Vasile, on the other hand, strode through the forest as if he owned it, daring anyone to take a shot at him. His arms and legs were covered in shimmering pale blue scales, and his fingernails had turned into sharp, sapphire colored claws. Those scales could probably stop a bullet, unless that bullet was enchanted. And if that were the case, they were far more fucked than they thought.
The scent of the Van Helsings was growing stronger, stinging his nostrils with deer urine and gunpowder. They’d chosen to roost in an open area just outside the tree line, surrounded by rocks covered in green moss. He crouched low, his wolves following his lead. Practically crawling along the ground, he got behind a bush inside the tree line and watched the men they were hunting.
Kathy would be avenged.
Noah counted ten men and one woman, two of which were underage as Vasile had indicated. One appeared to be about fifteen, gangly and frightened. The other appeared even younger, maybe thirteen, barely a teenager. What were these men thinking? These kids should be playing on their Xbox and bitching about homework, not hunting people.
At least all of them were there. They were eating, laughing and responding to Rock as if he were just there to shoot the breeze rather than kill them. They all seemed relaxed, even offering Rock a sip of water.
Something must have happened to cause Mina to react because the twang of a bow startled him from his thoughts. One of the hunters, the one with the water bottle, went down with a screech. Rock shot forward, his fist connecting with the hunter closest to him, sending the man flying. Rock had covered his fist in stone, turning it into a lethal weapon.
The two teens, one male and one female, sat frozen as Noah and his wolves darted forward. He herded the teens away, trying to get them into the forest. The sting of a bullet in his upper thigh made him yelp, but he refused to stop herding these poor kids away from the men who’d come to kill him and his kind.
He hated that he had to frighten them in order to move them, but when Ash called for him, Noah snarled. Paisley took his place, guarding the kids while Noah turned back to the fight. He trusted that Carter and Paisley would make sure the teens stayed right where he’d put them. And if any of the Van Helsings shot toward the wolves, they’d be endangering the kids as well. He doubted they would fire toward the kids.
Noah raced forward, his paws kicking up the dirt as he narrowed in on his target. The man had picked up one of the rifles and had started taking aim. Whether or not this man had been the one to harm Kathy Noah wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care. The Van Helsing would experience the agony of the alpha’s teeth.
The man took aim at Noah but before he could pull the trigger Noah leapt, latching on and tearing out his throat. He howled in triumph as his prey gurgled out his last breath. Beside him, Vasile roared, the sound of a dragon’s rage driving the birds in the area into the sky.
Ash flashed by him, gracefully slicing the arm off of one of the Van Helsings. The man went down screaming. Ash finished him off with a thrust through the heart. Greer was dueling with someone who also had a knife. The man was holding his own, surprising Noah. He’d have helped except another Van Helsing sliced at him with a Bowie knife, nearly cutting Noah’s nose in half. He growled, shifting to his dire wolf form.
“Fuck.” The Van Helsing backed up, the knife shaking in his hand. “It’s the fucking prime alpha!”
All of the remaining Van Helsings turned to stare at Noah. Noah’s growl deepened, his lips pulling back from his teeth to show he wasn’t playing around. He swiped the man in front of him, flinging him away and into one of the large rocks. There was the sickening crack of bone and that man no longer moved. His eyes no longer held the spark of life.
Another one down, three more to go.
Vasile took out the next one, trading dragon fire for bullets. The bullets lost, burning up in the incredible heat of Vasile’s flames. The prince wasn’t fucking around. He blew again before the man could shoot, setting him on fire.
The Van Helsing went down, dead before he could even scream.
Vasile stalked toward the man dueling with Greer. When the man attempted to flee Greer took him out with a well-placed strike to his back. Noah could smell the stench of burning flesh. Apparently, Greer’s knives really were filled with Mollie’s fire.
The last man went to his knees and put his hands on his head. “Please. Don’t kill me.”
Mina, an arrow notched, approached. “You’re a Van Helsing.”
