Dark Lycan

by Christine Feehan

Chapter 10

  Fen had learned at a very early age just how fast fights began and ended. The battle at the farm might be ferocious, but it wouldn't last long. He didn't have a lot of time to find out the information he needed. He took to the sky, rocketing through the air, using his Sange rau speed, leaving Tatijana behind. He couldn't afford to take the chance that Abel's captain would see and identify her, not with what Fen intended to do.

  The rogue paced along the edge of the boulder, his gaze intent on the scene below him. He wasn't happy with the losses of his pack members. Unlike the vampire, the werewolf still retained some emotion for his pack. Unfortunately the lust for blood overcame every civil behavior learned over hundreds of years.

  Fen recognized him. He'd been a young member of Bardolf's pack. He'd been smart even as a young pup. The pup had been called Marrock. Fen could well believe that he was a great strategist when it came to running a battle.

  He blocked out everything good he knew about the werewolf. Marrock had long ago succumbed to the need to kill for fresh blood, believing he was superior to all other species and his wants came first. In essence, he was the Lycan vampire-a murderer.

  Fen came out of the clouds with blurring speed and was on Marrock almost before the wolf knew he was under attack. The body recognized it before the brain. Eyes narrowed and went bloodred. The muzzle began to take shape, teeth exploding in the mouth in a desperate attempt at self-preservation. Fen drove the silver stake deep into the heart, taking the werewolf to the ground, watching the hatred and need for retaliation concentrate in those red, glaring eyes.

  Fen could feel regret now, thanks to his lifemate, and once again he had to acknowledge bringing justice to murderers one knew was easier without emotion. He shook his head, pushing all emotion aside so he could do his job. He couldn't hesitate, or feel fear. He had to be absolute in his quest. In control. He was Sange rau, both Carpathian and Lycan and there was little in the world stronger than him-or his will.

  He thrust his mind into the mind of the dying rogue. Hatred. Rage. Bloodlust. For a moment those things threatened to consume him as they had consumed the mind of Marrock. His entire world went red, the intensity of the bitter emotions pouring into his mind, infecting him, as if the wolf had a disease that transferred from one brain to the other. Feelings of superiority crept in. He was more intelligent. He could think faster than others, size up situations and figure out before the others what they were going to do. Physically he was faster, stronger, his body rejuvenated faster.

  Fen hung on and breathed away the worst of the intense emotions, knowing Marrock was trying to trap him. The danger of being infected with the bloodlust was the worst and that pushed at him harder than anything else. He craved blood. Was addicted to it. Why shouldn't he have the right to take what he was designed to take? He was born to be a predator. There was no taming what or who he was.

  That much was true. Every Carpathian male he knew was a predator. Every Lycan. And he was a combination of both. The drive was already in him. Why should he pretend to be someone else? He could take what he wanted or needed and no one would be able to stop him. Their leaders had all become victims, afraid of who they were, ashamed even.

  The whispers began, another voice promising riches, promising to live the way they were meant. He could have anything at all he wanted, money, power, women, and blood, as much fresh, rich blood as he desired.

  Fen latched onto the memory in Marrock's mind, striking hard and fast, pushing open the door so that a flood of memories assailed him at once. Marrock's induction into the pack of rogues. That first taste of a kill, so unforgettable and never to be repeated, no matter how many times one killed or how. Marrock's rise to captain.

  Fen pushed down the rising fear when he saw the enormity of the pack. He couldn't get exact numbers because they were broken down into smaller groups, but they all answered to Bardolf and Abel. Few actually met them, but all were sworn to be loyal to them.

  He had to get past the older remembrances Marrock had offered up as a wall to conceal the information Fen was after. Marrock snarled and fought, trying to ensnare him in a muddle of recollections, pushing the need for fresh, adrenaline-laced blood on him, sharing the taste of hot blood, anything to keep Fen out of his most recent memories.

  Fen pushed harder, using more strength, careful not to tip his hand, but slipping past those memories that wouldn't help him. Marrock still had options that could be harmful to him. He didn't want to trigger any of them until he got the information he needed.

  Fen found the most recent orders from Bardolf. Marrock was to keep the Carpathians busy, kill as many as possible and inflict as much damage as possible to force them to go to ground to heal. A second force would find the humans who aided in protecting children, destroy them and grab any Carpathian women helping to protect the children. The two forces were to attack simultaneously and keep everyone busy, allowing Abel and Bardolf to slip in and assassinate the prince.

