by Anna Abner
“Shit,” she cursed. The cast on his leg made him clumsy, and the spry vampire took every advantage. She raised the weapon just as the vampire managed a quicker than human maneuver, kicked Lukas’ bad knee sideways, and then leapt on his back as he fell, his fangs deep in Lukas’s throat before he even hit the ground.
“Oh, no!” Sara shouted, breaking her spell and sprinting for Lukas.
Roz didn’t have a good shot. Her stomach in her throat, she lowered her weapon and ran.
Sara reached them first and yanked at the vampire’s dirty jacket, but he was so much stronger than her, she didn’t even budge him. And Lukas lay heaving on his stomach, his leg at wrong angles.
Roz pressed the barrel of her .357 to the vampire’s head and pulled the trigger. His skull exploded, his body sagged, and Sara rolled him away.
Connor limped over with Ali.
“Is he okay?” Ali asked.
“I’m fine,” Lukas barked, struggling to sit. But Roz recognized glazed eyes and trembling hands. The vampire had either taken too much blood or the big bad shifter was scared.
“Upsy-daisy,” Roz said, covering from the others how much assistance he needed as she shoved him into a sitting position.
When she glanced up for help, Connor’s face gave her pause, and her words died on her lips. Something was wrong with him. He was panting and sweating, though Roz doubted it was from the fight.
Despite the bloodlust in his eyes, Connor grabbed Lukas around the chest and lifted him to his one good leg, and then lunged in the direction of the three very bloody, very ill human victims on the ground. Ali plastered herself against his chest.
“Look at me,” she demanded in a calm but authoritative voice. “You don’t have to do this. You’re strong. You’re brave. You’re my everything.”
He stared over her head at the horizon. “I can’t…” he hissed.
Roz glanced around for Sara, but she was bent over a dead vampire, and she wasn’t listening. Lukas, either.
“Yes, you can,” Ali answered firmly.
Connor’s jaw clenched. “I’m sorry. I’ll follow their trail. I’ll meet you at home.” Something unspoken passed between them, and then Connor ran off in the opposite direction as the highway.
“These guys are all dead,” Sara said, reappearing near Roz. “Should we leave them?”
“I’ll call the highway patrol once we’re out of the area,” Roz said. “At least their families will be notified. But we burn the vampires. They don’t have families.”
“Ew,” Sara began. “Seriously?”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?” Roz asked as she wedged her hands under the first unconscious vampire’s shoulders.
Even after the chaos of the fight, Roz found herself enjoying Sara’s company. The girl was spunky and definitely an asset. Some of her confusion spells were better than Roz’s.
“Did you check out the Coven’s new application process?” Sara asked her.
“I did,” Roz answered, wiping sweaty strands of hair from her brow. “It’s a little more streamlined than I remember.”
“I can help you fill it out,” Sara offered. “Whenever you’re ready. I’ll even write you a letter of recommendation, if you want.”
“Thanks.” But being rejected by the Coven at the age of eighteen had been one of the most humiliating and degrading experiences of her young life. She wasn’t ready to jump back in until she was sure she was prepared for another rejection.
Silent, Lukas grabbed the second and third vampires, one in each hand, and tossed them in a pile. Roz retrieved lighter fluid and matches from the truck. Lit by the flickering light of the vampire bonfire, Roz visually assessed Lukas’ condition.
“How’s your leg?” she asked.
He bent and tore off the plaster cast. “Fucking fantastic,” he answered with sarcasm. “Did they hurt you?”
“No.” She frowned, not liking the idea of him removing his cast. But what she really wanted to know about was the state of his cursed wound. Had her magic helped? How long had it lasted? But she couldn’t ask in front of Ali and Sara.
He didn’t say anything, just stared, bloodied and bruised, into the distance like he couldn’t flee fast enough.
“Do I get another question?” she blurted out, simply to keep him talking. He didn’t look like he should be on his own.
He scowled at her, but made no response.
