“How did you like apparating?” Orin asked against her hair.
“What? Oh. I did do that.”
“Yes, you did.”
“It was fine. Made me feel a little out of sorts though.” She hadn’t thought about it since she’d done it by accident. Or maybe it was a defense mechanism. Her powers could really use some offense. “I’m not sure how–”
Suddenly, crazy-fear flooded her veins.
Oh God.
She broke free from Orin’s arms.
“Why are you wearing men’s clothing?” His eyes grew darker, as they had when he’d tasted her soul.
She didn’t have time for this. Something was terribly wrong.
Pound. Pound. Pound. Somebody was beating the crap out of the front door.
“Breena, let me in.” Myles sounded panicked.
“The vampire.” Orin flicked the bottom of her shirt, disgust written on his face.
“Let me in.” Myles rattled the door handle.
She raced for the door, unlocked and opened it. Even though he could’ve broken it down, she was glad he didn’t.
Myles’s eyes were wide as he stepped into the duplex, but Orin popped between Breena and Myles.
“What do you want, vampire?” Orin glared at him.
Myles ignored the preternatural by looking past him at Breena. “Jenny’s in trouble.”
“What? How do you know?” Her own panic added to the mix.
“She called my cell. She couldn’t reach you. Let’s go.”
Nothing mattered but Jenny. Breena brushed past Orin, who, evidently, was hot on her heels. They piled into Myles’s Camaro, Breena in the passenger seat and Orin in the back.
The engine growled. Gravel flew from the tires. Myles drove like a bat out of hell.
Chapter 16
“Myles, what’s going on?” Breena’s hands shook and she tasted blood on the inside of her lip.
“Werewolves.” He kept his hands clenched on the steering wheel and his focus on the road.
“Werewolves? How do you know?”
“She saw them.” Myles floored it across the bridge. At this rate they’d be at Dogwood Drive in minutes.
“What do they want?” Breena pressed her hands into her lap to steady them.
“You,” Myles stated. “Too bad we don’t have any silver bullets with us.”
“Wouldn’t we need guns too?”
Myles nodded. “In the trunk.”
Well, that was unexpected. She wouldn’t have pegged Myles as the type to pack heat. Of course, she wouldn’t have pegged him as a vampire either. “Why do you have guns in the trunk?”
“Less messy than using your bare hands,” the vamp answered.
“True,” the preternatural agreed from the backseat.
“I’m so glad killing brings us all together like this.” She wanted to smack both of them silly. There was so much adrenaline pumping through her veins she thought she might actually explode into a ball of blue light.
“What type of guns?” Orin leaned between the front seats.
“A Glock and a .44 Magnum.”
“Be right back.” Orin poofed out of sight.
They turned left at the gas station down Dogwood Drive and pulled onto the shoulder by the road. Myles jumped out and zipped around to the trunk.
By the time Breena got out, Orin had returned. He popped into the backseat with two boxes in hand. He threw open the door and hustled over to Breena’s side by the trunk. “Silver bullets.” The preternatural laid the boxes inside.
Myles loaded the Glock. Orin took the Magnum. Norma’d had enough boyfriends with guns for Breena to learn the difference.
“It seems you may be useful after all, unnatural.” He tossed the box of bullets back in the car. “Maybe being an assassin has its advantages.”
She felt the bitter bite behind Myles’s comment.
“And being the president’s tracker doesn’t?” Orin scanned Breena up and down then looked back at Myles. “Oh right, you’re afraid to break the rules. Guess your losses are starting to add up.”
The magazine clicked into place, and Myles pointed the Glock right between Orin’s eyes.
“Go ahead, blood-sucker. You know silver won’t kill me.”
Myles brought the gun back down to his side. Then he reared back and hit Orin square on the jaw. The preternatural staggered backward, an imprint of the vampire’s copper ring seared into his cheek.
Orin’s ears shot up. Myles’s fangs extended.
Breena stepped between them, ready to fight them both to the death.
“Enough!” she shouted, beyond pissed. “You two can kill each other later. Right now we have to get Jenny.”
Myles’s fangs retracted, but she knew he still wanted to kill Orin.
