Kaine shoots me an amused look. “Your alpha said to observe, pup.”
“I’m not your—”
“Quiet! Both of you!” Ivy hisses.
On the other side of the parking lot, Jericho, Evan, and Willow duck behind the trash area. Sage, Grant and Forest must be taking the front.
Kaine looks in both directions, then gestures for us to follow.
Ivy holds me back. “Ro, wait.”
“We need to confirm it’s her.”
My sister is clearly torn. Getting any closer could risk us being seen, if not by Trivanka than someone else. I pull my arm away and follow Kaine.
We cut across the cracked pavement and duck behind a truck. Peeking over the hood, I can see through a slice of curtain into the woman’s room. Inside, the light flickers against the wall.
My heart jolts when I see someone pacing. Their movements are too smooth, too quiet to be human.
“Is it her?” Ivy whispers.
Kaine rolls his eyes. “I’ve already told you. It’s her.”
My jaw clenches. All I know about the woman is she has blond hair and wings. My wolf stirs, restless and hungry for revenge. This woman hurt my mate. Possibly fed from him. Kept him prisoner. Every second I stand here feels like a betrayal.
I lean forward, trying to get a clearer angle, and Ivy’s hand clamps around my arm. “Don’t.”
“Ihaveto know, Ivy.”
Shouts ring out from the other side of the building, and a second later, the crash of glass shattering echoes through the night. We all snap our heads in that direction.
“They’re under attack,” Kaine says.
I fist my hands. “Shit!”
Grant’s voice hits me in the chest as he shouts for someone to run. Ivy takes off, and for a second, I debate if I should go with her. My pack needs me. But Tobias does too.
Light spills out onto the tiny back patio of the vampire’s room. A woman steps out, blond hair spilling over her shoulders. She grips the railing as she looks around, fear etched into her pale features.
Kaine’s voice is deadly. “That’s her.”
I’m moving before I can think. Clothes shred as I launch myself off the sedan. She screams, and I hear metal on metal as she vaults the railing. We hit the parking lot in a tumble, fangs bared.
Kaine steps out from behind the truck, arms sweeping. With a single motion, water claws up from the river, knocking us both off our feet. The shock of it forces me to shift. I cough and grab for the woman. Her nails cut into my shoulder. Pain sears, and my right arm trembles when I move; adrenaline keeps me going.
She races through the parking lot toward the side of the building. I shift and lunge after her. Blood slicks my fur.
A second swell of water roars up from the river. I slam into the side of the building, feet scrambling for purchase. For one terrifying moment, I have no idea which way is up, then the surface breaks and I gasp for air.
When I turn around, Trivanka is hovering in the air with two ropes of water around her ankles. Kaine snaps his wrist. Her wings shatter with a crisp, glassy sound, scattering ruby-like pieces across the asphalt. The woman cries out in pain.
The cords of water snake around her legs, torso, then chest. Trivanka flails, but Kaine’s hold never wavers.
I trot over to them, favoring my right leg.
“Let me go!” she screams again.
Kaine gags her, making her cough and gasp for air.