The man glared at her. “We prefer Knights of Hercules.”
“Irrelevant. Why are you here?” Mina’s tone was hard, uncompromising. The man would answer or die.
The man kept his lips shut, staring straight ahead. “What are you going to do with our kids?”
“Answer my question.” Mina began to draw her bow, the arrow aimed right at his heart. At this range he’d die instantly.
The man glanced back at her and winced. “We were hunting animals.”
“Pfft.” Vasile pulled the man’s head back, baring his throat to Vasile’s claws. “You admitted you were a Van Helsing. You shot a friend of mine, a sweet little owl shifter.”
The man blinked but otherwise didn’t react.
“Nothing to say?” Vasile bared his teeth to the man.
Those are some sharp fangs the dragon prince is showing off.
The man swallowed hard as Vasile curled his claws around his throat. “I have an owl hunting license.”
Vasile snarled, smoke curling from his nostrils. “There’s no such thing as an owl hunting license in Maryland.”
The man shrugged, still obviously terrified but trying to hide it behind a swagger that didn’t fool any of them. “Kenny was aiming for a deer.”
Noah shifted back to human. “Then he was hunting Santa Claus, because deer don’t fly.” He nodded to Vasile. “Kill him.”
“Wait!” The man closed his eyes as Vasile began to swipe his claws across his throat. Blood began to drip from where Vasile’s claws were dug in, dangerously close to the man’s jugular. “Okay. We were here to hunt shifters. Specifically, airborne ones.”
“And if you happened to hit a sweet little librarian who liked to take pictures in her off time and volunteered at the local preschool, reading stories to the children?” Vasile snarled. He leaned in closer to the Van Helsing. “Because that’s exactly who you shot down today.”
Wow. Vasile was pissed. Could Kathy be his mate?
“I don’t care if she’s the fucking pope. All of you monsters are a danger to humanity. We will stamp you out one day, even if we have to do it one at a time.”
“Even if you have to kill noncombatants, like old people and even children?” Greer smiled at the man so sweetly that Noah backed up a step. Greer was at his most lethal when he was smiling.
The Van Helsing closed his eyes. “I don’t have to tell you a damn thing.”
“Greer, make that a lie,” Mina ordered. She put her bow across her back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Greer?” The man’s eyes went wide. “Oh fuck. The boss man wants you bad.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not my type.” Greer put the tip of his blade against the base of his left ear. “If I thrust this home, you die instantly.”
The man held still, forced to by Vasile’s claws at his throat and Greer’s knife against his skull. “What do you want?”
“Why are you really here?” Noah kept out of the way but he refused to remain quiet.
The Van Helsing lifted his chin slightly, a show of bravery that Noah begrudgingly admired. “Let the kids go. Kill me, but not them.”
“Unlike you, asshole, we don’t kill kids.” Noah stared over at where the two teens huddled together. Paisley had turned human and was talking quietly to them. She’d even dressed, probably so the male wouldn’t perv on her. “They’re as safe as they can be.”
“I’
ve been told what you did with Blake and the others. You call that safe?” The man laughed. “Fuck, you killed his dad. Bet he doesn’t know that, does he?”
“He does.” Greer’s knife didn’t waver. “In fact, he’s being adopted by a friend of mine who cares for him a great deal.”
The Van Helsing spit at Greer. “He needs his family, not a group of monsters teaching him to turn on his own kind.”
Greer wiped the spit off his cheek. “Apparently no one told you that Blake is a psychic, just like his daddy dearest.”
“That’s a lie!” The man lunged toward Greer, stopping short when Vasile’s claws dug into his skin. “Blake needs us, not you. He’s human, not some monster.”
“You keep saying that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.” Greer tapped the blade on the man’s cheek.
The Van Helsing screamed as the fire in the blade burned his flesh. “Stop, stop!”
“Greer.” Noah stepped forward. He had no intention of torturing the guy. Besides, they had what they wanted.
