Chapter 24 #2
Dru raced over to the door and yanked it open with all of her strength. An urgent need to get to her mate filled her. She glanced inside and saw Tomesha huddled on the floor.
“Dru!” Tomesha cried out.
Dru reached in and dragged her mate into her arms. Relief crashed over her.
Tomesha wrapped her arms around her, trembling. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” Dru murmured. She pulled back and hated the fact that she’d gotten the lycan’s and traitor’s blood on her mate. She’d take her back and personally wash all of it off, but for now she was grateful Tomesha was unharmed.
“Wasn’t that man a vampire?” Tomesha scanned Dru’s body as if she were looking for wounds.
“He’s the traitor to the crown,” Dru explained.
She didn’t have time to go into too many details about Solomon.
She was satisfied at the moment that he’d got a taste of her blade.
His head would make the perfect gift for her queen.
It would be unfortunate that he wouldn’t be able to answer for his sins against their people, but his head would suffice as payment.
“There were so many lycans. Where did they come from?” Tomesha’s bottom lip trembled.
Dru held her tight. The citizens of the town were still hidden away.
Dru was glad that none of them had ventured out during the battle.
This was another attack on them out in the open, and this time, the damn beasts didn’t care that they had been in the middle of town.
She bit back a growl at the thought of them growing so bold while there was a vampire warrior post located here.
“The traitor. He’s in league with the lycans. But don’t worry, miere. We’ll take care of everything.” Dru didn’t like the fear that emanated from her mate. If she could kill those lycans who’d dared attack the vehicle again, she would. Their death should have been long, drawn-out, and painful.
“We have a problem, General,” Orenda murmured.
Dru’s gaze flew to where she’d left Solomon’s body.
He was gone.
The only evidence that he’d been there was the pool of blood that remained on the concrete sidewalk.
A curse escaped Dru’s lips. He couldn’t have gone far. Her attention was snatched away by the arrival of large military vehicles. Soldiers poured out of them. Postmaster Alexander was amongst them. Dru tugged Tomesha behind her and stalked toward the male.
“General. We came as soon as we heard,” he announced.
He and his warriors were dressed for battle.
She released Tomesha’s hand just as she arrived in front of him.
She flew forward, slamming him against the armored truck.
Silence fell around them. She didn’t care who watched.
The postmaster was in charge of the local base, and it was his responsibility to be the first line of defense for the townspeople.
“This is the second time me and my men have been attacked by lycans,” she growled.
His eyes were wide, panic-stricken, and they met hers. Those damn lycans had been after Tomesha. She tightened her hold on him, his feet lifting from the ground.
“How would I have known?” he wheezed.
“It’s your job to know. It’s your job to protect this town.
It’s your job to ensure we have top-notch warriors who’d have detected the lycans before they even made it to town,” Dru roared.
She shoved him away before she did something she’d later regret.
She took a few steps away from him and turned back to glare at him.
“This town is to be on lockdown. No one in. No one out unless they’re vampire military. ”
“Yes, General.” He righted himself and stood to his full height.
Dru despised incompetence, and right now, this post was revealing its weakness. The base was designed to be a command center for all of the vampire military operations to put in security measures to not only protect but to deter their potential enemies.
“Your ineptitude at ensuring this town and the surrounding areas are protected will be reported to the princess.” Dru strode over and stood toe to toe with him. She flashed her fangs. “Maybe it’s time we choose someone else who’d be more effective in this role than you.”
His audible swallow was the only response. She flicked a gaze at Tomesha who silently stood by watching the interaction. She had to get her out of here, but she couldn’t leave. This wasn’t a safe area for her. Dru turned back to the postmaster.
“My mate came under attack. I want her secured at the base. Are you able to do that?” Dru asked.
“Of course, General. I assure you that she will be secure on the base. No lycans or enemies will infiltrate the facility,” he vowed.
“If any harm comes to her, it will be your head.” This was a promise that she’d fulfill. She motioned for Tomesha to come to her side. She turned to her and rested her hands on her shoulders. “You’re going to the base where they’ll keep you safe.”
“What about you? Are you going to go after that vampire?” Tomesha asked
“My mission is not complete. Go to the base. I’ll come collect you when I return.” Dru pressed a kiss to her forehead. Once she returned, she’d claim her. Nothing would keep her from Tomesha’s side.
“Please be careful. You have to come back to me.” Large tears teetered on Tomesha’s eyelids.
Dru’s heart swelled with emotion at the sight of them.
This was new for her, and at that moment she knew that she’d do everything in her power to not let her down.
Dru caressed Tomesha’s soft skin on her cheek.
She’d already memorized every facet of this woman’s face.
This was the person she was to spend her entire life with, and she couldn’t wait for their forever to start.