The preternatural’s cheek had already begun to smooth out. By the time he finished loading the Magnum it had completely healed.
Myles shut the trunk, watching Orin. It didn’t take the vampire’s blood to cue her in on the tension between the two raging-with-testosterone supernaturals.
“So, uh, no gun for me?” She gave her best little fake chuckle. Myles’s gaze shot to her so fast she thought maybe he’d hit her too.
“You’re staying in the car.” Myles took two long steps in her direction.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” The vamp gripped her shoulders and pushed her toward the passenger door. Then he opened it and stuck her in like a cop arresting a drug dealer.
Orin yanked Myles back. Breena turned just in time to see Orin pull a wooden knife from under his pant leg.
“No!” she cried.
Too late. Orin slashed Myles across the face.
Breena fell to the ground clutching her own cheek.
“Touch her again, blood-sucker, I dare you.” Orin brandished the knife like the expert he was. The slice across the face had been a warning. A warning she wouldn’t soon forget.
“You idiot.” Myles glowered at Orin. “You hurt me, you hurt her.”
“Dammit. Fucking blood-bond.” Orin dropped down to Breena’s side and scooped her into his arms.
“Am I bleeding?” She was afraid to drop her hand.
“No, sweetheart. There’s no mark. I know it hurts, but it’s mental pain.”
It sure as hell felt physical to her.
“I didn’t think. I am so sorry, Breena. Can I do something?”
“Haven’t you done enough?” The vampire gazed down at Orin with a deadly expression. His cut had healed before Orin had even lifted her off the ground. He turned to her. “You okay, Bree?”
They needed to stop screwing around and get to Jenny. “Peachy keen,” she lied.
The pain was indescribable and she wanted to scream, Make it stop! It wasn’t right to be this connected to someone who didn’t or wouldn’t share her feelings.
Whatever.
There was no time to worry about it.
“Let’s go,” she snapped.
Myles opened his mouth. “Bree–”
“If you try to stop me, I’ll follow y’all after you leave.”
“Not if you’re in the trunk.” Myles nodded toward the car.
She glared up at him.
“Put her in there and you’ll pay.” Orin let loose of her and seized Myles’s shoulder.
“Do you really want to hurt her again?” The vampire grabbed Orin’s hand and pushed him away.
The preternatural fisted his hands at his sides but didn’t fight back. “She doesn’t have a blood-bond with Dandi. I’d be happy to pay her a visit.”
“You keep away from her if you know what’s good for you, unnatural.”
As much as Breena wanted to know who the hell Dandi was, she felt a little like a toy in a sandbox with two kids who hadn’t learned to share. “We’re wasting time. Jenny needs us.” She must’ve sounded desperate, because they both snapped their attention to her.
“Bree, here.” Myles held out his arms. She gave him a perple
xed eyebrow-lift while Orin’s deep-set stare fixed on her. “It’ll be faster.”
“Fine.” She marched around Orin and reluctantly let Myles scoop her up, deciding she’d worry about how this looked to the preternatural later. She secured her arms around the vampire’s neck and tried not to think about the way he held her so close to his chest. “Let’s move.”
Myles and Breena raced down Dogwood Drive to the house, Orin trailing behind them. He was fast, but not as fast as the vampire. Finally, she had to close her eyes or she might’ve yacked. She didn’t think an airplane could go at such breakneck speeds.
Norma’s Jeep was parked in the driveway but there were no lights on in the house. Everything looked dark, except for the streetlamp shining dimly across the front yard. The scene oozed quiet. Too much quiet. Not even the sound of a cricket’s chirp disturbed the thick night air.
Orin crept around the side of the house and bent down to get a better look at something in the dirt.
The preternatural motioned to them. “Tracks,” he mouthed.
Then Breena noticed the familiar rotten hamburger smell from campus. Too late.
The attack happened so fast, they never saw the wolves coming.
An all-white wolf with pink eyes pounced from behind the shed. Orin’s back was to the attacker. The white wolf knocked him to the ground and took a hunk out of his shoulder. Blue blood gushed from the wound, and Orin’s Magnum was hurled across the yard toward the driveway.
Why didn’t he poof over to it? Breena thought about shouting to him, but seeing Orin hurt had left her wide-eyed and speechless.
