Winter's Rise (The Winter Series Book 1)

by Breezy Jones

  Lexi tugged at my arm. “We have to go!” she yelled over the chaos.

  I looked at her and then back at Hot Shots. Fear seeped into my veins with her so close. She needed to go back inside the shop. She tugged on my arm again, and I hesitated. Every nerve in my body thrummed with the need to fight, to help the others.

  To help Ryker.

  Only a small handful of the attackers were left when a female and two males broke past. Ryker caught the two males, but the female maneuvered around them toward Lexi and me. I shoved Lexi aside, hoping she’d run into the diner where it was safe. With a snarl, I vaulted toward the beast. Sharp claws sprouted from my fingers as I ran. We collided head first and hit the ground.

  The female’s fingers dug into my side as I struggled to pin her down. I pushed my claws into her throat as she raked her hands toward my face. Her red eyes flashed. I snarled and pressed my weight down, holding her in place. She dug her fingers deeper into my side. The air inside me chilled as a searing sensation pierced my skin, and I screamed out against the pain. Instinctively, I grabbed my side. The injury pulsed beneath my fingertips.

  That was all she needed.

  She shoved me hard. I flipped over, struggling to breathe against the jolt of pain coursing through my body. The vampire hovered over me. Saliva dripped from her sharp teeth, inching toward my exposed throat. I pushed against her with all my strength—my wolf straining to be set free—but I didn’t have time for a full shift. The woman thrashed against my grip, snapping her teeth as they came closer and closer.

  My stomach roiled at the foul stench coming from her mouth.

  Suddenly, the weight disappeared. I opened my eyes and saw Ryker standing over me. His chest heaved as he stared down at me. His eyes, the dark irises constricted, swept over me quickly from my head to my feet.

  “Thanks,” I said, gasping for clean air and clutching my injured side.

  His eyes landed on the thick wetness oozing between my fingertips. Without warning, Ryker tripped and lurched forward. Someone had jumped onto his back.

  “Get inside!” Ryker let out a growl that vibrated through me.

  I gritted my teeth against the throbbing in my side as I struggled to pull myself to the diner. My eyes never left Ryker. He reached behind him, and in one fluid movement, chucked the vampire through the air.

  Ryker ran over to me and crouched in a predatory stance. A growl echoed low in his chest as he surveyed the square.

  I looked around him in horror at the rest of the pack consumed in battle. Every instinct I had wanted me to join them, but between Ryker in front of me and the ripping at my ribcage, it wasn’t going to happen.

  My gaze stilled on Joe. He stood near the lake with hands extended, his stance lowered as two vampires paced on either side of him.

  I opened my mouth to scream, to warn him or send Ryker to help, but the sound died on my tongue as one of the vampires lunged for Joe, teeth bared as it barreled into his chest knocking him backward. It felt as though the breath had been knocked from my lungs as I watched, horror struck, knowing Joe wouldn’t survive the attack. The vampire was on top of Joe, his hands wrapped around his throat when the vamp froze instantly and then fell sideways to the ground, shattering on impact.

  I blinked in disbelief—and confusion. What the hell just happened?

  Joe jumped to his feet, turning to the second vampire, and pointed his hand at the creature. A wispy substance shot outward from his fingertips, engulfing the vampire and freezing him in place until he too shattered like the first as if he had been turned to glass.

  No, not glass.

  Ice!

  I stared, completely unfazed by the battle surrounding me. All I saw was Joe, and the shattered vampires lying in piles at his feet.

  Ryker’s face appeared in front of me, blocking my view. His brows furrowed together as he knelt down beside me, blotting out Joe and everything I’d just seen.

  “We have to get you inside,” he said urgently as he gently laid his hand on top of my own. I winced from the small pressure against my wound.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Okay.”

  Slowly, he lifted me up and into his arms. Each movement sent my stomach roiling as he marched the few feet toward Hot Shots.

  I peered over his shoulder at the street littered with bodies. Here and there, I spotted werewolves still engaged with the vampires left alive.

  I searched the dimly lit square for Joe but couldn’t find him in the mass of people.

  Ryker crossed the threshold. Lexi stood and Yasmin glanced at us. Neither of them looked harmed. He strode to the far end of the table and gently sat me on a chair. I gritted my teeth against the jolt that shot through my ribs. Ryker cradled my neck with one hand and brushed the other over my face. He rubbed my arms and stopped at the uninjured side. His features tightened.

  “You’re going to be okay,” he breathed out, sounding almost angry.

  I frowned, all too aware of his hands against my skin. “I know.”

  “Lexi, we need help over here,” he said over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving my skin.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked.

  “I’m fine,” he assured me.

  Lexi rushed into the back room and out again. She made her way over to us with a first aid bag in hand and a determined look on her face. She knelt in front of me, sucking in air as she looked over my wound. “It’s not bad,” she said, pulling out cleaning supplies and gauze from the bag.

  “So, you’re my nurse,” I said through my teeth as she poked and prodded at the cut with cotton swabs. All the while, Ryker’s hand resting on my hip made me quiver.

