by Lexi C. Foss
“Twelve,” he corrected, disappearing back into his armory. “But you were close,” he called back to me.
I frowned at the screen. “Where are the other three?”
“They’re coming in from the west,” he replied from the other room.
“The west?” I repeated, trying to figure out which monitor showed that. There were six up on the screen, all angled at different parts of his property.
“Upper right corner,” he said as he returned with a gun in his hand. He used it to tap the image on the panel before securing it in his belt, where he had two others tucked away.
I squinted at the purple shading, my brow furrowing as I caught a slight shift in the color. “What is that?” They weren’t yellowish orange like the others. “Why are they so faint?”
“Age,” he replied. “Go pick out some knives. You’re going to need them.”
That didn’t sound good. I wanted to ask him what was happening, but he disappeared into his armory again before I had a chance.
So I did as he requested and picked a few knives from the wall of weapons decorating his sparring area. They were combat-style tools meant for hand-to-hand training, very unlike the items in his secret room.
I also selected two throwing stars, one of which I carefully tucked into the back of my boxer shorts. The other stayed in my hand, while I held two knives in the other.
This isn’t very efficient, I thought as Ryder returned in a dark vest that matched his black pants. He was still shirtless beneath, leaving his muscular arms on display. They bulged threateningly as he slipped a blade into his tool belt. It reminded me of one a Vigil would wear, only more high-tech.
I was about to ask for one, but my mouth forgot how to function as I caught the dark glimmer in his eyes.
“If you ever go in there without my permission, you’ll regret it,” he informed me as he approached. Then he seized my chin between his finger and thumb and forced me to look at him. “And if you even think about using those daggers on me tonight, you’ll find out how I prefer to use a knife. Got it?”
“You’re the one who told me to attack you,” I reminded him. This wasn’t the time for a debate, but my exhausted mind couldn’t help throwing words back at him. Everything he did went against the norm.
Shouldn’t his Vigils be handling the attack outside? Wasn’t that one of their key responsibilities—to ensure the safety of their royal vampire?
Is Ryder even who he says he is?
His eyes narrowed. “Now isn’t the time for being clever, little pet.”
“I’m just saying, you keep changing your rules.” Making it impossible to know what to expect from him.
“Then learn to read me better,” he replied, tightening his grip on my chin. “Those assholes want to kill me. That’s why they’re here. I strongly suggest you do what I say if you want to survive.”
I held his gaze. “What do you want me to do?”
“Help me kill them.”
“How?”
“By protecting my interior,” he murmured, his grasp loosening just a little. “And try not to die. I’m not done with you yet.”
That sounds promising, I thought with a mental snort.
“The power is going to go out in about sixty seconds as a result of my emergency protocols,” he added. “Now go find a decent hiding spot before that happens. If anyone who isn’t me touches you, stab them. Understand?”
Part of me wanted to deliver a snarky retort, but the moving blobs on the screen had me reevaluating my stance and nodding instead. “Okay.”
“Good girl,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips that sent a tingle down my spine. “Happy killing.”
7
Ryder
These assholes thought they could sneak up on me. I would have laughed if it weren’t such a fucking insult.
I crept over the roof of my home, careful to stick to the shadows. My security had sprung to life about forty seconds ago, cloaking my property in darkness. But I couldn’t do anything about the moon hanging overhead.
The idiots with death wishes were coming in on all sides, making it difficult for me to pick a position. So I went with the corner facing the three with minimal body heat. They would be the oldest. Vampires didn’t grow colder over time; we just required less blood to survive. And my thermal scans picked up on that aspect of the body signature. It helped me know whom I was up against before they arrived.
None of them would compare to me in age unless Kylan had decided to pay me an unexpected visit. But last I checked, he had a brain. So no way in hell would he be creeping over my yard now.
I rolled my neck, loosening my shoulders, and lowered myself into position near the sniper rifle I kept up here just for this purpose. I had seven, all in different areas and facing opposite directions.
One could never be too prepared in my position.
I’d pissed a few vampires off when I originally opted to remain here instead of taking a leadership role. Most had given up trying to punish me for it. So I suspected these bastards were here for an entirely different reason.
All right, Dick Number One, let’s see where you are.
My scope had night vision equipment enabled, allowing me to easily spy my target about seven hundred yards out. This was precisely why I had my security equipment set up at my borders. It gave me time to prepare, and the alarms wouldn’t be heard that far out, even by lycan ears.
I scanned the area for Dick Number Two and Dick Number Three.
They’d spaced out a little, making it difficult to take them all down in sequence. Which meant one or two might disappear after I fired off the first bullet.
I waited half a beat, measuring the distance of their varied trajectories, then fired one bullet directly into Dick Number Two’s skull. He’d survive with a mild headache but wouldn’t wake for at least an hour. That would give me enough time to take down some of the others permanently and leave him alive for questioning.
