by Cynthia Eden
Cammie swallowed. Her lips lifted in a ghost of a matching smile.
Maya’s heart pounded like crazy in her chest. She wouldn’t be able to move fast enough, not with that damn ankle, so she’d probably have to take a few of the bastards down.
Unless they were smart enough to stay the hell out of her way.
Adam kicked in the back door, fear pumping through his blood as the screams filled his ears.
Cammie.
Maya.
He ran through the kitchen, past the men and women crouched on the floor and whimpering. He followed the howls, the scent of death.
He shouldn’t have let her go in alone. He should never have let Maya—
“You’re supposed to be fucking dead,” a furious voice snarled and a bloody, blond vampire jumped in his path.
Torrence.
Fire shot through him and the dragon began to roar. “Sorry to disappoint you.” Wolves raced around the room, vampires fought them, blood flowed.
“This time, I will kill you,” Torrence promised.
Not damn likely.
“Just like I killed your vampire bitch!” Torrence leapt forward.
Maya.
The heat of the change swept through him. Adam lunged for the vamp. He’d rip the bastard apart, drink his blood, burn his flesh straight from his bones, and—
A shot rang out. Torrence jerked, black eyes flaring wide. Smoke rose in a slow, curling plume from the wound in his back.
The vampire fell, shrieking.
Adam came face-to-face with Maya.
“Idiot didn’t kill me,” she muttered, but looked very much like she was in jeopardy of falling down, too. “He just pissed me off.”
The vampire was still alive. Adam reached for him. Time to finish—
“U-uncle Adam?”
The voice he heard in his dreams. He glanced back up, saw a pair of tear-filled brown eyes peering around Maya.
Cammie.
He jumped over the vampire. Grabbed his niece and held her as tight as he could.
He felt her heart racing against his. Felt her small arms curl around his neck. “Sweetheart, I’ve missed you.”
She cried into his shirtfront.
“Uh, I’m all happy about the reunion,” Maya said, “but you need to get her the hell out of here, now.”
Adam looked up. Noticed that Maya looked too pale—too weak. Just like I killed your vampire bitch. “What’d he do to you?” He demanded.
A shrug. “Sicced his dog on me.”
What?
Her lips firmed. “Get her out of here, Adam. Take her back to the motel and I’ll meet you—”
Adam kept a stranglehold on Cammie but reached for Maya with his right hand. “Screw that. We’re all leaving—”
She shook her head. “I-I can’t. There’s someone I—” A vampire grabbed her from behind, and Maya spun around, slashing with her claws.
The vamp backed away, shrieking.
More dead and wounded littered the floor.
Maya froze, her gaze trained across the room. “Hell.”
Adam followed her stare and saw the fierce black wolf standing on the table, fangs bared. A wolf with half a right ear and eyes blazing with fury—eyes that were locked on Maya.
“Get her out of here,” she ordered, lifting her gun and taking a stumbling step forward. “I’m not finished here yet.”
“Maya, no!”
But she was hurrying into the fighting crowd, shoving and pushing her way through the throng of bodies.
Cammie trembled against him.
Get her out of here. Her words slammed through his mind, following their blood link.
Adam turned away, clutched Cammie tight.
And left Maya in the swirl of hell.
The words she’s said less than an hour before played through his mind, lashing against his heart. You’d have done the same for me, right?
Fuck.
Chapter 13
Maya stumbled down the stairs. Shoved open the steel door—
And found a nude, dark-haired boy on the floor of the basement. A metal collar circled his throat.
He lifted his head at her approach, stared at her with pain-filled eyes.
He was a kid. Barely looked sixteen. Soft face. Desperate gaze.
Torrence and his vamps had trapped him there, held him captive.
The kid didn’t deserve to die in that pit.
She took a step forward.
He lifted his right hand, claws ready.
A fighter to the end. “Take it easy. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Any more than she already had. She moved toward him slowly, hands up. Her gun pressed against the base of her spine.
The bullet had caught the kid in the gut, and from the look of things, the silver bullet was still in him, slowly poisoning his body.
“You’ve got to let me take the bullet out,” she said. “Then we have to get the hell out of here.” Her fingers lifted toward him.
He flinched away from her, moaning.
“I have to take it out, do you understand?” She wasn’t sure he did. Silver poisoning—it could really screw with a wolf shifter’s head. Drive him crazy. Slowly kill him.
The bullet had to come out.
“I’m going to reach for my knife, okay?” Not much cleaner than her claws, but it was sharper and should work easier. “I’m not pulling it as a weapon, got that? I’m gonna use it to dig that bullet out of you.” She just hoped it wasn’t too late for him.
The kid had tried so hard to protect Cammie.
Golden eyes locked on her hand. Followed her inch by inch as she reached for the knife.
Maya pulled in a slow breath. “I have to dig the bullet out. It’s going to hurt”—more than the kid could imagine—“but otherwise, the poison will kill you.”
He just stared at her.
“Do you understand?” she asked, desperate. “Do you even know what I’m saying?”
His head moved. A slight nod. Or had she imagined it?
