Roger blew out a breath, hating to give his consent under the circumstances. Devon would need all his wolves, which meant leaving Charity within the ward, by herself. Devon had paid good money for that ward. He’d used the best mage in the area. If Charity stayed within its protection, she should be fine. Still, she was new to this life—she might equate invisible walls with vulnerability and run for the trees, leaving herself wide open.
Roger needed to set someone to watch her. There was no other way.
“Fine. Let him take out the last of them. Make sure he impresses upon her the importance of staying within the ward. Post a sentry to watch her, just in case. And give her my private line—tell her to use it for any purpose.”
“Yes, alpha.”
Roger watched his beta leave the room, his gut churning. This wasn’t just about his desire to merge the warrior fae with the shifters anymore, like in times of old. It was about a young woman’s life. At present, her freedom was solely safeguarded by Devon, who, regardless of his potential, was the most inexperienced alpha in his pack.
Roger needed to get back to Santa Cruz as soon as possible, or Charity was done for.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Are you going to be okay?” Devon asked, staring intensely at Charity.
She nodded, but the idea of spending the night alone was playing hell on her nerves. She’d always been in danger growing up—her neighborhood had been riddled with break-ins, stray bullets, you name it—yet she’d always slept soundly. But this was different. Maybe the mythical quality of the threat was what had her on edge. Maybe it was the lack of bars on the windows.
Hell, maybe it was that she’d had Devon to lean on since day one.
But given the last couple of outings, she understood why this was the best solution. She wasn’t in a hurry to see her BFF again.
“We won’t be out all night,” Devon said. He put his large, warm hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be home before you know it.”
She nodded again, hating the prickle of heat behind her eyes. She needed to learn to stand on her own again. She couldn’t always rely on him.
That wasn’t easy with terror squeezing her chest in tight bands.
“This ward is strong.” Devon lowered his voice into a soft whisper. “I had Dean, the mage, check it. It’s sound. You’ll be safe as long as you don’t leave.”
Charity nodded. Devon nodded with her, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Just stay in the ward, okay?”
“Okay,” she answered, liking the warmth and support of his body. Liking his masculine smell and scratchy stubble. It was all real. Being with him helped ground her—it kept her sane through the insanity that was now her life.
He released her with a sigh. The specks of green and gold seemed to sparkle in his warm brown eyes. “I’m looking forward to spooning.”
Her face turned warm at his joking grin. She dropped her gaze, shivering hot and cold. “We’ll see.”
With a chuckle he left the room and, shortly thereafter, the house. She heard his banged-up SUV roar to life, followed by the crunch of the gravel under the tires as he pulled out of the driveway. In another moment, the sound of his motor dimmed and disappeared, a vacant, echoing quiet taking its place.
She was alone.
Charity looked at the window, silently accusing the sun of deserting her as the speckled light in the trees faded. The vamps would be waking up soon. Her BFF’s mind would start to drift her way, bent on the challenge of getting beyond the magical ward.
She was so damn alone. It would be a long, long night until Devon or one of the pack returned.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“What’s the plan, boss?” Rod said, fingering a knife in his pocket.
Devon’s hand fell to his own knife. They all had on the customary sweats that could easily be donned or discarded. He stared out of the bushes at the smallish house, the windows dark and door slightly ajar. The grass in the front yard was so long that the weeds had started at the base of the rosebushes. It looked like the place had missed its last gardening appointment, which made sense, since the owner really only cared about sucking on people’s necks these days.
“Why are they all in one place?” Devon asked quietly, glancing around the street. “I thought they each had a different resting spot.”
Dillon, standing behind everyone else in just his sweatpants, said, “Up until tonight. They’re in there with two humans. Blood party, maybe.”
Devon shook his head slowly. “Two humans for three new vamps? That’s not enough blood. They’ll kill the humans. The calculation of it doesn’t fit the newbie MO, either.”
“Regardless, they’re in there,” Rod said.
“Why don’t we just go in and take them out?” Yasmine asked, standing close to Devon’s right.
“We would jeopardize those humans,” he answered.
“If we don’t go in soon, those humans will probably be jeopardized anyway,” Macy said quietly, staring at the house. “Something isn’t right. I have a bad feeling about this, Devon.”
Everyone but Yasmine shifted in unease. They’d all learned the hard way that Macy’s intuition was reliable.
“It does seem like a trap,” Dillon whispered.
Devon’s heart pumped faster. Battle was near and his wolf was calling.
“Rod and I will change form and do a quick perimeter check,” Devon said, staring at the quiet house. “See if anyone is waiting out there. If not, we’ll slink in and try to catch them as they feed. Macy is right: if we wait too long, those humans will be as good as gone. We have enough missing persons in the area lately—I want to save lives tonight.”
Rod grinned, his eyes bright. Time to shift. Devon stepped out of his clothes, his limbs dancing with contained energy, as Rod did the same. Their burst of magic made everyone step back.
They took off at an easy lope, staying to the shadows, cutting through bushes with skill and practice. Mostly using his sense of smell, Devon searched for signs of other vamps. Elders. After sprinting across the street—hopefully people would think he was just a big dog—he caught a new vamp scent. One he faintly recognized. The vamp had clearly put on the clothes and perfume from its past human life. It had then exited the rear of the house and cut away through the yard.
