Gritting my teeth, I refuse to look at the wound, refuse to take my eyes off her even for a second. Her wings glitter like crystals in the morning light. Stunning, but fragile.
Would they break if I got ahold of one?
Sneering down at me, she tips her head at the other vampire. “What’s the matter, newborn? Too scared to finish the job? Afraid of a littlefire?”
Fire is the only way to kill a vampire.
“One thing at a time,” I say.
Wolves howl from somewhere nearby, snapping her attention to the left. I take my chance, leaping high to grab her at the ankle. With one quick roll, I spin us and toss her to the ground. The wings shatter on impact, scattering across the dirt like tiny rubies.
But the woman doesn’t seem surprised, only annoyed. And seriously pissed off.
She lets out another ear-piercing shriek before clawing at me again. Her nails must be as sharp as razors because once again, they cut to the bone. I roar and let her go. In an instant, she disappears over the hill.
I’m about to follow her when something terrible bites my thigh. I stumble to the ground in disbelief, and for a moment, I can’t see anything, blinded by the pain. My hands grab a fistful of fur, though I can’t see who is biting me. When I tug, they tighten their jaws.
On instinct, I twist and sink my teeth into the wolf’s hip. The animal yelps and pulls back, but not without taking a large portion of my thigh with him.
Rage and fury rip through me as I reach for the beast, tossing him a good thirty feet away. Undeterred, the wolf gets right back up, running for me at full speed, but someone steps in front of him. Dirt kicks up and a wave of power hits me so hard my skin bristles.
“STOP!” Forest commands. “Xavier, stop!”
The wolf halts, stumbling on his feet with teeth bared. He’s breathing hard and bleeding from his hip, but he never takes his eyes from me.
“This man is not our enemy!” Forest says using that freaky alpha finality again “Stop.”
When he finally backs away, I collapse on the ground, tears swirling my vision.
A cold, wet nose nudges my ribs, and a silver wolf whines low. When I don’t respond, Jasmine shifts to her human form, cradling my face. Her dark hair falls over her shoulders, covering her breasts. “Jericho! Oh, no.”
“What were you thinking!” Forest says. “We’ve told you he’s our ally!”
The tawny wolf cowers, but bravely snaps at me one more time before running off.
“Sage and Rowen, go with him! Tell his alpha what he’s done. Every pack in our area knows Jericho is not a threat. Taren and Neal, go find Ivy.”
“She went that way,” I say, a little breathlessly.
“We know,” Jasmine says. “We picked up on her scent. They’ll find her.”
I just hope it’s not too late. I never should’ve sent her after Rip alone.
Forest crouches next to me as a few other wolves come close. “Take his shirt off. We’ll use it as a tourniquet.”
“Who the fuck bit me?” I say, trying not to watch as they shred my favorite shirt, a vintage Led Zeppelin graphic tee Evan bought me for Christmas.
“Xavier. He’s the youngest shifter in the Hollow Cliff pack. He’s not supposed to be out here, but with all these threats lately…”
“He knows better,” Jasmine scolds. “He was there when Merebeth introduced Jericho to everyone.”
“He probably just smelled vampire and attacked without thinking.”
It takes three people to get me to a standing position, and two to help me walk. The entire time, I can feel blood oozing from my leg.
“I’m going to go find the others,” Jasmine says. “Hopefully one of them will have a lighter.”
I bristle at the thought of fire and smoke, wincing at the next thought that always accompanies it: watching my childhood home go up in flames.
