Adam flashed in and out, blade and magic striking vital points to drop one enemy after another. The fae was like a ghost, appearing only long enough to deal death before vanishing again. Cold purpose emanated from him.
The other wolves fought just as fearlessly, outnumbered but undaunted. Lucian, Drayden, Gustavo, and Kale already bore injuries, but they never slowed. The packs were warriors down to their very bones. Fane’s chest swelled with pride.
On the far side of the melee, Andora and Perizada unleashed devastating power in blinding flashes. The very concrete beneath them cracked under the force of their magic. None could stand before them for long.
Though the vampires did not tire or feel pain, Fane noted some hesitation and fear in their red-rimmed eyes as the tide turned. The hybrids’ control over them was not absolute. They kept glimmers of their former humanity. Perhaps there was still hope for them, if any survived this fight.
Fane ignored his own growing weariness and prayed to their Creator for energy beyond what should be available to him. There would be time to rest when the Great Luna’s cleansing fire had burned this evil from the earth. He had to see this deed done.
Bit by bit, they gained ground. The numbers of the enemy dwindled as they fell beneath gnashing teeth and searing magic. Piles of corpses littered the concrete, the warehouse thick with the stench of death and smoke. Cyn and the other fae began incinerating the bodies so that only ash was left. Unlike full vampires, the hybrids didn’t immediately become ash when they died. Instead, they reverted back to their fully human form.
A bellowing roar echoed from Fane's left. The alpha turned just in time to see a massive hybrid barrel into him, knocking him flat. Deadly claws raked at Fane’s chest as he grappled with the creature. Gritting his teeth, Fane rammed his hand deep into the male’s chest. He wrapped his clawed hand around the beast’s heart, then crushed it as if it were nothing more than a rotten orange.
The hybrid spasmed wildly atop him, jaws gaping in a tortured wail. Then it went still, the manic life in its eyes extinguished. Fane pulled his hand from his chest cavity with a disgusting sucking sound and heaved the limp body off, then knelt, gasping for breath. The end was in sight.
At long last, beneath gore and exhaustion, the warriors stood victorious, surrounded by the dead and dying. A few vampires crawled or twitched weakly.
Fane allowed his body to return fully to his human state with a groan of weariness. Jacquelyn was at his side in an instant.
“That better be a good groan, and not one that means you're injured.” She looked him over.
“You want me to have agoodgroan on the battlefield?” He gave her a teasing smile.
She shoved at him playfully. “Shut up, perv.”
Fane pulled her close and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “For you, I’ll groan any way you want, anywhere you want.”
“Well, that was fun.” Jen interrupted his moment with his mate. “Was that all of them?”
Fane shook his head. “I doubt it. I didn’t recognize some of their scents as coming from the compound.”
Suddenly, shouts of alarm rose. Fane rushed over to a place where some healer sprites were tending the injured. He found Andora desperately trying to revive a downed vampire.
“Their bites are infectious!” she cried. “When we kill the hybrid sire, their converts don’t die. They turn rabid.”
Ice sluiced through Fane’s veins at her words. He had thought the vampires would perish with their sires, but these hybrid bites carried a different magic. He exchanged an alarmed look with Decebel.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Crina’s eyes widened.
“According to this one”—Peri motioned to the person she knelt beside, who seemed to be barely breathing—“she was bitten only hours ago.” Peri looked back at the woman. “I’m sorry that this was your fate. I’ll end it quickly.”
Fane could see a tear run down the woman’s face, and it fed the anger inside of him. The female was young, no older than in her mid-twenties. She’d had her whole life ahead of her.
Peri pressed her hand to the woman’s head. From one breath to the next, the hybrid was gone, nothing but ash.
There was no time for debate. With a single nod, Fane signaled death for any remaining vampires, no matter how pitiful their state. It was regrettable, but necessary. They could not allow these deadly seeds to take root in the world.
Once it was finished, Fane slumped beside Jacque, pulling her close. Her eyes were shadowed with sorrow at the loss of life, but she leaned into him without hesitation. Her light would guide him through any darkness.
Perizada appeared, her fine gown splattered with gore. “We must go swiftly. Final death awaits any stragglers, or any that have gone somewhere else when they left the compound. Hell, we don’t even know if more have escaped since we left Cain’s compound. We should have just burned it to the ground.” Her sharp eyes took in Fane’s ragged, bloody state. “You’ve led us to victory this day. Rest and recover. But then the war rages on.”
Nodding wearily, Fane stood, pulling Jacquelyn up with him. “We go home tonight and rest,” he announced. “We pray to the Great Luna that these hybrids need rest as well. Tomorrow, we will hunt again. Thank you for your courage today.” He rested his hand on Peri’s arm as, one by one, warriors made their way to fae comrades who would flash them back to the sprite stronghold. As the carnage of the warehouse dissolved into the sprites’ stronghold around them, he blinked back the sting of emotion. Perizada was right. This was just one battle of many still to come. But they would fight on and prevail. Of that, he had never been more certain. Their pack stood strong.
ChapterEighteen
“Sometimes children are the best kind of therapy.” ~Sally
“Titus.” Gavril’s deep voice filled the playroom as Sally and Kara walked in.