“What’s it feel like to shift?” she asked.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Lukas said and stalked off, trying to hide his limp but not really succeeding.
She watched him weave unsteadily into the dark night, disappearing among the solar panels.
“Connor will meet us at home,” Ali said, jostling Roz back to reality. “Let’s get out of here.”
“See you next time,” Sara called out, swinging a leg over her motorcycle. “This was fun.”
Back in the drivers’ seat beside Ali, Roz accelerated slowly, winding toward the highway.
“What happened back there?” Roz asked.
“With Connor?” At a nod, Ali continued, “He was losing control around all the blood.”
“Do you think he’s okay?” Roz questioned. Connor had been struggling with his infection since day one. So far, he’d been able to maintain control, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t break under the right circumstances and hurt innocent people.
“I believe in him,” Ali assured.
“Me too.” Always have, always will.
“But you remember the promise you made him after he was infected?”
Oh, Roz remembered. She was surprised, though, that Ali would bring it up. “Of course I do.” If her best friend went Dark Connor, she’d take him out—permanently—rather than watch him hurt innocent people.
“You think you could do it?”
“I promised,” was all Roz could say. It would take every ounce of resolve she possessed to kill her best friend, but she’d do it, if necessary. “I promised you the same thing, don’t forget.”
“And I trust you to keep your word,” Ali answered. “But I feel a lot more confident now about my power. I’ve seen how far it goes and how to control it.”
“Good.” Because Roz didn’t relish hurting either of them. Ever.
Ali turned in her seat. “What the hell was the shapeshifter doing there? Did you invite him?”
“He said he wants to hunt vampires,” Roz said, avoiding the full truth.
“Does he know Connor’s infected?”
“I don’t think so.”
Roz’s gaze roamed the open desert on either side of the truck, wondering if there was a bear out there somewhere trailing her right that moment.
#
Maks dreamed of his military captivity—fire, ice, electricity, and blood. But first and foremost, pain.
His nightmare became reality as he woke in a rush. Something very real tossed him off his makeshift bed, and he rolled across hard-packed earth. Instantly, he became aware that he was Sergei’s pet in a mine southeast of Vegas living like a dog on the ground.
Having lost his shoes and shirt somewhere along the way, Maks suffered in filthy, faded jeans and nothing else.
He drew only a fraction of a breath into his lungs before Sergei flattened him with a foot to the back of his neck, crushing his throat closed. He squeezed his eyes against seeing the amused looks from the horde gathered in the Four Sons’ sleeping quarters because the humiliation was too great. Violet gazing at him in his submissive position—her amber eyes held so much pity and hope—burned him to the bone. He could suffer humiliation and torture, but he couldn’t take her witnessing it.
“These are not acceptable accommodations,” Sergei complained. “We are gods among swine, and we deserve the best these humans can provide us.”
Great plan. The Four Sons would pick up where Olek had left off in the world domination game, but maybe first they should consider their late brother’s fate. It would most likely be theirs as well.
“We do not huddle like dogs in broken-down crates,” Sergei announced to the group. “We are kings and we will live as kings.”
“We should be in one of the mansions west of the 215,” Damian spoke up immediately. “All those houses on the edge of Red Rock Preserve. They’re amazing.”
“Take us there. I tire of sleeping on the ground.” Sergei removed his foot from Maks’ neck, and he coughed, spitting dirt again. He knew better than to rise from his belly before Sergei gave him permission or he’d receive a torture that usually ended with him unconscious. “Pet, collect my belongings and pack them on your back. And don’t think I’ve forgotten your promise.”
Maks scrabbled to his feet, a little dizzy, but suppressing any signs of weakness. He clenched his jaws together because Sergei despised the sound of his voice. Instead, Maks gathered the brothers’ gear, weapons, and clothing. On the way out of the mine, he passed the blood donors huddled in a corner. He sensed her before he saw her, a filthy and matted creature hugging her knees.
