“Don’t break the circle.” She battled a female vampire, and Decebel saw Jacque swiftly rake claws down the woman’s face. The vamp hissed like a feral cat. Her lips pulled back, showing fangs dripping with blood. Jacque backhanded the woman, which caused the vampire to pause. Apparently, she hadn’t woken up that evening expecting to be slapped. Decebel watched Jacque grin. “Never been bitch-slapped?” As the woman appeared to process Jacque’s words, the female alpha snapped the woman’s neck. Then, quick as a flash, she punched her claws through the vamp’s chest and ripped her heart from her body. The woman fell in a heap, and Jacque dropped the heart on top of her. “These were just a test. They sent one vamp at each of us.”
Decebel’s eyes narrowed. “They were betting on us moving to help if we killed our own attacker.”
“Thereby leaving our back exposed.” Adam panted next to them.
Jacque gave a sharp nod and then turned her attention to the surrounding area. Decebel started to turn around, but then he saw Jacque’s hands glow. His brow rose as he watched her form balls of light in her palms, similar to those conjured by the fae. That’s new.
“B, what’s our alpha chick up to? I feel her pulling pack power.” Jennifer pushed further into his mind. Decebel gave her the image of Jacque he was seeing. “Ahh, she’s going sprite on their asses.”
“Going sprite?”
He felt her dismiss his words. “It’s a thing. But this looks different from what she did against Alston. There was no light show.”
“Decebel,” Jacque said through clenched teeth, “guard my back.”
“I thought we were trying not to give them our backs,” he reminded her.
Jacque lifted her hands and pointed them toward Crina, or rather, the vampire Crina was fighting. “Change of plans.” Light shot from her hand and enveloped the vampire. He tried to move forward but bounced back as if he’d hit an invisible boundary. His head turned to determine the source of the light, giving Crina the opportunity she needed. The she-wolf pushed off with her powerful hind legs and passed straight through the barrier. Her paws hit the vamp so hard he went down, and her muzzle tore into his throat before his back slammed to the pavement. Even with Crina on him, his hands couldn’t get through the glowing shield to touch Crina.
“Get his heart,” Jacque ordered before turning her attention to the vampire fighting Zara.
Decebel didn’t hesitate. He moved forward with blinding speed. As soon as his hand was buried in the vampire’s chest, Crina jumped back and resumed her spot in the circle.
“Two hearts so far, Dec. Color me impressed.” Jennifer purred. He couldn’t help but smirk at his bloodthirsty mate. Was she a tad crazy? Yes. But he wouldn’t have her any other way.
Jacque manifested her defensive magic for the first time when she’d faced Alston. And she still had no idea how it worked. But she was glad it did. The urge to protect her pack was so strong that her body hummed with the emotion, like a live wire touching her skin. And then she just had to follow her instincts. One by one, she forced the vampires back, preventing them from getting close to her pack mates. This gave the wolves the opportunity to rip out their hearts to ensure the vampires would stay dead.
She turned to her mate, who held the last vampire in his clawed hand. The vampire wriggled within Fane’s grasp, but the alpha didn’t go for the kill. “Finish him.”
“Not just yet. Let’s see what he knows first.”
The others watched for another attack while Fane focused on his captive. Jacque remained in her defensive position, but she used her power to completely cover their circle, imagining a clear barrier that would allow them to pass through but not let the enemy get to them. “Cyn, Adam,” she called out. “We still got cover?”
“I’ll need to pop it back up,” Adam pointed above him. “A bit hard to execute vampires and keep up a magical shield. I’m good, but even I’m not that good. Give me a second. If anyone looks our way, they will just see an empty street.”
“How many vampires are in this city?” Fane asked the struggling male vamp.
He tried to talk, but the alpha’s grip was too tight. She saw his hand relax slightly so the monster could respond.
“More than you can handle.” The glee in his voice nauseated Jacque.
“Then why send such a small number to attack us?” Fane held out his hand indicating the fallen vampires around them.
“You’re a wolf.” The vampire grinned. “Don’t you ever like to play with your food?”
Adam motioned to the vamp with one of his blades. “I don’t consider this piece of trash food, but I’ll totally play with him until his insides become his outsides.”
Jacque pressed her lips together, forcing herself not to respond to the crazy male fae. Again, the idea that her entire pack might need therapy passed through her mind. Perhaps she should let them get their crazy out now, and then once everyone that needed killing was dead, she could work on de-crazying them. That’s not even a damn word, Jacque. Apparently, she, too, needed de-crazying.
“How many?” Fane snarled and leaned closer to the vampire, his face changing to the muzzle of a wolf.
“I don’t know the number, alpha of alphas.” The vampire sneered. “But believe me when I say you don’t stand a chance, not even with your magic-wielding allies. More vampires are being created as we speak. They are completing the transition, and the blood hunger is overpowering them. You can’t protect the humans from all of us.”
Jacque watched her mate’s body shake with rage, and his fury poured through their bond because the vamp was probably right. They would have to station supernaturals in every large city. Even hunting every night, they likely wouldn’t be able to kill more vampires than were continually being spawned. It suddenly felt like an impossible task.
The vampire laughed, a high-pitched, hysterical sound. Perhaps being insane was a prerequisite to becoming a vampire … or maybe it was a side-effect. Whatever it was, Jacque was done listening to it. “Finish it, mate.” She growled.
Fane slammed his fist into the vamp’s chest and ripped out his heart. A shot of light hit the organ, and it went up in flames. Jacque looked over at Cyn, who dropped her hand. Then Adam and Cyn used their power to burn each vampire until there was nothing left but piles of ash.
