by Katie Reus
As her feet hit the ground she turned in all directions, looking for more possible threats. The sulfur smell of the demons covered everything, making it impossible to scent anything else.
“Mom?”
Lyra swiveled again at the sound of Vega’s voice. A second later Vega ducked out of the tomb the dead demons lay in front of.
Rumpled, her hair dirty, clothes ripped and covered in dried blood, Vega was the most beautiful sight Lyra had ever seen. Before she realized she’d moved into action, she had her blade sheathed and her arms wrapped tightly around her daughter. Her throat clenched as she choked back tears. Vega was safe and in her arms. The relief she experienced was so potent it almost knocked her off her feet. But she knew she couldn’t relax yet. Not until her daughter was truly out of harm’s way.
“Mom, you’re suffocating me,” Vega said, half-laughing, after a few moments.
Immediately Lyra pulled back. She cupped her daughter’s cheek, but froze at a scuffling sound from inside the tomb. Shoving her daughter behind her, Lyra whipped out her blade again.
Two silver eyes stared at her out of the darkness. Even with her supernatural eyesight, it was hard to make out the big, hulking form. It was almost like the creature was blurred or something.
“He’s okay mom, but he needs help,” Vega said from behind her. She tried to step around her, but Lyra held up her blade-free hand.
“You saved my daughter?” she asked the male.
“Yeah,” he rasped out, his voice strained. When he stepped into the moonlight she saw that he was naked and covered in dirt and possibly soot from head to foot. And he was huge. Seriously huge. He looked like he was in his early thirties, but in her experience that didn’t mean anything. Not with supernaturals.
When he stumbled forward and groaned in pain, instinct kicked in. This male had saved her daughter from Claudius and deadly demons. She would help him. “Stay behind me, Vega,” she ordered as she reached out and wrapped an arm around the male’s waist.
She helped lower him to the ground. Her hand came away covered in soot. He moaned in pain as he practically collapsed against the outer wall of the stone tomb. Lyra reached into her pocket and tossed a pack of matches to Vega who was biting her bottom lip as she watched the dragon shifter. “Set the demons on fire. I’m going to feed him, then we need to get you two out of here.” She also needed to find Finn and his pack, but right now she could only take one step at a time. Getting Vega to safety mattered more than anything and she knew Finn would want her to take care of their daughter.
Vega nodded and as she lit a match, Lyra opened a vein on her wrist. “Drink.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two demons burn to ash. In seconds, nothing remained of the creatures.
The male watched her with a guarded, skeptical gaze, as if he didn’t understand what she was doing. “Listen buddy, you need to drink. My blood will help you and you need your strength so we can get you out of here.” Because she knew her daughter wouldn’t let her leave this male behind. Not that she would, even though every maternal instinct she had was screaming at her to fly Vega to safety.
“Please drink,” Vega said softly from behind her.
After a pause, he latched onto Lyra’s wrist and started sucking. His pulls were weak at first, but grew stronger as the seconds ticked by. When his grip on her arm tightened she thought she might have to fight to get her wrist back but he suddenly stopped.
Sniffing the air, he stood on steady feet, her blood clearly having done its job. He uttered a word she didn’t understand. It sounded like a harsh, guttural language. Then he said it again, this time louder, angrier. His muscular body was tense and everything inside Lyra went on alert. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around Vega and took flight, desperate to get her to safety.
As she hurtled higher through the air, she watched as the male below shifted into his dragon form. On a loud growl, his body transformed into an impossibly beautiful creature. Jade wings sparkled against the moonlight as if they were completely made of emeralds. And the wing span stretched higher, higher until she didn’t even bother guessing how big he was. His body continued to grow, expanding until he had to take flight so he wouldn’t destroy the vault tombs around him. What had once been human skin was now a glittering silver of beautiful diamond scales. The contrast against the jade colored wings was like nothing she’d ever seen before. The word beautiful didn’t do him justice.
