“Who are you?” Lorna’s voice was deep with the guttural sound of her wolf.
“Tsk-tsk,” the vamp said. “Where are my manners? My name is Claude.” A thick, French accent filled his voice. It hadn’t been there when he’d first spoken. “It has been a while since I have entertained guests that are not … well … a meal.” He chuckled as if what he said was somehow amusing. When Boain and Lorna simply continued to stare at him, Claude cleared his throat and then jumped down from the hood of the vehicle. He straightened the white dress shirt he wore and pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves.
“It’s a good thing you recognize you won’t find any food here,” Lorna bit out sharply. Boain felt her hackles rising. She let go of his hand and tried to step up beside him, but he moved so that his left shoulder was still in front of most of her body.
Claude slipped his hands into his pockets and then raised his chin. “I prefer my food to be a little less furry. Though I still like a little canine DNA in the mix.” His eyes narrowed and his fangs lengthened. “If you know what I mean.”
“What?” Lorna asked as Boain frowned.
“I hate to meet and run.” Claude sighed. “But I just need to give you a quick message and then be on my way.”
“What’s the message?” Boain growled.
Claude let out two sharp whistles. “Quit killing my damn vamps. It is getting quite vexing.”
There was movement in the darkness behind Claude. Boain loosened his stance.“Be ready,”he told his mate.
“I figured he wasn’t just here to chat,”Lorna assured him.
Suddenly, a cell phone rang. Claude lifted his hand in the air with a single finger pointed up as if to tell someone to wait, and then used the other to pull the ringing phone from his pocket. “Good evening, my lord,” he said into the phone. “Is that so?” Claude’s voice rose, and he tilted his head while maintaining his stare at the pair of wolves. “I might be able to do you one better and bring intwolive mongrels.”
“I can smell them,”Lorna said through their bond.“There’s got to be at least two dozen vampires around.”
As Claude continued to talk, Boain gave a slight nod and made a quick decision.“Phase, mate. We’re not sticking around for this fight.”
From one blink of an eye to the next, he and Lorna had shed their human skin and dropped to all fours. Boain whipped around in the opposite direction, with Lorna at his side.“Do not get separated from me,”he warned her.
“You lead, I follow.”
They’d only made it fifty yards when the night sky lit up like the Fourth of July. Then a woman appeared in their path. Boain dug his claws into the ground in order to stop his forward motion to keep from barreling into her.
“Hello, Boain.”The high fae, Perizada, gave them both a little wiggle of her fingers. “This must be your pretty little mate, whose acquaintance I’ve yet to make. Charmed, I’m sure.” She looked past the two wolves at the small army of vampires running their way and tapped her chin. “Do you feel like fighting, or should I just light them up?”
“Mate…” Lucian growled from where he stood beside her.
“Fine, fine.” She sighed and threw out her hand, letting her power flow as bright white light. The young vamps dropped like flies, bursting into flames. “This isn’t nearly as fun as beheading them,” she said to her mate.
“I’m sure Jen would be proud to know you feel that way.” Lucian’s voice, as always, was calm and steady.
Soon, all the vampires, save one, were reduced to piles of ash on the sidewalk. This one stood tall, and if it bothered him that his comrades had just been incinerated with nothing more than a wave of the fae’s hand, he didn’t show it. But he didn’t try to move any closer to the wolves and their rescuer.
“Who are you, vampire?” Lucian asked.
“Phase back and I’ll provide you clothes,” Peri said to Boain and his mate. As soon as their forms began to shimmer, Peri used her power to manifest garments onto their bodies. When both stood in front of her, she motioned them aside so she could step up to where her mate was speaking with the vamp.
“Boain can give you that information.” The man’s voice was thick with a French accent.
“I am not asking Boain,” Lucian said. “I am asking you.” Though her mate appeared calm, Peri could feel his irritation through their bond. She could tell Lucian was getting sick and tired of bloodsuckers.
The vampire stood there for several more seconds before adding, “You can’t protect every wolf all the time, Perizada.” And then he turned and sprinted away. Judging by the speed with which he moved, he was clearly old and powerful.
“Oooookay.” Peri frowned. “That wasn’t cryptic and ominous, all at the same time.”
“His name is Claude,” Boain offered.
Lucian turned so that he faced them and looked at the male and his mate. “You’ve been busy, Boain.”
He nodded. “The vampires are up to something.” “Lorna”—he motioned to the beauty next to him—“and I have been tracking them. There’s so many.” He looked at Peri. “Much more than when we began hunting them as a pack with Vasile and Alina.”
