“You are new to the employ of the elves, relatively speaking. You do not have hundreds of years of experience watching their continual decay. As such, I do not fault you for your shortsightedness. Without order, there would be chaos, aren’t I correct? Your cause appears noble, I suppose, to the dimwitted. Which shifters largely are, of course. I do, however, fault you for destroying my children. Our numbers have fallen. We cannot wage war in the Realm with so paltry an army. Roger is seeing to his own destruction. But then, I already touched on the dimwitted nature of your race. You need to be led. Blindly, it seems. Luckily, I am an excellent commander.”
“You’re outgunned,” Devon replied with smug assurance. “In this world, and the Realm. You’ll have to stick to commanding your dwindling army.”
A silky laugh drifted through the air. Charity shivered.
“You forget that I am an excellent negotiator and world-class manipulator,” the vampire said. “My allies simply need incentive, and I am providing that. Eventually, I shall provide the Golden Egg to a power capable of rivaling the elves. Children are a great lure, are they not?”
“Right, well, this is fun and all, but what do you want? My ice cream is melting.”
“Simple. I want the young woman who is currently trying to slip off toward the vehicle door. Stealth will be the first thing I teach her.”
A zing of fear shot through Charity. She froze, halfway to the door. Yes, obviously she’d realized he’d see her slipping away, but still, she had hoped…
“As I recall, she already turned you down.” Devon leaned forward with false intimacy. “That’s what it means when a girl shoots you.”
“You have no idea what you have in her, do you, little puppy?” The vampire’s voice dropped an octave, hinting at a wild savagery. Goosebumps joined her uncomfortable shivers. “What lost member of the Royal Arcana you have stumbled upon. I can only say how ardently pleased I am that such a treasure was entrusted to someone so incompetent. More’s the pity for your pack of mongrels. Alas—”
One of the side vampires rushed forward. Green magic was already swirling around Devon. Fur and teeth boiled before a huge black wolf wearing the remnants of Devon’s clothing lunged to meet the attack. The vampire hissed as Devon caught it by the throat. He raked the creature’s chest with his claws before dragging it to the ground and shaking its head. A fierce crack rent the night.
One down.
Short of breath and heart pounding, Charity lurched into action. Two fast steps and she was at the door, yanking it open. Before she could scramble in, the door slammed shut, a manicured hand flat on the surface.
“Now, now,” her BFF said, as calm as a spring day. His lips curled in a delighted smile. “Though I do love your spunk.” He lowered until his eyes were directly aligned with hers, trying to catch her gaze.
No way! She would never fall for that again!
Anger surged through her, Donnie’s memory filling her with pain that boiled into power. The air condensed around her and then exploded outward silently. Her magic flayed his body, scraping some skin off his face. He grimaced, fighting to stand his ground, trying to pit his power against hers.
Clearly he knew more of her magic than she did, including how to withstand it. Crap!
Focusing on that heat in her middle, she pushed her palm out. Power exploded from her like a hurricane, this concussion of air greater than the last. He staggered back in jerky movements, losing the fight.
Not wasting any time, she ripped open the door, launched herself in, and slammed the door behind her. A moment later, he was at the window, looking in. Healing while he did so. He gave her a dazzling smile, thankfully ruined by the bloody cheek. “So much power, but the majority not yet realized. You are truly a diamond in the rough. Darius hasn’t found the only treasure in the Brink, it seems.”
She didn’t know who Darius was, or what this psycho was talking about, but she was glad he’d chosen this moment to ramble on.
She slapped the lock button and jammed the push-button ignition, hoping to hell the vampire didn’t break the glass and haul her out before she could get the SUV in action.
A canine squeal/yelp pierced Charity’s heart, intense suffering in the sound. A fierce growl came a moment later, Devon hurt but still in the fight.
The vehicle roared to life as she craned her neck to see.
Come on, Devon, let’s go!