“Don’t attack me, kid. I’ll fight back, and I’ll hurt you even more.” Not her game plan.
Her fingers tightened around the knife.
The boy stiffened.
She brought her left hand down on his shoulder. Pushed him back, stared at the deep wound.
The smell of his blood teased her nostrils. She was weak and the scent was so sweet.
No.
She brought the blade of the knife down, pressed against his skin. “Scream if you want,” she murmured, “’cause this is gonna hurt like a bitch.”
The knife dug into his flesh.
And he screamed.
The wrenching sound echoed, shattering her nerves as she worked, cutting into him and feeling his blood coat her fingertips. The bullet was lodged in deep. After a few minutes, the tip of the knife finally hit the silver, then her fingers slipped inside the wound, claws ready, and she latched on to the bullet.
Not clean. Not safe. And I sure as hell hope I’m not leaving any shards inside.
A shifter would be able to heal from any infection and the bullet wound itself would mend at his next changing. The silver, that was the killer for his kind.
She slowly pulled the bullet out. The screams ended—the kid had passed out. Good for him. Not so much for her.
Maya tossed the bullet onto the floor. Wiped her knife on the side of her jeans and then tucked it back into her boot.
The kid was small. Skinny as a rail. Surely he couldn’t weigh more than 130 pounds. On a good night, that weight would be nothing to her.
This wasn’t a good night.
She lurched back to her feet. Her ankle still bled like a bitch. Not a good sign. When she put her weight on it, pain shot through her leg.
She could deal with pain. She’d done it enough in the past. The question was…how long would her body hold out?
Her gaze fell on the boy. You don’t know him, a soft voice whispered in her mind. You can leave him here. You took the bullet out.<
br />
Cops didn’t leave victims behind, and this kid—even though he’d attacked her—he was a victim.
But she wasn’t a cop anymore.
She wasn’t.
Maya turned away from him. Took one unsteady step toward the door.
The kid really was small. Maybe not even 120 pounds.
“H-help…” His voice. Whispering. Maya glanced back. The kid’s eerie eyes were closed.
Shit.
She stalked to him, grabbed him by the arm, and jerked him up. Slung him over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry.
She’d been a damn good cop.
Some instincts just wouldn’t die.
Maya wasn’t exactly sure how she got so lucky, but she made it out of Temptation with the kid. Her body trembled with every step she took, but they’d escaped.
The boy was still unconscious—and still bleeding. If she could just make it back to the motel, then they’d be safe. Adam had probably taken the SUV and gotten the girl to safety. Since it was damn unlikely that a cabbie would stop for a woman who looked like death and happened to be carrying a bloody, naked teen, she would have to stick to the shadows as best she could and—
Footsteps pounded on the pavement, thundering in the night. Close, too close. Goose bumps rose on her arms.
Hunted.
Someone was out there, stalking her in the darkness. Vampires? Wolves?
Maya glanced around quickly. Found an alley. Saw garbage cans. Dumpsters. The stench of rotten food and mold filled her nostrils. She could hide the kid there. Hope the alley’s smell covered his own scent.
She’d conceal the kid, then run like crazy in the opposite direction to throw off the hunter. Hunters
Maya hurried into the alley. Oh, she didn’t like that place. Too narrow with tall buildings on the left and right. Trapping her in.
This hadn’t been the best idea, but there was no choice.
She looked around once more, tightened her hold on the kid and—
“Bitch!” Maya was hit, hard and fast. She slammed onto the pavement, dragging the boy down with her.
“You’ve got his fucking blood all over you—now I’ll make you bleed, vampire!”
A man’s voice. Screaming with fury. Maya eased her hold on the kid, tried to cover him with her body.
Claws raked across the top of her back. Dug deep into her flesh. She clenched her teeth, refusing to cry out from the pain.
Take the pain, let it make you stronger. She’d done that as a kid. Taken every hit. Used it to make herself stronger.
A wolf shifter was attacking her. The bastard from L.A. She knew his scent.
She’d let him live before. Her mistake.
Maya liked to believe she never made the same mistake twice.
Wolf shifters often attacked each other, so she wasn’t sure if the kid would be safe if the asshole succeeded in killing her.
So she’d better make sure he didn’t succeed.
“Don’t move,” she whispered to the kid and his eyelids flickered, just a bit.
Snarls filled the air behind her and the weight on her back grew heavier as the claws shifted and pressed deeper.
The bastard was changing, shifting from man to beast. To better make his kill.
Not tonight.
A scream of fury ripped past her lips and Maya spun around. The claws raked over her back, shredding her shirt and her skin. She kicked out at the shifter, knowing he was weakest during the brief moments of change. Her foot caught him in the jaw, wrenched his head to the right, and made him stumble back.
Her turn to play rough.
Maya bared her fangs and reached for the gun. Screw using claws and fangs, a bullet would work a hell of a lot better.
Howls split the night. Too many to count and the thud of padding feet shook the ground.
No, no!
Wolves, dozens of them, black, white, silver, all ran into the alley, snarling, mouths dripping saliva and blood.
Too many.
Her gun stayed trained on the alpha, the one who’d attacked her first. The man was barely visible now. The beast was taking complete control.