Dick Number One tried to fall to the ground, just like I expected him to. I pulled the trigger to ensure he stayed there permanently, then focused on Dick Number Three. He’d also collapsed to the ground, my lack of trees making hiding difficult.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
I pulled the trigger, his angle of escape predictable.
And those were the oldest of the group, leaving nine young vampires left to play with.
My rifle compromised my position and cost me the element of surprise, but it was worth it to take down the larger threats.
Rolling up to the balls of my feet, I edged along the side of my roof to one of the makeshift ladders I’d built into the brick siding. Several quick steps later, my boots touched the gravel below.
I didn’t waste time looking around. Even if the vampires had run, they wouldn’t be here yet.
Moving a few feet to the right, I knelt and pulled open one of my trapdoors in the dirt, then dropped into the tunnel below. My entire property held a maze beneath the surface, all lined with hidden entrances that could only be accessed by my thumbprint.
Maybe I should have put Willow down here, I thought as I closed the door over my head. Then I frowned at the notion.
Since when did I try to protect others?
Shaking my head, I took off at a sprint toward the area where the largest cluster had been seen on the cameras. They’d probably already split up, but I could catch a few off guard with some of my presents lying in wait throughout the fields.
After a bit of a jog, I slowed my pace, then stopped beside one of my panels to bring up the footage of my property.
Two offenders had already reached the front door.
Three more were rounding the back of my house.
One stood near the outer perimeter, unmoving. Maybe he no longer wanted to play. That’d be the smart decision.
Another was less than ten feet from my position and frozen, likely because he could sense my presence.
> I ignored him to hunt for Willow. I found her in the living area with her back pressed up against a wall, her body position alert and defensive. She’d chosen to hide in plain sight, giving her two avenues to escape, both of which were highlighted by the moon coming in through the windows.
Good girl, I thought at her, then searched for the final two intruders.
There. I smiled at their location about a hundred yards from my house. Just a little closer, I urged them as I called up an administration screen on the panel beside their image.
Come on. Take a few steps.
That’s a good boy.
All right, you, too, buddy.
And… three… two… I hit the button and grinned as the explosion rocked the infrastructure around me. My tunnels would be safe—the blast radius was confined to the area they’d just entered and away from my underground haven—but those two vampires would be severely injured or dead, depending on how close they were to the detonation point.
All right, I had seven to go.
The one closest to me had started forward again, making it easy to catch him.
Using my security panel, I engaged a trap point within his trajectory and smirked as he stepped right into it. His resulting howls of pain were music to my ears. The only way out of that literal bear trap was to lose his limb. Oh, it’d grow back eventually, but not quickly enough to save him from me.
The trio behind my house started toward me, searching the field for my location because the idiot above me was shouting about me being nearby.
Yes, walk this way, I encouraged them, an old song popping into my head that I began to hum beneath my breath. No one made music like that anymore. Cinematic arts had died with the human population. A real pity because I rather enjoyed theatrical entertainment. Lycans were somewhat into it, creating their own on occasion, but it wasn’t the same.
I started dancing around to the tune playing in my head while watching the idiots on the monitors move exactly where I wanted. With a little spin, I engaged another explosive and chuckled when they stepped right into it.
“Thanks for playing,” I murmured, not caring if the idiot above me heard it. “Who wants to dance next?”
Still singing the previously famous song, I pulled up the screens of the house and found the other two inside, walking right toward Willow. Smart Guy Number Twelve had retreated, his presence no longer on my property. I’d try to track him down later by scent.
First, I needed to take care of the final two jokers inside my house.
Willow’s tense stance told me she heard them coming for her. Hopefully, she could hold them off until I arrived.
I really should have put her in a safer place.
Why do I care? I wondered as I started running toward her location via the tunnels. I barely knew the girl. However, some part of me had claimed her.
Willow fascinated me, in a refreshing way. She was obedient yet defiant. Beautifully broken where society was concerned—an attribute that made her perfect in my mind.
I also sensed her innate hatred for my kind and her desire to escape this life. All the while, a warrior lurked inside who was hell-bent on surviving. That she smelled edible and possessed alluring curves only added to the appeal.
And her eyes.
Mmm, yes, those beautiful blue orbs showcased a myriad of feelings she held back. I wanted to shatter her walls to release the volcano beneath, but I was biding my time with her. Playing our own little intimate game.
That had to be why I was sprinting toward her now.
We weren’t done, and if those assholes took my new toy from me, I wouldn’t just kill them. I’d annihilate their very souls before allowing them to fall into the clutches of death.
I reached my basement hatch in record time, then pulled up the panel beside the door to check on everyone inside.
The intruders had split up. I ignored the one on my second floor and watched the one on the first level round the corner into the living area where Willow hid.
He found her immediately, her scent a beacon in the dark to a vampire.
But he didn’t see her knives.
She threw one with a precision I admired, hitting him right in the chest. Then she aimed a star at his neck, lodging both instruments into him on impact.
