With that, I grip the rubber knife handle in my mouth and begin to climb the base of the fifty-foot tree. Looking up, the vamp isn't there. And then, with a blink, she unleashes herself, slashing me in the face with her long, jagged fingernails. Herhands find my throat, shoving me downwards. My inner wolf roars, fangs defensively dropping into place. Finding my balance on the strained branch, I fire into her calf. She screams, losing her grip. It’s all I need to push off and let the beast take over.
The second my four paws touch down, I give the demon no time to react. My jaws close around the back of her neck and slam her face into the tree, promptly snapping her spine with a single jerk. The vampire slumps over on snow-covered ground.
Wait. Where’s my knife?
I sniff around the forest floor, scrambling for the silver blade to finish this kill. Vessa looks to me, holding the gun steady.
It happens in a split second. The vampire flings herself back onto her feet, neck snapping back in place with acrunch. Unbridled horror crosses Vessa’s face. Her feet shuffle backwards, panicked. She doesn't pull the trigger, not even as the creature hurdles towards her. It's all I can do to try and dodge my own knife as it flies, sinking into the soft flesh behind my shoulder. With a grunt, I rip out the weapon and lurch forward.
"There's no need to run,” the vampire purrs.
Vessa tilts her head, and her fear instantly drains. Like a helpless sailor drawn to a siren, she leans in to indulge the monster. She grins from ear to ear. Hooking a finger beneath her chin, she silently compels my mate to turn her weapon.
On me.
I'm sprinting towards them now, howling her name in the back of my mind. The demon brushes the hair from Vessa’s face and raises her wrist to her lips. Inhaling, her eyes roll back into her head.
“Do it,” she orders her.
Out of thin air, an arrow sings, hitting its target square in the back. The vampire whirls, hissing in my direction as another arrow sails and pierces the demon's forehead. Vessablinks rapidly, coming to her senses as I collide with her captor. Wavering on her knees, I tackle the vampire to the ground and plunge my claws into her bony chest, just below the arrowhead, shredding the heart so that it fills with molten silver.
Yellow eyes dim as the ground begins to rumble. Three lycans approach, two heavyset ash-brown males, led by a larger one bearing striking flecks of silver. They halt immediately upon recognizing me. I dip my head to them and toss the vampire carcass for them to dismember. The wolf with russet eyes rips out the knife with its teeth and then the three of them have at it. Vessa turns to burrow her face in my fur, unable to watch.
"Next time, you ought to give her one of these!" a voice yells from behind us. Stepping out from the trees with her signature know-it-all grin is my sister, holding a crossbow.
Chapter 14
VESSA
"Any idea how long it was tracking you?" Chris Blake, Alpha of the Silverback wolves, asks. He stabs his green beans with a fork, raising it to his mouth.
For as hungry as he was earlier, Axe has barely touched his plate. "I don't know. What I’m concerned with is how the hell she knew my mate’s scent. And whether or not she was working alone.”
Demitrya Skornokovy flicks her brother's arm. "Mind your language, Axe. You know the girls like to listen in from the other room."
Demi's beauty surpasses what I was expecting. Intricate fishtail braids twist around the ponytail tied at the crown of her head. The arm draped over her stomach is inked with a blooming vine that winds from her elbow to wrist. The opposite arm showcases the legendary warrior flames of Bleeding Sun. Her emerging round stomach only enhances the glow of her sun-kissed skin and her scintillating jade eyes.
Chris redirects. “Our land is situated too close to the border for vampires to hunt undetected. Bissex hasn’t had any sightings in almost two years. You think she was a first-generation?”
“She used compulsion on her, Chris. That makes her pretty high up the ranks.”
Compulsion . . . is that what that momentary blackout was? My grip on my silverware goes slack.Is that how the Blood Master was able to make Lyndi drop like a brick?
Demi flicks her gaze across the table. Turning to Axe, she growls, "Enough about vamps. We'll have our Sentinels link up with your nearest scouts and regroup in the morning."
Axe stares her down. He wants a reconnaissance team organized tonight. Chris runs a hand through his coarse brown hair, ultimately siding with him. Demi stands abruptly, her dishes clattering. Tapping out of the discussion, she invites me to the sitting room for a cup of tea. I offer a polite smile to oblige, leaving the two Alphas to coordinate their next steps.
Demi leads me into the kitchen. The cabinets are draped with foliage of lime green pothos plants, which thrive under the artificial light fixtures. Or perhaps it’s simply the radiance that comes from her.
She places a kettle over the gas stove, dialing up the heat. “When this little boy comes, we're going to have to enforce much stronger table etiquette.”
I look around, admiring the children’s drawings and watercolor paintings displayed on the fridge. "I take it he’s not going to be named for his father, then.”
Demi's answering giggle is pleasantly melodic. "No. We're naming him Petyr, aftermyfather. Our medic predicts that he will arrive on the 30th of August."
I gasp. "That's my birthday!"
While I smile at the coincidence, Demi does the opposite. "I bawled my eyes out when she told me. August 30th marks twenty-one years since my parents were murdered, along with a dozen others who once belonged to Bleeding Sun."