Why would it leave its house after inviting over the other new vamps and some humans?
Unless this wasn’t a trap at all. It was a distraction.
He followed the trail for another five minutes, enough for him to know the newbie had a destination in mind. His hackles rose.
On his way back, he met Rod. Their gazes held for a moment, conveying impressions with the nuances of their body language. It immediately became clear that Rod had come to the same conclusions about the missing vamp.
Charity was in danger.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Charity had just finished reading the assigned chapter in the most boring textbook imaginable when a scream tore through the night. Her head jerked up, the haze of too much studying clearing in an instant. She stumbled to the window, staring out.
Dark trees gently swayed in the breeze and moonlight speckled the ground. Round and jagged shapes squatted within the yard, silent and still. Just rocks. Nothing else moved.
A second scream shattered the quiet. She sprinted through the rooms to the front of the house. Hands pressed against the sides of the window, she leaned forward and looked out.
Her heart stopped.
It was Samantha!
Sam had turned into the long gravel driveway. Her dress flew behind her in tatters. Although it was too dark and far for Charity to be certain, she had the impression Samantha was terrified. Her limbs were jerky with panic and her shoulders hunched.
“Help!” Samantha screamed. She fell to the ground and skidded along on her knees.
Charity pulled open the door without thinking and ran out, breathing heavily.
She’d never seen a vampire look afraid. Nor had she
seen one look as disheveled as Samantha did. Vampires were beings who inspired fear.
Samantha got to her feet, stumbled forward, and staggered. Loud sobs racked her body. She fell again, her bare knees embedded with gravel. “Help!”
Charity stopped at the edge of the grass, just inside the ward. She looked down at the invisible line that meant safety.
Donnie weighed heavily on her mind. She’d made a mistake once, and had nearly paid with her life. She might not survive this time.
“Oh thank God, Charity!” Samantha reached up for her, still five feet away. “Thank God. They’re chasing me! Help!”
Charity paced at the invisible line, her promise to Devon at the forefront of her mind. Samantha’s sobs tore at her heart.
She’d been changed, though! Devon and the others had been so certain of that. Besides, Charity herself had sensed that a vampire had torn through the house she’d once shared with Sam.
But vampires never cried and carried on. They didn’t hunch and jerk. Donnie certainly hadn’t. Could they have been wrong about Sam?
Indecision eating at her, Charity continued to pace, not stepping over.
“How’d you get out of the party?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“I woke up when someone bit my neck—they’re vampires, Charity! How is that possible?” Samantha bowed with a sob. She shuddered, like she was too weak to lift her head.
Charity’s throat constricted. She wanted to help Sam so badly that her palms itched.
“But I saw you drink the punch,” she shouted, trying to override her need to cross the line. “You turned! They turned you…”
Sam shook her head. “I drank it, but they didn’t give me their blood. I ran out when I woke up. There was confusion in the house. Pandemonium. I don’t know how, but I got out. They were chasing someone else, I think. And there were wolves. This all sounds crazy, I know.” Sam sobbed again, lying on the ground now, unable or unwilling to crawl the few feet to Charity.
Charity paced faster. Obviously it sounded crazy—Charity had thought the same thing, hadn’t she? Hearing those words spoken aloud made her feel sane. She’d spent the last several days in the company of people to whom this magic thing was old hat.
“Come across the line,” Charity said, searching her friend’s face through the speckled moonlight. All she saw was dirt and Sam’s usual beauty, pretty enough to give Yasmine a run for her money.
Charity hesitated. Had Sam’s looks changed? She’d always thought her beautiful…but Yasmine beautiful?
Charity turned toward the house and waved her arm over her head in a large arc, trying to trip the sensor. She needed more light.
Nothing happened. She was out of range.
Turning back, she squinted through the moonlight. Was an unnaturally flawless face waiting under all that dirt and shadow?
“Help me!” Samantha cried, pulling Charity’s heart strings. “I’ve been running. They can still change me if they catch me. They’ve been chasing me, trying to get me. Please, Charity. I need you.”
Charity practically danced with the need to walk those five feet. “I can’t cross this line, Sam. I’m sorry, I can’t go to you. You’re going to have to come to me.”
A shape appeared down the lane, gliding noiselessly. He smiled pleasantly at Charity.
Her BFF.
“Oh no!” Samantha wailed. “That’s him!”
She rose and toddled forward like a child, her balance all over the place. She reached out for Charity. At the last moment, her foot struck a rock and she fell.
Charity stepped forward to catch her and then dragged her back across the line.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you! You’re safe,” Charity said, her eyes fixed on Vlad walking up the lane.
A blur of movement and suddenly he was standing right in front of her.
“Whoa!” Charity staggered backward, half falling over Samantha.