Before Noah could order Greer to kill the Van Helsing, Vasile took matters into his own hands. He slashed the throat of the Van Helsing, ending his life.
“Well, shoot. Now I can’t ask him any more questions.” Greer pouted at Vasile. “You meanie.”
Vasile rolled his eyes as he flicked the blood off his claws. “Give Noah his clothes. I’m tired of staring at his balls.”
“Ugh.” Greer shuddered and held the pack out. “Now I can’t unsee them, you asshole.”
Noah took the pack and began to dress. “Greer’s right about one thing. We haven’t learned what they wanted.”
“What do they always want?” Vasile shrugged. “Our deaths.”
Mina scowled at the carnage around them and turned to Rock. “Think you can handle this?”
Rock smiled, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. “Back up, guys. This won’t take long.”
Noah did as told. The last thing he wanted was for Rock to accidentally bury him along with the bodies of the hunters. He headed for where the teens were huddled together, united against Paisley. His beta was trying to soothe their fears, but he could understand how frightened they were. What was worse was that he’d probably be forced to frighten them even further to get them to safety.
“I’m telling you, you’re coming with me.” Paisley had her hand clamped on the female’s arm, tugging her back into the forest. “It’s dangerous for you to be here.”
“You’re lying.” The teen pulled back, struggling against Paisley’s hold.
“Trust me, you’re the safest person on the planet right now.” Paisley shook her head. “Even from me.”
What? “Paisley?” His beta’s back stiffened as Noah approached, and he could have sworn she nudged the teen behind her as if trying to protect her from him. “What’s going on?”
Paisley blew her bangs out of her eyes. “She’s my mate, alpha.”
“Mate?” the girl squeaked. “Oh hell no.” She resumed struggling against Paisley, to no avail. The beta wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon.
Noah stared at the teen. Not only was she the child of a Van Helsing, she was maybe sixteen, if that. This was going to be a huge shit-storm in the pack. “She’s underage, Paisley.”
“I am well aware of that, alpha.” Her shoulders stiffened. “I’ll protect her until she’s of age.” Her lips curled up in a predatory smile. “Then I’ll mate the fuck out of her.”
“The fuck you will, bitch. And I’m eighteen, so fuck you very much.”
Paisley turned to the girl. “That’s beta bitch to you, mate.”
The girl actually tried to growl at Paisley, but it was so cute Noah had to laugh. “Good luck with that.” He patted Paisley on the shoulder and headed into the woods.
They had to get the kids into Maggie’s Grove as soon as possible. Even if these two had family out there, he had no intention of returning them. To him, teaching these kids to hunt thinking, feeling prey was one of the worst kinds of child abuse. The Van Helsings were showing them that the existence of his people were worthless despite the fact that they lived everyday lives just like the Van Helsings did.
The horrors of the past were just that, in the past. There hadn’t even been a rumor of a rabid wolf mauling in ages. It did happen, but rarely, and the human bitten was either killed by the wolf or turned. Those turned were brought into the fold as gently as possible. It usually took a strong wolf to turn someone, but a rabid wolf shifter wasn’t in their right mind. Their wolf took over completely, overcome with bloodlust. It was so rare that Noah had only heard of it happening during an alpha prime challenge.
Noah finished dressing and headed back to the clearing. He gestured for Carter to go change, then turned to the male teenager. “Hi.”
The boy didn’t even glance at him. He just stared at Paisley and the girl with confusion and a little sadness.
Noah wasn’t going to let the boy ignore him. “Was one of those men your father?”
The boy shrugged.
Noah had to wonder what the fuck the Van Helsings had been thinking. This kid didn’t even have whiskers yet. “If so, I’m sorry we had to kill him.” Noah could give the boy that much. Noah truly hated killing, but when it had to be done he did what was needed.
“My uncle.” The boy’s unhappy expression tore at Noah’s heart. This could be Milo in a couple of years. “He was my uncle and Rylee’s dad.”
