throat as I expected. She holds her hands out and uses my own force against me. As I smack into her hands, a bone in my shoulder snaps and I whimper, hitting the ground on all fours.

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