“You owe me,” she hissed, just loud enough for him to hear.
He shifted the weight in his arms, and he made eye contact. Holding her gaze was hard to do, but he did it because he wanted someone in this godforsaken place to know he wasn’t broken. She returned his gaze and telegraphed rage.
He fought a wisp of a smile. Despite being kept prisoner for weeks, being tortured, bled, and beaten, she was letting him know, she wasn’t broken either.
The wretched-looking creature who refused to be cowed sparked something long dormant inside him.
Maks grimaced, the closest thing to a smile he could manage these days.
The horde, with their belongings on their backs and blood donors in chains, walked away from the mine that had sheltered them since Olek’s disappearance. The first car they saw on the highway, they forced off the road, killed the driver, and crowded in. They did the same to the next and the next and the next until they possessed enough transportation for every vampire and captive.
The uppity asshat Damian, with the fancy aspirations, led the way in the first car, fairly beaming with pride and accomplishment. Maks almost felt bad for him—almost—for he obviously had no idea what happened to uppity asshats in the horde.
In a long line of stolen vehicles, they arrived at the largest, most ostentatious compound on Red Rock Road. Sergei, Ivan, and Ilya climbed out of their vehicles.
“Come,” Sergei ordered Maks.
“They’ll have alarms and security,” called Damian.
Maksim followed them soundlessly over the block wall and across a wide lawn.
As if it were nothing more than a nuisance, Sergei kicked in the front door and shouted, “Come out, come out. Your new masters are here.” He jerked his head at his brother Ivan, and the man chased the scent of humans onto the second floor. Within moments, Ivan returned, dragging a screaming woman and a struggling man. He tossed them onto the tile foyer at Sergei’s feet.
Both middle-aged, the woman had startling red hair and narrow hips, but the man was round as a barrel and balding. The woman peered briefly at Maksim, taking in his filthy jeans, bare chest, and mussed hair and immediately dismissed him as unable to help her. Smart woman.
“We have money,” she stuttered. “Jewelry. Cars. Whatever you want. Please, just take it and leave us alone.”
“We are not here to steal from you,” Sergei said, lifting the man to his feet. “We are here to re-take what is ours.” With a vicious twist, he pulled the man’s head from his shoulders.
Blood poured across the foyer as the woman wailed.
“Turn off your alarms,” Sergei said, “or I’ll remove your head as well, and I’ll do the same to anyone you bring here to help you.”
The screaming died down to a whimper as the redhead keyed in codes to the security panel on the foyer wall.
“Go, brothers,” Sergei said, “make yourselves at home.”
The horde arrived at the doorstep, Damian front and center. “I’ll find all their phones and computers,” he said. “Someone else should dump the vehicles outside of town. We’ve got to lay low until we have an army.”
“Do it,” Sergei agreed and then turned his emotionless black eyes on Maks. “I will rebuild the horde and bend humanity to my will, starting with this city. But first, pet, I require a bath. Draw one for me.”
As he said it, Ilya passed into his periphery. He led Violet into the blood-bathed foyer by her bound wrists.
To get her out, Maks would have to evade Sergei, snatch her out of Ilya’s hands, and then carry her away so fast no one would catch them. It was impossible. And the brothers knew it. But Maks hadn’t survived Olek, the US Army, and Connor Beckett to be whipped by a trio of sadists.
He’d find a way.
#
When Roz arrived at the coffee shop Saturday morning hoping to run into Lukas, the women’s bathroom was locked and a line had formed in the short hallway outside. Nervously, she pulled at her black tank top, feeling strangely self-conscious.
She knocked persistently on the door. “Lukas? It’s me.”
Before she caught any response, a young man in glasses and a nametag ran over. “Hey,” he said. “You can’t meet your booty call in our bathroom. Either unlock the door, or I’ll have to ban you from the hotel.”
“I understand,” Roz said, knocking again.