But first, she had a vampire to kill.
“Believe me when I say that nothing will keep me from you. Now go, so I can concentrate.”
* * *
Alexander’s men had succeeded in locking the town down swiftly. Not a soul could be found on the streets. Dru and her warriors were on the hunt for the wounded traitor. Dru followed the small trail of blood until it disappeared.
His body was starting to heal.
She separated from her men to allow them to cover more ground.
She wouldn’t need anyone with her. She’d grabbed a communicator where she could stay in touch with Orenda and the others.
The quicker they found the traitor, the sooner she could return to Tomesha.
Having her guarded in the most secure place in the town allowed her to focus on the mission at hand.
With the town on lockdown, it was too quiet. Eerily so, but it allowed Dru to hear everything with her enhanced senses. The sky darkened as another set of thunderous clouds rolled in. The scent of rain reached her. Soon those angry clouds would open up and unleash the impending storm.
Dru moved through the silence like smoke—swift and soundless. She was a deadly vampire on the hunt. The former right hand of the king continued to underestimate her, but she’d prove that he was no longer the regarded warrior he once was. He’d feel the edge of her blade again.
The scent of Solomon’s blood led her forward.
She took in the last drop and cursed. She turned down the slim alleyway between two buildings where the blood trail had led her.
It was a long area, a trash receptacle placed near the middle.
She stepped into the alley and inhaled. She immediately wished she hadn’t.
The strong aroma of waste hit her. She scowled and crept forward slowly.
A broken window caught her attention, its jagged edges stained dark. She stepped closer and narrowed her gaze on it. A growl rumbled low in her chest. He was attempting to hide like the coward he’d become. She had to catch him before he escaped and vanished once again.
The wind shifted, and she picked up the scent of his blood.
He was close by. A door had been left ajar.
She slipped her serrated blade from her waist sheath and silently stalked to the door.
She wouldn’t attempt to go through the window.
She’d bust the damn door in if she had to in order to search for him.
The moment she rested her hand on the handle, it flew open.
Solomon lunged toward her with his fangs bared.
The once highly decorated warrior was gone, and what faced her now was a cornered beast. The force of his body slamming into hers carried them across the alley and into the wall of the neighboring brick building.
The air escaped her lungs, but she ignored it.
She drew in a ragged breath and forced him off her.
“You should have died,” she snapped.
He brought up his blade, but she deflected it with her own.
Steel clashed in the tight area as they fought.
In his current state he was no match for Dru.
There was desperation in his eyes, but Dru ignored it.
He slashed at her but missed. She landed a hard kick to his abdomen, sending him flying into the building behind him.
He crashed into it and fell to his knees.
His weapon clattered to the ground a short distance away.
“You think killing me will stop the lycans?” he bit out around his fangs. “You think the king and queen won’t turn on you?”
“Your path was chosen the day you betrayed our king,” Dru sneered. She was different than him. She was loyal to her king and queen—to their kind.
“He’s no king of mine. He had my mate and her family killed,” Solomon spat. Blood dripped from his mouth. The wound of his abdomen must have reopened from their fight. There was now a large pool accumulating on the ground underneath his knee. “Because she was a lycan!”
“So you’re a traitor not once, but twice.” Dru stalked toward him with her blade gripped in her hand. It mattered not what he tried to tell her. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—trust a word he said. He’d betrayed them all and he must pay.
“Her name was Darda. She was beautiful and kind. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. She was killed just because she was a lycan who loved me.” He knelt on both knees before her, weakened, but he held his head up high and met her gaze.
For a brief moment she almost pitied him—the high-ranking warrior he once was; the respect he’d once earned was now gone. But pity had no place here.
His loyalty had shifted. He’d betrayed their kind. He sent those lycans to the town to attack her and her men.
He’d almost had her mate killed.
She struck.
Her blade slid through his neck with a clean, decisive sound, ending the argument in silence.
He fell back against the wall, his eyes dimming as the light left them.
Blood flowed in twin rivers from the wound.
She’d ensured she’d severed both major arteries on each side of his neck for a quick death. He’d bleed out in minutes.
She stood over him, waiting until the final beat of his heart ceased. Dru reached up and tapped on her communicator in her ear.
“I have the traitor,” she announced quietly.
“I’m headed your way now,” Orenda replied.
Dru’s hand fell away from the piece, and she eyed the dying male before her.
His pallor became pale. What was left of his blood trickled from him.
Fat raindrops hit the pavement around them as the clouds opened.
It was fitting that the gods would see fit to wash away the atrocity of the vampire who lay dying. The rain picked up into a heavy pour.
“May the gods decide your fate, Solomon Winterborne,” she whispered.
The last agonal breath escaped him, and his heart pounded no more.