“Hello, lovely,” he said. “You look ravishing today. Please come out. I wish to show you your new palace. I have manservants ready to wait on you. A vampire’s bite is intensely erotic, I can assure you. I have excellent control. You would be in no danger. Or you can choose not to be bitten.” He spread his hands wide. “You will be in full control, Charity, as befits a princess. You can choose your destiny. I need only your nod of support and your presence. The rest is up to you. I told you, unlike these animals, I am not possessive.”
“God, you’re creepy.” Charity stepped backward, dragging Samantha with her. She didn’t dare show her back to Vlad. Just in case.
She felt Samantha straighten up. Charity said, “Let’s go inside and wait for Devon.”
“Devon. I would love to get my hands on him,” Sam said in a silky voice. “He was always out of my reach. Not anymore.”
Charity’s small hairs stood on end.
Samantha stood poised and elegant. A sly smile drifted up her face as Charity’s insides erupted in false desire.
Oh no!
“But you crossed the line! Vampires shouldn’t be able to cross the line,” Charity exclaimed, backing toward the house.
“You’re losing her,” Vlad warned. “Don’t let her throw her magic. You are not strong enough to survive it.”
Samantha ran to Charity’s side, only slightly faster than a human, and pulled Charity into a painful bear hug.
“You see,” Vlad said pleasantly, “you circumvented the ward by pulling Samantha in of your own free will. I’ve done my homework. Your little puppy is so young—he forgets that not everyone is privy to these small details. I am endlessly delighted.”
“But…”
Samantha started walking toward Vlad, dragging Charity with her.
“No…”
“Careful, Samantha. Her kind tend to become more powerful when agitated,” Vlad said.
He had that right.
Charity bucked and twisted, freeing herself from Samantha’s arms. Fire exploded through her body as she punched Sam’s middle, and then a silent explosion tossed Sam backward. Samantha hit the ground and rolled, stopping just shy of the ward.
“After her,” Vlad yelled. Power crackled along the ward, sparks and electricity lighting up a huge dome crouching over the house and yard. Vlad was trying to claw through, and for all she knew, he could do it. He’d clearly had the ward tested, after all.
Charity was already running back to the house. She needed weapons.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Charity slammed the door shut behind her and clicked the lock into place. Maybe Samantha didn’t know the lock trick yet. If she had to bust through the window, it would give Charity time.
She sprinted to the office where she’d been studying and scooped the gun off the desk.
The window shattered. Glass tinkled against the hardwood floors.
Charity reached the foyer as Samantha wedged herself into the window. Her pretty face shifted into her other form—a hideous, swampy thing. The creature’s head lifted.
Charity bit back a sob and took aim.
“You’re going to shoot me, Charity?” Samantha garbled through a mouth full of fangs. “After I begged my parents to let you live with me? I couldn’t abandon you to the dorms, and you’d repay me by shooting me?”
“But…you’re not you anymore,” Charity begged, knowing she had to pull the trigger. Willing herself to do so.
Somewhere outside, a snarl tore at the silence.
Charity started and stood on her tiptoes to look out, terrified it was Devon.
Samantha leapt back out of the window, leaving a clump of matted black hair dangling from a shard of glass. Charity stepped closer, gun hand shaking.
A gray wolf, smaller and leaner than Devon, lunged for the elder vampire.
The vamp went blurry, attacking the furry body at a ridiculous speed. Claws extended from its fingers and fangs erupted from its mouth. It dodged left then scraped its claws along the wolf’s flank. The animal yelped in pain. Vlad, faster than thought, sliced t
he other side of the wolf before bodily picking it up and throwing.
Heart in her throat, hoping to all hell Devon hadn’t sent one of his pack to check on her, she watched as the elder descended on the wolf and ripped at its body, shredding.
Samantha rushed to the border, only for Vlad to yell, “No! Do not cross that line. This mongrel is nothing. Get the Arcana!”
Arcana?
Samantha turned slowly, eyeing Charity through the broken window. Vlad flicked his hand.
Click.
Charity darted over and manually threw the lock back. When she stepped back to the window, ready to shoot, Samantha caught her by surprise. She was already at the window, her monster face only two inches away.
A hand burst through and grabbed Charity’s throat, cutting off her air supply and pulling. Her shoulders hit the window frame. A fierce snarl in the distance cut off in a wet whine.
Dread pierced Charity. She pushed Sam with her palms and then her power, the concussion of air forcing out the rest of the glass in the window and the frame with it. Plaster and paint ripped away with the vamp, though its claws scraped Charity’s neck.
Charity got a glimpse of a bloodied wolf lying in a heap. Vlad stared at her from across the invisible divide, his face a terrifying mask of violence.
Without thinking, she fled, sprinting to Devon’s bedroom in the back of the house. She slammed the door, locked it, then paused, not sure what to do next. She didn’t have long to decide. A moment later, the door thudded. And again. As if a heavy body were slamming into it.
With a loud crack and the splintering of wood, the door burst inward. Samantha stood in the frame, nude and in her human form. Rage marred her beautiful features. “My master is counting on me. Come quietly so I don’t have to hurt you.”
“Samantha, it’s me! We’re friends. Don’t you remember your human side?”
“Friends? Is that why you have a gun?” Fangs elongated from black gums. She was changing again.
Warrior Fae Trapped: A DDVN Book Page 25