All those things had lowered her guard enough to trust the man in front of her. Who was a cheating bastard.
Tears filled her eyes. It was too much. It just all slammed into her at once. They weren’t alone in the woods anymore and people were around them. Maybe not people. Creatures in skin. She darted a frightened look around, really understanding that she wasn’t anything like them. Her and Bat were surrounded by the things they probably would have paid money to see featured in some horror movie.
I’m having a breakdown, she acknowledged, but didn’t try to reign in her emotions. I’m entitled to one after all this shit has happened.
It wasn’t actually Drantos’s fault that her grandfather was some kind of evil mastermind or that Vampires and Werewolves were real. But he’d been the one to tell her the truth and take her away from the other survivors from the plane. Maybe a rescue team would have found them and she’d be back in her apartment if he hadn’t done that. She’d still be clueless—and happier for it.
“Dusti?” Drantos inched closer and tried to take her hand.
“Don’t!” She stumbled back.
He growled. “Keep your voice down.”
“Fine,” she whispered. “I know you saved my life a few times but stop touching me.” His earlier words replayed through her mind. “I just need you to back off me right now, okay? Just leave me alone.”
He blanched, his expression paling.
“I mean it. Don’t keep grabbing me.” She fought tears by blinking them back. “I just want to go home. Do you get that? I want the hell out of here. I’m so done with all of this shit!”
Movement from the corner of her eye made her startle and she jerked her focus off Drantos. Yonda, now dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. The woman grinned slyly. “You heard her. I know I did—and I’ll repeat it to anyone who asks. She just renounced you, Drantos.”
“Fuck,” he growled. “She didn’t. She doesn’t know anything about our culture. Knock your shit off.”
Yonda proceeded to murder her with a ferocious glower. Dusti wasn’t about to forget that she could transform from a woman into a hell beast and tear her to shreds with her claws. Pure hatred seemed to radiate off the dark-haired beauty, directed solely at her.
Velder’s sudden appearance almost right behind Dusti had her jumping again, twisting to stare up at him. He hadn’t made a sound when he’d snuck up on her.
“Dad,” Drantos argued. “She’s been raised by humans. She’s just upset because she misunderstood about Yonda and I. Yonda’s manipulating the situation because she’s pissed that Dusti isn’t a full VampLycan. It’s none of her business.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Velder looked angry as he spoke low. “Some of them overheard it and I have to follow the laws, despite you being my son. She made it clear that she doesn’t want you touching her. You must keep away from her at all times. Shift and run back to the clan. You’ll make it there before we arrive and can tell them we’re coming. We’ll find her lodging somewhere safe.” He paused. “Don’t cause another scene. We’d have to fight for certain, son. I’m your clan leader. You must heed my words or be punished more severely. One of us would die.” His voice deepened and grew loud. “You’re to return to our clan now. Go!”
Drantos threw back his head and let out an enraged bellow.
Dusti’s knees almost collapsed under her at the horrifying sound and the shock of seeing him like that. He spun away the second it ended, taking off toward the thick trees. He began to shift, his clothes just tearing apart as his body transformed. He disappeared behind trees before the shift was even complete.
What the hell just happened?
She had no idea…and was afraid to find out.
Chapter Nine
Velder gripped Dusti’s arm in a bruising hold. She didn’t try to pull away when she saw his enraged features, too afraid of him to protest. He jerked her forward toward the nearest truck and then spoke to one of the men.
“Protect her.” He let go and glared down at Dusti. “Give him trouble and he’ll knock you out. Don’t give us any more problems.” He spun away and turned his anger on Yonda. “You and I are going to speak later.”
Yonda’s smug expression morphed into one of fear.
“Dad.” Kraven approached with Bat.
Dusti tried to go to her but the man assigned as guard grabbed her arm. He didn’t hurt her but it was clear he wasn’t allowing it. She froze, afraid of the way the situation had turned.
“Don’t,” Velder hissed. “Just take that sister and get in the other truck. We’ll sort this out when we reach the clan. Right now we have bigger problems to deal with. I wouldn’t put it past Decker to lie to Aveoth and say we stole his granddaughters. We both know what that means.” He glanced up, seeming to search the sky. “We need to get home.”
“Fuck.” Kraven just scooped Bat up into his arms, carrying her to the other truck.
“Come on,” the tall, muscled blond still holding Dusti whispered. “Climb into the back of the truck.”
She let him assist her since the tailgate hadn’t been lowered. Both sides of the bed had a bench and she took a seat where he pointed. He sat on the right of her. Red climbed in next, taking up the space to her left. She stared at him. He wasn’t a fan of hers but he was Drantos’s cousin.
“What just happened?” She needed answers.
“You renounced Drantos and caused him to openly disagree with his father.” He sounded pissed and it showed in his eyes when he turned his head to peer at her. “You’re unfit to become a member of this clan.”
“I never asked to be.”
“Good. You’re nothing but trouble for Drantos. Everyone will be talking about what happened between him and Velder. Fathers and sons shouldn’t argue.”
“In what world do you live in?”
Red growled low. “This one, and you don’t belong here.”
