by M. L. Briers
He yanked her to a stop and her feet slipped against the dried leaves beneath her, the only thing that kept her upright was the hold that he had on her neck, and she was strangely grateful for that.
The sound of a snarl to her left made her heart hit her ribcage and she gasped in a breath as the vampire whirled her around towards him. She saw the grey wolf at the edge of the clearing, saw Kirk only briefly before she was spun around further, and saw the black hard stare of her captor and felt the pain strike deep within her stomach.
“No!” Kirk roared into the silence of the woods. His eyes were intent on the flash of the large blade. He watched it enter her body as he propelled himself towards them, and heard the startled gasp from his mate’s lips. But she didn’t scream as she crumpled down on herself against the ground.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Snarls and growls echoed out around the clearing as Kirk threw out his arm, his claws swiped over the vampire’s windpipe as he travelled through the air. The young vampire was tossed into the air by the power of the blow, spinning as he went down near a black wolf that stepped out on large paws, and instinctively it bit down into the vampire’s throat. With a powerful shake of his jaws the wolf tore out his throat and finished him.
Silver screamed out in pain. The feel of the blade embedded into Emily stomach was the same as in her vision and she felt it just as clearly this time. She crumpled to her knees, even with Ashley still grasping her hands, and Ashley followed her down.
“Break the bond…” Ashley shouted at her, but Silver held on. Gripping Ashley’s hands tighter to keep the bond between the three of them alive. She had to know, she needed to feel…
“Break the bond, Silver.” Ashley shouted at her. She could see how deathly pale her friend had become in such a short time, and knew that the injury to their friend was grave, but she couldn’t lose both of them and if Silver held on much longer, or if Emily died of her wounds, then Silver could die as well.
“Please Silver let go, break the bond…” She begged, tears rising in her eyes as she struggled to break the hold that Silver had on her.
Vaughn dropped to his knees beside his mate as Ashley begged him to help with her eyes. She shook her head, the emotions welling within her almost too much to bear.
“Help her…” Ashley ground out as Vaughn eased Silver’s fingers from the hold she had on Ashley. One hand was all he needed to break the bond, and Ashley gasped in a breath as the bond between the three was shattered, and Silver collapsed in on herself as Vaughn reached out for her. Catching her before she hit the floor and dragging her against his chest.
“Are you ok?” He demanded of his mate and she nodded. Wiping at the tears that fell down her cheeks.
“It’s Emily. She’s dying.”
Kirk paid no mind to the death of the young vampire as he dropped to his knees beside his mate and lifted her gently, turning her in his strong hands and easing her across his lap. The dark crimson of her blood had seeped through her clothes and he could see the deep wound within her stomach, as he eased her head back against the crook of his arm.
Ben shifted into his human form and stalked towards the mate’s. He scented Emily’s blood long before he saw the wound, and knelt down in front of Kirk as he watched the vampires fangs descend and lock into place. The black gaze of their eyes meet over Emily’s still body.
“What can I do?” Ben asked and watched as Kirk bit down into his palm, slicing the skin deep and wide to get enough blood for it to the spill down over his hand.
“Open her mouth and tip her head back.” Ben acted immediately and Kirk placed his fist over her lips, squeezing his own blood out into her mouth as if he were holding an orange. He didn’t give a damn that his blood spilled down her chin and ran down her neck, or that the wolves around him growled between them, unsure of what they were seeing.
“She needs to swallow it Ben, it’s not going down her throat.” Kirk was almost frantic, he could hear the beat of her heart becoming slower, more sluggish within her chest and knew that at any moment that beat could stop.
Ben stroked his fingers down her throat, trying to get her to swallow, until finally she did, the sound of a gurgle in her throat, as her breathing battled against the liquid both vying for the same space.
“Keep beating damn it.” Kirk growled out, knowing that his blood was now inside her and had time to touch her heart. If she died now she would become vampire, and that was a choice that she should make herself. He would welcome his mate turning, it would mean she was with him forever, but he would die inside if he saw the disgust in her eyes for what he had done, for taking away her choice.
