But my gifts had other uses too.I could worm my way into the enemy’s mind, saying things that I would never repeat aloud. It was one of the things that made me such a deadly commander. I could control what everyone else was thinking, except my own.
My mind was divided between Claire and the battle. I kept stealing glances at her, ensuring she was still safely behindgood swords that I trusted. Since she couldn’t join the fight, she sent her wolves, who turned out to be just as fierce. They worked in tandem against the weres. The brown one bit legs and groins while the white one tore out throats.
I glanced back at Claire, watching her tend to one of the small children, and the big beta barreled past me. I chased after it. Before I caught it, the were broke through Sir Gavin’s sword line and shoved her backward against the wall so hard that her head snapped against the stone. As soon as I caught the scent of her blood, I lost all control.
I grabbed it around the neck, threw it to the ground, and shoved a sword in its neck. Snarling and growling into its face.
The whoosh of flames filled the cavern with light, and one of the werewolves caught fire. The scent of burning fur, thick in the air. I cursed under my breath. Claire. Another wolf charged at her, and I lunged in front of it and put my sword through its belly. More flames came from the tip of her wand. More wolves, recognizing the threat, approached.
“Stop!” I shouted. “You’re drawing them right to you!”
My sword flashed as I cut through more bodies, each strike fueled by my rage and feral need to protect her. My vision tunneled; every detail sharpened—the wet snap of bone, the copper tang of blood, the desperate gasps of my soldiers. Blinded with battle rage, I became my weapon.Slice. Cut. Slice. Cut.When I took a hit, I felt nothing. I just kept swinging.
Flames illuminated the carnage in bursts. Smoke filled the space until men were coughing. Then the flames suddenly stopped, and mid-swing, I turned to find my wife limp in Sir Gavin’s arms. Tansy at her side. The wound on her head. The spells. The fire. She’d overextended herself.
Because of my distraction, I took a claw to the jaw, then another to the ribs. The were’s foul breath in my face. The pain was inconsequential. I slashed back.Again and again. Leaving a trail of black blood in my wake. The stench of death was everywhere. Children were crying. Charred bodies smoldered.
Until at last, there was only one wolf left—the alpha.
I spun my sword in my hand. Blood dripped down my face from one of many wounds that I did not feel.“This one is mine,”I told my fellow vampires.
The beast’s lips quirked at the challenge.
“Hostage, remember!”Natalia shouted. “He’s more valuable alive.”
I tried to pull the bloodthirsty thing inside me back, but he was too far gone. I charged, sword raised high. We met claw and sword. Blow by blow. The thick gray fur covering his arms and legs was like armor, and my blade bounced off it. This was no normal beast.
But neither was I.
“When you’re dead,” the were told me, “I’m coming for your girl.”
I roared, baring my fangs. “Never!”
The beast slammed into me, his arms wrapping around my waist as he tackled me to the ground. Claws dug into my chest, and a feral growl escaped my throat. That, I felt. I pushed against the cold ground, fighting for breath as the alpha bared its teeth.
“Should’ve sat this one out and let your mate fight for you, Lord Vampire,” the beast said. “Guess I’ll have to keep her company now.”
A line of slobber dripped from the beast’s jowls. I reached for the dagger that had skittered out of my chest rig when I fell, my fingertips inching closer.
When the growl of a vampire broke through the chaos. In a flash, Tyson was there, even though I told him to stand down, dagger raised high. He twirled his blade with an exaggerated flourish. “Bad puppy.”
Tyson drove his weapon into the alpha’s side. The sickening sound of steel on bone was followed by a strangled cry. I blinked in astonishment. My whelp of a nephew, whom I often doubted, had just saved my life.
I heard the wolf’s heart beating, and I knew he hadn’t delivered a death blow. But I would fix that quickly enough. He had threatened Claire.
I rolled him over, snatched up my dagger, and pinned him as he’d pinned me. A low growl left my throat as its eyes flashed.
“You can kill me, but it won’t change a thing. Shayla will come for you.”
“Uncle!”Natalia shouted.“We need answers!”
But I was already seeing red. I plunged my dagger into the alpha’s heart.
Chapter 24
Veille
CLAIRE
