Going to go out with a bang.
When a smile came to her face, it made her feel calm as she inched closer to the entrance, and towards the two vampires talking quietly by the entrance. Moving quickly, she kicked out and twisted to knock the gun from the other vampire’s hand before kicking him in the head and turning her attention to the first one.
After staking him, she threw the dead vampire into the remaining one and, as he staggered back, she threw a stake at him and watched him fall to the floor.
That was easy. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy once she was in the house. She’d have to be careful.
Keta moved around the mansion, sticking to the wall to avoid being seen by those inside.
* * * *
Elijah and his men headed through the trees quietly, fanning out when they got to the edge of the rocky mountain that overlooked a large old building. “Gather a search party, go around and search the area. I’ll take some inside. They can deal with the men.”
“And you will search for the woman?”
Elijah nodded to Blake. “Yes, if she was indeed sighted here, I will find her.”
Blake clapped him on the shoulder. “Just be sure none of the rogues escape. I do not wish to hunt twice in one night, especially when I am getting nothing out of it. She will be here, do not worry.”
Elijah grunted, hoping to hell the vampire was right. He hunted the one who was killing the vampires. The Silent Killer. Her name was well known within the worlds and he planned to put an end on the unnecessary murders.
The Silent Killer was a wolf and a strong one at that. It would be interesting when they finally met.
Blake moved away from Elijah, motioning for the others to follow him as he made his way down the rocky hill and towards the mansion.
The vampires occupying the mansion were rogue, living off the fear of human women, kidnapping them and then setting them free so they could chase their meals. They also dealt in antique marketing, selling stolen prized possessions and fine artefacts for an unreasonable price.
These vampires needed to be stopped as much as the Silent Killer did.
Elijah, come.
Elijah shivered at the command, searching through the trees behind him.
Rio was out there somewhere, waiting for him.
Knowing the wolf never asked twice, Elijah turned to the waiting vampires. “Wait here for me to return. Blake needs time to ensure that others are taken to safety before we make ourselves known.”
The vampires nodded, not questioning him when he walked past them.
Elijah knew exactly where to go. The command was still strong, pulling him as though Rio was there himself. He headed further into the trees until they thinned out into a small opening, exactly where his men and he had gathered to go through the plan for the last time.
As the alpha male and pack leader of the biggest pack out there, Rio was one of the strongest wolfs around. His pack consisted of around seven hundred wolves.
Rio and he had gotten into a fight centuries ago, and he’d come out worse. Rio had bitten him to assert his dominance and the result had been deadly. A change had taken place as wolf and vampire had fought inside him, much like Rio and Elijah had earlier that night.
Hours of exhaustion and pain, Elijah had woken up in his own home, hungrier than before. It all seemed like a dream until his first change. Rio had showed up at his door and at a simple command, Elijah had turned into a wolf, much to the vampire’s shock.
He had gone hunting and when it was all over, the vampires strung him up in the dungeons to question him.
Although he could turn into a wolf at will, he still hungered for the blood of humans. The vampires had been kind enough not to kill him and he had proved that their decision was not wrong with his time with them.
“Rio.”
Rio turned, his eyebrows rising. He was a large male with a thick mane of brown hair and dark eyes. He stood poised, ready to attack.
“I have told you before to call me master.”
Rio deep voice pounded against Elijah’s skull as his command washed through his senses. Elijah resisted it, unwilling to give in and call Rio master when he was not. “What do you want?”
Rio narrowed his gaze, his jaw twitching but answered him without a comment. “I am in need of your help.”
“Why me?”
“You know why.”
Elijah clenched his hands into fists. Rio wanted his help because he wouldn’t put his pack in danger and it didn’t matter if Elijah survived or not.
“What do you want?”
“My daughter, Katrina, she has gone missing.”
Elijah raised his eyebrows, his anger evaporating instantly.
Katrina was known as the princess of her pack. She was born a leader, destined to take over the pack when it was time. She was filled with kindness and everyone loved her.
“How long?”
“Three months now.”
“Where was she last seen?”
“Last I knew she was coming to see you. She did not come back that night.”
“And you didn’t worry?”
“She comes and goes as she pleases. I do not mind. However, when the full moon arrived and she did not come back home, I began to worry.”
As a pack, during the full moon they would all work together to hunt and teach others how to survive.
“Why was she coming to see me?”
“To ask if you were joining us for the full moon ritual.”
“The full moon ritual?” He had never heard of a thing.
“My son has been mated, and his wife has given birth. She did so during the full moon.”
“Ahh.”
Though he had never met Katrina in person, many stories circled around where she was concerned. All he knew was that she looked a lot like her father with shorter hair and had lighter eyes.
We’ll see if she acts like the bastard.
“What is it you are doing?”
Elijah turned back to Rio. “I will help you look for her, not because you have commanded me, but because she means as much to me as she does you.” Though he was not born wolf, it was still in his nature to search and find someone missing from the pack.
