Blood Hunt

by L. L. Raand

  Panting, Sylvan sniffed the tainted air and smelled her young. Fear sweat. Pheromones heavy with rage and sex frenzy. A young Were, blooded and out of control.

  Secure our flanks, she ordered Drake and Niki. I’ll get the young.

  Across the room, unmindful of Sylvan’s stealthy approach, Gray stalked her prey. Her hackles were raised, foam frothing from her mouth, her wolf’s eyes wild and riveted on a thin, balding human who fired an automatic pistol at Gray while stumbling backward, bumping into carts and poles with sloshing IV bags. His shots went wide while Gray prowled inexorably closer and closer. A dead human lay not far away, his throat torn out, a pool of black congealing blood streaming from beneath his body. The adolescent’s muzzle was caked with gore. Gray had taken human prey, something even the most seasoned Were warriors rarely if ever did. After that kind of kill, the instinct to remain wild would be overpowering.

  Sylvan howled her fury. She would not surrender her young to madness. She would not kill this wolf.

  Sylvan soared over a metal table covered with instruments and syringes and probes to land beside Gray. The shouting behind her quieted, and all that remained was the harsh, rapid breathing of the thin, ashen-faced human with his back to the wall ten feet away. He smelled like her young—he was covered in Were sex hormones and fear scent and rage—he’d hurt her young. This one, this one would die.

  Fall back, Wolf, Sylvan instructed her young.

  Beside her, the adolescent female swung her head from side to side, saliva dripping onto the floor, her chest heaving. The air stung Sylvan’s eyes, and her muscles felt as if they were tearing from her bones. No more time. Gray! Do as I command.

  The young white-and-gray wolf cut her eyes in Sylvan’s direction and stared, uncomprehending and unafraid. Challenging. Sylvan growled a warning. She couldn’t control Gray until the danger from the guard was neutralized.

  Drake, she called, corner this young and hold her.

  Sylvan didn’t wait for an answer. She trusted her mate. She covered the distance to the guard in one long, powerful leap, her eyes fixed on those of the human male who had violated her territory, her Pack, her wolves. He would pay in blood.

  The human grasped his gun in shaking hands, fired blindly, and turned to run. Sylvan twisted in the air, the bullet passing wide, and landed high on his back. She buried her canines in the back of his neck and took him face down to the floor, her heavy body pinning his torso. She closed her jaws, one millimeter at a time, her hot breath heavy in his ear. He scrabbled and scratched, panted and screamed. Slowly, methodically, she clamped her powerful jaws tighter and tighter. Muscle tore from bones, ligaments popped and ripped, bones crushed to dust. Blood welled up as arteries and veins disintegrated. His voice became a wet gurgle as she strangled him, unhurriedly and painfully and without mercy. When he lay still, she dropped him and swung her heavy head around. Her duty was done. Now she needed to see to her wolves.

  Drake had Gray backed into the far corner and held her there with snapping lunges and angry growls. Gray’s ruff stood on end, her lips were drawn back in a feral snarl, and she challenged Drake with a steady rumble deep in her chest. Gates’s two Vampires had subdued the last of the security officers and disappeared. Whoever else had been in the room had escaped. Only the dead remained.

  Sylvan bounded across the room and stopped a shoulder’s length past Drake, putting herself between her mate and the feral Were. Drake eased away but did not go far. Niki appeared on Sylvan’s flank.

  Alpha, Niki said, let me give her a merciful death. Let me do this for you, for the Pack.

  No. Sylvan poured her power into the foul air, drenching the Weres in her pheromones. Niki shivered, a low whine torn from her throat. Drake rumbled, her hackles rising.

  On your belly, whelp, Sylvan snarled, staring into Gray’s eyes. Do it now. Do it now or you die.

  Gray shuddered as if a great force thundered through her, and her eyes rolled wildly. Her ears dropped back, her tail trembled.

  Sylvan rushed her, teeth snapping. Now. Down!

  Gray hesitated and Sylvan grabbed Gray’s throat in her jaws and dragged her down onto her back, straddling her with all fours. She shook her until the breath stopped in Gray’s chest. When Gray went limp, she let go but remained over her, poised for the killing strike.

