by Leia Shaw
“So I took my redemption into my own hands,” he continued. “I searched out oracles who would give me information about how to defeat Cadmael. When I met Ruby, she told me she and I were going to be great friends.”
It’d been one of the strangest encounters he’d ever had with a supernatural. But he’d been happy to stop searching. He’d always preferred settling down to traveling. A home, a family, strong roots like his parents and siblings – those were the things he desperately wanted. When Ruby told him she would help, it felt like a breath of fresh air.
He missed Caerwyn and Wales, but purchasing a home and starting a career in Massachusetts was better than restlessly wandering the globe. At least he was able to teach, which he loved. And not just because it fed his ego.
“So I moved to Massachusetts and began teaching at the college as I waited for news about the heir.”
She smiled. “And now here you are.”
“And now here I am.”
By the time they’d both shared their respective stories, night had settled over the rural town. The meal had been surprisingly enjoyable. James never thought he would actually appreciate her company. But the more she pulled down that angry mask, the more he saw the sensitive, compassionate woman underneath. One he wanted to get to know better.
It was dark when they started up the mountain toward the cave, but the moon made it bright enough to see the worn path. James had excellent vision even at night, so he led Sage up the slight incline. The walk was quiet and serene, both of them lost in deep thoughts – until he caught a whiff of something that chilled his blood.
He froze and Sage bumped into his back.
“What the –”
James yanked her arm, cutting off her question and pulled her into his body.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“We have company.” He didn’t bother to whisper now. It was too late.
Her eyes widened. “Can we run back to the car?”
“No.” He narrowed his gaze, peering into the trees around them. When he saw them, he grabbed Sage by her shoulders. “Do you remember everything I taught you this afternoon?”
She nodded.
“We’re going to have to fight. Pull as much magic as you can and don’t hold back.”
With her eyes wide, he could see real fear flicker through them. Then she blinked it back and shook his hands off her shoulders. “I know.”
He was an excellent fighter and Sage had shown some promise earlier. He could only hope it was enough.
Three figures stepped into their path. Werewolves – taller than James, with broad shoulders and tightly packed muscle shoved into archaic clothing made of leather and canvas. Obviously they hadn’t been Topside very long.
He looked at Sage, assessing her reaction. Her head tilted up, her nostrils flared with each breath. Fists clenched at her sides as she stared down the foes.
She was unlike other women he’d known. Even well-trained sorceress’ sometimes stood panicked, whimpering and wringing their hands when confronted with danger. But Sage looked as fierce as any warrior he’d ever trained.
He smiled inside.
“Go back to where you come from and we’ll let you live,” he said to the largest figure.
Werewolves were extraordinary fighters even without resorting to their half-wolf form, but they relied on brute strength. Vampires were known for their speed – they were the fastest race of supernaturals. James could easily defeat one werewolf. But three, while also trying to watch out for Sage, would be a close call.
The tallest werewolf – who he guessed was the leader – only snorted. “We’re here for the girl. Hand her over and we might let you live.”
“No. She’s mine,” he rumbled, surprising himself. Was there a hint of possessiveness in his voice? “I guess we’ll have to fight for her.” He ducked into a defensive crouch then whispered to Sage, “Stay out of the way unless one comes after you. Then you fight like hell.”
She nodded, but didn’t take her eyes off of the enemy. Smart girl.
One of the two other werewolves wore a long beard and an eye patch that made him look like he just stepped off a pirate movie set. He spoke to the leader in a language James didn’t understand. Then he and the leader circled James, wearing matching grins.
They attacked. He fought, moving quickly to dodge their blows and counter.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the smallest werewolf approach Sage. Her eyes were wide, her hands clasped behind her back. She looked so small. His heart raced. Had she frozen in fear?
He should’ve known better. The werewolf, thinking her weak, approached her casually. He reached out to grab her arm then flinched back and stared at his hand as if he were burned.
Then she grinned that grin he knew all too well. With a left hook from her glowing fist, she made contact and the werewolf flew back several feet.
In his moment of distraction, the leader hit James with a blow that sent him reeling into a tree. Then a large clawed hand pinned him by the neck against the tree trunk. The hand around his throat tightened, cutting off his air as he landed blow after blow to James’ ribs. But he could stay conscious for several minutes without oxygen. He used the opportunity to watch Sage again.
She had an injured werewolf flat on his back, her foot on his big chest, but she looked strained, like she didn’t know what to do next.
“Snap…his neck,” James rasped. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would put him out until he could tear off his head later.
She hesitated and pirate-wolf stalked toward her. James kicked out with his boot and hit the werewolf leader in the groin. He doubled over, dropping James, who landed deftly on the ground.
James sent a Bolt at the werewolf readying to grab Sage. But he only staggered back, stunned for a few moments.
Damn these were tough fuckers!
Sage had lost focus, distracted by the werewolf behind her and the one on the ground grabbed her leg and flipped her off of him. She landed hard on her back and the cracking sound of her head hitting the ground send James into a fury.