He flapped his wings, the sound echoing around them. Before she could blink, he’d all but disappeared and she could only see a blurry dark shape where he’d been. She’d read that ancient dragons had been like chameleons, able to change their body to blend in with their surroundings when they wanted.
When he started flying, the dark form blocking out the moon for a moment, Vega’s grip tightened around her. “Follow him!”
Lyra started to say no. She needed to get Vega to safety and this dragon was leaving of his own accord. But the wind shifted direction, the scent of blood filling the air.
Finn’s blood.
* * *
All around Finn, his packmates were battling with Akkadian demons and vampires. Though he couldn’t see all of them because of the big tombs in the way he could hear them. Each victorious howl told him all he needed to know. His pack was winning.
Right now his focus was solely on Claudius Marius. Squaring off against him, the blond vamp had two blades in his hands. His hair was pulled back at his neck and he wore dark slacks and a crisp white shirt, as if he hadn’t expected to fight tonight. Finn couldn’t believe the vamp had been here, but he must have tracked Vega to the cemetery too.
He didn’t care what the treacherous vamp’s reason was for being there, Finn would take great pleasure in ending his life.
In his wolf form, everything around him was clearer, more focused.
Claudius lunged once, his left hand striking out with a blade as he tried to run it through Finn’s chest. Finn jumped back and landed on all fours, the dirt and stone beneath his paws cold.
The vampire let out an angry snarl and jumped on a waist-high iron gate surrounding one of the tombs. He attempted to jump down at Finn and attack from above. When he did, he left himself vulnerable.
Lunging in a calculated move, Finn bit down on Claudius’s calf. The vamp howled and stabbed him through the side. A glimmer of pain rippled through him, but he was so pumped up on adrenaline, he barely felt it. Letting go of Claudius’s leg, he dropped to the ground but immediately dove over another iron gate with the blade still in him.
Shifting back to human form, he let out a howl of agony as he ripped the sword from his body. Almost immediately his body started healing itself. Keeping his focus on Claudius who now stood on top of one of the stone angels adorning a tomb, he hurled the sword in the opposite direction of the fighting and the vampire.
Taking one of the vamp’s weapons was a psychological blow more than anything. He was going to keep chipping away pieces of the bastard until he was ash.
As he returned to his wolf form, a whoosh of air from above nearly blew him backward. Looking up, he growled and jumped over the gated area. A giant blur of something had just flown over him. When Claudius jumped onto the top of a nearby vault tomb in the direction the blur had just gone, Finn followed.
Keeping an eye on his surroundings for a surprise attack, he raced in and out of the maze of aboveground tombs, chasing after Claudius. He skidded to a halt as he spilled out into an open area of flat tombs where most of his packmates battled with vamps and demons. Some were using weapons, others were using claws. He scanned the area, looking for Claudius when a giant dragon materialized from out of thin air. One second there was nothing there, then the next a glittering beast was perched on top of two big vault tombs, using each as a foot hold.
What. The. Hell.
Finn leapt into action when the animal let loose a stream of scorching fire that lit up the dark night, illuminating the stone graveyard. His legs strained, eating up the
distance as he raced across the flat open stone area to the other side. He had no clue if he could take the beast on, but he was damn sure going to try. All creatures had a weakness.
He stopped running only when he realized the dragon was burning demons and vampires in the direct vicinity of Victoria. With amazing precision. Anything that got too close to her was toast, but the creature was carefully avoiding her.
Finn wasn’t sure what was going on or where that shifter had come from, but he remembered the strange scorch marks at Claudius’s mansion. Maybe that was who Vega had escaped with. At this point the animal wasn’t an enemy so he left him alone.
Swiveling as he scented Claudius, he ducked just in time to miss what would have been a decapitating blow. Rolling onto his back and away from the vamp, he quickly jumped onto all fours and faced off with him.
Claudius jumped away, putting distance between them as he continued to move.