“You dare?” Rio’s entire body vibrated. His hands clenched into fists.
Elijah didn’t care. “I dare. I am not a part of your pack, nor will I ever be. Our kind hates each other and because of you I am in the middle. As I said, I will help, but of my own free will, not by your command.”
Rio stepped close to him, putting them nose to nose. “Kneel!”
The command slammed into him hard, knocking him to his knees. Elijah braced his hands in front of him, his head bowed as humiliation swept through him. If the vampires were to see this weakness within him, they would surely have his head on a plate.
“You will look for my daughter on my command. You will find her and bring her back to me. Is that understood?”
Elijah shook. Sweat dripped from his brow as he forced his head up so he could see the dog that stood before him. “You may be able to command me to do your bidding, but you will never be my master.”
Rio growled loudly.
Elijah held himself up for as long as he could before he gave in unwillingly, dropping to the floor, held down by an invisible foot on his back.
The command was sealed. He had to find Katrina and bring her back. He had no choice in the matter.
Elijah felt the weight lift from his back as Rio disappeared. He pushed himself to feet.
Rio was long gone.
Turning to head back towards the others, he lifted his top to expose his chest.
The hand shaped bruise over his heart served as a burning reminder of his task.
If he failed, it would be the end of him.
Chapter Two
Inhaling deeply, taking in all the scents, Keta knew there was one vampire on the other side of the door. She even knew that he was relaxed, not aware of what was about to transpi
re. Keta slipped into the room silently and raised her stake.
The vampire never suspected a thing.
After pulling the stake from his chest, Keta moved to the window, her good hearing picked up the commotion outside and her curiosity got the better of her once more.
Outside, vampires hovered around the mansion, each one carrying weapons.
Vampires hunting vampires? That’s new.
“Elijah, you take some men into the house. They will gather the rogues while you search for the Silent Killer. I will take some men around to search there. She is here and it seems she has no qualms cleaning up after herself.”
A pang of surprise shot through Keta when she heard her nickname. She searched through the group for Elijah when her eyes met another’s.
Dressed casually in a black t-shirt and blue jeans that hugged him snugly, Keta didn’t have to use much of her imagination to know how much he packed underneath.
His dark eyes bored into hers, heating her entire body. He stood tall, tanned muscular arms crossed over his chest. Straight, slightly spiked light brown hair that left Keta’s fingers tingling to touch.
Her lips parted in wonder. Though the enemy, she had to marvel what made her attracted to him as she was, especially when he knew who the Silent Killer was.
As the men moved towards the mansion, Tall, Light and Handsome stayed where he was, keeping his eyes on Keta’s.
When the door opened slowly, Keta shot under the desk.
“They may not realise that we know they are there, but that will soon change. Spread the word, let the others know. I don’t want anyone left alive.” The vampire walked towards the window Keta had just been standing at and peeked carefully out.
“Yes, sir.”
Keta carefully climbed out from the table and threw a stake at the vampire. He fell silently onto the settee. Keta pulled another one from her strap and eased closer to the vampire at the window, peaking through a gap where the curtains parted.
Gun shots sounded within the mansion and the vampire turned fast, freezing Keta in her tracks as his eyes widened with surprised.
“Well isn’t this a surprise.”
Keta attacked, throwing the stake as hard as she could.
It sank into his chest before he could drop his smile. The vampire’s body thumped to the floor loudly.
Sure is, buddy.
Keta bent to retrieve her stake when the door smashed open. She spun around, heart hammering as men charged into the room. She jumped up, flipping over their heads as they fired their machine guns.
Bits of the ceiling rained down on them all as Keta landed. She jumped up, crashing through the ceiling before the vampires could open fire again.
Shaking bits of plaster and wood from her hair, Keta climbed to her feet and ran across the room, a rain of bullets following her. She crashed into the next room—which turned out to be a bathroom—and jumped into the bath as bullets continued to come.
Crap!
While the bullets destroyed the room, Keta pulled out a small square package from her jacket and stuck it to the side of the bath before jumping out of the bath and onto the sill of the broken window. She climbed through, grabbing the drain to keep steady, and jumped up, grabbed hold of the window above her and pulled herself up.
After kicking the window through, she slid in quietly, listening for others while she climbed three floors up, pulling more small packages from her jacket and sticking them to the walls as she went.
When she didn’t meet any vampires along the way, she pulled a remote detonator from her jacket pocket.
* * * *
“Elijah.”
Elijah turned away from the window and faced Blake, a frown still in place. He couldn’t get the image of the woman in the window from his mind.
Dressed like a warrior in leathers, her long dark brown hair stood out in contrast with her pale skin, and her eyes that shone brightly as she’d checked him out.
It was enough to catch his attention even in the midst of what was happening around them.
“Any signs?”
“Not of the Silent Killer. There are humans here—we’ve taken them to our vans.”
