by M. L. Briers
“I think it’s working out nicely so far.”The deep tones of her captor grated on Blake’s nerves. He’d much prefer to rip the man’s throat out and not to have to listen to him do more than gurgle his last breath…
“And what if they find you’re little hideout? You’ve got three men here to watch your back, do you think that will be enough to protect you?” Blake smiled, the little Fae was handing him information without even knowing it, or did she know it? Did Nadia sense he was there?
“Three Werewolves and then there’s me, and I think I’ve proved to be pretty formidable so far.”The smugness of his tone made Blake even more determined to do the man harm.
“A couple of blind attacks on a pack doesn’t make you a God. This time they know your mutts are coming, do you really believe they won’t wipe them out?”Nadia couldn’t help the sneer that went with that question. She had first thought to include it just to wind him up, but she didn’t need to act, every word she said was heartfelt.
“There’s plenty more where they came from.”He waved a theatrical hand towards her. “But we have more pressing business, don’t you think, Nadia?”He took two long steps towards her and brandished the blade from behind his back. “You’re blood will negate anything your sisters have done to protect the pack from attack. Drawing your sisters magic to you and then into me will give me all the magic I need to be the most formidable Warlock on the planet.”He walked around behind her. Fisting a handful of her hair he yanked her head backwards. “Sorry to say that I need you to bleed out as slowly as possible, so this is going to hurt.”There was an element of smugness in his tone and she thought it only fair, after all, he still had the upper hand here.
Nadia couldn’t stop her eyes from flicking towards the window where she knew Blake to be. She hadn’t so much seen him as felt him there. It was ironic, after all this time of feeling his beady little eyes on her wherever she went in town, following her around at the Alpha’s command, that she now sensed him whenever he was close, and he was close. But was he close enough?
“They say the first cut is the deepest, but trust me, it won’t be.”He breathed the words against her ear and she felt the physical reaction that turned her stomach. Just his proximity was bad enough, but for him to be touching her, well that was just damned disgusting in her book.
“Can we just get this over with? I’d rather be dead than have you this close.”Nadia did bravado to the best of her ability, but this time there was an element of truth in those words. Live or die, she knew that Blake would see this one to the afterlife, and she didn’t think he’d be that gentle about it. The thought comforted her.
Nero turned towards Neve’s cry of pain. His eyes took in the scene around her at the same time as he tore across the room towards her, catching her in his arms before her knees hit the floor. He felt her body alternate between rigid and lax as the cries of pure pain tore from her lips.
“Neve, what’s happening?”His beast pushed to the forefront as he fought the urge to shift to protect her, because he had no damn idea what he was protecting her from. Gathering her to his chest, he reached down and scooped her up. He could feel the heat from her body, she was burning up.
“The-wards-are-down…”It took her an age to get her words out and they were forced between the sharp intake of breaths that she managed between the pain that tore through her. Every inch of her body burned like molten lava and she could feel her magic being drawn out of her, but to where she didn’t know.
“I don’t give a damn about that, what’s happening to you?”Nero reached the sofa and placed her gently down upon it. For one long moment her body convulsed and she bent at the waist, a strangled cry came from her lips as the pain intensified within her.
“Ma-gic- ha-ve- none…”Neve cried out with the pain in her mind. She’d thought the attack on her body had been bad, but this, this was torture of the worst possible kind. For just a moment she felt her connection to Nadia, her sister’s pain, and then it was gone, replaced by only the darkness that consumed her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nero rushed to panic. It was something he never normally did. He’d never felt so helpless within his life as he did right at that moment. His mate was in agony and he couldn’t fight for her. He’d allowed the only person that he knew could help her to leave the community, Natasha, and he cursed his short sightedness. If she was here at least she would have known what was happening to her sister. She might even have been able to stop it.
