When he turned, I latched onto his neck. My fangs punched out and pierced his main artery as I delivered an electric shock. He pounded his fists against my back, but I gripped him like a boa constrictor killing its prey until I crippled him with weakness.
His blood was so vile that I almost threw up. When he collapsed in a heap, I staked him.
“I’ll finish this one,” Christian said, blood staining his lips and beard.
“You didn’t drink that guy’s blood, did you?”
“Viktor asked me to collect evidence should anyone question us. I’ve tasted his sins, and now this one gets my special attention.” Christian dropped down on his knees, slowly unbuttoning the man’s shirt. He was too weak to shift and barely conscious. But his soulless eyes went saucer wide when Christian yanked out the stake and trailed it down his belly. “Have you ever been disemboweled?”
I spat out as much blood as I could before heading toward another door. Claude’s roar filled the open room, as did the sporadic gunshots and terrified screams of children. I flung the door open, and two children cowered in the corner—a boy and a girl.
“Come with me,” I said, trying not to imagine what I must have looked like with blood on my mouth and a knife in my hand. “Hurry up!”
Eyes brimming with terror, the two children clutched each other and reluctantly moved toward me.
“I’m not gonna hurt you.” I gently touched the boy’s head. “I promise. Okay? It’s a little scary out there, but we’re here to save you from these bad guys.”
The girl nodded.
I bumped into Christian outside the door. “Jesus. I nearly stabbed you.”
He winked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I need to get these kids to Wyatt, but I don’t know where he is.”
“Worry not, lass. I can hear the little gobshite now.” Christian scooped up a child in each arm as if they weighed nothing. “Back in a jiffy.”
I sprinted to the far end of the building. When I glanced down at the lower level, I could have sworn I saw Matteo. Viktor’s wolf viciously attacked a much larger wolf, and the savage noises were enough to curdle blood. I looked up, and to my horror, a toddler was peering down at the chaos. The railing was only made up of three bars, and she easily fit through them as she leaned over the bottom one.
I flashed down the walkway and slowed at the curve. My heart wound up in my throat when she teetered too far from the edge. With lightning speed, I raced toward her, dove to the floor, and clutched her in my arms before rolling onto my back. She wailed and wriggled with all her might.
When I crawled to my feet with the child in my arms, I scanned the building. There wasn’t time to comfort her—only to save her. Just ahead, Blue emerged from a room, blood dripping from her axe and a look of murder on her face I’d never seen before.
“Can you take the baby?” I asked, the toddler kicking her feet. “Give her to Wyatt.”
Blue shook her head.
“Blue, I can’t. I’m charged up with energy, and I’m afraid I’ll shock her by accident. Please.”
Blue scooped up the little girl and propped her against her hip as if she’d done it a thousand times. With the axe in her other hand, she turned around and strutted away.
I spotted Christian below, slamming a wolf against a wall. We couldn’t leave one child behind, so I looped back to the rooms I’d passed. One was a bedroom, and though the light switch didn’t work, my Vampire eyes allowed me to verify it was empty. The second door revealed a stairwell. Ascending the steps, I put away my small dagger and took the larger one from its sheath. Once at the top, I pushed the long metal bar on the door and stepped outside.
A gust of wind whipped my hair around. The rooftop was an ideal spot to hide. Dark shadows, ventilation pipes, but likely no fire escape. I’d never seen them on old factory buildings. I branched away from the door. Without lights, it was difficult to see long distances.
And this was a big fucking rooftop.
I treaded carefully since there wasn’t a parapet to prevent me from stepping off the edge. I walked around, using my Mage ability to detect energy. Someone was definitely up here.
“You might as well come out and fight instead of cowering like a chicken,” I said, taunting him. “Are you sure you’re even a wolf?”
Two eyes gleamed at me from the shadows. A black wolf emerged, powerful and larger than most I’d seen. Viktor had cautioned me that wolves were clever enough to kill a Mage by chewing off their hands before going for the jugular. Usually it took more than one, but this guy was big.
I waved my dagger so he could see the weapon. Was the man conscious in there, or was I only dealing with the beast?
A growl rumbled in his chest before he lunged. I flashed around him and swiped the blade, but he turned and snapped at my wrist. When I recoiled, he went for my other hand. I windmilled my arms and quickly flashed away before he jumped at my throat.
The wolf didn’t stop. Unlike a human, who would assess the situation and develop a new strategy, he kept up the attack until I was on the defense. I sliced his back, but his fur was too thick and dark for me to see any blood.