Nice, I praised, impressed. But her actions drew the second predator’s attention, his steps harsh on the stairs as he sprinted down to locate her and his buddy.
I opened the trapdoor in my basement, my blood heating in my veins at the thought of him reaching my Willow.
Her gasp pierced my ears, the sound of a male growl vibrating off the walls.
I entered to find her sparring with the vampire, her technique on point, but she was no match for his supernatural strength. One of her stars was lodged into the wall—a missed throw. Which meant she had only one knife left.
“Bitch!” the vampire shouted. The sound of a bone snapping followed and sent a chill down my spine, Willow’s resulting shriek of pain forcing me to move.
I didn’t think.
I acted.
My gun fell into my hand, the aim resolute, and a bullet sailed into his head, forcing him to release her.
But that wasn’t good enough.
I walked up to him and fired three more rounds into his skull, then two more into his neck. Willow’s knife glinted on the ground in the moonlight coming in through my back windows. I holstered my gun, retrieved the blade, and went to work on dislocating his head from his body.
The other guy received similar treatment, and it wasn’t until I completed the task that I realized the harsh sound in my ears came from my chest.
I was panting.
Bloodthirsty.
Furious.
Willow cowered on the floor, cradling her arm to her chest as she bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry. My strong little warrior.
I set the knife down. Then I went to my quivering pet and knelt down beside her. She flinched away from my touch, her pain evident. “Shh, I’m not going to hurt you. Let me see it.”
She trembled but did as I requested.
The bastard had snapped the bones in her forearm, likely by twisting her wrist while trying to dislodge the knife from her hand.
She’d heal eventually, and I needed to go ensure the vampires outside would never wake up. Yet I couldn’t leave her.
Instead, I rearranged myself on the floor to sit beside her, then bit my wrist and brought it to her mouth. “Drink.”
Her eyes flew to mine, the tears lurking in her depths a glisten I never wanted to see again from her.
“Now, Willow,” I snapped, not willing to allow her to suffer.
She visibly swallowed, her nose scrunching up in distaste, but she complied and pressed her mouth to my open wound. Her first lap against my skin was tentative, the action not at all what I needed from her. I opened my mouth to instruct her, but she began to suck before I could tell her to.
A low groan vibrated my arm, her pleasure at drinking from me a euphoric hit to my senses. Using my free hand, I threaded my fingers in her hair and gently pulled her closer until she rested against my side.
She relaxed into me, her damaged limb still pressed against her chest while my forearm rested against her spine to keep her upright.
Holding her felt right. Warm. Intoxicatingly real.
What is happening to me? I wondered. I didn’t cuddle.
Ignoring the oddity of our situation, I opted to embrace it and ensured she took more than her fill of my blood. It would expedite her healing, just like it had a week ago.
“Soon you’ll feel a tingling sensation in your arm,” I told her softly. “That’s how you know the bone is mending. We’ll need to set it properly and keep it at that angle through the process. Then it should return to normal in a few hours, if not sooner.” My blood was ancient, my immortality resolute. A human drunk on my essence should heal faster as a result.
I combed my fingers through her hair, belatedly noticing the blood coa
ting my skin.
Oh well. We’d both need a shower after this anyway.
After several minutes of allowing her to acquire her fill, I eased her away from my wrist. “That should be enough.”
She didn’t reply, just gazed up at me dreamily.
My lips curled at the contentment in her features. “Yeah, that was definitely enough.”
She hummed something unintelligible in response.
“I think I like you in this state,” I murmured, pulling her carefully into my lap. Her head fell to my chest on a sigh, her body completely relaxed against mine. “There’s so much I could do, and something tells me you would approve so long as I just let you have a little more blood.”
My words had no impact on her, confirming my statement.
“The healing may disturb your euphoric state,” I warned her. “The bone-mending process is more painful than the original fracture.”
At least it wasn’t a gunshot wound. Those were a bitch to recover from, which the vampires outside would currently be experiencing. I really needed to take care of them before they woke up, and I needed to track down the final intruder—the one intelligent enough to run.
“I’m going to put you in a temporary dream state,” I whispered to Willow. “You’ll be safe, and you’ll heal faster.”
She hummed again, but it didn’t sound like a protest.
I stood with her in my arms and walked over to the couch to arrange her in a comfortable position that protected her arm. Then I carefully repositioned her forearm to ensure her bones healed accurately.
Willow didn’t cringe or complain, her mind lost to a dreamy state of euphoria brought on by my blood. It would change as the mending started, but for now, she just stared up at me with a sated appeal that I wanted to replicate in the bedroom.
Leaning down, I brushed a kiss against her temple and compelled her into a deep sleep to help soften the mending experience. My compulsion served as an apology of sorts, one I didn’t really comprehend. Had I protected her better, she wouldn’t have been injured. And yet, at the same time, I needed to know how she handled herself in dangerous situations.