Snarling, Finn raced toward the nearest raised tombstone. He jumped onto it, using it as a springboard to move to another one, then another one. After six fluid jumps, each one moving him closer and closer to Claudius, Finn launched himself at the vamp at the last second instead of diving for another tombstone.
The vamp, who had been tense and spinning in each direction Finn moved, brought his blade up to stab him through his chest. Finn twisted midair, using his agility, and latched onto Claudius’s upper arm as he flew past him.
He didn’t release the vamp as his momentum continued to propel him forward. He heard the pop then a ripping sound as sweet blood coated his tongue. As Claudius slammed against the ground, Finn released his arm and spun to face him again.
Claudius’s scream filled the night air, his arm dangling by tendons. He snarled something incomprehensible, blood and spit flying out of his mouth. His arm would eventually heal—but he wouldn’t live that long.
Finn went back on his haunches, poised to strike when another scream rent the air.
“Nooooooo!” He turned to see Lyra flying toward them, Vega in her arms screaming at the top of her lungs.
In human form, Gabriel was on one of the vault tombs behind the dragon, blades in hand, looking ready to attack the creature. Shit.
Finn let out a loud howl, signaling for his Guardian to stop. But it was too late. Gabriel launched himself through the air. Sensing the attack, the dragon turned and flapped out one of his huge glittering wings. He struck Gabriel with it, but his Guardian’s blade sliced through the membrane of the wing. An angry screech echoed around them as the dragon spit a wild stream of fire into the air.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lyra flying away with Vega. Thank God. They needed her out of here.
Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, though it felt like an eternity. He’d kept Claudius in his peripheral and the cowardly vamp was trying to flee. Clutching his useless arm to his body, he’d jumped onto another vault tomb. Finn howled and took chase. As he launched himself onto one of the tombs, Claudius looked at him, then behind him—at Lyra and Vega.
With his good arm, the vamp hauled back and threw his blade in a high arc. Finn jumped to the nearest tomb, using it as a springboard, then flew at Claudius with all the power and speed he possessed.
The vampire tried to jump, but Finn read his body language clearly and adjusted his direction. As he reached the vamp he didn’t waste time fighting with him. His jaws clamped down on the male’s neck. Vaguely he was aware of claws digging into his ribcage, but he ignored it as he severed Claudius’s head completely.
Blood filled his mouth as the ancient vampire turned to dust beneath him. With no time to revel in his victory, he turned and raced through the tombs, using Lyra’s scent as a guide. The place had grown eerily silent, telling him the demons and vamps had to be dead.
The farther he ran, the stronger he could smell Lyra’s blood and it was tearing him up inside. Had Claudius wounded her? Or worse? No, no, no.
When he saw her lying on the ground, eyes closed, body impossibly still, he shifted to his human form mid-stride. Vega and Victoria knelt beside her and Gabriel was hovering a few feet away, his wary gaze on a hulking human male Finn assumed was the dragon shifter. As long as Gabriel and the male weren’t fighting or getting in his way, he’d deal with that issue later. Lyra was all that mattered.
Victoria’s hands were on Lyra’s chest over a gaping wound. A soft blue glow emanated from her hands and the jagged wound. Finn felt as if his own heart had been pierced.
“What happened?” he rasped out as he knelt next to them. He wanted to touch Lyra so badly he ached for it, but didn’t want to get in Victoria’s way when she was doing her healing magic. He looked at Vega and was once again stunned by how much she looked like both him and Lyra. Seeing her in the flesh brought up so many damn emotions he had to shove them back.
Especially now.
“She took the hit so I wouldn’t be struck…” Vega seemed to push the words out before breaking down sobbing. Even though they’d never spoken to each other he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Sobbing, Vega buried her face in his shoulder. Even though he hated everything about this situation, it touched him on the deepest level that she’d turned to him for comfort. He just wished he’d been able to do more for her and Lyra.
His throat tightened as he watched Victoria and Lyra. He refused to lose her. Not now when he’d just found her again. Not when they could become the family he’d always dreamed of.