  Gray shuddered, growled softly, and opened her eyes. She gazed up at Sylvan, and the madness in her eyes gave way to a weary peacefulness. She turned her head and bared her neck to her Alpha. Sylvan gripped her throat gently, shook her tenderly, rumbled a welcome. When she released her, Gray licked Sylvan’s face.

  You did well, Gray. Sylvan nuzzled her and nipped her ear. I’m proud of you. Welcome home.

  Katya? Where is she? Gray struggled to her feet.

  On her way out. Come, we’ll find her.

  The staccato rap of automatic weapon fire cut through the silence, and Niki and Drake crowded around Sylvan, shielding her.

  It’s not in here. Sylvan streaked toward the door with her wolves close behind. It’s coming from down the hall.

  Jody and her Vampires raced toward the elevator thirty feet away. Bullets strafed the hall from the direction of an open stairwell up ahead. Jody drew her weapon, shielding the Were in her arms as much as she could. The adolescent had stopped struggling and was either unconscious or on the verge of succumbing to whatever poison had been fed to her.

  “Let us take the Were, Liege,” Rafaela urged, moving in front of Jody. “Turn back until we neutralize the ones in the stairwell. You will be safer with the Weres.”

  “Too late. Clear a path to the elevator for us, Rafe,” Jody ordered. “We’re going out now.”

  “Yes, Liege.” Rafaela cut down the first two figures who burst out firing from the stairwell.

  Twenty feet.

  Jody took out another, Claude two more.

  Ten feet.

  Rafaela caught a round in the side and staggered, momentarily thrown off balance. Before Claude could step into the gap in front of Jody, a black-clad figure in full combat gear dropped through the ceiling of the elevator and fired through the open elevator doors. Jody had only two choices—return fire and leave the Were in her arms unprotected or pass the Were to Claude before the bullets struck. Faster than the bullets traveling toward her, Jody pushed Katya into Claude’s arms. “Cover me.”

  She knew it would be too late, but she raised her gun and shot him in the head. A crater appeared in the center of his forehead at the same time as a crimson geyser erupted from her chest. She stared down at the fountain of red, felt her heart falter. Too late. Too late for so many things.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “Claude, secure the stairwell!” Rafaela dropped to her knees next to Jody. The Weres, most in skin now, crowded around behind her. “Liege! How bad?”

  Jody tried to pull air into her lungs. An agonizing inferno raged in her chest, her vision wavered, and crushing pressure made it impossible for her to speak.

  “A blood mate?” Rafaela asked urgently. “Are you bonded? Where should we take you?”

  Jody gathered the last of her power, projecting her will with the force of her ancient bloodlines. There could be no mistake. Only seconds left. So little time. Eternity stretched before her. The cost. Who would pay? Not Becca. “No. No one. Take my body to the manor head.”

  And then the blackness came.

  Sylvan asked, “What happened?”

  Rafaela turned flat hard eyes to her. “My Liege is dead. We will take her now.”

  “Wait a minute.” Niki knelt on the other side of Jody’s body. “She’ll rise, won’t she?”

  Rafaela’s sculpted face set into hard unreadable lines. Her voice was cool, all the playful arrogance gone. “That is not your concern, Wolf.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” Niki leapt over Jody and snarled in Rafaela’s face. “She fought beside us. She saved Katya. We all saw it. They’re firing silver!”

  Pain flickered in Rafaela’s eyes before
they became impenetrable. “She is not blood-bonded. We will take her now for proper burial.”

  Niki grasped Rafaela’s arm. “She is. She is bonded. And her bonded mate is at the Compound.”

  “No formal announcement has been made,” Rafaela said. “No official notice has been given. My Liege denied a bond.”

  Niki whirled around to Sylvan. “Alpha? I’ve seen them together. I know they’ve exchanged blood.”

  “Jody must have her reasons for denying the blood bond,” Sylvan said, “but if Becca is her blood mate, she deserves to be involved.” Sylvan took Katya from Claude. “Let’s get everyone to safety.” She lowered her voice and growled at Rafaela. “The Vampire comes with us.”

