“No one was killed,” Danaus stated, “though I have doubts as to whether one of them would survive the next few hours, considering I stabbed him near the heart. He was bleeding pretty heavily.”
“Did the warlock attack you?”
“No.” He finally shoved his knife in the sheath on his waist and then returned the gun to the holster at his lower back. “He never moved from the closed door.”
“His job was to get them in and out of the hotel unnoticed,” Valerio commented. “Silence any noise that rose from the room while they took care of their little task. When word gets out that they failed to kill you, they are likely to try again. You can’t stay here.”
“I’m not leaving the city again until this matter is taken care of,” I told him. “This is my domain, after all.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Stefan snapped.
“After we take care of the lycans and Ferko tonight, anyone else will be reluctant to approach me, regardless of who is giving the orders.” I pushed off the wall and walked back across the room toward Valerio and the door. A frown pulled at the corners of my mouth as my eyes strayed over the stuffing that protruded from the sofa cushions and the blood that had soaked into the carpet. It had been a pretty little room, and it was a shame that it was destroyed by the shifters. Of course, I was even more surprised to discover that Danaus had come back to the room, that he’d protected me without ever looking in on my helpless form.
“Shall we go?” Stefan asked, motioning toward the door. Danaus reached for his coat on the floor, while Stefan stepped around me.
“Danaus, you can remain here,” I said. “Get some rest. You’ve already had a long day.” I preferred to keep him with me, but if he had been trapped in a fight with three lycanthropes earlier in the day and unable to sleep, he wasn’t going to be at his peak fighting ability. We were going after an entire pack of lycans during a full moon. This was one of more dangerous things I had done. I wouldn’t be able to watch his back.
“I’m going,” he growled, shoving one arm into the sleeve of his coat before fully pulling it on. “I can identify the ones that tried to kill you.” He wasn’t going to bother to change clothes. I, on the other hand, had acquired new clothes and a coat while in Vienna, thanks to Valerio.
“They’re all going to be in wolf form,” I reminded him. “By now they would have all met in the woods and shifted. We’re going to have to hunt them down one by one in the woods.”
“Yes, but they change back when they’re dead or unconscious,” Danaus countered.
The smirk returned to Stefan’s lips. “We’ll get the ones that tried to attack Mira. We’ll get them all.” It was the ugly truth I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to reveal to the hunter. Lycanthropes had attempted to attack not only the keeper of a domain, but also a member of the coven. We had to wipe out as many of them as possible to make an example of them to anyone else in the region who thought to rebel against my rule.
“How many of them are there?” Danaus asked, seemingly unmoved by our intent.
“Unknown.”
Valerio shifted from one foot to the other, his expression grim. “Judging by other packs in large European cities, there should be at least a dozen of them, but it’s unlikely that there are two dozen.” My expression matched his as I looked at my old friend. Valerio wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty. The few fights I’d seen him in, he had been positively vicious. But then, the fights had been one-on-one with another nightwalker. I didn’t know if he had any experience fighting a pack of shifters. Unfortunately, I did. It wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Then you’re going to need my help.” Danaus said, heading toward the door. As Valerio and Stefan started to leave the room, I grabbed Danaus’s sleeve, stopping him.
Thank you for protecting me, I said silently, so the others could not invade this private moment.
I protected nothing, he replied, anger still filling each of those words.
You protected me. Few have done so, I pressed, holding him still when he tried to take a step away from me.
Valerio—
Valerio gave me a place to sleep. He did nothing more. You fought for me.
I promised to protect you. His words softened in my brain to something that resembled a lover’s caress as his anger dissipated. I will protect you above all others. I promised.
“Save the longing looks for another time,” Stefan called from the doorway, snapping us out of our brief moment.
Danaus and I still had a long way to go, but at least I knew that he hadn’t abandoned me for a human. The giant black chasm that still separated us needed to be closed, and I had my doubts as to whether that was even possible. But I was willing to try. He had not left me for a human. It was a start.