  “I’ve taken basic EMT classes. Relax. I know what I’m doing.” Lexi smiled encouragingly at me before focusing back on the injury.

  “I’m over here freaking out, and all you can worry about is that girl,” someone shrieked.

  Ryker and I both looked up to see Yasmin standing with her hands on her hips, anger rolling off her in waves as she glared at Ryker.

  “You’re not the one that just got attacked,” Lexi said, throwing a glance over her shoulder as her hands moved deftly across my skin.

  Yasmin’s jaw dropped. “We all got attacked!”

  “Oh, did you break a sweat during the short jog from the square to here?” Lexi huffed sarcastically as she taped the bandage to my skin and stood.

  “Enough.” Ryker’s demand cut off the argument between the two girls, leaving them glaring at each other. Yasmin sat down with a huff, her arms still crossed.

  Just then the café door flew open, and Seth and another man I barely recognized burst into the room carrying a body between them. The man they supported was completely immobile in their arms while Seth and the other man were covered in blood and scratches.

  Ryker rushed over to help them lay the man onto a table.

  Lexi jumped into gear, darting over to the men with her bag in hand as two more men filed into Hot Shots. Yasmin snorted but moved to a table further back giving them room.

  “It’s over,” one of them said breathlessly. “We’ve neutralized most of them and what remained just ran off.”

  Ryker tipped his head at the man, coming to stand next to me again as Lexi and the other two men finished patching up the injured man’s wounds. He grumbled from the table, and Lexi said something to him that I couldn’t hear.

  I glanced around but saw no sign of Joe. My shoulders tightened as my stomach churned with fear. When the familiar face stepped through the crowd, his lavender eyes pulled tight with worry, I sagged against my chair. Joe spotted me and immediately rushed over.

  “Oh, Nina, are you okay?” he asked, kneeling beside me.

  My mouth hung open as I searched him from head to toe but there were no injuries to be found.

  “You… Ice...” I stumbled over my words not sure how to explain what
I’d seen.

  He glanced down at his hands and then back to my face. Something flashed beneath the surface of his hardened expression, my head jerked back. Unfortunately, the emotion disappeared before I could identify it.

  “I know, and I’ll explain.” He paused, his eyes searching mine for understanding. “But not here, not now. I have to go. Stay with Ryker.”

  “Okay.”

  Joe rose to his feet and walked to the diner door. As he stepped out, a voice rose through the crowd demanding my attention.

  “What the hell was that?” a man shouted as he slammed through the door past Joe—either still pumped or pissed about the attack—I couldn’t tell which. A group of equally upset men followed him inside.

  “Vampires attacking on our turf?” someone else shouted.

  “And in a group,” another man added.

  “Settle down,” Ryker’s voice rang out over the rest as he placed a protective hand on my shoulder.

  “It’s because of her,” Eric announced as he pushed his way toward us.

  “You don’t know that.” Seth was suddenly beside me, his voice low, as he tried reasoning with Eric.

  “To hell with that. We do know,” Eric protested followed by a few yeahs throughout the crowd.

  I suddenly felt sick again as more and more of the gathered group came forward with scowls on their faces.

  “Why else would vampires attack in the middle of town?” Eric was yelling now, the crowd shouting in agreement. He pointed in my direction. “They went straight for her. If we hadn’t been there—”

  Eric was cut off as Ryker cleared his throat. “She is a member of this pack, Eric, and you would do well to remember that. We protect our own.”

  Ryker’s words were quiet and even, but the heat behind them was felt by everyone in the room. Everything about him rang with authority now, and I shivered again. Eric shook his head, staring at the ground.

  “We all knew that Nina would be a target,” Seth chided, pushing his thick-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “What we need now is to figure out what to do about it.”

  Many around us nodded in agreement.

  “Clearly, we never thought vampires would actually come into the town, and they never work together,” Mason added, stepping out of the crowd.

  With a cheeky grin and a wink to me he took his place on the other side of Ryker. I smiled back nervously though I didn’t really feel it. My insides were a jumble of twists and turns, and between that and my injury leaving me a little wobbly, I was a little afraid I might actually throw up.

  “Mason, take four men, see if you can track any of the vampires that got away. I want to know where they’re hiding, and how they managed to form enough of a plan to attack in a group that large,” Ryker ordered. “Everyone else go home. Clean up. Patch your wounds.”

  With Ryker’s words, everyone cleared out. Only a few remained, those with the injured man, Lexi, Eric, Seth, and Pops.

  “What about me?” Yasmin shouted incredulously. She stood up from where she sat huddled at a corner table and made her way toward us, her stiletto heels clacking against the hardwood floor. “Are you just going to leave me here?”

  Ryker looked from her to me, his brow creasing.

  “I’ll call you a cab,” he informed her brusquely.

  Yasmin narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips so tight, I could practically see the steam billowing from her ears. Without warning, she slapped Ryker across the face, and I jumped.

  Ryker didn’t even flinch. “As I said, I’ll call you a cab. Right now, my pack is my priority.”

  Yasmin’s eyes went wide with indignation.

  I swallowed a laugh.