  Rafaela hesitated for a second, then nodded curtly. “As you wish, Alpha Mir.”

  Becca checked her phone for the tenth time in five minutes for word from Max or Jody. Why hadn’t someone called? They were supposed to have been in and out, a rapid stealth attack. And Jody should have called her. She was going to kick her Vampire ass when she got back from this little adventure.

  The door to the small library in Sylvan’s headquarters, where she had been using the computer to track down specs on the research center, opened behind her. At last. She jumped up and spun around. “It’s about time you got ba—”

  “I’m sorry.” Elena came in and closed the door. “I need you to come to the infirmary with me.”

  Becca’s stomach tightened, and icy dread slithered down her spine. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “The Alpha just called. They’ll be here in a few minutes. You’re needed.”

  “Why? What’s happened? Tell me now. Please.” Becca gripped the back of the chair to hide the trembling in her hands. Jody hadn’t called. “Just tell me.”

  Sadness and compassion filled Elena’s eyes. “I’m sorry. Detective Gates was shot and killed during the raid.”

  A gray curtain dropped, suddenly blocking all the light in the room. Becca struggled to catch her breath. Please, this couldn’t be. They’d had so little time. So many things left to say, to do. The years of her life stretched before her like an endless night. Endless dark years.

  Becca fought back against the despair. “She’s a Vampire. She’ll rise. She’s not dead. It’s not the same thing. She’s not dead.”

  “I don’t know,” Elena said gently. “I only know the Alpha said it was urgent, and you needed to be there.”

  “Take me there.” Becca grasped Elena’s arm. “We’re blood-bonded. Someone must know what to do. I’m not letting her go.”

  The treatment room door banged open, and Sylvan strode through, Jody in her arms. Behind her, Niki carried Katya. A white-and-gray wolf padded close beside them.

  “Jody!” Becca rushed forward. Jody’s white shirt was drenched with blood. Becca grasped Jody’s hand. It was cold, beyond even the cold when Jody had not fed for a long time. “God, oh God, baby. What have they done to you?” She looked past Sylvan to Rafaela and saw nothing in her eyes except resignation. “Tell me what we need to do.” When the Vampire didn’t answer, Becca grasped Sylvan’s arm. “Please. Help me. I can’t lose her.”

  “Elena,” Sylvan said, shaking her head at Niki when Niki made a move to pull Becca’s hand from her arm. “Katya and Gray need attention.”

  “Take them next door,” Elena said to Niki. “I’ll get Sophia.”

  “Niki, stay with them.”

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  Becca clutched Jody’s hand as Sylvan laid Jody carefully on the bed. Jody’s lips were white, bloodless. Her eyelids were nearly translucent, her thick dark lashes like smudges of coal against her stark white cheeks. Becca kissed her. “Jody, hey. I love you.” She looked around the room and found Rafaela. “How much time do we have? What do I need to do?”

  Rafaela shifted her gaze away.

  “Please.”

  “Tell her what you told us,” Sylvan said gruffly.

  Rafaela drew a breath and let it out slowly. “My Liege said she did not have a blood mate.”

  “That’s not true,” Becca said. “If you don’t believe me, ask Francesca.” She turned her head, pointed to the faint puncture marks low on her neck. “She’s fed from me and given me her blood. We are bonded. I will not let her die.”

  “How recently?” Rafaela said, light flaring in her onyx eyes. “How recent is the bond?”

  Becca glanced at Sylvan, saw the same compassion in her eyes she’d seen in Elena’s, and her heart started to pound so rapidly her chest ached. “Yesterday, last night. This morning. Why? Why does it matter?”

  Rafaela pushed a hand through her dark, disheveled hair. “It’s too soon. Even if her organs accepted your blood, there hasn’t been enough time for your body to create a sufficient quantity of compatible ferrin. A safe volume of your blood will be insufficient to sustain her.”

  The room swam, and Becca grasped the cold metal bed frame for support. “What are you saying? That we just let her go? She’s mine! I’m not letting her go.”

  “She denied the bond,” Rafaela said flatly. “She did not want to rise.”