Nero saw her pass out and became frantic. Wrapping his hands around her upper arms, he tried to shake her awake, back to him, and when that didn’t work he nuzzled against the mark he had placed in her shoulder and tried to get her to respond to his touch. He was more than aware that her heart beat with a pounding strength within her chest. Her breathing was becoming more even and she seemed more peaceful now, and yet he couldn’t bring her back to him.
‘Alpha, the Were’s are attacking.’ The hard growled out statement through the link that ran within the pack tore his heart in two. However much he wanted to remain with his mate right now, he had an obligation to his pack. His mate couldn’t be helped, at least not by him, but he could kill some damn Werewolves.
“Mika, stay with my mate.”He yelled out into the quiet of the cabin and heard the quick footsteps of a She-wolf rushing towards him as he tore out of the door and across the hallway. Tearing his clothes from his body as he went, he yanked open the front door and slammed it shut behind him as his beast pushed to the forefront. He shifted before his human feet were even off the porch.
Colt saw the ready gleam in his mate’s eyes as she lifted her hands, palms upwards and controlled her breathing. With muttered incantations that he probably wasn’t supposed to hear, she directed her magic towards the two human Were’s that were guarding the front and side doors. He narrowed his eyes and waited expectantly for something to happen, he wasn’t sure what exactly, she wouldn’t share, apparently it was a surprise, but one he should heed.
In a heartbeat the area was bathed in flickering light as both men caught on fire. Surprised cries turned to screams of pain as both men appeared to be fighting with an invisible demon, tossing and throwing themselves around in the air, before dropping to their knees upon the floor. It wasn’t pretty, but it was damn effective.
“Someone likes to play with fire.” Colt mused to himself on a small smile of appreciation of his mate’s skills. “It appears you aren’t exactly squeamish.” He offered beside her, not knowing if she could hear him or not as she concentrated on her spell work. “I’d say that announced our arrival, you stay here and…”
The sound of her pained cry mixed with the dying screams of the men on the ground and brought Colt’s attention back towards her. His hands reached for her and he yanked her towards him. Her body was wracked with pain as she fought some kind of invisible demon of her own.
“Get-to- Nadia…”She managed as her teeth ground against each other with the pain that seared through her.
“What’s wrong?”Colt knew it was magic, but he didn’t know how to stop it.
“Kill- War…”Natasha finished on a soulful cry as her body went limp within his arms. Colt didn’t hesitate. In one swift movement he had bitten down into the flesh on the palm of his hand and tipped her head back upon her neck as she lay unconscious against him. He wouldn’t leave her unprotected, and at least if she died she would come back as a Vampire. She might hate him for a century or two, but still…
Blake had seen the knife cut through Nadia’s skin as if it was butter. Her blood pooled to the surface against her collarbone before trickling down over her ivory skin and seeping into the fabric of her top. The Warlock hadn’t lied, the cut wasn’t deep, but that didn’t stop her blood from flowing. Blake’s instinct was to kill. His beast roared within him to protect the Fae and yet for a long moment he remained motionless.
The sound of the men’s screams had alerted him to the fact that Colt must have been attacking the perimeter
. In a heartbeat he had hastened up the pipe and kicked out at the ravaged glass of the window. In another heartbeat he was inside the room as the Warlock’s head snapped around towards him.
Blake saw the knife at Nadia’s throat and hesitated. The suddenness of his entrance had caused the Warlock to open another small wound near her jugular, but it wasn’t deep enough to be life threatening on its own. The fact that the coward now had the blade of the knife pushed against her life vein was the only thing that stood between Blake standing there frozen and doing what would bring him the greatest satisfaction and ripping the man limb from limb.
“She’s dead if you do…”The words were like a red rag to a damn bull. It only put images of Nadia lying dead in his mind and made him want to kill. Blake growled long and hard in a warning to the Warlock of the promise of things to come.
“You’re dead either way.” Colt growled out from the doorway. The macabre sight of the Vampire holding the severed head of the third human Werewolf had the desired effect on the Warlock. His eyes widened in fear as he regarded the spectacle and the hand holding the knife to Nadia’s throat wavered for just an instant.