  The moment he accessed the memory, he knew he had only seconds before Marrock would try to warn Bardolf or Abel and also bury Fen in a quagmire of poisonous emotions to prevent him finding his way out. Red and black poured into his mind even as he reached out.

  "Lifemate. " One word. Everything. The miracle.

  She was there instantly, his own dragon lady, and she knew exactly what to do without him telling her. She poured into his mind, driving everything else out, and as she extracted him from Marrock, she swung the silver sword and removed the head, making it impossible for the wolf to warn the Sange rau.

  Fen took the time to drag her into his arms and hold her tight against him for just a moment, breathing in her sweetness and steel after the bloodlust and mayhem in Marrock's poisoned mind. She was a breath of fresh air.

  "You make a pretty good partner, my lady. "

  She smiled at him, rubbing her hands over his back. "It's nice to know you have such faith in me. That was horrible. Never do that again. "

  "You'll have to get to the village, Tatijana, and warn the others at the farm that they're being detained there on purpose. I'm going to try to stop the Sange rau. I'm the only one with a chance. "

  She shook her head. "Not two of them. Not alone, Fen. "

  "Go, Tatijana," he said gently. "Hurry. The rogues decimate entire villages. "

  Fen brushed a kiss against the corner of her mouth and took to the air, streaking back toward Mikhail's home. He had been in that house and knew it was designed to help protect the prince. There had to be more, a complete protection system Gregori was confident would stop any attack on the prince-but they believed the attack would come from a vampire-perhaps even a master vampire. They hadn't designed their defense system to deal with the Sange rau.

  Tatijana took a deep breath and stepped off the jutting cliff, streaking toward the village. She didn't want to imagine what the werewolves would do to humans barely waking in their homes.

  Gregori, Mikhail's in danger. Fen has gone to try to stop the Sange rau from getting to him. But there are two of them.

  There was a short silence. Pain exploded in her skull-Gregori's pain-quickly cut off. Fen does not have to worry. Mikhail is completely protected. There was utter confidence in Gregori's voice.

  Mikhail's guardian would check anyway, no matter how arrogant or confident he sounded. Tatijana knew Gregori would fight his way to Mikhail with his last breath.

  The Sange rau sent another group of rogues to attack the village, specifically targeting women and children of our kind.

  Again there was a short silence, but this time, Gregori kept the pain from his terrible wounds from touching her. I wondered why the Lycans didn't show up. They must be defending the village.

  Of course. She'd been in Zev's mind. He was every inch the man Gregori was. His confidence. His abilities. His complete determination to defend others. He would definitely wade straight into battle and shield hu
man and Carpathian alike.

  As she approached the outskirts of the village, she felt the disturbance almost immediately. The scent of blood was overpowering. She shifted into her dragon form flying high enough, she thought, to keep any rogue from leaping on her as she circled the battle scene.

  She spotted Zev in the middle of what looked like twenty werewolves. He was whirling around in a circle, his silver sword crimson red, his long hair flying as he cut a path to a single dwelling that appeared under siege. His long coat flared out as he spun, the sword never stopping, his boots placed perfectly and fluidly as if he was dancing, not in deadly peril. He seemed to flow, confidence in every line of his body. He looked almost beautiful there in the early morning light. Had it not been for the blood spraying through the air, she would have thought she was watching a ballet.

  Around the back of the house, four others fought with swords and silver stakes, while another was on the rooftop of the house. That was a woman, and her form was every bit as good as her male counterparts. A sixth Lycan was down in the corner of the yard, two rogues tearing at him. Two Carpathian women were fighting their way to him.

  Use the silver stakes, Tatijana advised the woman with thick dark hair who slammed her fist into a werewolf's face, driving him back and off her. Tatijana was amazed at the woman. Clearly Carpathian, she was used to fighting vampires, it showed in every line of her body. Women rarely fought the undead, not like this woman. Tatijana wanted to meet her immediately.

  The clouds above had gone black and lightning veined the one directly over the house. Destiny Von Shrieder glanced up to make certain the blue dragon was out of harm's way. Dragonseeker, I'm about to bring down the lightning.