  “I’ll take her home,” Eric said.

  Yasmin crossed her arms, staring at Eric with her nose in the air.

  Apparently second-in-command wasn’t good enough for her. I smiled a little to myself. Glad that Ryker wasn’t the one taking her home, and she wasn’t happy about being stuck with Eric. I couldn’t blame her there.

  “Fine,” Ryker said in a clipped tone.

  Eric wrapped a hand around Yasmin’s arm and guided her from the café.

  Once the door shut behind them, Ryker walked over to the table where Lexi and a man named Jason were bandaging the injured.

  “How’s John doing?” Ryker asked.

  Lexi sighed. “He’ll survive,” she said, her voice cracking. “He’s got some deep lacerations, and he’s lost a lot of blood,” she paused, swiping her hair from her face. “But he’ll be fine. He just needs some rest.”

  My heart went out to her, to everyone, as I looked around at the sullen faces. They all knew this man. He was their family—not an outsider like me. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. My stomach rolled and pitched with the returning nausea though this time for a different reason. I didn’t like the others putting themselves at risk for me. I needed to handle this. I just didn’t know how yet.

  Ryker turned to me his, shoulders sagging.

  “I think I should head home,” I said.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you,” he said, offering me a hand to stand. I rose, wincing with the pull and tug in my side.

  Lexi turned and rushed over toward us. “Be careful going home,” she said, pulling me into a gentle hug.

  “I will and you too,” I said reassuring her as she let me go.

  She smiled back. “Seth and Pops will make sure I get home,” Lexi said then waved toward Ryker. “You too, big bro, be safe.”

  “Always am,” he replied.

  She turned and walked back to the men at the tables.

  “Ready?” Ryker asked me. I nodded and followed him to the door.

  “Thanks,” I told him, pushing the door open and letting myself out into the cold night air. I glance around at the square. There were only a few lifeless forms left on the ground as five pack members moved between them, lighting the corpses on fire and watching them melt into ash. I shuddered, but not from the cold.

  “Really, I’m a big girl. I can walk home by myself,” I said turning away, waving a dismissive hand. “You have enough to do here.”

  Ryker grabbed my arm and stopped me in the middle of the street. “Actually, I was thinking you should stay with me.”

  A moment of silence passed between us. Ryker stared at me, his eyes searching mine. I tried not to read too much into it despite the fluttering of my heart. Ryker had a date, and it wasn’t me. Besides, now was not the time to be thinking about attraction. People had died.

  “I can take care of myself, really.” I said jutting out my chin stubbornly.

  Ryker’s eyes softened as his thumb traced circles on my arm. “I know you can, but after tonight…” He paused looking away as if the thought hurt him. “I don’t want to chance it.”

  I thought back to everything that had happened. First with being followed and now this, and I knew Ryker had a good point.

  “Fine,” I relented. “I’ll stay with you. Just for tonight.”

  “Good,” Ryker said, and we turned toward his house instead of mine. The sidewalks were caked in snow, the scenery eerily beautiful after the night we’d just had. The events played on repeat through my mind—the attack, Eric’s words, Ryker’s worry.

  “I can’t do this,” I finally said.

  Ryker glanced at me, confused. “Come home with me? Nina—”

  “No. Not that. I can’t put all these people in danger,” I clarified. “It isn’t right.”

  We continued quietly until reaching his door. He unlocked and pushed it open for me. I stepped inside, and Ryker followed.

  “You’re in this pack, Melina Winters,” he said. He so rarely used my name, especially my full name, that it made me turn and look at him. “Being in this pack means you’re family now, and we fight for our own.”

  I
shook my head, casting my eyes down to the floor then back at him. “I lost my family long before that fire killed them because they didn’t care enough to know me,” I told him. “After tonight, I don’t think this one wants me either.”

  Ryker took a step toward me but stopped short, running a hand through his hair.

  “You’re talking about Eric,” he said.

  “Not just Eric. Half the pack is pissed that I brought an attack down on them tonight—and I can’t blame them for it.”

  “Every man in that room fought tonight, Nina. They could have easily let any one of those vampires get at you, but they didn’t. They fought because, like it or not, you’re their family now.”

  Ryker’s eyes bore into mine, searching my face. My heart skidded, and I looked down at my shoes.

  “I don’t know,” I said, digging a toe into the carpet.

  “I was worried about you tonight,” Ryker admitted. I looked up, my heart skipping a beat.

  “Why?” I asked.

  Ryker closed the distance between us until he stood in front of me. I looked up into his eyes and resisted the urge to wrap myself in his arms. To bask in the warmth, I knew I would find there. Lexi’s words about Yasmin passed through my mind, so instead I just stood there like an idiot.

  “Because, little wolf, I care about you.”

  He brought his hand up to cup the back of my neck. Electricity sparked between us, and I wondered again what it would be like to kiss him. I took in a shaky breath, wishing he would just do it already. That he would tell me that it didn’t matter that I wasn’t a pack princess—that I wasn’t Yasmin.

  “You’re a part of my pack…” he said, trailing off as he took a step backward, lowering his hand.