Blake tore towards the Warlock, but the motion seemed to snap him out of his shock and focus his mind. His hand slashed across Nadia’s throat as best he could before Blake took him from his feet. Slamming him down onto the floor beneath him, Blake used his weight to keep the man in place, but his arm slashed wildly, the knife catching Blake across his shoulder, cutting through the fabric of his jacket and down into his flesh.
The pain that tore through Blake only steeled his reserve to kill this man. With one clawed hand he wrapped his fingers around his wrist and snapped the bone just below the elbow. The scream of agony that tore through the Fae was rewarding, but not totally satisfying. Blake used his other hand to slash deep gouges into his face and down his neck. His fangs were down and locked into place and his beast had the urge to taste the Fae’s blood as he all but gave up the fight beneath him.
“Nadia, drink…”Colt growled out in frustration. The little Fae was doing her best to deny his blood from getting into her veins. She tossed her head wildly, even with the wound in her neck. She would rather die than run the risk of becoming a Vampire.
Blake heard the muted protest that came from Nadia and decided to end the Warlock. He hadn’t made him suffer nearly enough for his deeds, but he wouldn’t allow this man one moment more when Nadia was still in danger. With one swift movement he reached down and tore out the Warlocks throat. Not even bothering to wait for the man’s dying breath, he pushed up from him and turned towards where Colt was fighting with the Fae.
“She’s a weak human and you can’t even get her to take your blood?”Blake growled out every single word as he stalked the few paces that brought him to her side. He fisted her hair and yanked her head backwards, exposing the wound at her throat to his eyes and he winced with the pain that seeing it invoked within him.
“I was trying to be gentle.”Colt bit out.
“This is no time for gentle, Vampire.”Blake growled long and hard as he wrapped his hand over her jaw and forced her mouth open for Colt’s blood.
“N-o…”She tried to spit the first of it out, but Blake wasn’t having any of it, he reached his thumb in and held her tongue down.
“Feed her the damn blood.”He ordered the Vampire to act and Colt didn’t hesitate. Nadia’s eyes said it all. She hated him, she wasn’t going to forget or forgive this, and he didn’t give a damn as long as she lived to hate him for another day.
Nero slashed hard and deep at the Werewolf. His claws gorged out a bloodied trail in his fur a moment before he turned on fast paws for another run at the beast. This Werewolf wasn’t fighting with the frenzy of the bloodlust that should have been running through his veins, but with the cold blooded clarity of a Lycan wolf. Although not as adept at fighting in his beasts form as he could have been if he’d perfected it from an early age, the beast was still powerful and one wrong move could result in the Werewolf getting his kill.
‘Alpha, your mate says the Warlock is dead. The spell on the Were’s has been broken…’
Nero’s attention wavered just long enough for the Werewolf to get in one good hit. Right down his left side with his claws embedded deep into his flesh. Nero roared and struck out with his right paw. His claws connected with the beasts face, scrapping down to the bone and onto his neck, with a deft flick of his claws he took the beasts throat clean out.
‘Is Neve alright?’ Nero ignored the pain at his side. There were more wolves to fight this night and he wouldn’t be worried by a simple flesh wound, no matter how much it throbbed. His mate was the important thing now. If he knew that she was alright he could suffer anything.
‘Wobbly, but fine.’ Those words brought joy to his heart. Fine. Alive. Thank the Spirits.
Nero looked down at the body of his enemy. If the spell had been broken and they reverted to acting on instinct alone they would be easier to hunt, easier to track and easier to kill. When the night slipped away they would change back to their human form, any remaining Werewolves could be taken care of then.
‘Good to know, Mika, thank you.’ Nero turned on his heels and listened intently to discern which direction the sound of another skirmish that was taking place nearby was coming from. When he had it, he took off on quick paws through the woods. His pack might just come out of this mainly intact after all.