He was fighting for his life against a vampire in its swampy monster form, so quick that its movements were lost. The thing swiped down, raking its black claws across a blood-soaked, furry shoulder. Devon yelped and turned, ripping a chunk of flesh out of the vampire’s leg. The vampire shrieked then slashed. Devon dodged, limping badly. She just barely caught his glance at the car before he redoubled his efforts, lunging, trying to force the vampire further away.
A sick realization turned Charity’s stomach. Devon wasn’t trying to get clear and get to the vehicle—he was sacrificing himself to give her more time. He was offering himself as a distraction so she could get away.
He must’ve known they would kill him for his efforts. He was the enemy even if he wasn’t the target—he hadn’t a hope of making it through this. Not without her.
Determination and rage welled up.
“No way, Devon. That is not how a team survives. We’re getting out of here together.”
She glanced to the side for a status update on her BFF. His face filled the window, completely healed and annoyingly perfect. His eyes shocked into her, dark and intense. “Such courage,” he said, his words muffled through the window. “You are inexperienced and frightened, but are charging into battle anyway. You are everything your kind should be.”
“And you are too fucking weird.” She pushed the button to release the parking brake. She hadn’t driven a car in a few years, and that one had been John’s dilapidated old Honda, but the mechanics had to be similar. Like riding a bike.
The door lock clicked.
Panic bled through her. “What the—”
A manicured hand reached for the door handle.
“Crap—forgot about that!” She slammed her foot against the pedal
Vlad’s muscles went taut, pulling at the door.
She jabbed the button to re-engage the locks, then focused with that lightning in her chest.
Nothing happened.
She could feel the vampire’s magic tingle against her skin. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before.
Another yelp of pain pierced the night.
“No!” She would not lose anyone else to these creatures. She would not lose Devon.
The car lurched aggressively, tires squealing against pavement.
“Whooooaaa shiiit!” This machine had way more power than that old Honda.
She yanked the steering wheel to the right, scraping a parked car that had been five spaces away. The smiling face appeared in her window again, the vampire running to keep pace with the SUV.
“Why are you so freaking weird?” she yelled, and yanked the steering wheel again, foot heavy on the gas. The vehicle rocked and then bumped wildly over a cement parking block. “Shiii— Way different. This is way different!” The SUV careened as she tried to straighten it out.
Her BFF appeared in front of the vehicle like a ghost, the lights highlighting his flawless skin. Beyond him fought Devon, liquid glistening within his black coat as he limped then lunged for an incredibly fast vampire. He was slowing rapidly, nearly out of energy.
She slammed on the gas with determination, the Range Rover surging forward like a demon. Her BFF jumped gracefully, his two boots landing with a dull thunk on the hood. She tore the wheel to the right. The creature windmilled but stayed on.
“How the hell…” She ripped the wheel back the other way and slammed on the brakes. The SUV bumped over another cement parking block. The vampire went flying.
“Ha,” she yelled. “Try to anticipate me and you get thrown, sucker!”
She ripped the vehicle around
and headed straight for Devon. At the last moment, she stomped on the brakes, making the SUV skid to a stop. Impatiently glancing out the passenger side window, she stupidly realized that wolves couldn’t open doors.
She threw herself across the seats and opened the door. As Devon leapt into the seat, she straightened up to an enlarging fist within the frame of her window.
She screamed. Shatterproof glass fragments rained down on her as a delicate hand reached through and gripped her arm.
Pain bled into her—nothing delicate about that grip. He would drag her out, and she had no hope of fighting him. The other vamp, bitten to hell but heart and neck still intact, reached for Devon through his open door with his one remaining arm. They were outgunned. The vampires had the advantage.
Chapter Thirty
She screamed again. Electricity surged through her middle as she threw up her hand to ward away her BFF.
Heat and light, an exact mimic of noon, rained down. It shocked into the exposed skin of their attackers. The electric bug zapper noise drowned out the sizzle of vampire skin. Both vamps howled, throwing their hands up to try to protect their faces. As Charity’s energy dwindled quickly, she smashed her foot on the gas and the SUV lurched forward. Long screeches sounded as claws tore up the sides of the vehicle.