  Tatijana circled back around, giving the dark-haired woman plenty of room. From her vantage point she could see the fierce fighting in the front of the house where Zev fought alone. Out of the house came two men. She recognized both of them. Gary Jansen and Jubal Sanders rushed without hesitation into the mass of werewolves attacking Zev. Gary shot a crossbow with silver arrows very accurately, firing rapidly while Jubal used some strange weapon she'd never seen before.

  The two humans were fast and confident, and had obviously seen battle before. The werewolves outnumbered them and were extremely fast, ducking the flashing sword Zev wielded and using the house itself as a springboard to leap onto their backs in an effort to take them to the ground. Zev seemed to be directing the two men in their efforts, but their constant movement prevented her from aiding them. She couldn't flame the werewolves without harming the defenders.

  The rogues were extremely aggressive. One lit a torch and flung it at the house. Zev cut him down, but two wolves waiting their moment leapt from the roof and landed squarely on his shoulders, their combined weight driving him to the ground. Immediately the rogues surrounded the fallen Lycan, determined to kill him fast.

  Gary hit one of the wolves in the head with a silver arrow, and then smashed another out of his way with the crossbow as he ran toward Zev.

  "Go, go, keep going," Jubal called out. "I'll cover you. "

  The wolves leapt on Zev, tearing at him, biting great chunks of flesh from him. One very aggressive rogue went for the kill, going for Zev's throat, while the others seemed determined to eat him alive. Zev fought back, using silver stakes and a shorter knife, but the rogues quickly pinned him with their numbers and weight.

  A wolf managed to claw Gary's arm as he raced past, leaving four long bloody furrows. Gary didn't slow down or falter. He ran through the double line of wolves determined to get to Zev before the rogues killed him. The wolf got a second hold on him, spinning him around. Gary stabbed an arrow deep into the wolf's thigh and broke free, jumping over a downed werewolf and putting on a burst of speed.

  He'd broken through the double circle of rogues surrounding the elite hunter and now they were between him and the house.

  Jubal let loose with the weapon on his wrist, a strange spinning very sharp tool. The edges of each of the four blades must have been tipped with silver because as the spinning blades struck a wolf, cutting through his arm, the veins in his body seemed to grow rigid and turn color on his skin.

  Gary fired off two more arrows, downing two of the wolves in a fighting frenzy over Zev. "Can you get up?" he yelled.

  Zev slammed a silver stake into the leg of the wolf pinning him down while the second rogue tore at his belly, determined to rip it open and yank out the insides. Zev threw himself away from the wolf, rather than covering his belly, sacrificing his body by giving the rogue time to rip him open, but giving himself the room to swing his sword, lopping off the wolf's head.

  Blood spurted from Zev's belly and the wolves behind them seemed to go into a frenzy the moment they scented the weakness in the elite hunter. The headless wolf fell across Zev in a deliberate attempt to pin him to the ground as well as to protect his own heart from being staked.

  Gary yanked the body away from Zev, slamming a patch over the deep laceration in Zev's belly. Clearly the Carpathians were more prepared this time for the way the rogues fought. He followed the body of the headless wolf down to the ground, driving an arrow through the heart, using sheer strength fed by adrenaline.

  The moment he bent over to punch the arrow deep, a rogue slammed into Gary's back, driving him away from Zev and deeper into the front yard. The circle of wolves howled their approval and rushed the two men cutting them off from the house. Now that the three men were separated it would be easier to pick them off.

  Zev staggered to his feet, found his sword still in his hand and was already in motion, flowing through the yard toward Gary, while Jubal fought with his strange weapon as well as a silver machete.

  Tatijana saw Gary go down under the weight of several wolves and she dove fast, the dragon streaking down out of the sky, her touch delicate in spite of her size and speed. She blew a steady stream of flame across the werewolves' backs as they bent, ripping, biting and tearing at Gary's body. Zev swore-she heard him over the howling growls and screams of the burned rogues-as he fought his way toward Gary.

  The rogues whose backs had been burned by Tatijana leapt away from the downed man, looking to the sky, more angry than hurt. She tried to pull up fast, knowing the giant leaps they were capable of. One leapt from ground to fence and then was nearly on her.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Tatijana saw the dark-haired woman run with long, confident strides over the rooftop and leap to intercept the rogue in midair. She held a knife in one hand and a silver stake in the other. The werewolf and woman slammed into one another hard, the momentum helping to bury the stake deep in the chest of the wolf. He howled, falling, reaching for her, and the woman simply dissolved in the air.