For now, I had to put thoughts of my rocky and fragile relationship with the hunter aside. I had to hunt down some lycanthropes, and I was sure that Danaus was going to see a side of me I preferred to keep hidden from him. I didn’t want him to discover that I was struggling to hide the smile of excitement pulling at the corners of my mouth. I didn’t want him to know I was eager to be in the woods, chasing them down, hearing their screams of pain. They had attacked Danaus, tried to kill me. I was ready to make them pay.
Chapter Seventeen
The woods were thick. An oppressive silence weighed on us as we trudged through the blanket of snow. The crunch of our footsteps echoed through the cold, crystalline night. Ducking under low branches, I was grateful Valerio had acquired a pair of black leather pants, sturdy boots, and a black turtleneck for me. My new, long black coat flaired behind me as I walked.
There was no doubt that the lycans were gathered up ahead, and there was no sneaking up on them as we crunched through the snow. By my count, we were faced with sixteen lycanthropes of varying ages and strength. There was one in particular that was rather strong, which I could only guess was Ferko—alpha of the Budapest pack. I smiled, causing my fangs to brush against my lower lip. Ferko and I needed to have a nice little chat about who was truly the ruling power in Budapest.
After walking more than a mile in the bitter cold, we came to a clearing in the middle of the woods. Some of the shifters had already changed into wolf form. Their thick coats protected them from the wind that was starting to kick up, pulling the snowflakes from the trees above us and swirling them through the air. A low growl rumbled through the circle, but there was no other noise to be heard. Opposite me stood a man with long, shaggy brown hair and eyes that seemed to be their own void of darkness. He stood bare-chested in snow, his shirt and coat dropped carelessly behind him.
“Ferko, I presume.”
“Fire Starter.” His voice rumbled within his chest like a roll of thunder.
“I believe we have something to discuss.”
“And what would that be? Your new position as nightwalker keeper of Budapest?” he said in a mocking tone that left me clenching my teeth, but my smile never wavered.
“I’m more concerned about the lycans that you sent to kill me during the day,” I replied casually, as if we weren’t discussing the assassination attempt on my life.
He shrugged his massive shoulders, holding his hands open and empty out toward me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I didn’t think you would, but if you’re kind enough to give me the name of the warlock that accompanied your men, I might let some of your people limp away from the forest tonight.” An eerie lavender light glowed from my eyes, matching the rising glow coming from both Valerio and Stefan. We stood on the edge of battle, and there was no way of avoiding it. I was simply giving Ferko the chance to save the lives of some of his people. A good leader would have considered my offer. Ferko didn’t.
“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” If he wasn’t still smiling at me, I would have considered that he might have been telling the truth. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. His people had to die for the attack that was launched on Danaus.
“Danaus?” I asked, turning my head toward the hunter.
“The blond over there.” Danaus directed my gaze to the shifter that stood near the edge of the ring with a gray wolf on either side of him. One of the wolves flattened its ears against its head and growled at me, returning my smile to my lips. We might have spotted two of the culprits behind the day’s battle. “I don’t see the other two. They may have already shifted.”
“Kill the blond and anyone who has already shifted into wolf form,” I announced, locking eyes with Ferko. Only he had the power to stop the slaughter of his people. Of course, he thought his people actually had an edge in this battle because they outnumbered us. Not a chance. I had two Ancients with me. They were older, faster, and stronger than all the lycans combined. I was the Fire Starter. And Danaus, well, he was a monster from nightmares that left a scream lodged in your throat when you woke with a start.
“I don’t think you want to do this,” Ferko said with a smug smile.
“No, you don’t get it. I’ve been looking forward to this.” I lowered my voice slightly, directing my attention back to my companions. “Leave Ferko alive. There’s information that I need. Kill all the others.”