The sun blinked off like a halogen light, making the car lights seem dim and useless.
“Stay above forty and we’re fine,” Devon said, his voice weak and hoarse. He was back in human form. Blood oozed from gashes all over his body, a couple of them deep and gruesome. He caught his swinging door in a crimson-covered hand and barely had the strength to pull it closed.
“Are you okay?” she asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
He caught her hand and lowered it toward the seat, but he didn’t let go. He was shaking just as much as she was. “I will be. Shifters heal fast. I won’t bleed out.”
“Oh God, Devon, I’m so—” She’d turned the wheel too far. The SUV swerved wildly, nearly dropping them into a ditch. “Crap. This thing is really sensitive. I’m so sorry.”
“Keep us above forty, and get us home. We’ll be safe as soon as we get past the ward.”
“They can run that fast?” She glanced in the rearview mirror, but no sprinting shapes took up the middle of the road behind them. If the vampires were chasing them, they were taking a different path. “Maybe we should go into the Realm?”
“The fastest of them can run that fast, and I have a feeling your admirer qualifies. Head home. I don’t know that my body would survive the crossing just yet.” He coughed, shaking with each hacking wheeze of breath. Blood pooled under his leg. Tears obscured Charity’s eyes until she could blink them away.
“I need to pass out for a while. The ward will keep out two vamps, no matter how old.”
Terror squeezed her heart. His voice was so weak, his body bowed over, as if completely sapped of strength and vitality. “Why do you have to pass out? You can’t heal awake?”
“We can, it just takes longer. If I shut down my body for everything but healing, all my energy will go to stitching things back together from the inside out. Take a left here.” He coughed again, huge, full-body spasms that had him dipping forward painfully.
“Oh God, Devon… Oh God.” Charity was going fifty and dared not go any faster. If she took a corner too fast and hit a tree, those vamps would find them, and then she and Devon would be screwed.
“Almost there. You’re doing fine.”
“Get my phone. Call…someone. Andy or Dillon or even Yasmine—we should call someone! Do you know Roger’s number? Maybe we should call him.”
Devon coughed again, his head lolling. “I just need to pass out.”
“Okay. Almost…here. We’re here!”
She skidded to a stop in the driveway, then jumped out and dashed around the hood before pulling at his door. What she saw froze her to the bones.
The overhead light showered Devon’s slumped body. It was much worse than she’d thought, and she had thought it was bad. Scores of jagged parallel lines marred his skin. Deep red blood, almost black, dribbled down his back or across his hip, she couldn’t tell which, indicating a wide and deep wound that would have a normal human bleeding out quickly. More blood smeared across his stomach, legs, and arms. Very little of his skin was clear, and that was covered in pavement rash and grime.
“Please tell me all that blood isn’t yours,” Charity said, reaching in for him.
“It’s not all mine. I rocked that first vamp. Did you see it?” His lips quirked up into a painful grin. He coughed and then winced as he spasmed.
“Okay. It’s okay. Let’s get you inside.” She gingerly touched his arm, trying to find a spot to grab with no blood. Slim pickings. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah. Help?”
He basically fell out of the SUV, his larger body leaning heavily on hers. Grunting, she maneuvered her shoulder under his heavy arm and draped him across her body. They hobbled to the front door. Warm wetness soaked into her clothes from his wounds.
“Your bedroom or the couch?” she asked, one arm around his back, the other on his six-pack so he didn’t tip forward.
“Bed,” he wheezed.
They staggered down the hall, a spot of blood smearing the wall where his shoulder bumped. They barged into his room and hovered near the side of his bed.
“Stand here for a minute and I’ll go get…uh, some rags? Do you have rags?”
Devon half climbed, half fell onto his bed. His limbs sprawled out. Red marred the white sheets. His eyes fluttered closed.
“Thanks for coming back for me,” he whispered in a rough voice thick with pain.
