77. Sina
“Come out, come out, little blood whore—”
“Before we kill your hive—”
“—Yeah, surrender to us and we’ll let them live.”
Taunting laughter followed, sharp and ugly.
I clamped a hand over my mouth to suppress the sob that burst past my lips, terrified the sound would carry. My opposite hand shook around my blade.
Nik stepped into view through the windshield, the headlights illuminating him in stark white.
His shoulders dipped as the change took him.
Fabric tore. Bones cracked. The sound was violent and unmistakable.
His wolf burst free beneath the moonlight, massive and nightmare-black with glowing golden eyes that found mine even through the glass.
A lion lunged, teeth sinking into his shoulder.
Nik threw his head back and howled before twisting free, jaws clamping onto the lion’s throat. He shook hard, brutal and efficient. When the lion stopped fighting, he dropped it. The vampire shifted back to human instantly, body limp, throat torn open.
Dead.
My hand went to my own throat, burning at the carnage unfolding around me.
A grizzly roared and barreled into the fray beside him.
I recognized the size and power immediately.
Rafe. Relief flickered at the sight of two of my mates fighting side by side, but it vanished just as quickly beneath the chaos.
I searched for Harlow and Elias, but there was too much smoke, too many bodies colliding in the dark.
Dragon fire rained down again, lighting up the gruesome scene for a few seconds before shadows swallowed it whole.
The rear door handle jerked violently.
“Come here!” someone shouted .
I should have moved. I knew I should have. The second they surrounded us, I should have thrown myself into the driver’s seat. Instead, I sat frozen like prey, heart pounding so hard it hurt. My mind screamed at me.
Run, Sina. Get to the front. Drive.
Fear locked my muscles in place.
Rafe’s massive claws tore into the rogue at my door.
Nik’s wolf joined him, and together they took the man down in a savage blur.
Blood sprayed across the window in a thick crimson arc from the force of Nik’s bite.
He released the body and lifted his head, howling into the night.
The laughter shifted into snarls as more of them lunged toward my mates.
Metal shrieked behind me as another rogue grabbed for the rear door.
“Come here, little girl.”
The handle beside me rattled violently again. A whimper clawed up my throat.
Rafe reared onto his haunches, then dropped back down and stalked the threat. His massive jaw closed around a tiger’s throat. He shook once, hard, and held until the body went limp. The corpse slid down the side of the car and out of view.
Rafe’s pitch-black eyes met mine. His fear for me pulsed through the bond like a living thing.
I pressed a trembling hand to the mark on my shoulder, trying to slow my breathing before panic swallowed me whole.
With one last look, my bear turned and charged back toward our alpha just as Kiron’s flames tore across the clearing again, catching men and beasts.
Screams split the night as fire engulfed fur and flesh.
The scent of burning hair and charred skin rolled through the cracks of the car until my eyes stung.
Something massive slammed onto the hood, denting the metal inward.
Claws scraped along the doors, searching for weakness.
I still didn’t move .
Then Rafe roared. Pain . I sucked in a sharp breath, tears pricking my eyes. Rafe was hurt.
“NO!” I screamed as another wave tore through the bond and hit my chest like a physical blow. I twisted in the back seat, trying to see him through the smoke and fire. I caught a glimpse of brown fur buried beneath bodies, and fear flooded me so violently I thought I might be sick.
Where the fuck was Nik?
I searched for my wolf frantically while I wished I had completed the bond with him so I knew if he was okay or not.
The back window exploded. Glass imploded inward, raining down over me in a storm of shards.
I screamed as sharp edges sliced across my shoulders.
The trunk crumpled with a deafening crash as something enormous slammed into it, rocking the car so violently my head snapped forward.
That broke the paralysis. I had to help Rafe. Run over the bastards that dared hurt him! I didn’t think. I just moved, scrambling over the seat toward the front, hands slipping on leather, knees slamming against the console as I tried to haul myself forward.
I didn’t make it.
“Come here, girl!” the rogue snarled.
A hand shot through the shattered back window and clamped around my ankle. My knife fell to the floorboards. The grip was iron, and nails pierced my skin. No, not nails.
Claws.
I screamed and twisted onto my back, kicking blindly with my free foot and striking something solid.
“You bitch! I'll make you pay for that!”
My attacker yanked on my ankle harder, effectively dragging me into the back seat. My head slammed into the center console. Stars burst behind my eyes as I clawed at the headrest, fingers slipping, nails bending painfully .
I knew if he got me out that was it. I was going to die.
“Kiron!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, as I fought with everything I had. The claws tightened around my ankle, biting into skin. Pain shot up my leg as bone ground under the crushing pressure. “Let me go! My mates will kill you for this!”
I continued to fight him as best I could, but it was useless.
I was fucking useless.
He dragged me through the broken window. Glass tore through my clothes and sliced into my back, sharp lines of fire opening across my skin. Warmth spilled instantly down my sides. My head cracked against the metal edge of the trunk on the way out, white light detonating behind my eyes.
“Kiron, help me,” my voice broke on his name. Then I hit the ground hard on my tailbone. The impact sent a violent shock up my spine that stole my breath. Cold earth pressed against my cheek. Smoke filled my lungs with what little air I could drag in.
Blood coated my tongue. I felt it trailing down my back, warm and slick where the glass had cut deep.
The copper scent rose into the smoke. I sobbed, my tears clouding my vision, but through the blur my attacker's face came into view.
He was partially shifted, some kind of massive feline the incomplete transformation making him more grotesque.
Tan fur rippled over muscular arms. His teeth were lengthening past the normal vampire fangs.
His eyes were feral and glowing bright orange.
The shift in the clearing was subtle but immediate.
Growls deepened. Heads turned. I felt the shift. Almost like a ripple spreading outward. My blood was calling them.
Holy shit , I was so fucked.