Instinct screamed to run to her and gather her in his arms. But he had his own set of problems to deal with. He was now hand-to-hand with the leader and the pirate, both hell-bent on destroying him. He tried to watch Sage at the same time.
She rolled over with a groan and rose from the ground. The smallest werewolf seemed torn between helping the others defeat James and escaping with Sage. But she squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye as if daring him to touch her. With her palm lit up like a ball of blue fire, she beckoned him.
James ducked a giant claw that came too close as he stared at Sage in shock. But he couldn’t believe the girl actually beckoned a creature twice her size and ten times as deadly.
Once Sage had the werewolf’s full attention, she took one glowing fist, raised it to her shoulder, dropped to her knees then pummeled it into the dirt with all her might. The ground rippled under the impact and the four of them, aside from Sage, were thrown off their feet.
Sage ran to the werewolf, jumped on his chest, grabbed his head and twisted it just hard enough to render him unconscious.
James threw himself at the leader but was grabbed from behind and one long claw sliced open his chest. It burned and blood poured onto his shirt. He liked that shirt.
Enraged, he blasted pirate-wolf with a Bolt and watched him land in the trees. James crouched, readying to spring toward him, but something caught his eye. The tree roots next to the werewolf twitched and the branches above him swayed.
He spun around, puzzled. Sage stood behind him, staring at the tree, fire blazing in her eyes. She narrowed her gaze and the creature was pulled into the earth with a desperate roar.
James stepped closer to the tree to make sure the werewolf was truly gone. There was no sign of him.
Death by tree root. That was a first.
When he turned back around, Sage was squaring off with the leader. He caught her in the
mouth with his over-sized fist, sending blood hurtling through the dark at James. They must have had orders to bring her alive or he would’ve killed her with that strike.
Sage staggered back but remained standing. She narrowed her eyes and spit something on the ground. A tooth?
“I’ll kill you for that,” she snarled.
But James couldn’t watch anymore. He jumped in front of her and punched through the werewolf’s chest, watching the life leave his eyes before he fell to the ground. With a hand gripping each side of his head, he twisted, ripping through sinewy muscle and cracking bone.
Sage blanched and stared up at him, whether in fear or respect, he didn’t know.
The smaller werewolf with the snapped neck started to come to.
“Come here,” he said to Sage.
She gulped but obeyed. They stood over the werewolf rolling weakly on the ground.
“Your first kill,” he said. “I’ll walk you through it.”
Another gulp then she nodded. She gathered a Bolt in her palms but he shook his head. “A sword.”
“But I don’t have –”
“With the Bolt. Gather the energy into your hand and picture a weapon in your mind. Preferably something you can cut with. An axe or a sword. Then form it with the light.”
She looked down at her glowing palm. Nothing happened at first and he could see the frustration build inside her. The light started to consume her body, causing the glowing blue aura that she couldn’t yet control.
“Easy,” he said to calm her. “Slow down.”
She took a deep breath and the light focused back into her palm then started to take shape. It became longer and thinner until it formed the perfect sword. A sword made of deadly lightning energy.
She gripped the lit handle and smiled at James, a vision of confidence. And damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He gave her a proud nod.
“His head,” he said, gesturing to the werewolf.
She nodded then lifted the sword over her head and landed it on the werewolf’s neck, slicing straight through.
“Good girl.” He stepped back, finally feeling the weight of his injury.
Sage snuffed the light with a snap of her fingers. Fuck, she was getting good.
“Can you take care of the bodies?” he asked.
“I think so.” Her voice came out strained but she narrowed her eyes and the ground shook beneath them. Panting she fell to her knees, her face crumpled as dirt came apart and swallowed the bodies.
He took a step toward her, intending to stop her before she killed herself, but she waved him away. A squeak escaped her mouth as she strained under the effort of closing the ground again.
Finally it was done. Chest heaving as she rested on her hands and knees, she took a minute to catch her breath.
When her breathing steadied, James hauled her to her feet.
Her lip was cut and swollen, blood dripped down her chin and neck, but she was standing on her own.
“You okay?”
She nodded and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
“Your tooth?”
“Just a back one.”
He chuckled and reached out an arm. “Brave girl. Come here.”
When she came to him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Surprisingly, she melted into him – like she was made to be there. He lowered his head and planted a small kiss on the top of her head. The scent of her hair enveloped him – the flowery aroma of the shampoo she used and her scent. One he was becoming more familiar with than he’d like.
As if she suddenly remembered who he was, she pulled away and shot him a surprised look. Her gaze travelled down his torso then stopped at his blood-soaked shirt.
“Holy sh –”
His hand shot out and covered her mouth. “Shh! We don’t know if those werewolves were alone.”
He uncovered her mouth and she pointed to his wound. “You’re really hurt!”
“I’ll heal. I just need to rest.”
Her gaze made its way up the mountain then trailed back down. “Now I feel like I should carry you up the mountain.”