“If she dies now?” Ben asked, and Kirk couldn’t blame him. This was his pack, his land and he had every right to protect them.
“Then I need to get her the hell away from here before she needs to feed.” Kirk informed him and Ben nodded his understanding.
Silver pushed at Vaughn’s chest. She couldn’t just stand idly by knowing what she knew and be so far away from Emily when she needed her. When she was dying, but Vaughn’s hand was locked around her upper arm and he wasn’t letting her go until his alpha told him to.
“Let me go or…” Silver bit down on the anger that tore through her. She need to get to Emily, she had to know what was happening, they had broken the link before she knew for sure, and Ashley wouldn’t try again, and the mutt holding onto her wouldn’t tell her anything.
Ashley felt the tingle in the air as Silver’s magic swelled within her, out of her control and she took a long step back.
“Vaughn, you need to let her go now.” Ashley warned, but he wasn’t prepared to let her go. He caught sight of his mates face and he frowned, not understanding why she was siding with Silver.
“Damn it Vaughn she’s powering up and she’s going to…” Silver let out an almighty charge against his chest that threw him across the room into the book shelves. The sound of wood cracking and items falling from the shelves around him, as he dropped into a heap on the floor, shattered the air. He shook his head as if trying to shake off the blow as he stared up at her.
“What the hell…?” He growled, but she was already turning on her heels to head for the front door, when she ran into the hard naked chest of her mate.
Ben grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her against his body, but she was already beating against his chest to let her go. He grabbed her by the wrists and held her in place as he stared at his beta.
“What are you doing?” He growled out and Vaughn growled low and hard as he dragged himself to his feet, his black eyes were menacing as he stared at Ben’s mate.
“She zapped me!” He growled as Ashley rushed forward.
“She didn’t mean to, it’s like a build up when she gets frustrated, there’s no buffer when she’s not thinking straight and bam…” Ashley shook her head, tossing that aside, as Ben growled in annoyance.
“Let me…” Silver fought to get away from him.
“ Calm down. Emily’s alive. Kirk fed her his blood. He’s bringing her here now.” Ben growled out each word as he felt his mate ease against him. The fight seeping out of her, and she stopped tugging on his hands as she tipped her head back to stare up at him. He saw the tears running down her cheeks and his heart melted his anger away within him.
“She’s not going to die?” Silver needed confirmation and quickly, and he shook his head.
“I swear it.” He growled down at her, before he pulled her against his body and held her as she shook in his arms.
“You’d better clean up that mess, love.” Ashley grinned at Vaughn, as he growled low and hard in annoyance, looking around him at the broken and scattered remains of the shelf and its contents. “Hey I tried to warn you she was going to blow…” Ashley chuckled walking over to him and into his arms, his instinct to hold her, and she soothed his ego and his anger.
“You both broke the sanctity of the gathering.” Iris declared. On her high horse and as righteous as hell.
“What if everyone decided to do that? We’d have mayhem and carnage.” The older Fae hissed, leaning in towards the two men as they stood there. Arms folded across their chests, neither one in the mood for a Fae with a hissing fit. But they had been summoned and they had little choice but to attend.
“Nothing wrong with a little carnage and mayhem once in a while…” Kirk offered towards Ben who nodded thoughtfully in agreement.
“It can be quite… exhilarating.” Ben offered back and the vampire nodded, as Iris looked down her nose at them.
“You alpha, promised your lands for the gathering and ensured there would be no problem…” She started and Ben dropped his arms and glared at her.
“I’m not a Fae. I can’t predict what’s going to happen, Iris. Perhaps if one of your own could have foreseen the fact that a vampire was going to try to kill a Fae…” She snapped her head back on her neck, as if he had reached out and slapped her, and if she wasn’t a woman, he might well have done it.