  Who are you? Tatijana asked as her dragon streaked for the clouds. And thanks, I've had my belly ripped open already by one. It's no fun. I'm Tatijana.

  Of course. Clearly she'd heard of Tatijana and Branislava. I'm Destiny, lifemate to Nicolae Von Shrieder.

  Tatijana had met Vikirnoff Von Shrieder and his lifemate, Natalya. Natalya was related to Tatijana-she was Razvan's sister and a Dragonseeker as well. She guessed Vikirnoff and Nicolae were brothers. Where one was, the other probably wasn't far behind. She was grateful to see a woman like Destiny joining aggressively in the battle. Tatijana wasn't a woman to stand by and let others do the fighting if it was necessary. She didn't know a lot about the policies of the Carpathian people, but it had been impossible over the last two years when others brought blood to Branislava and to her not to become familiar with a few of them.

  Can you tell how bad Gary is? From her vantage point, Tatijana's dragon could usually see far better than any human or Carpathian, but there were so many wolves fighting around him, she couldn't get a clear look at him.

  I'm trying to get to him now, Destiny confirmed. These things are fast. If the Lycans hadn't joined the fight, we'd be in real trouble. We only had a couple
of men here to help defend the children. They hit us only a few minutes ago, but the casualties are high. If it wasn't for the Lycans, especially the one they call Zev, we'd have a few losses.

  They hit the farm at the same time and they targeted Gregori, Tatijana informed her.

  Her dragon made another circle high above the combat zone. The fighting was furious in the front, with only Destiny, Zev, Gary and Jubal trying to combat the number of wolves. In the back, there were six Lycans battling a larger force of rogues.

  Is Mikhail's son in the house? Gregori's daughters? Tatijana was worried the sheer number of rogues would overrun the small defenses they had.

  No. Sara's children. Sara is on bed rest and Gabrielle is there with her. Gabrielle and Shea are in the house to be the last line of defense for the children.

  Vikirnoff and Natalya? They had to be somewhere close and yet they weren't in the middle of the fray. Tatijana couldn't imagine either of them sitting out a battle.

  Destiny ducked under one of the beasts, slipped past another and got to Gary. She plunged a silver stake through the back of the wolf tearing at Gary's insides. Crouching, she got an arm around his back. He was a mess, his belly ripped open and great chunks of flesh removed from his chest. Once the wolves got a victim down, they tore him apart. Gary made an effort to rise, but he had to clamp both hands over his open belly, and he'd lost so much blood so fast that he was weak. The blood made him slippery and trying to lift him was impossible. The patch didn't begin to cover the mess.

  "Come on," Destiny hissed. "We're not out of trouble here. "

  They were ringed by snarling wolves. She was bleeding in dozens of places. Zev was in nearly as bad a shape as Gary, and Jubal couldn't get past the wall of werewolves to get to them.

  "Get out of here," Gary urged. "You can make it through without me. "

  "That's not an option. " Destiny looked to the sky. Tatijana, flame these bastards. I've had enough of them. She raised her voice. "Jubal, Zev take cover now!"

  With that, completely trusting Tatijana to do as she asked, she took Gary back to the ground. Before she could cover him, he was covering her, hands over her head, his body on hers, pinning her down.

  "You're crazy, you know that," he whispered in her ear, laughter in his voice in spite of the pain he had to be in.

  Without hesitation, both Jubal and Zev hit the ground. Jubal, still close to the porch, managed to roll partially beneath it. Zev went down where he was trusting several wolves would follow him to the ground, which they did, effectively covering his body.

  The world around them erupted into flame as the dragon blasted out of the clouds, neck extended, wings creating a windstorm to help fan the white-hot flames as they burst in a steady stream from the dragon's gaping maw to the ground below. Rogues, half wolf, half man, found fur and hair on fire, and dropped, rolling, desperate to try to put it out.

  The temperature in the front yard went from crisp and cold to instant searing heat. The roar of the flames thundered in their ears. The wind rose to a fever pitch as the great wings fanned those flames so that they jumped from one rogue to the next. She hovered overhead another moment or two after she quit spraying fire, her enormous wings acting like bellows and then with a loud trumpet, she once more gained altitude.

