Chapter 13 #2
Flutters of activity jerk my head in all directions. Crows call out to each other from distant treetops. Rabbits make themselves scarce, kicking up twigs and gravel beneath their feet.
Reaching behind my back, I pull the lightweight revolver out from my waistband and offer it to her. My pistol remains in my firm grip, its long barrel pointed forward. "Know how to use one of these?"
She grips the gun between her thumb and index finger. “Yes.”
“That wrangler there is loaded with six silver bullets. If anything jumps at you, you empty it.”
I raise my weapon to my line of sight, scanning the area just as the ground beneath starts to level out. "Lift the leg of my jeans and unstrap my knife, will you?"
She does as she's told, dropping to her knees and carefully pulling out the seven-inch blade from its holster. My only other backup. "Are you always armed to the teeth?" she asks, keeping her voice down.
Just as Vessa comes back to standing, the corpses come into view. Two hundred meters out, the broken bodies of a middle-aged man and his dog lie beneath the canopy of a crooked balsam. Their throats are soaked in fresh blood. Clearly, a blitz attack, timed just before sunset.
Sensing she might scream, I pull Vessa to my chest and speak softly into her ear. "Shh. Whatever did this is still in the area. I won't shift, but I need you to stay close."
Vessa bites her lower lip to swallow her shriek.
Her eyes drop to the hunting knife which gleams with the reflection of bloody snow.
Carefully, we make our approach. I make quick work of pulling out the man’s wallet to learn his identity.
A professor named Walter, who resides in a small town three miles away from the lake.
Next, I examine the wounds. Walter's neck has multiple bite lacerations, as does his yellow mutt.
The fang indentations are too small for a mountain lion, or wolf, but just the right size for a humanlike predator. A demon I know all too well.
Closing my eyes for the moment, I inhale deeply to initiate my augment. The scene plays out in less than ten seconds, confirming the blood percolating through my senses was indeed spilled by a vampire. One that struck so fast poor Walter didn’t have a clue what was happening.
A flicker of anguish surfaces from the girl beside me, whose face is solemn as she strokes the dead mutt's fur. I place my hand over her gloved one. "It was over very quickly for her," I whisper.
Vessa nods, peeling her eyes away. A hiss breaks the stillness, turning our heads. That's when it hits me—this wasn't a spontaneous attack. These two were bait.
Fifty yards out, a silver-haired woman faces us, mouth and neck caked in blood. A centuries-old vampire from the smell of her. With her brown trench coat, she blends in seamlessly with the landscape. Lifeless yellow eyes widen as she inhales the smell of my companion.
Vessa’s breath snags, the revolver shaking in her hand as we come face to face with her greatest predator.
A warning growl erupts from my chest. My mind races.
If circumstances were different, I would take my wolf form and hunt the vampire down, chasing her across the entire province if I had to.
But I can't risk the distraction of being separated from my mate.
The vampire launches herself into the trees above us. Vessa lets out a curse, stunned by the demon’s agility.
"Whatever happens, stay behind me," I tell her.
Peering down at the human like a vulture, the demon licks her lips. “Sweet flower,” she croons. “It’s about time.”
"Cover your ears," I growl, lining up the shot.
Vessa jolts when I pull the trigger. A silver bullet shreds through the vampire's shoulder and then I fire two more times, hitting her square in the chest. Her icy shrill fills the air as she flings herself onto a taller tree.
I fire again as she sticks her landing, the bullet grazing the side of her foot.
The vampire moves again, a white blur as she leaps to another tree, branches rustling as she climbs her way up.
Behind me, Vessa's breathing is sporadic as we close in on her from below.
I need to shift. Now.
"I’m going after her."
"No!" she protests. "Let's go before she regains her strength."
I shake my head profusely. I’m not programmed to retreat. “Trust me, she’s just getting warmed up.”
The smaller semi-automatic Vessa clutches is practically useless at long range.
Prying the wrangler from her fingers, I exchange it for the larger gun.
Careful to avoid placing her hands on the piping hot barrel, I wrap Vessa’s fingers securely around the butt.
Her breathing is ragged, heart pumping with dread.
“Fine,” she croaks. "Go."
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. Her hands 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 a crunch.
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.
Vessa blinks 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.