“You’re an angel,” Valerio purred as he shed his heavy coat. Folding it neatly, he laid it over a nearby tree branch so it wouldn’t get dirty. I looked to my left to find Stefan doing the same thing. I suppressed a wild laugh at their delicate sensibilities and priorities before a bloodbath.
Stefan and Valerio took a step forward toward the shifters, and they immediately scattered into the darkness. Both the men and women that were in human form were throwing off clothes as they ran through the forest, so it would be easier for them to shift into wolf form. Ferko winked at me once before he also darted into the black wall of darkness that enveloped the woods surrounding us.
“Have fun!” I laughed just before Stefan and Valerio darted after them. It was only a few seconds later that I heard my first wounded whimper rise up in the night. A young nightwalker was fairly matched with an experienced werewolf, but an older, experienced nightwalker held the edge in a fight against a shifter. We were stronger, faster, and generally more brutal. However, a lycanthrope was not without its own edge, since they tended to hunt in packs. It was rare for three powerful nightwalkers to come into the woods and hunt shifters. Of course, if any lycans escaped us tonight, there was still a chance they could hunt us down during the daylight hours and eliminate us as retribution. It was how this game was played.
I glanced over my shoulder at Danaus, who held a knife in his right hand. He was waiting for me to move. “Are you going to be all right on your own?”
“I survived many centuries without your watchful eye. I think I can manage this minor scuffle.”
My laugh echoed through the night as I ran across the clearing and instantly became washed in the darkness of the forest. I dodged low tree limbs and moved almost silently across the snow-covered ground. My powers bounced back to me like sonar, revealing the locations of the werewolves. Four were ahead of me at different spots, waiting for me to blindly pass by so that they could all jump on me.
Palming the knife that was sheathed on my right leg, I darted to my left and leapt on the back of a wolf that wasn’t expecting me to attack from that angle. He jerked his head around, clamping his teeth down on my left forearm as I buried my blade into his rib cage. The wolf yelped in pain, releasing me. Blood poured from my arm, but I ignored it as I wrapped it around his throat and pulled him over on me as I fell to my back in the snow. Yanking the knife from his ribs, I plunged it into the creature’s stomach and twisted it, causing another cry to go ringing out into the night. A bubble of laughter rose up in my chest and some of the tension from earlier in the evening eased from my shoulders. I was back in my natural element and it was great.
My only warning was a low growl from a second wolf just before it attacked me. A set of sharp fangs bit into my throat, causing a gush of blood to spray across the white snow. I released the half-dead wolf I had been holding, pushing its limp body off me as I yanked my knife free. With a grunt of pain, I swung the blade at the wolf, but I missed when it leapt away from me before I could carve into its hide. A third wolf launched its heavy frame at me, aiming to land on my chest. I caught it with my foot in its tender underbelly, kicking it away from me.
Rolling back to my feet, I pocketed the knife as I stalked over to the wolf that had bit me in the throat. Blood dripped down from his jaws as it growled at me, its hackles standing on end as I approached. With a bark, it leapt, mouth open in hopes of taking a fresh chunk out of me. I grabbed the top and bottom of its jaws and pulled them sharply apart, breaking its lower jaw and neck at the same time. It didn’t even have time to let out a whimper of pain before it died.
I dropped the carcass to the ground and smiled as I turned back to the wolf that had tried to jump on me. With long bloodstained fangs showing, the wolf growled at me as it backed up several steps. Its large yellow eyes reflected the moonlight. The creature crouched for a second as if it planned to leap at me, and then darted off into the woods like a brown blur in the darkness. I chuckled and gave chase, happy to spend the evening running through the thick forest after my prey. Dodging low branches and leaping over fallen trees, I found that my body hummed with energy and pent-up excitement. This was the thrill of the hunt, and it was the closest I would ever come to once again feeling alive.
The wolf dove, jumped, and barreled through the woods, weaving among the trees as if it were made of the wind. I followed close on its heels, not quite catching it as I played it cautious on the slippery snow-covered ground. I didn’t need to catch it. It would grow weary before I would.