He scoffed. “Please. Even in my weakened state I could carry you and barely break a sweat.”
Sage flashed him a half-smile. “Do vampires sweat?”
He chuckled as they began their ascent to the cave.
Chapter 11
Run. Have to run. She was already panting. Her legs screamed in protest. She pumped her arms, desperate to go faster. She didn’t slow down to wipe the sweat dripping into her eyes. But, as usual, she just couldn’t move fast enough. Without warning, someone tackled her to the ground. A pale creature held her down by her shoulders, pinning her to the cold concrete. She writhed around, trying to get away but he was too strong.
“Sage!” someone in the distance called. “Sage! Calm down!”
The voice was familiar. Her eyes fluttered open. On top of her, only inches from her face was James, paler than usual, red eyes, hollow cheeks, and…fangs!
She screamed. A cold hand clamped onto her mouth, choking off her scream. She bit down.
“Ow! Damn it, Sage.” James pulled his hand off her mouth and shook it.
She focused her eyes and peered around her. She was in the cave, with James, and safe. Well, if one could call camping with a vampire after being brutally attacked by werewolves safe. Although it was daytime, the sun was still low in the sky. It was early morning. She groaned. Too early.
“What’s wrong with you?” James asked. “Why’d you bite me?”
She sat up, unzipping her sleeping bag as she went. “What did you expect me to do when I woke from a nightmare with three inch fangs in my face?” Then it sunk in, how awful he looked. She gasped. “Oh my god. James, you look worse than death.”
He sat upright, barely, against the wall of the cave beside her. His head fell back against the hard stone.
“Yes. Thank you,” he rasped. “That’s why I woke you. I need blood.”
She grimaced but nodded. “Alright. Where is it?”
“Not here. I don’t have any.”
“Are you kidding me? You didn’t bring any?”
James reached out a hand to cover her mouth again but she easily batted it away. “Will you stop screaming? Can’t you hear it echo across the valley?”
“You have got to be the stupidest vampire I’ve ever met –”
“I’m the only vampire you’ve ever met.”
“Fine. You’ve got to be the stupidest male I’ve ever met. How could you not bring food for yourself? You always boast how you’re sooo responsible but –”
“I didn’t anticipate getting hurt,” he said, cutting her off then wincing from having to raise his voice over hers. “I can usually go a long time without it.”
“Well, where do you get it?”
“Blood bank,” he answered, looking down at the cave floor. She could tell this wasn’t his proudest moment. He probably hated being weak as much as she did.
Good. Served him right for being such an arrogant ass all the time.
“Do you know where the closest one is?
He gave her a dry look. “You can’t just walk in there and buy blood, Sage. It doesn’t work like that. You’ll have to drive home. I have a guy you can contact and he’ll get it for you. Take the keys from my bag and –”
“That will take all day.”
“Not if you’re quick.” He shifted his body then winced.
She looked down at his chest but he’d somehow managed to cover the wound with a fresh t-shirt. Still the blood seeped through. “You don’t even look like you’ll make it through breakfast. I can’t leave you here alone that long.”
“You don’t have a choice, Sage. I’ll be fine. Just go. You’re only wasting time sitting here arguing with me.”
She maneuvered her body so she was sitting against the cold wall next to him then drew her knees up and rested her head on her them.
“What are you
doing? Go!” Frustration flickered across his pale face.
“Shh! I’m thinking.” She couldn’t believe she was thinking what she was thinking. But there was no other viable option. She couldn’t leave him here on the brink of death, nor could she carry him down with her. He needed blood, like, hours ago. She grimaced and shook her head as if fighting with herself over the conclusion. “Aw, fuck me,” she finally muttered.
“Love to, doll, but I’m sort of numb from the waist down,” he said. “Can I take you up on it later though?”
She picked her head up to meet his dark gaze. “Funny. You pick now to finally have a sense of humor? When you’re on the brink of death?” She gave a loud exaggerated sigh then thrust her wrist toward him. “Here. Do it quick before I change my mind.” Turning her head away, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“What? No!”
“Logically this is our best option, James. You have to know that.”
“No.” He pushed her arm away.
She opened her eyes to see his face twisted in disgust. “Just do it! You’ll heal then we can get on with things.”
“No.” His tone was unyielding. She might as well have been arguing with a wall.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “Well now I’m just offended. Here I am offering myself up to you like a fucking juice box so you don’t die, and you’re turning me down? I know we’ve had our issues but do you really detest me that much?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t detest you. I think you’re a hard-headed pain in the arse who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. But I don’t hate you.”
“There now,” she muttered, “tell me how you really feel.”
His steely blue eyes turned to warmth. “But I also think you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. Underneath all the anger and pain is a genuinely good person.”
She arched a brow. “Wow. You better drink up. You’re delirious with hunger.”
“If you were truly a heartless bitch like you let people believe, you wouldn’t be offering yourself to save me.”
“I could let you die,” she said tapping her chin, “and I wouldn’t even shed a tear. But then who would fetch me my coffee in the morning?”