“I’m just trying to get my sister and I home.”
“It will happen eventually since you renounced Drantos. He’ll have to stay away from you. It’s law.”
Dusti felt confused about what had just happened. Drantos had been ordered to leave her and she was surrounded by a bunch of strangers who could shift into beasts. She hadn’t wanted him being all grabby, but she also hadn’t meant to trigger some weird law, either. Renounce? What the hell does that mean to these people? I need to get Bat and I away from here.
She gripped the seat when the truck moved, bouncing as they drove over uneven ground to turn both vehicles around. She glimpsed Bat and even managed to catch her eye. Her sister was talking and lifted a hand to wave. She even flashed a tired smile, as if to say it was all going to be okay.
Dusti wasn’t so sure of that. Maybe she and Bat could talk someone into taking them to an airport. Drantos’s dad might agree to let them go since he seemed less than thrilled to have them there. Though it was possible that their bat-shit crazy grandfather would send some of his minions after them.
She glanced at the faces around her and shivered. They’d at least be surrounded by humans in California.
Or maybe not. A quick image of one of her neighbors flashed. Tim wasn’t the friendliest guy when she ran into him at the mailbox. He’d even growled at her once but she’d figured he was just in a bad mood since she’d overheard that his girlfriend had dumped him. It was possible he could be a Werewolf. She’d never seen anyone with that much body hair before. It covered his arms in mats, probably his chest worse, and the sight of him sporting a pair of shorts had left her horrified. She couldn’t even see skin for all the hair. It even covered the tops of his feet, which she’d seen in flip-flops.
Shit!
With the vehicles turned around in the grass and back on the narrow dirt road, the other truck was within sight ahead of her. Dusti gripped the edges of the truck bed and leaned back, trying to catch glimpses of her sister. It was a rough ride when the drivers accelerated. The wheels hit deep ruts and drove right over rocks.
“Stop leaning over the side,” Red ordered. “You’re going to fall over the edge.”
“I just want to make sure they’re taking Bat to the same place we’re going.” She didn’t want to be separated from her again.
“They are.” Red gripped her by the knee. “Just sit up straight.”
She straightened and followed his order, then pointedly stared at him.
He frowned in response, seeming unhappy with her still. “What?”
“Why are you holding on to me?”
“Because Drantos would be angry if I let you fall out of the truck. He’s not here to do it, thanks to you.”
They hit another dip and it did help having his big hand pressing down on her leg. “I didn’t know that was going to happen.” Dusti sighed. “You don’t like me.”
“Nope.”
“I hate Decker Filmore. It’s not my fault I’m related to him. I wish I weren’t.”
“That’s what I was told.” He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “How could you do that to Drantos?”
“Do what?”
His eyes turned a weird color. It might have been a reflection of the sun that made them appear blue with golden streaks. “He’d die for you, yet you sent him away. How could you?”
“I just said I didn’t want to go home with him.”
“You renounced him.”
She grew frustrated. “I’m not even sure what that means here. One second we were having a little private argument and the next his dad ordered him away from me. Don’t you people have disagreements?”
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
“That’s what I said. Explain it to me.”
“He—”
All hell broke loose around them. Howls came from different directions, almost deafening Dusti, and something slammed into Red. One second he sat next to her, his hand on top of her leg. The next instant he was just gone. Then she saw one of those hell beasts slam into the ground behind the truck, Red beneath it.
She was pitched sideways as the driver hit the brakes. The blond kept her from being flung into the back windows of the cab as she hit his body instead. He was solid. He swiftly grabbed her and twisted, dumping her on her back on the metal bed of the truck, and then rose up, standing. Another hell beast landed in the back of the truck with them. Dusti gasped, seeing his sharp front paws just inches from her face. The blond tackled it and they both tumbled out of the back.
Dusti was in shock. The few other men still left in the back of the truck with her had bailed out. She lifted up, peering over the edge of the bed.
She wished she hadn’t. It looked like a war. Men from Velder’s side were wrestling and fighting with beasts. There had to be at least a dozen of them.
Bat! She pulled her body up to a crouch, keeping close to the cab. She spotted the other truck but it had been tipped on its side. A big dent had collapsed the upright side panel, as if something had T-boned it. Bodies were sprawled on the grass where the passengers in the back had been thrown clear.
A few of them moved, seeming stunned but alive. Two beasts suddenly leapt up on the side of the tipped truck and then launched at them. Their claws tore into the victims before they could even get to their feet. She watched in terror as two men tried to fight back.
Kraven’s body was sprawled flat in a bloody heap near the carnage. It looked as if something had already torn up his back, his skin shredded and stained red. Her sister lay trapped under his big body, just part of her thigh showing. It had to be Bat. She looked so pale against the green grass and all that bright red blood.
Dusti almost fell out of the back of the truck and frantically glanced around as she crouched next to the passenger door of the cab. The men who belonged to Drantos’s clan were shifting into beasts too. She watched Redson toss the beast he fought and rip at his own clothes to get free of them as hair sprouted along his arms and chest. His fangs looked huge, his mouth and nose elongating. Soon she wouldn’t be able to tell Decker’s men from Velder’s.