She could fire at him. Kill the bastard. The sweet temptation called to her. But the others would take her down before the bullet found its mark.
Too many.
How many bullets did she have left? How many wolves could she take down before they killed her?
The wolves circled her now. Nostrils flared. Bodies vibrated with tension.
Adam. At least he was safe. And the kid. They’d be all right. She’d done her job.
And for a few moments with Adam, she’d been able to feel like a woman again. To feel passion, need. To feel alive.
Pity. It looked like she’d be dying, for good this time, very soon.
A sharp growl snapped her attention back to the alpha. No sign of a man. Only the beast remained.
Her death was in his eyes.
So this was the way it was gonna end for her.
Another fucking alley.
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
She wasn’t going out without a fight.
Maya fired and the pack closed in.
He caught her scent on the wind. Roses. Woman.
Blood.
Death.
Adam slammed on the brakes, bringing the SUV to a jarring halt.
Maya. He called to her, using their blood link.
Silence. A silence too heavy, too unnatural.
Fear iced his veins.
He shouldn’t have left her. She’d risked so much for him, and he’d fucking left her.
Adam’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. The open window drew in her scent.
And the stench of the wolves.
“U-uncle A-Adam?” Cammie, too small, too scared, sat huddled beside him, her body shaking.
Maya had saved his niece, and in return, he’d left Maya to die.
Adam jerked the gearshift into reverse. “Hold on, baby.”
He followed her scent, followed the snarls and the howls that screamed in the night.
Found a pack of wolves circling her still body.
Fire burned in his gut.
Not dead. Not yet.
Not his Maya.
His.
Adam turned off the SUV. Killed the lights. The wolves hadn’t noticed him yet; they were too intent on their killing frenzy.
The bastards had no idea what a true frenzy was, but he’d show them.
“Lock the doors, Cammie. Then close your eyes and keep ’em closed until I get back.” She wouldn’t need to see what he’d do. The kid shouldn’t have that memory.
He kissed her, a quick, hard kiss on her forehead. Then he climbed out of the vehicle.
He watched Cammie lock the doors. Tears filled her eyes. He stared at her, waiting.
Her lashes lowered.
Good.
Adam turned away from the SUV, stalked toward the wolves, and let the fire rage inside.
Time to free the beast.
Her gun was empty. She’d managed to take five of the bastards down. But her gun was empty.
Her knife had lodged in the back of one of the wolves. Her claws had ripped open another.
She swallowed, tasted blood, and stared up at the circle of teeth and muzzles around her. Pain had almost numbed her body now. A good thing, really, because she wouldn’t feel it as much when they ripped into her.
“N-no.” A faint whisper. A plea. Not hers. She would never beg. Never.
The kid’s voice. Barely audible over the pack’s rumbles.
“H-hel…ped m-me…S-save…h-her…”
Nice try, kid. But no way were those guys going to listen to him.
Maya looked up at the alpha and forced her nearly numb lips to raise into a fuck-you smile. Then she sent one final message to the man she’d never see again.
Good-bye, Adam.
Good-bye, Adam.
Her voice, only in his mind. Weak. Final.
&
nbsp; Hell, no.
He ran into the alley. “Get away from her!” He roared. His teeth were sharpening and he could taste fire rising in his throat.
The wolves jerked. Glanced back at him with fury in their glowing eyes.
But they didn’t move from their positions, and the leader—he knew the bastard with the torn ear was the leader—lowered his head and brushed his mouth over Maya’s face.
“Get away from her!” The alley shook this time from the force of his rage.
Two of the wolves stumbled back. The others turned to him now, the growls quieting in their throats.
The alpha took a step toward him, a snarl on his lips.
Adam raised his arms. Let the change begin to sweep over him. “I’m going to burn you,” he promised as the scales began to form over his flesh. His fingers lengthened, became deadly talons. “Burn the flesh off your bones and make you scream!”
Whimpers. More wolves backed away. White-hot power burst through him. He felt the wings rip from his back, shredding his clothes and growing, stretching—
The alpha held his ground.
The others huddled against the alley’s walls.
Maya lay on the ground. Not moving, but still breathing. Still living.
He wouldn’t be able to say the same thing about the wolves in a few moments.
A smile twisted his lips, revealing the teeth that were growing ever longer, stronger.
The alpha lunged for him.
Still in half-human form, Adam caught the wolf around the neck with one hand and threw him back ten feet.
“You don’t know who you’re fucking with,” he said, his voice deeper, rougher as the fire worked its way up his throat.
A boy crawled forward from the darkness. Some kid covered in grime and blood with eyes that looked too big. He crouched over Maya.
The alpha climbed to his feet.
“L-Lucas.” The kid’s voice. Weak. “H-help…h-her…”
The wolf’s head cocked toward her. His body tensed. Then he leapt—
Placing his body between Maya and Adam.
“Give her to me,” Adam ordered, fighting to stay human for just a few more moments. When the change took him fully, hell would come. Fire. Death. The rage he felt was too strong. Too hot.
The wolves would all burn.
Everything would burn.
Monster. Devil.