Something heavy landed on my back as I passed beneath a small rise. I hadn’t been scanning the area for other lycanthropes and my prey had managed to lure me into a simple trap. With a swing of my arm, I knocked the creature off my back before it could do any kind of significant damage. Laying on my stomach, I threw out my hand toward the wolf that was about to jump on me again. Flames instantly engulfed my prey, burning brightly in the night. The creature lurched away from me, rolling in the snow as it tried to put the flames out. Its cries suddenly became a woman’s shrieks as she changed back to human form, the pain making it impossible for her to remain a wolf. And then she lay dead before me.
I scanned the area, only to find that the wolf I’d been chasing had run off, most likely frightened beyond rational thought at the sight of the flames. This might be little more than a deadly game between nightwalkers and lycanthropes, but I played to win.
Three were dead, leaving thirteen to my other three companions as I headed back to the main clearing where we had initially met. With any luck, we’d have most of this cleaned up in a matter of minutes before we could finally turn our attention back to Ferko. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as alone as I initially thought I was.
“Bravo, Fire Starter! Show those animals who’s dominant!” shouted a mocking voice down from the trees, accompanied by clapping.
I clenched my teeth and took a couple steps backward, palming the knife in my right hands once again. I knew that voice. I would always know that voice. Rowe had found me once again, and he sounded like he was ready to play.
“Rowe!” I replied in the same mocking tone as I looked at the trees before me. “It’s been so long since we last met. Come down and play.”
“Gladly,” he growled. The wind gusted through the trees so that their limbs swayed and crashed into one another. I looked up in time to see him gliding down toward me out of a nearby tree, his black leathery wings thrown wide behind him. I dove out of the way of his flashing silver blade, sliding several feet in the snow before I regained my feet.
The naturi grinned at me, twisting his short blade so it winked at me in the moonlight. I kept my distance from the one-eyed creature, as I had only a knife with me. I hadn’t been planning to go up against the naturi this evening, just the local werewolf pack. And that was more
hands-on than fighting the naturi.
Rowe lunged at me first, bringing his short sword down in a slashing motion, hoping to open a vein or two. I dodged it while trying to keep my feet beneath me as I moved through the snow-slick forest.
Mira! The naturi are here. Danaus’s cry along our private link screamed through my brain as Rowe swung at me again. I narrowly missed having my head removed as I slid to my ass in the snow. I hadn’t been cloaking the hunter’s presence, and I had a feeling that Rowe was just following him around with the expectation that I would be in Danaus’s shadow.
I noticed, I growled in response. I blocked Rowe’s blade with my own, and quickly pushed it off as it slid down toward the handle, threatening to remove my hand at the wrist. Get over here before more of the shifters find me!
Leaning back in the snow, I grabbed a handful of snow and flung it at the naturi, hoping to temporarily blind him. Rowe took a step backward to avoid the white spray, giving me the chance to push to my feet again. I backpedaled, wishing I could divide my attention enough to scan the area for lycanthropes. That was the last thing I needed—to be attacked from behind by an angry shifter. Unfortunately, I was too closely matched with Rowe and couldn’t afford to split my attention.
“And I thought you wanted me alive so I could be brought before your precious wife-queen.” I darted behind a particularly thick tree as he swung his blade at me. A heavy thunk echoed through the forest as the metal buried into the bark at the last second. I lunged forward as he tried to pry his blade loose. Rowe slid out of my reach and pulled a knife from his belt as he abandoned his sword.
“Oh, I do,” he said breathlessly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t wear you down a little bit, shed a little blood before I hand you over to Aurora. I’m sure she won’t mind if you arrive less than perfect.”
“I’m sure she won’t mind at all,” I replied, swinging my blade at him so he was backed against a tree. “She never could handle me when I was at my peak.”
wait for dusk Page 18