  "Now, now," Destiny hissed. "This is our chance. "

  Zev leapt to his feet and began slamming home silver stakes, heedless of the flames, uncaring of any injury to himself. Jubal rolled out from under the porch and followed his example, staking as many as possible.

  "Use the sword," Zev called out, tossing his sword to Jubal. "Any that's been staked, sever the head. "

  Jubal caught the sword easily with one hand and swung at the head of a rogue charging at him who had remained relatively unscathed.

  Gary made a huge effort and rolled off of Destiny, coming up to his knees, careful to keep his hands over his ripped belly. The rogues were adept at their chosen fighting method-to incapacitate their opponent by eviscerating them. It took only seconds. Gary had saved Zev, but he hadn't escaped the pack and their relentless, tireless thirst for blood and the kill.

  Destiny didn't think any of them had escaped. Every Carpathian and Lycan had very bad wounds. Once again she got her arm around Gary. He made a valiant effort and struggled to his feet, going completely pale, black blood pouring from his gut. She knew those signs, and they weren't good. Gary obviously knew it as well, but he said nothing, breathing deep to try to make it through the burning yard, back to the house.

  Gregori. We have great need, Destiny called to their healer on the common telepathic path. Gary won't live out the hour if you cannot make it to us. No other has the skill to save him, not even Shea. She did not say that she doubted even Gregori could save him, but it was in her mind and he would know.

  Zev moved with astonishing speed, so efficient and skilled at killing the rogues, Tatijana from above couldn't help but watch him. He flowed through the yard, making his way toward Destiny and Gary, even as he cut down numerous wolves. Those wolves rolling to put the flames out were in danger from both Zev and Jubal. Jubal wasn't waiting for the stakes-he sliced through bodies and then staked them as he went.

  Tatijana's dragon had turned the tide in the front yard. She circled back for another view of the furious fighting in the backyard. The wounds were severe. The largest group of wolves had attacked the backyard, probably because there was more cover, trees, brush and even a fence the wolves could use as springboards.

  Zev, Gary and Jubal had taken on the entire pack in the front, while most of the Lycan elite hunters were defending the back. Destiny clearly floated between, lending her skills to either side, depending on who needed her the most.

  Tatijana studied the scene below her, trying to find where she could come to the aid of the Lycans. The Carpathian woman was small, but she was a powerhouse, mixing it up with wolves, blood streaking her body. Some of the blood belonged to the enemy, but clearly she'd been bitten several times and those claws tore open great lacerations.

  Tatijana couldn't communicate with the Lycans, but she could with the Carpathian woman. This was Joie Trigovise, Traian's lifemate and Jubal's sister. Several times it had been Joie who had given blood to both Tatijana and Branislava as they healed their minds and bodies in the rich soil of the Carpathian Mountains.

  Joie had a cap of thick glossy dark brown hair. Her features were strikingly beautiful, yet at times she blended in with her surroundings, so, like now, it was difficult to keep an eye on her.

  If there is a way to get all the Lycans under shelter, I could flame the werewolves, Tatijana offered. It certainly turned the tide in the front.

  Joie didn't answer right away. She rolled beneath a wolf, slashing at the back of his knees as she gained the back porch, where it looked as if six or seven werewolves were tearing at the back door.

  Tatijana heard a child scream, a high-pitched frightened sound and then another younger one began to cry. The pitch of the roof over the back porch prevented her from seeing exactly what was going on or how close the wolves were to breaking into the house, but the cries of the children made her heart pound and spurred her into action.

  The female Lycan leapt the wooden railing of the house. "Over there. " She indicated the corner of the porch where three more of the rogues were rushing to gain access.

  Her name is Daciana. She's a heck of a fighter, Joie informed Tatijana as she angled her approach to intercept the three wolves hoping to break into the house with their other pack members.

  Are they into the house already? If they were, it was time to let her dragon form go and get into the fray with Joie, Daciana and the other Lycans. The werewolf pack couldn't be allowed to breach the house and get to the children.