Elijah nodded, his attention back at the window now, hoping to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman again. “They will be happy to have a warm place to stay away from the evil that has tormented them so.”
“That is what I thought.”
The mansion exploded.
The force knocked Elijah off his feet, propelling him backwards hard. When he landed, he rolled onto his feet, watching the fire and smoke billow out of the windows. Elijah jumped into action instantly. “Blake! Check to see if the others made it out alive!”
“What will you do?”
A wolf jumped from one of the windows, souring through the air before dropping as the mansion exploded again.
Elijah kept his eyes on her. “I’m going after the Silent Killer!” He jumped forward, his clothes ripping and his body changing in mid-jump before Blake could reply.
His change into a wolf was painful as his bones cracked, shifted and lengthened within his body. All scents changed, becoming stronger. When he landed, he charged through the smoke, following the golden werewolf as she weaved left and right. He followed her exact moves, determined not to lose her.
Come on! Faster!
The wolf pounded through the trees, obviously trying to lose him.
She’d have no luck where he was concerned. His eyes were locked onto her and the scent of wild flowers filled his nostrils as she left her scent behind.
He was at her tail when she jumped high. Elijah followed her, catching her back paw with his teeth.
The wolf yelped as she landed and fell to the muddy ground. She rolled across the mud and leaves.
When Elijah landed, the wolf had shifted into her human form and was clutching her foot with both hands, hunched forward. Elijah pounced on her, shifting mid-flight so he could pin her hands to the floor.
What? Elijah’s mouth hung open as he stared at the woman underneath him.
Big blue eyes which shone brightly compared to her pale, almost white skin. With her high cheekbones, small nose and full lips, she was gorgeous to his eyes. Her long brown hair fanned out across the ground.
Elijah was suddenly aware that they were both naked as he let his gaze travel down her body. Tall with full round breasts pressed against his chest, her long legs wrapped around his ankles.
Lying naked with him leaning over her, the woman looked like more of a warrior naked than when she was clothed. She looked like a warrior princess.
The woman blinked, breathing heavily underneath him.
Elijah lowered himself onto his elbows, saw her part her lips as he came into contact with her heated flesh. He watched her pale skin flush and wondered what she would look like when she was aroused, when she let pleasure take control of her as he drove himself into her.
A growl rumbled in his chest at the thought. He lowered his head to her neck and inhaled. Her scent washed through his senses, making his fangs extend, wanting to taste her. He tilted her head back, giving him easy access to her throat when he stopped.
Her skin was marred with puncture scars and a long jagged scar that ran from the left side to the right.
Elijah leant up and saw the fear in her wide eyes, smelled it around him as she breathed heavily.
Gently smoothing her hair back, Elijah turned her face to his. “They don’t call you the Silent Killer for nothing. You can’t speak, can you?”
She shook her head quickly.
Elijah bowed his head, clenching his hands into fists in anger. “If I let you shift, will you run?”
No answer.
“If you run, I will catch you.” Elijah made sure his message was heard clearly before he moved off her.
She sat up, covering her naked body and clutching at her ankle. She did nothing but stare at him.
Elijah breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of her blood as he
changed into a wolf. If he stayed as a human, the vampire in him would take control. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than he had.
He nudged her hands before licking her wound.
She jumped and clenched his fur hard as she pressed her lips together, keeping her eyes shut and fighting off her obvious pain.
When Elijah moved away, he was hungry and more aroused than ever.
She shifted and shook her body before bending her head to lick her wound. She was gorgeous, her hair fur and shiny. Her ears pulled back on her head, her body crouched low.
Elijah stayed where he was, resisting the urge to comfort her and convince her that he meant no harm. What’s your name?
Her bright blue eyes stared at him. Keta.
Who are you?
Keta turned away.
Elijah nudged her. Who gave you those scars?
Does it matter?
Why wouldn’t it?
What’s done is done. I can’t change that.
Elijah tilted his head to the side. But you are.
Keta met his gaze.
You’re killing those who did this to you. Vampires. Let me guess. You were sold into slavery and blamed the vampires.
What? Keta shook her head.
So explain to me what happened to make you hunt vampires like you do.
Keta was silent for a long while.
Elijah waited for her to speak.
Fine. You’re right. The vampires did this to me, but I was with the wolves first before I went to the vampires. When I got to them, they wanted to keep me to themselves instead of passing me along. I was…changed then, and they enjoyed it more. I was made into something that shouldn’t exist because I fought to escape. I fought to keep myself alive and now I make them wish they killed me.
Elijah was surprised she’d opened up to him so fast. Maybe it was the anger—he could feel it around her as she quivered. You’re a half-breed?
Yes.
Elijah was silent for a while, surprised to find someone else just like him. Not all vampires are like that. I actually hunt my own kind down for the very thing you just described to me.
Forbidden Love Page 2