“Victoria?” he asked quietly, needing answers.
His healer didn’t answer. Her eyes were closed in concentration. The glow spread all across Lyra’s chest, up her neck and across her pale face. Inch by inch it covered her entire body. Even though she was mostly covered with clothing, the radiance was visible even under the dark material of her pants and top.
A low growl momentarily drew his attention away from her. He turned to find the dragon shifter staring at Victoria and rumbling low in his throat. For a second he thought the action was hostile then realized the male was making a warning sound. He was worried. Finn looked back at the two women and his pulse stuttered.
Lyra’s wound was almost closed, but Victoria was pale and shaking. Shit. He hadn’t even been paying attention to her. Shame filled him as he opened his mouth to order his healer to stop. But he couldn’t find the words. Couldn’t force them out. He needed Lyra to live. As Alpha he had to look out for the good of his pack, to think of everyone else’s needs above his own. But he couldn’t right now.
“Victoria, stop!” Gabriel demanded behind him.
At that moment Lyra’s pale eyes popped open and she sucked in a sharp breath. Her gaze landed on Vega and she smiled in relief. Finn’s heart lurched. Dropping his arm from Vega, he gathered Lyra in his arms, pulling her tight to his chest. She returned his embrace, her grip weak. “I’m okay,” she whispered against his neck.
“Thank you, Victoria,” he whispered, unable to squeeze out any more words. His throat was too tight with emotion. He’d almost lost Lyra.
“No sweat,” Victoria laughed shakily and he watched as Gabriel helped her to her feet. The dragon shifter growled again, possessively this time, but Finn ignored that. For now. He was going to get his damn answers about who the male was.
His other packmates and the two vamps from Lyra’s former coven had gathered around them and were all watching expectantly. He pulled slightly back so Vega could hug her mother. Keeping his arms protectively around both females, he looked at his men and women. “Is everyone accounted for?”
Everyone nodded, but Spiro spoke first. “All vamps and demons are dead. There are no humans in the direct vicinity. I can’t say no one saw that fire-breathing light show, but a quick scan of the area says we’re clear.”
“Good. Take Christian and Justus with you and span out for two miles. Look for any witnesses.” He looked at Justus next. “If anyone saw anything, make them forget.”
The three nodded and moved into action. He focused on Gabr
iel next, ready to order him to get Victoria back to one of their homes so she could rest when the ground rumbled beneath them.
He increased his hold on Vega and Lyra as the earth shook ominously. Just as quickly as it started, it abruptly stopped.
Everyone looked at each other and he could feel Vega shaking against him and Lyra. He wanted to get both of them the hell out of there. Standing, he helped Lyra to her feet. She might be healed but the way she was clutching on to his forearm told him she was weak. Vega quickly moved to the other side of her mother, helping to hold her up.
“Anyone know what that was?” he asked, looking around the group. The South wasn’t known for earthquakes but that was what it had felt like.
“It’s the hell gate. Until it’s closed, these rumblings will continue,” the dragon shifter said.
“I thought it could only be opened during the eclipse,” Vega said quietly, as she leaned closer to Lyra, wrapping her arm around her mother’s shoulders.
“That’s partially true. There are certain times of year when the veil between worlds is thinner.”
“Like Halloween,” Victoria interjected.
The male looked at her in confusion. “Halloween?”
“Ah, Samhain.”
He nodded and focused on Finn again. “During eclipses, Samhain and other specific dates, the veil is thinner and hell gates can be opened with the right…” He appeared to struggle with the correct word, then said, “Circumstances.” The dragon nodded at Vega. “Her blood has already started the process and if we do nothing it will remain cracked open. Eventually, eclipse or not, those on the other side will obliterate it. It could take months or even a hundred years, but until it’s closed, that gate will always be a threat to the human world.”
Finn wanted to know how the hell the guy knew all this. “You came from the gate?”