“The bathroom is for all customers,” the young man continued, gesturing to the line of unhappy tourists.
“I get it.” The lock clicked, and she slipped in. “And it’s not a booty call. He’s sick. I just need five minutes.” She re-locked the door, tuning out angry knocking on the opposite side.
In the dim interior, Lukas slumped in a wicker chair, his baby blue shirt stained dark red under his left arm. He hadn’t bothered to apply a bandage to his vampire bite from the night before. The puncture marks had healed, but not the bruises.
“My God,” she hissed. “It’s worse.”
“It doesn’t hurt as much after you zap me,” Lukas admitted. “The bleeding slows down, but it never stops completely. I tried cauterizing it, but it didn’t work.”
“What?” She lurched forward to see better. “Don’t do that! Don’t hurt yourself.”
“There’s nothing to see. The burn healed.”
What was it with the men in her life and flaunting fate? “God, you’re just like Connor. He won’t stop stepping in front of bullets either.”
He scratched at the back of his neck and slumped forward in his seat. “Connor. He’s your boyfriend, right?”
“No.”
“Then what is he?”
“He’s my friend. My best friend. It was just us for a year until Ali showed up and he got twinkles in his eyes.”
“You never?”
“I don’t think of him like that. It’s more of a brother vibe.”
“Is he straight?”
What a question. “Yes.”
“If he’s straight, then he’s thought of it. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.”
“Don’t be gross.” Her eyes fluttered downward. “I’m guessing you’re straight.”
“Yes.”
A hint of a smile spread across her mouth. “Then you’ve thought about me like that?”
He didn’t take the bait. “Didn’t I just say as much? I know you’re not gay.”
“Oh, do you?” Roz tugged at her top and then crossed her arms, feeling flushed. Wasn’t there air conditioning in this room?
“Because I’ve seen you checking me out. A lesbian wouldn’t stare so hard.”
She made a choking noise in her throat. “You’re disgusting.”
“Disgusting, but honest.” Lukas blinked with glassy, unfocused eyes. “Just get on with the spell.”
“You need a doctor,” she said. “And probably a blood transfusion.”
“What I need,” he snapped, “is a witch.” In a show of strength, he pushed to his feet, but his knees buckled, and he flailed, landi
ng heavily in the chair. The abused wicker seat creaked loudly but, by some miracle, stayed in one piece.
Roz laid the back of her hand to his brow. He was cold and clammy, she noticed, before he swatted her away. “That’s it. I’m taking you upstairs. This is ridiculous.”
“Don’t,” he began, but trailed off as Roz tugged on his arm.
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid if I stop or rest for too long, I won’t be able to get back up.”
Roz couldn’t leave him hanging any longer. She called her power. “Heal,” she cast. “Heal and be whole.” He sat through them, but his head drooped nearly to his chest. When she cut her magic, he didn’t react right away.
Finally with a pained groan, Lukas stood, this time keeping his feet.
“I’ll get you healthy again,” she promised, unlocking the bathroom door. At first, the bespectacled assistant manager opened his mouth and raised a finger as if about to rip into Roz, but when he saw the half-dead shifter leaning on her shoulder, he stepped aside and let them shuffle out of the doorway.
Walking Lukas to the elevators was a slow, painstaking process. She couldn’t carry him or support his weight. He was too big and too heavy, so she waited for him to garner the strength to move his own mass.
“I was fourteen,” he grumbled near her ear. He was so heavy and thick, like hugging an oversized hound. A very warm, very soft hound.
“I know,” she said. “When you first shifted.”
“It was almost morning,” he continued, as if he hadn’t heard her. “I was in bed having a nightmare, and I shifted. It was the most terrifying and painful experience of my life. I thought I was literally insane.”
“How did your family react?” she asked, sympathizing immediately with the frightened kid she pictured in her mind. Not that different from her when she first used her powers.
“They didn’t know. I never told them. After I shifted, I forced myself back into human shape, and I hid it from everyone.”