  Tatijana knew Shea, Jacques's lifemate, was inside. She was a doctor, a healer, not a fighter, but she would defend the children. Joie
's sister Gabrielle was in the house as well. She was a researcher, not someone who engaged in battles, but she would fight fiercely to protect the children. Sara had to be inside, Falcon's lifemate. They had adopted these children and Sara was pregnant with a child. She'd miscarried her first pregnancy and was on bed rest with this one, but no doubt she would fight with the others in spite of everything.

  Stay in the sky, Joie said, clearly reading her concerns. "Daciana, we've got a dragon on our side. If we can drive these wolves back into the open and get our people under shelter, Tatijana will flame them. "

  Daciana glanced upward toward the dragon circling above them. As she did, one of the werewolves leapt from the railing of the porch up to the roof and launched himself skyward at the exposed underbelly of the dragon.

  Oh no you don't. Tatijana hissed the words in her mind.

  She'd had her belly ripped open once and wasn't about to have it happen again. As the wolf rose, his claws outstretched, she swung her neck around, using her wedged-shaped head as a bat to knock him away from her. He sailed end over end into the canopy of the trees several yards away from the house. He landed hard, snarling, raging and grasping at the branches to keep from falling.

  He yelled threats at her, shook his fist and began climbing down fast as she swooped over his head. Tatijana knew it was reckless of her, but even inside the dragon's body, she felt the rush of adrenaline. The little scream of a child, the sound of crying, had gotten to her as the blood and wounds hadn't.

  The werewolf reversed direction with astonishing speed. She didn't even see him, just the furious shaking of the branches as he rushed back up the tree to the very top of the canopy and flung himself at her a second time. His claws hooked in the dragon's softer belly just as Zev came over the top of the roof. Tatijana could see the Lycan moving as if he didn't have a hundred deep lacerations, as if his belly hadn't been sliced open. He flowed over the peaked roof, his eyes nearly glowing, the metallic gray color so intense they could have been gems.

  He never took his gaze from the rogue attacking her, never looked down to make certain his footing on the pitched roof was solid. His eyes were penetrating, piercing, totally intimidating and unblinking, fixed on his prey. He launched the silver stake. It spun through the early morning light, gleaming, spiraling, rocketing toward its target.

  Zev continued running over the roof even as he threw the stake, down the other side and then dropping into the backyard. He landed in a crouch right in the middle of the swarm of werewolves, sword in hand, already drawing another stake from his belt.

  The stake spinning through the air flew straight and true, slamming deep into the chest of the rogue clawing at the dragon's soft underbelly, driving through the heart. The wolf went rigid, dropping like a stone from the sky. Droplets of blood followed him down from where he'd torn the dragon open.

  Zev fought his way through the wall of werewolves to get to two of his hunters who were fighting back to back, ringed by the rogues. Both were slashed, bitten and wounded, but neither wavered for an instant. Zev joined them.

  "Work your way back to the house," Daciana called to them.

  Daciana and Joie cut between the wolves and the back door, each coming in from a different side, presenting a united front and a barrier to the entrance of the house. Destiny burst out of the back door, joining them. She was covered in blood.

  Joie frowned. "You all right?"

  "It's mostly Gary's. He's in bad shape. I called in Gregori, but I doubt he'll get here in time. " Destiny's voice was grim. "Shea's doing what she can. "

  The wolf directly in front of her leapt over her, crashing into a window, shattering the glass. A child's wail came from somewhere inside. Daciana leapt after the rogue, landing on his back, driving him down to the ground. He was strong, pushing himself up fast with both hands and legs, trying to shake her off of him.

  "To the house," Zev directed his hunters.

  "Lykaon is down," Daciana yelled. "North corner. "

  Zev and the two other hunters with him aggressively began fighting their way to their fallen brethren. The other two Lycans both made their way toward the corner as well. Lykaon was on the ground, more dead than alive.

  Tatijana could see blood spraying into the air and three wolves tearing at the body. Frustrated, she circled again. If the Lycans would just get to the porch, she knew she could lay down a stream of flames that would take the fight out of the remaining wolves. As hard as they fought, the pack kept the hunters back from their downed comrade.

  Tatijana couldn't stand it. She wasn't going to sit up safe in the sky while one of the Lycan fighters was being torn apart or eaten alive right under her nose. She dove fast, folding her wings close to her body and sped toward the yard. Trees were close and she was forced to shift to tiny molecules and streak down to the fallen Lycan.

