Page 87 of Blood Magic

I stared at him after I parked the car, seriously considering knocking him out and then tying him up and leaving him in the car. I’d clenched my fist when Jared knocked on my window.

I jerked around, then stared at him for a few seconds before I opened my car door and got out. Joe got out as well but wandered toward the house, giving us some privacy.

Jared took my shoulders and held me as he looked me over, and when he was finished with his inspection, he stepped back, frowning.

I was glad he stepped away because it was hard for me to breathe when he was standing so close. I took a deep breath and crossed my arms. “I feel them out there,” I told him. “What’s going on? My mother?”

He smiled, surprising me. “Axton and three of his vampires came after Susan’s house guest. She was ready for them.”

I relaxed a little. “Shotgun and silver shot?”

He nodded. “Sunshine in a gun. Axton’s three men were standing in front of him, protecting him. They got the brunt of it, but Axton was hit, as well. Knocked them on their asses and when they were on the ground trying to recover, she and Zach began to stake and decapitate them. But Axton, he took his wounds and ran.” He paused. “You don’t seem surprised.”

I grinned. “I know my mother.” Still, Axton was a master. “The wolves are tracking them?”

He took a step toward me. “Kait, your mother is inside. She’s injured. Axton took Zach. He called in dozens of his vampires as a roadblock and distraction—my wolves are dealing with them now. But Axton…” He shook his head. “He has what he came for.”

I was already running to the house.

“Kait?” Joe asked, and I heard his heavy footsteps as he tried to catch up with me. But I was a wolf, and I was inside and kneeling at my mother’s bedside before he crossed the threshold.

One of the women who lived with her was sitting in a chair by her bed, and she quickly got up and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

“Kaity,” my mother said, lifting a hand to push my hair out of my face. “You’ve lost your braid.”

“Mom.” I laughed, but it was watery. “What the hell were you thinking, going after a master vampire?”

“Sweetie, what else could I do? While Zach was helping me kill the vampires, that bastard swooped from the shadows like a deranged bat and snatched him up.” She shuddered. “That boy shut down like nothing I’ve ever seen. I had to try to get him back.”

“You should have called me.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I did call you.”

“Shit.” I leaned my forehead on her shoulder. “I lost my phone. I’m sorry, Mom.” I looked at her, anger slowly replacing the worry. “What did that fucking corpse do to you?”

“He was all, “Go home, mama wolf.” I told him, “No can do, daddio,” and then I shifted and even for a wolf like me there’s a pause, you know? I was vulnerable. I thought he’d run and I’d chase him. But he waited for my shift and he’s fast. He’s the county master, of course he’s fast. He caught me halfway into my shift and…”

“What?” I whispered. “What’d he do?”

“He shoved a silver spike into the back of her neck and while she was helpless between her shifts, he beat the fuck out of her.”

I looked up at Jared, who’d slipped into the room so quietly I hadn’t heard him arrive. I’d known he was there, all the same. He put his hand on my shoulder and I covered it with mine, squeezing gently. “I’m going after him,” I said.

“I know. I’ll be going with you.”

I nodded.

“Kaity,” my mother said. “You stay here with me and let the alpha handle it. You look like you’ve gone a couple of rounds with the master already. You need to rest.”

I stood, then leaned over to kiss her forehead. “We’ll take care of Axton, and we’ll get Zach back.”

She sighed. “Fine. Go get him. That boy is fly for a human.”

I slipped her my demon knife. “I’ll need to shift.”

She pushed it beneath her pillow, flinching only a little at the movement. “It will be here when you return.”

When I left the bedroom, Joe was surrounded by my mother’s three roomies, who were currently plying him with cookies and coffee. He stood immediately, a little shamefaced. “They told me your mother would be fine.”

“She will.” I stopped in front of him. “Jared and I are going to find Zach. Can you guard this house while I’m gone? I’m afraid Axton might return.”

“He can’t get in, can he? Unless they ask him in?”

“No,” I admitted, “but he’ll bring people with him who can.” I knew Axton wasn’t coming back here, but Joe absolutely couldn’t chase down a master vampire with two wolves. “I need you to guard this household, Joe. You’re the only one I trust to do the job. My mother might also decide she’s feeling well enough to leave. You can’t let her.”

Maybe he understood I was lying through my teeth, making things up as I went along, desperate to keep him safe. I knew he’d hate that I was trying to protect him. In the end, he nodded and sat back down with his cookies and coffee, and I rushed from the house with the alpha, eager to finish a night that seemed determined to kick my ass.