Blake wasn’t much for listening to her protestations. That was something that Nadia knew well, but right now she was being carried in his arms like a damn child and she didn’t much appreciate it. Struggling against his hold did about as much good as her verbal protestations had achieved. She was still held captive within his hold.
“For the love of the Triple Goddess will you put me the hell down?”Nadia squirmed some more, but what was the damn use, really? The man had about as much going on upstairs in the brains department as a slowworm, and she wasn’t exactly sure how much that was, but she doubted it made him Einstein.
“I don’t love the Triple Goddess and if you stop asking the same thing over and again then you won’t be disappointed by the answer, which is still no.” Blake growled out. His beast had taken a lot of persuasion to get back inside his box, and with any wonder. The little Witch was determined to do herself more damage the way she had been thrashing about in his arms. But he was amused by the way she was spitting fire at him with her eyes.
Colt had taken the lead. He was eager to get back to his mate and make sure that she hadn’t suffered an injury or worse. But he couldn’t leave Nadia unprotected when Blake’s attention was directed to keeping her in his arms. He had no doubt that Blake would fight to the death to protect her, and yet if something were to happen he was sure Natasha would never forgive him.
The sight of his mate stumbling out of the shadows where he had left her didn’t even give him a moment’s pause for thought, and he was in front of her in a heartbeat. Still close enough to the others to be able to defend them should the occasion arise, but he hadn’t sensed anymore danger from the local area, and his mate looked a little dazed and confused.
“I have you…”Colt’s arms wrapped around her and he eased her against his body. Just the feel of her in his arms set his anxiety to rest. She was still Fae. He could scent it from her.
“Why are you sniffing me, you’re a damn Vampire, not a wolf?” Natasha snapped up at him and saw the look of guilt quickly sweep across his face. Narrowing her eyes on him she tilted her head to one side and gave him a look that was sure to melt ice.
“I fed you my blood, just in case.”He looked suitably contrite as she stared up at him with a jaw that just didn’t seem to want to stay closed.
“Ha! Join the damn club. That one tried to turn me into a damn bloodsucker and this one helped him…”Nadia ground out indignantly between clenched teeth, pointing an accusing finger at each man in turn.
“You’re alive and you’re healing.”Colt shot back over his s
houlder, not bothering to turn around to look at her. He was too intent on his mate.
“And you’re welcome.”Blake added, still growling with his beast inside him.
“Newsflash, Fae do not want to be Vampires. You can’t be a Witch and a Vampire and I have no intention of being…”
“Alive?”Colt did shoot her a quick poignant look over his shoulder this time and Blake even managed a stilted laugh as he walked past the mates, towards the truck that would take them back to pack land and the fight that was surely ensuing there. He had heard the Warlock say as much. The Werewolves were attacking his pack and they needed to get back.
“Let’s leave the ungratefulness of the moment aside for now.” Blake offered as he heard a small gasp from Natasha and shot a look behind him. Colt had taken a leaf out of his book and was now carrying his mate towards the truck. “We have Were’s to end.” Blake added as Nadia’s mouth opened for another volley and he managed to bat it aside. She snapped her jaw closed. The protests and accusations could wait until the pack was safe and she knew that her sister was alright.
Neve could do nothing but wait. Wait for her mate. Wait for her sister’s return. Wait. It didn’t please her to be stuck inside the cabin while a war raged outside, but then what could she do with the little magic that she had left within her?
When the front door burst open, Neve turned on her heels towards it. The sound of her sister’s chattering to the men carrying them, protesting their strength and practically demanding to be put on their feet, meant that she had to smile. Just the knowledge that they were alright was enough for that.
“The quicker you put me down, the quicker you can go tear out another throat or two…”Nadia growled towards Blake who was happy to just ignore her. Putting her on her feet, he took a moment to make sure that she was stable before he turned on his heels and left without answering her with words, but the long low growl of annoyance was more than enough for her to get his meaning. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on all that killing now would you?”Nadia added and saw him hesitate in his step just briefly as he headed out of the open door.