I need to get to Bat. She looked back at where Kraven lay so still. That was definitely Bat under him. She wasn’t even sure if her sister was alive or dead. Kraven didn’t look as if he’d survive with all that blood soaking him.
She took a few sharp breathes and prepared to sprint toward Bat. She refused to believe her sister was dead. She had to try to save her since all the men seemed occupied with fighting for their own lives. It would mean leaving the safety of the little cover she had but that was her sister. Bat would do it for me.
The sound of metal creaking caught her attention and she saw the driver’s side door of the tipped truck being pushed open from the inside. The hinges protested loudly but it finally gave way. A man tried to climb up and out of the cab. It was Velder. She recognized him despite the fact that blood covered the side of his face. He almost made it out but then another beast leapt up on the side of the truck, using one swipe of his claws to strike the struggling man. He fell out of sight, back inside the cab of the truck. The beast used those same claws to tear into the door and shove it closed, placing both front paws on top of it, as if it were purposely trapping Drantos’s father. But the creature didn’t stay there long, leaping off to attack someone else.
Dusti tensed, placing her hand on the truck to brace herself as she prepared to run like she’d never run before. She just needed to shove Kraven off Bat and pray she was alive. If she could move, they’d run like hell and hope none of those beast things followed them.
After a few ragged breaths, Dusti sprinted the distance to the other truck. She pressed her body against the back of it then slowly eased around, so close to her sister and Kraven that only about eight feet separated them.
A hairy beast suddenly stepped out from in front of the truck, just a feet away. Dusti waited for it to turn its head and see her. She held her breath, praying that didn’t happen. It stepped out more, blocking her path to Bat.
“Batnna?” it snarled in an inhuman, horrible voice. “Batnna?”
Terror held Dusti immobile. The creature advanced and seemed totally focused on Kraven and Bat.
It sunk in that it might have been saying Batina. It was looking for her sister.
That thing was one of her grandfather’s people and it had come to take her sister to him.
It prowled closer to Kraven and Bat. They weren’t moving, unaware of the danger. Dusti shook all over but moved. Her voice wouldn’t work, the creature too terrifying for her to get words out. She struggled to even swallow but finally managed. She had to draw it away from Bat.
“I’m Batina,” she whispered.
The thing turned its head so fast that Dusti lost her footing, falling back against the truck. It was the only thing that kept her from landing on her ass.
The beast had pitch-black pupils and scary teeth. It stared at her and came closer.
“Batnnna?”
It sounded worse when it hissed than when it made the rougher, louder snarling sound. She nodded. “I’m Batina,” she repeated.
It moved to her side, inches away, and paused next to her. It crouched down. “Grrrr onnnn.”
She didn’t understand.
A naked, bloodied man strode forward, gripping something that appeared similar to a girdle. Hope flared that he’d attack the beast but instead he grabbed Dusti by the back of the jacket she wore and yanked hard. She ended sprawled over the back of the shifted VampLycan. The man released her and twisted her body until her legs fell on both sides of the creature, as if she were about to ride a horse. He shoved her flat so her stomach and breasts pressed tight against fur. Something snapped over her back and squeezed her sides. She cried out in pain as it was tightened until she felt as if she might break in two.
The guy straightened. “You’ve got her, Craig. She’s secure.” He hit the beast’s ass. “Go! We’ll put down a false trail for them to follow.”
The creature under her bolted forward and Dusti realized exactly what that man had done. He’d effectivel
y tied her onto the enforcer’s back. The girdle thing belted her to the creature from her hips to just under her ribs. It ran, picking up speed. The fur covering the beast’s body did little to cushion her from the rough ride.
He jumped, a sick feeling going through Dusti when they were in the air, but he landed hard enough to make her scream if she’d been able to draw breath. It was just too painful being slammed around.
Decker Filmore was going to end up with her instead of Bat but she doubted she’d still be alive by the time she reached him. The hell beast under her leapt again and when he landed, the tight material around her felt as if it might snap her spine from the jostling. She blacked out.
* * * * *
Fury gripped Drantos. He roared into the woods over not being close enough to protect Dusti. His father carefully lifted Kraven off Bat, evaluating her limp body with a shrewd assessment. He ran his hands carefully over her ribs.
“Is she alive?” Drantos couldn’t retract his claws to touch her himself. His rage had his animal side too close to the surface.
His father nodded. “Yes. She’s breathing fine and I don’t detect any broken bones. Kraven used his body to cushion her but the force of him landing on her appears to have knocked her out.” Velder turned, checking on Kraven. “He’s badly injured. He’s lost a lot of blood and we need to get them home.”
“I’m going after my mate.” Drantos clenched his teeth.
His father frowned as he straightened to his full height. “No. I need you here. Our trackers will find her. They’re going after her now.”
“I'll do it,” Drantos snarled. He didn’t give a damn what his father ordered. She had been taken. He had to get her back before she was killed by Decker for being the granddaughter he believed useless to his cause—or it was discovered she wasn’t as human as he believed. He’d send her to Aveoth. It would be hell trying to recover her from the cliffs and the GarLycan clan, if not impossible.
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