Chapter 1 #3
In the distance, I could see the main house. Much of it had gone dark. Amir and Ashleigh had probably gone to bed by now.
I started at the sharp squeak of my bedroom door. I could have oiled the hinges long ago, but I’d left it that way on purpose so that no one would ever be able to sneak up on me in here. I lived a dangerous life, and I had my fair share of enemies. Tonight, I’d added one more to the list.
I dropped down and armed myself with a knife, sneaking into the room. It was pitch black, but I could see the form of a large man inside it. Just when I was about to spring, a familiar voice rang out.
“Elijah, it’s me,” Theo whispered gruffly.
“Theo, you should know better than to sneak up on me like that,” I chided him quietly. “What are you doing here?” I grabbed the curtains and whisked them shut before I turned on a light so I could see him.
“It’s Amir. I came to warn you of his plans,” he replied immediately.
My expression sobered quickly at the seriousness in his tone.
“Augustus offered him assistance. He agreed to loan out his best men in order to kill you tonight. I placed the rest of us on the perimeter just in case they try to sneak in from out there. I came as quickly as I could so you could be prepared along with us.”
“Theo, you shouldn’t risk yourself for me. Nor should the others,” I said softly, shaking my head.
“It isn’t a risk. I’d rather follow you than a man like him, even if it means exile or death. He treats the vamps like they’re better than his own kind. The rest of the men feel the same,” Theo spat.
I stared at him. He was a loyal soul who had done nothing more than fight by my side for much of his life. He was always kind, a bit sarcastic at times, but a true soldier. I reached out my hand and he took it. With a firm handshake, I nodded.
“Thank you for coming to warn me, Theo,” I replied. “When is the attack?”
“They could come at any time,” he whispered.
“Then we’d better be ready, shouldn’t we?” I answered and his face lit up with an excited grin. I cleared my throat and walked over to my bed, grasping the mattress and flipping it up.
I’d built a storage compartment that functioned as my own personal armory.
It was full of guns, knives, stakes, crossbows, and herbs that both wolf shifters and vampires were weak to.
I grabbed two 9 mms, loading each magazine with sun fire bullets.
I shoved multiple stakes into the slots in my belt.
Just as I slammed two more full magazines into my pockets, the door burst apart in a shower of thin splinters.
I quickly whipped up my arm to cover my face, wincing as the tiny pieces of wood scratched at my flesh. The sting faded quickly.
Vampires weren’t the only ones with supernatural healing abilities.
I leapt into the fray with Theo at my side.
One vampire after the next flooded into my room, but Theo and I tore through them as if it was nothing more than a game.
The visceral feel of slamming a stake into as many of them as I could was invigorating, and I howled as I whirled through the room with the full intentions of ripping through every single one until there wasn’t a pointy toothed fucker left.
One of them came at me with a silver knife and I caught his wrist in my hand. I wrenched it to the side, the sounds of bone splintering sharp before I pulled him in hard and viciously pierced his heart with my last stake.
Quickly, I threw his limp body to the side as I un-holstered both guns from my belt.
More vampires were pouring in the door, and I started squeezing the trigger.
Each gun was equipped with a long silencer that quieted the gunshot substantially, but soon the sound of the constant pop was the only thing echoing throughout the room.
The entryway exploded into a fiery display of bright light as one bullet after the next ended each vamp before they could enter. The doorway soon became thick with bloody headless corpses, one dead vamp piling onto the next until the ones coming began to trip on them.
I was a good shot. I didn’t miss, not even once. When my magazines ran empty, I replaced them with the skill of someone who’d done it a thousand times. By the time I was finished with those, there wasn’t a vampire left standing.
The ripe scent of their deaths was harsh on the air. I lifted my chin and had to force myself not to gag.
“Damn, Elijah. You could have left some for me,” Theo joked. “I only got, what, five to your two dozen?”
“Sometimes I’m greedy,” I joked back. As the smoke from my gunfire began to clear, I took stock of the fallen carnage.
My walls were splattered with blood. My carpet wouldn’t be able to be salvaged, not by a longshot.
From behind, I heard the sound of boots landing on my balcony and I looked back to see my pack members.
“Let’s clear this out. I have an appointment tomorrow at noon,” I added and Theo’s answering grin was contagious.
“Your wish is my command, alpha,” he replied, and I chuckled.
“In time, my friend,” I answered.