“What if we’re attacked by one that doesn’t have a blue mark?”
“Try to incapacitate it, Crina,” Fane answered. “Butnotto the detriment of your own life or another in our pack. Kill if you have to.”
Fane and Lucian shifted to wolf form, rallying the other canines with snarls and howls. On the alpha’s signal, they charged, crashing into the confused vampiric defenses in a tsunami of teeth and fury.
In the tumult, Maxim felt a pull so strong that he stumbled in the direction of the destroyed doorway.
“GO,” Peri yelled. “I’ll follow you.”
She was so close now, but still in danger. With a roar, Maxim flung himself into the battle, plowing through any who stood between him and the door that would take him closer to his mate.
At his side, Perizada was a maelstrom of deadly power, her magic scything through their foes. The ancient fae’s presence reassured Maxim. If he fell, this fae would protect his mate, no matter the cost.
They reached the entrance on the heels of Adam’s strike team. The inside of the facility was just as chaotic as the outside, only the bedlam felt more intense because of the enclosed space.
Vampires grappled with partially shifted wolves while fae shot bolts of power at anything that posed a threat. As his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lighting, Maxim saw the difference between the hybrid wolf and a pureCanis lupus.The hybrids were bigger than the other wolves and seemed crazed, with no control of their beast. His gut clenched at the unnatural violence writ across their faces. Some of them weren’t even fully shifted, making them look like snarling, grotesque monsters.
A screech rent the air as one creature hurtled straight for him, madness burning in its eyes. With lethal grace, Perizada intercepted its path, hand splayed. An invisible force lifted the hybrid, smashing it against the ceiling where it then fell, colliding with the floor, still as stone.
In a blink, the fae stood before him again, as though nothing had happened. “We must keep moving,” she intoned calmly. “Rescuing healers is sort of a specialty of mine, so do try to stay out of my way.” Apparently, being thousands of years old desensitized a person to such horrific deaths.
Nodding, Maxim followed the mating bond’s insistent pull farther into the facility. The sounds of battle faded behind them, leaving only eerie stillness. The stench of blood and fear grew stronger. Maxim forced himself to focus on the bond and the pull it had over him and his wolf. Peri strode beside him, her head swiveling constantly. She looked graceful even at the brisk pace at which they were moving at. The black cloak she wore over her clothes billowed out around her as they took a sharp right down yet another corridor. The sounds of the fighting faded into soft background noise.
The most prominent sound to Maxim was his own heartbeat as it pounded painfully in his chest. They were passing closed doors. And each had a number on them. There were tons of different smells, some of which were soap. The scent made him think they’d reached the place in the compound where the employees slept.
They came to a crossroad of hallways, but Maxim didn’t turn. He continued straight until they reached the very last door. “She’s in there.” His voice was gruff with more emotions than he could name.
Peri stopped beside him and gave him a sharp look. “Don’t move. I need to check the wards on this part of the compound.”
Maxim shifted on his feet and bit back the words he wanted to say because he knew it was just stress and fear talking. He simply nodded and then waited.
Peri closed her eyes and lifted her hands. She spoke in a language that Maxim had heard other fae use. He didn’t understand a word of it. For all he knew, she could be putting a spell on him that would turn him into a mangy puppy for the rest of his life.
After at least a minute, something in the air shifted. And it was strong enough that it caused his feet to shuffle.
“There.” Peri wiped her hands as if she’d somehow gotten them dirty while she’d been holding them in the air. “Now we can go in.” She grabbed his arm, and they did the flashing thing again. One second they were in the hall, and the next they were in a bedroom.
For the second time in a day, Maxim found himself engaged with another wolf he didn’t know. A strong arm came across his neck as the large male pushed him back, slamming him into the wall.
“Clearly,” Peri said, her voice as calm as ever, “this wolf is going to need therapy just like the rest of our pack.” She looked over at Maxim and the male holding him. “Congratulations. You’re going to fit right in with all the other furball crazies.”
“My name is Maxim,” he told the male holding him. “And that is my mate on that bed.” His accent was thick with his Russian tongue as emotions swamped him. Alice looked frail. Her skin was nearly translucent, the shadows underneath her closed eyes bruised and deep. But he could see the elegant bone structure beneath, her high cheekbones and gracefully arched brows.
His gaze moved lower, taking in her slender throat where he could glimpse the throb of her pulse. So fragile now, but precious beyond measure. His fingers itched to brush across that vulnerable skin, to confirm her living warmth.
Alice’s dark hair hung limp and lackluster around her neck that seemed impossibly delicate. He ached to wrap her in his embrace and surround her with his strength. She had endured too much.
The oversized shirt she wore did little to conceal her slender curves. Rage simmered in Maxim’s gut at the thought of strange hands touching what was his alone to cherish. Never again, he vowed.
Her hands resting atop the sheets were fine boned, the skin almost bruised. He imagined how they would feel clasped in his own when she took her rightful place at his side, small but strong.
“Let me go to her,” Maxim growled. “Or Iwillkill you.”
“Not on my damn watch.” A petite female sat on the other side of the bed. Maxim had initially noted her presence but wrote her off when he realized she wasn’t the biggest threat in the room. Now he saw her glowing eyes and thought he shouldn’t have been so foolish to think only a male was dangerous.
“I’m Lizzy. And Finn is mine. You hurt him, then you hurt me. And I’m pretty sure your Alice would not be okay with that.” Then she nodded toward her mate. “Imagine if you were in his shoes and he was keeping you from me”
Finn’s arm dropped, and he stepped back so fast that Maxim had to catch himself from falling forward.