  “No. That doesn’t make any sense.” Becca’s reason gave way under a wave of grief and rage. A black abyss opened in front of her, and she felt herself sliding into it. Too much. The pain was too much.

  No! What was it Jody had said? Your strength is your mind. That is how you will fight. Becca forced herself to focus. Her vision cleared, her mind sharpened. She stared at Rafaela. “What do you mean, a safe volume? You said a safe volume of my blood wouldn’t be sufficient.”

  “In order to counteract the tissue death, you might have to give her so much blood you could die in the process. She’ll drain you.”

  Becca laughed harshly. “My life for hers. That’s my choice? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Possibly.”

  “Well, that explains it, then, doesn’t it?” Becca brushed trembling fingers over Jody’s hair. “She’s so stubborn. Of course she wouldn’t let me risk sacrificing myself for her. Because, after all, who could love her that much? Who would ever think she was worth it?” She leaned down, kissed Jody again, and murmured against her mouth, “You have so much to learn, Vampire. We’re going to need a lot more than a few years before you figure out what I mean when I say I love you.”

  She straightened, her fingertips resting on Jody’s cheek, and looked Rafaela in the eye. “I am Jody’s bonded blood mate. Whatever has to be done, do it now.”

  Rafaela studied Becca for a long moment, then dipped her head. “If we start, I am not sure if we can stop should you change your—”

  “You don’t know me very well,” Becca said impatiently. “How much time do we have?”

  “Ordinarily, at least a day,” Rafaela said. “Because your bond is new, and potentially weak, I don’t know.”

  “Then we’re wasting time. You need my blood.” Becca held out her arm. “Take it.”

  Drake stepped over next to Becca. “I can infuse you with saline, keep your intravascular volume up. That will help avoid shock, at least for a while. We have all the equipment here.”

  “Outsiders cannot witness the ceremony,” Rafaela said.

  “Make an exception,” Becca said. “Jody brought you here to fight with these Weres. They’re not outsiders. Not to her. Not to me.”

  Sylvan said, “Drake will stay, the rest of us will stand guard outside. You have my word whatever happens here will never leave this room.”

  “All right,” Rafaela said. “My Liege trusted you. So will I.”

  When the others left the room, Rafaela removed Jody’s clothes and turned to Becca. “Lie down next to her. It would be best if you disrobed.”

  “Fine,” Becca said and quickly shed her clothes. Her lover was naked, dead, a foot away. She wasn’t going to worry about modesty now. Pulling the sheet aside, she stretched out beside Jody. God, she was so cold and still. “Hurry.”

  Drake set up an IV bag and quickly inserted an intravenous catheter in
to Becca’s right forearm. While she taped it in place, she asked Rafaela, “How much blood does the reanimation require?”

  “Usually no more than two units.”

  Drake frowned. “Even that is a lot for a woman Becca’s size. Three units and she’s in danger of hypovolemic shock. Any more than that—”

  Becca grasped Drake’s arm. “I want your word that you won’t interfere until this works.”

  “I can’t stand by and let you die trying to save her,” Drake said quietly.

  “Then I don’t want you in this room. Leave now.” Becca covered the horrible gunshot wound in Jody’s breast with her hand, as if hiding the violation would somehow undo it. “Rafaela will do what needs to be done. This is Vampire business, Drake.”

  Drake’s jaw tightened, and she rumbled dangerously. “Becca, Jody wouldn’t want you to—”

  Becca whipped her head around and glared at Drake. “What would you do, Drake, if Sylvan was lying here like this, and you could save her? What would you give?”

  Drake’s eyes flashed to wolf and she snarled. “I would give anything. Everything.”

  “Then don’t deny me the same. I don’t intend on dying, but I’m not living without her.” She settled down beside Jody again. “Rafaela, do what has to be done.”

  “She has to drink it,” Rafaela said.

  “How?” Becca’s throat felt like sandpaper. “How can she swallow?”

  “Hold her face to your neck,” Rafaela said. “Her mind is not gone, only deeply dormant. If she recognizes you as her bonded mate, she will drink.”