“My pleasure.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.” I glance around us. “Do diners have an outhouse or something like that?”
“What is this, the wild, wild west?” she chuckled when I frowned. “Everything has bathrooms inside nowadays. There is one just down that hallway. The door on the right is for the ladies, the one on the left for the guys.”
“Oh. I’ll be right back.”
“Yeah, hurry because I have class in five minutes!” she called as I made my way to the hallway, waving at Debbie after she smiled at me.
Getting into the space, I noticed it had a few stalls just like the bathroom in the village, so I went into one of them to pee. Once done, I glanced at myself in the mirror, wondering if I, too, was changing here, with these strangers who seemed closer than the people who’d surrounded me my entire life.
My gut tightened as I thought of Isis yet again, praying to the Moon Goddess to please bring her back to me safely. Whatever her true story was, whatever she had kept from me, I knew right there and then that she had a reason to do it. I would find a way to forgive her because she was more important to me than anyone had ever been.
“I just need her back, please…” I begged in a whisper, trying to tune out the voice deep inside me that said she was already dead.
Letting out a settling breath, I got myself together and stepped outside.
A hand clamped over my mouth abruptly, someone capturing me from behind.
“Donotmake a sound or I kill all the humans here,” Kellan whisper-growled against my ear, dragging me out through the back door before I could react.
14
Horror pierced my heart like a sharpened blade—the Hunters were here, and they were willing to kill the humans to get me.
Debbie’s fear-stricken face appeared across the hallway just as the back door swung closed. “Someone took her!” her scream echoed.
Something snapped inside me with Kellan’s threat, and what felt like pure fire rushed through my insides. I couldn’t let him hurt that sweet woman if she tried to help, or any other human here.
Claws bursting through my fingernails, I drove my head back with all my might, slamming it into Kellan’s face. Whirling around free when his grip faltered, I swung my claws at him, ripping his face apart before slamming my boot into his chest. The force of my kick sent him back several paces into the alley, crashing on his ass.
New arms grabbed me from behind, but I reached back, plunging my claws into their forearms, viciously dragging them down and slashing the skin open.
“Confuse and shock. A shifter will never expect another shifter to fight like a human. They are too used to the wolf.”Isis’ voice echoed in my mind.
I bucked in their hold, making my captor think I was just having a fit. Kicking high in the air to gain momentum, I slammed my boots on the ground, using the gained force to throw my body forward and flip the person behind me. My captor’s body slammed against the harsh ground of the alley as I set myself free.
“You, little bitch!” Barret growled, jumping to his feet as his claws extended, wanting to rip through me. “You didn’t think our Alpha would let you go that easily, did you?” A derisive chuckle left him, and he lunged toward me again.
I jumped out of his way, unfortunately, his claws still sliced through my right arm and side.
The back door swung open the next second, and Vanessa appeared.
Barret grabbed me again, wanting to use me as leverage, but she began transforming before our eyes. The sight halted our fight.
Crimson Darkness spread around her eyes, sending a surge of blood swirling into her grey irises until they were red, and all her once soft features hardened. Her fingers elongated, becoming bony, bat-like claws, and sharp fangs descended from her teeth, her lips darkening too.
The being before me was no longer the Vanessa I was getting to know. Not the sweet girl full of emotions and kind smiles, the one offering me her friendship just a moment ago, but a fully-fledged,deadlyVampire.
Dangerous anger flared in her gaze.
“Let her go!” she hissed menacingly and zipped toward him.
Using his clear shock against him, probably from seeing a Vampire transition for the first time, I threw myself out of theway a split second before the deadly Vampire girl rammed him. They crashed into the brick wall across the alley, going through it from the potency of her attack. Zain’s wolf jumped into the crumbled wall, menacing growls and hisses echoing from the darkness as the three of them fought on the other side.
“Oh, my God. You are bleeding!” Debbie gasped at the sight of my bloodied and tattered coat, rushing to my side to help me up just as massive, growling wolves began to strut toward us.
The rest of the Hunters were here, but none of them were Ryker.