“And the vampire’s have broken their…” Iris thought to start in on Kirk, but he shook his head, he wasn’t about to let her run with that one.
“The vampire nation is not an entity. Vampires are individualistic by nature. We had a problem, we sorted that problem, end of problem.” He informed her, leaning in a little closer until she took a step backwards.
“We I’ll have to report this to the Fae council…” She was like a dog with a bone, the trouble was she was surrounded big bigger, meaner dogs.
“Be sure to tell them how the vampires and Lycans united together to save a Fae.” Kirk responded, looking decidedly bored and sensing that there was more trouble to be had that was going to be more problematic than one witch with a bug up her backside. “And don’t forget to mention the Fae that we saved was the one who secured the artefacts for the Fae council.” He added before dismissing her by turning on his heels and strolling away, leaving her staring opened mouthed at Ben.
“Perhaps it’s time to bring the gathering to a close, Iris.” Ben had heard the rumble from the crowd the same as Kirk had, and he wasn’t about to stand there and debate what had happened with this woman when there was more trouble brewing.
“Fine.” She shouted to his back as he followed Kirk.
Kirk didn’t get twenty feet before four vampires stepped forward as one. He’d heard the rumble of dissent from behind him and thought he might as well face this head on.
“Problem?” He asked dropping his hands down to his sides in preparation for any attack that might come his way. He knew these four had been with Jessop, he’d seen them at a previous gathering. The sounds of chatter around them faded as the crowd seemed to thin backwards, sensing that something was brewing.
Kirk felt Ben step to his side, as one of the vampires turned his nose up in the air towards the alpha and sneered his disgust.
“We heard that the alpha mutt hunted down two of our own and killed them.” The odds were good, Kirk told himself. Four to one, and not one of them was over a hundred years old. That gave him all the advantage with strength he needed to take them down. The problem might come from anyone of the gathered crowd that might decide to step into the fray, and Kirk casually scanned the crowd looking for intent.
“You heard wrong.” Kirk didn’t elaborate. There was a slight buzz around him as people took in the information and processed it.
“We heard that his entire pack shifted…” The vampire sneered again. This time taking a step in towards Kirk, who planted his feet and waited for the challenge.
“What’s your point, do you have one?” Kirk slipped into sarcasm as easily as slipping into an overcoat, and he could see the vampire didn’t appreciate it.
“Whose side are you on, Kirk?” The second, leaner vampire stepped forward.
“Mine.” Kirk shot back. Not giving the vampire anything to work with.
“We demand retribution for the alpha and his packs duplicity.”
Ben stepped forward, dropping his arms to his sides and bringing his frame to its full size, as he tipped his head down and regarded the four with a menacing stare.
“A challenge?” The alpha inside him growled. His wolf eager to shift and be done with this.
“That challenge would be mine…” Kirk saw all four turn their eyes to him, unsure. “It was my mate that was taken by Jessop. My kill to make and therefore my challenge to answer.” Kirk flicked out his claws and inspected them. “Who wants to go first, or is this a group hug?” Kirk sneered, curling his top lip as he unsheathed his fangs.
Two of the four vampires took a step forward, just as Tailor stepped in towards Kirk.
“I was there. I killed Jessop, so the challenge would be mine to answer also.” Tailor was already in full fighting mode. His fangs were down, his claws drawn, and his eyes were a fire red.
The remaining two vampires didn’t move, for fear any movement would bring about the two elder vampires wrath.
“We didn’t know that your mate had been taken.” The first vampire looked as unsure as the second. The two behind them had already taken a step away. All four knew that it would be suicide to attempt to slay either Kirk or Tailor on their own. Four to one might have given them an edge if they played it well, but this…
“Now you do. Do you still feel the need for a challenge?” Kirk offered them a way out. They wouldn’t be saving face, not in front of this crowd, but they could walk away with their lives.
“No.” The second vampire took a step back leaving just one. His eyes were fierce, but his body language told Kirk he would bow out.