“Of course I did.” She looked over his body. There was so much bleeding! She knew werewolves healed unnaturally fast, had seen evidence of it, but could he really come back from this? “I need to clean you up. I have to clean you up.”
He didn’t answer, and for one heart-stopping moment, she thought he’d died. But his chest rose, then fell, in the rhythmic breathing of deep sleep.
“That’s good. Sleep is good.” The house listened silently to her words. Branches danced in the moonlight outside the window.
“Why did we spend so long shopping?” Her chest constricted. Hopefully, the vamps didn’t know where Devon lived, and if they did, which they probably did, they couldn’t get through the ward.
No more time to spare on those thoughts, she dashed to the window and lowered the blinds—his room actually had some. Then she rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. If he wasn’t worried about the sheets, he probably wouldn’t care if a towel was ruined. Searching through the cabinets, she found a first-aid kit and a stack of large white bandages. He was prepared. Thank God.
Back by his side, she got busy. First she cleaned him off, gently wiping away all the blood so she could get a good look at the damage. Next she bandaged up the larger lacerations, trying to stop the bleeding. She fervently hoped that whatever healing abilities shifters possessed would counteract the need for stitches.
Having seen to his immediate needs, she covered him up with a clean blanket and grabbed his gun from the open safe in his closet—he hadn’t wanted to give her his code. She would be damned if all the money Devon had spent would go to waste in the back of the SUV. Not to mention that the house wouldn’t save her if the vamps got through the ward protecting the property. That trick with locks was practical for breaking and entering.
She tiptoed out of the house. Although being quiet didn’t matter, the action seemed to fit. The still night waited for her, crickets singing from within the folds of darkness. The SUV, scraped and dented, sat in the driveway, alone and forgotten.
No faces or shapes waited at the property line. At least, not yet. But then, her BFF and his buddies had known Charity and Devon would be at that store. No doubt they also knew it would be senseless to hang around outside a warded property.
Still, just in case, she’d decided not to call the rest of th
e pack. If the vamps were out there, watching and waiting, anyone trying to get in would probably be ambushed. She didn’t want to endanger them needlessly. Devon said he wouldn’t bleed out. She had to trust that.
Bag by bag, she brought the groceries into the house and put them away. That done, she trudged back in to check on him, exhaustion dragging down her eyelids. She sucked in a breath of surprise to find the smaller scrapes nearly gone!
Crazy. She wished she healed that fast.
She brushed a strand of hair away from his handsome face and then traced her fingers down his cheek. Sighing, she looked in the direction of her room. She could barely see the sliding glass through the open door. Foliage bowed and waved, no more distinct than plays of shadow in the moonlight. The house sighed around her, quiet and empty except for this room.
Making a decision, she tiptoed to her room and quickly changed into some briefs and a tank top. She returned to his room, put his gun on the nightstand, and lay on the bed. Pulling the blanket under her as protection from the blood-soaked sheets, she slid as close to Devon as she could. His warmth basked her side and his even breathing calmed her anxiety. He’d be okay.
Unable to help herself, she rolled and placed her palm on his forearm, craving the solidity of touch. A tear slid down her cheek. This man would’ve given his life to protect her. He hadn’t expected her to come back for him—he’d thanked her, for criminy’s sake! It blew her mind. He was so closed off most of the time—so angry whenever he had to feel any sort of emotion—but then he went and did something so selfless.
No one could argue that this man was anything less than exceptional.
Snuggling closer, until their bodies were almost touching, she rubbed his skin with her thumb. She was so lucky he’d been assigned to babysit her. Without him, she would’ve suffered a horrible fate. Gone mad, or killed by Donnie, or kidnapped and turned into a pampered pet. Dealing with Devon’s moods was a small price to pay for her sanity, life, and freedom.
But the fight wasn’t over. Clearly the old vampire wanted her something fierce, and now he knew the gamut of what she was capable of. He’d come after her again, and this time he’d surely be better prepared.
Warrior Fae Trapped: A DDVN Book Page 21