Noah nodded toward the girl. “Is she Rylee?”
The boy nodded. “Yeah. I’m Wyatt, Wyatt Atherton.”
“Hello, Wyatt. I’m Noah Wulfenbach.” Noah held out his hand, hoping the boy would take it. If he did, there was hope for him.
“Don’t touch him!” The girl raced toward them and smacked Noah’s hand away. “You leave us alone.”
Noah was impressed. The girl was trembling in fear but held his gaze. From anyone else it would be seen as a challenge, but this girl barely came to his shoulder and had to weigh ninety pounds soaking wet. Plus there was Paisley, growling behind her, giving him the stink-eye. “I’m not going to hurt your cousin, Rylee.”
“And you! Don’t touch that asshole.” She turned on the boy and raised her hand as if to strike him. The boy flinched back, obviously expecting to be hit.
Noah didn’t allow it. He grasped the girl’s arm in his, not nearly as gently as Paisley had been. “Don’t. We don’t attack those weaker than ourselves.”
“Like you did my dad?” There was so much venom in that statement that he didn’t quite know what to do.
“Van Helsings have always tried to kill us.” He ran his fingers through his hair, hoping he’d get through to her. “They kidnapped my mate, tortured her, injected her with chemicals to see how she’d react, all because she’s a supernatural. They’ve hurt, maimed and killed us for centuries.”
The girl narrowed her eyes at him. “And that’s supposed to make what you did better?”
He took a deep breath. If it wasn’t for Paisley he’d wash his hands of this kid and let someone else deal with her bullshit. “No. It doesn’t. But you have to remember, we didn’t start this. They did.” He pointed his finger at her, not caring how rude it might be. “I have every right to kill them for coming into my territory and trying to kill one of mine.”
She paled but didn’t back down. Damn. He was impressed despite himself. “Fuck. You.”
Paisley winced, but nudged the girl behind her, once more protecting the kid from Noah’s wrath.
Oh yeah. This is going to be so much fun.
Chapter Twenty-Five
While the children were occupied watching TV and munching on toaster tarts, Iva was going through her notes on demons. She sat at the kitchen table going over the different demon names they’d collected at the library. Oabiazohn, Oabiamihr, Raumoabian, Obiarmihr, O
asurbiam, and Obiagos were all good candidates. Each name contained the letters they’d found in the cave. Each one dealt with shadow men. However, each one had separate powers, and those were the ones that would determine which demon they were dealing with.
In the background the children were quietly watching Avatar. They’d gotten up that morning, yawning and chattering excitedly about what was coming next on their new favorite show. Iva didn’t have a problem with them watching it. So far, she’d found the show matched several of her own morals and it was very entertaining. Aang was just a kid, but he was dealing with the shit life had thrown him better than Iva would have. With a grunt she turned back to her own shit that life had thrown her, determined to win against her personal Fire Lord.
The first, Oabiazohn, used shadow men and possession to torment his victims. He had the super strength that Greer had described, but no ability with fire. That immediately knocked him off the list. The second, Oabiamihr, had all four abilities, but every demon possessed six. That meant she couldn’t eliminate Oabiamihr. Black blood wasn’t a power, it was an integral part of being a demon. All of them possessed it and could manipulate it, even the weakest of demons.
Wait. Could that be considered a power? If so, that would narrow it down to only one power she couldn’t find information on. She needed to get a hold of Selena and find out if she had any further information that might help her. Perhaps between her, Gideon and Selena they’d be able to narrow it down to one.
She picked up the phone to call Selena only to find Milo standing next to her with a nervous expression on his face. His little hands were wringing together, his knuckles white with tension. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” She leaned forward and took hold of his hands. “Your uncle is okay. He called while you were making breakfast.” He was helping the two teenagers get settled at Dragos’s mansion with the other Van Helsing kids. He sounded tired and irritated, both good things, because it meant he wasn’t wounded too badly.
Hour of the Wolf Page 24