  She shifted again just before she landed, her dragon breathing a steady stream of red-orange flames to clear out the wolves as she hovered just above Lykaon. The wolves tearing at him caught fire. The scent of burnt flesh and fur filled the air.

  Tatijana was extremely vulnerable on the ground. The moment the wolves were off the body, she gathered the fallen warrior in her front talons and took to the air with him. A dozen rogues leapt at her. Most hit her scales and dropped off, but one flung himself onto her back and sank teeth into her neck-or tried to-the spikes and scales prevented him from harming her.

  She had to work hard to get airborne with the injured Lycan in her talons and the wolf on her back. Two more tried to grip her tail, but she thrashed it hard and they fell away. Again, it was Zev who came to her aid. He threw a knife, and just like the stake, the throw was done with deadly accuracy. The wolf on her back grunted hard and fell away, leaving her to rise easily. She circled, watching for her chance as the Lycans fought their way to the porch.

  With so many defenders, the few werewolves who had tried to gain entrance into the house abandoned the small confines for the yard. Tatijana tucked Lykaon close to her body and once more dove, spraying a steady stream of flames through the pack, setting most on fire. Just as in the front yard, the burning wolves retreated, rolling to try to put out flames while the hunters emerged and did their best to destroy as many as possible.

  Tatijana landed in the front yard, grateful that Daciana and Destiny ran to take the fallen Lycan from her. She was weak, exhausted and bleeding. The moment she shifted, her knees nearly gave out.

  Destiny glanced at her over her shoulder while she and Daciana half carried Lykaon toward the house. "You all right? Can you make it?"

  Tatijana nodded. The werewolves were on the run, but it wasn't safe. Nearly every defender had been wounded, many of them seriously. She knew many members of the rogue pack would linger to try to get in as many kills as possible. She forced her shaky legs to work and made it to the porch just as Gregori and Jacques emerged, startling her. Jacques immediately reached his arm out her to steady her.

  Both men looked as if they'd been in a war zone. They were covered in wounds and blood, Gregori especially. She couldn't see how he could still be standing. He had to be in pain, but there was only purpose etched into his face.

  Gregori flung open the door to the house. "Where is he?"

  The wounded lay, sat or stood waiting for Shea's attention. Joie, Destiny and Daciana began to help her attend them. Shea looked up the moment they entered. Jacques helped Tatijana to a chair and went immediately to his lifemate.

  "Are you all right?" Zev asked.

  Tatijana nodded. "I lost a little blood. I'm not nearly as bad as the rest of you. "

  "We got our asses handed to us," Zev said with a sigh. "This pack is very large. Too large. It doesn't make sense. " He looked around the room. "Where's Fen?"

  Tatijana let out her breath slowly. "They hit us in three different locations. At first we thought just the farm, but then when we discover
ed the pack had been divided into thirds, we divided our forces. Fen has experience fighting them, so he went on to the third location. "

  Zev nodded. "Makes sense. " He looked around at the wounded. "Where's Gary? He saved my life and I wanted to thank him. "

  There was a small pregnant silence. Shea looked at Gregori and shook her head. "I did what I could. He's holding on to see you. "

  Gregori strode into the room Shea indicated. It smelled of death and blood. Gabrielle, Joie's sister, sat beside Gary, holding his hand. There were tears on her face. Gary was gray, pain edging every line.

  His eyes met Gregori's.

  "You look like hell," Gregori greeted.

  Gary tried a smile that didn't quite come off. "You look the same. " Even his voice was no longer his own, but a mere thread.

  Gregori stood over Gary, his silver eyes nearly liquid. "You have accepted our way of life, my brother. You are jaguar, which means you can become one of us. "

  Gary shook his head.

  Gabrielle gasped. "I don't understand. Why are you even hesitating? Gregori can save you this way. "

  Gregori gently moved her away from the fallen man. He put his hand over Gary's very gently. "He knows the human perspective will be lost once he becomes Carpathian and so far, that perspective has served us well. " He knelt beside Gary, leaning close. "I will do what I can, and give you my blood, but know this, you are my brother-kin. I do not lose kin easily. If I see this will not work, protest or not, I will convert you. Do you understand?"

  Gary managed a nod. He closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness. Gregori sank to the floor beside him and quickly shed his body to begin the work of healing the man who had been more of a brother to him than his blood brothers.