“No.” He offered finally, stepping back and giving Kirk the opportunity to turn towards Ben, keeping his guard up, and his senses trained on the four still standing together.
“Then we’re done here.” Ben nodded just once. He wasn’t about to move yet. Not while the vampires remained as a group. “As I understand it the gathering is over. You can understand why, so if you’ll all be kind enough to go home…” Kirk motioned towards the crowd dismissively as some of them already started to disperse.
“You…” Kirk turned towards his cousin. “Have surprised me twice in one day cousin.” He saw the amusement in Tailor’s eye that the vampire tried to hide, and then the thoughtfulness that crossed his face.
“I lost my mate cousin. It still pains me every day, over three hundred years later.” Tailor offered before he turned on his heels and walked away. There would never be a firm bond between them, but there was an understanding in this at least.
Kirk felt Ben at his back and didn’t bother to turn around.
“Nicely played. I never took you for a diplomat.” Ben’s amusement was evident in his voice and Kirk snorted a laugh.
“If that’s your idea of diplomacy alpha, perhaps neither of us should pursue a career in politics.”
“So you’re saying I’m easy?” Ashley glared at Silver, who sat back against the tall wooden deck chair and sipped her beer. She wasn’t going to make the mistake of getting bombed three nights in a row, she didn’t think her brain could handle the drum and base again in the morning.
“If the cap fits…” Silver shrugged as Emily snorted a laugh.
“Well at least I’m not a lush.” Ashley threw out there, as she tried on her best innocent look. Her eyes flicking to the sight of their mates standing like peacocks at the barbecue, doing the male thing.
“Hmm, lush or tart, that’s a tossup.” Emily sniggered and Silver turned her eyes on her friend in surprise.
“Oh, you can talk, miss I don’t like fangs.” Silver gave her an accusing look and she balked.
“What did I do?”
“Got yourself kidnapped for one…” Ashley gave a curt nod to Silver who nodded her agreement.
“Slept with a vampire for two…” Silver reminded her.
“Had blood sex for three…” Ashley put in eyeing her friend to deny it. But the crimson of her cheeks told them that she had let Kirk feed from her.
“Nearly died for four�
�” Silver shot a look at Ashley who was struggling to come up with another. “And dragged us here to our impending doom for the damn cherry on top.” Silver finish and Emily looked decidedly berated. She sucked long and hard on the straw in her drink and shrugged a shoulder.
“I kind of did all of that…” She admitted looking a little glum and Silver eyed Ashley with amusement.
“But I wouldn’t have found my mate if it wasn’t for you.” Ashley offered, her eyes flicking towards where Vaughn was standing, and looking decidedly loved up in herself. Silver rolled her eyes, she was less impressed with finding her own mate.
“I wouldn’t have gotten to zap and alpha and a beta…” Silver offered on a small smirk, as Ben’s eyes came up to hers. Damn, she knew he’d been listening in, and it served him right that she hadn’t declared her enthusiasm for their mating as Ashley had.
“We’ve had a very busy couple of days…” Ashley sighed as she leaned back in her chair and Silver couldn’t help but snort.
“You’ve been on your back with your legs in the air for most of that.” She accused and Ashley shot her a look of disbelief.
“I can’t believe you said that…” Ashley offered and then she arched one perfect brow. “Besides I’ve hardly been flat on my back.” She looked like the cat that got the cream and Emily shot forward in her seat.
“Share. What’s he like?” The glee in Emily’s eyes said it all.
“Like a guy…” Ashley teased and Emily squirmed a little in her seat.
“Yeah, but what’s he like?”
“Big.” Ashley shot her a look of disbelief and she sighed.
“You’re turning into a grouch.” Emily sat back in her chair and pouted as Silver chuckled.
“What’s up Em, are you not satisfied with…” Silver didn’t get to finish.
“Very thank you, he’s… very satisfying.” The beam on her face made Ashley and Silver chuckle.