The preternatural turned to face the white giant, who was as long as Orin was tall. He was grappling with his attacker when a blur of brownish-red flashed in Breena’s peripheral vision. The wolf leapt at her and Myles, sharp white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. A howl broke through the once-silent night.
The vampire hurled her out of his arms, propelling her in the direction of the steps. She slid hard across the gravel. Rocks scraped her legs and hands as she tried in vain to slow down. Her back thudded against the bottom step of the front porch. Myles managed to get a shot off before the wolf landed on him, but the bullet only grazed the animal’s shoulder.
Breena struggled to stand then hobbled up the stairs, favoring her left leg, which had been fairly twisted in the vampire’s attempt to sling her to safety. When she glanced back at Myles and Orin, they seemed to be holding their own. She had to find Jenny and get them the heck outta dodge.
She limped into the house. Moonlight shone in through the top of the screen door, the only light in the small foyer. She took three or four steps before slipping flat onto her butt, her hands splashing in some kind of lukewarm liquid.
She tried to get up but couldn’t keep her footing on the wet floor. A sharp pain shot through her neck and shoulder. Damn. Myles obviously wasn’t doing too well at the moment.
She backed up to the staircase slowly, using the steps and the banister to hoist herself upright, feeling across the wall for the light switch. When she finally flipped it on, the yellow glow made her see red spots on the floor.
She blinked a couple times to clear her vision, but the spots didn’t go away.
Shit.
They weren’t just on the floor. They’d been splattered across the walls, tracked back into the living room. Breena’s heart dropped to her stomach when she realized the smudges clung to her clothes.
She was covered in dark red liquid. Blood.
Holy Jesus. Panic soared through her. Adrenaline propelled her forward. Jenny!
Following the smeared blood, Breena hurried up the stairs. Pieces of flesh mixed with scraps of clothing squished under her bare feet. Why hadn’t she changed and put on shoes? At least flip-flops.
God, as if that matters right now. Get a grip, Breena.
She forced herself forward, clinging to the rail.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she found Real Daughter’s body lying lifelessly on the floor. Susan’s legs had been chewed to the bone and her face looked half eaten–the entire left side was gone, eyeball included. Breena gagged. Not only was it the grossest thing she’d ever seen, it also reeked.
She knew she should’ve been horrified but part of her wasn’t. Susan would never stir up shit for Jenny again.
If Jenny’s still alive.
The doubt dealt Breena a second blow and she had to push back the threatening fist of fear before it pummeled her.
And of course, there was still Norma. Where was she, anyway? Hadn’t she tried to protect her own daughter? Probably not. Norma only cared about Norma.
Breena stepped over the bloody mess as she crept toward Jenny’s room. A low guttural sound came from behind her. She slowly turned around. Beady yellow eyes peered up at her. The black wolf dropped a body part to the ground, growled and sprang at her.
Breena’s hands flew up to cover her face, and then she was flat on her back, ears ringing. She’d apparated into Jenny’s room. The sudden poof action left her weak and a fresh rush of adrenaline pumped into her system, which shot her nerves all to hell.
“Sis.”
Jenny! Oh God. Thank you, God.
She was alive, even if she did sound terrified.
Turning her sore neck, Breena saw her sister cornered under the window, huddled on the floor with her back against the wall. A massive wolf with long silver fur stood in front of her. The moonlight shimmered off the wolf’s pelt and the sight was so beautiful it made it hard to believe the wolf could be dangerous. Until it snarled.
Breena inched to the edge of the bed to put some distance between her and the silver wolf, though it probably made no difference. She had no way of defending herself. She needed a distraction to lure the wolf away from Jenny. Then they would have to go out the window because Black-as-night would surely be waiting in the hallway.
The wolf growled again, but this time Breena swore she could just about make out words in the raspy noise.
“Get away from my sister.” Breena spotted a large round coin on the nightstand. Jenny loved shiny things.
The wolf leered at Breena with kelly green eyes. “Gutsy.”
Yup, definitely words, but Breena didn’t have time to think about how weird it was to hear an animal talk. “What do you want with Jenny?” Breena slowly shifted her stance in the direction of the nightstand and balanced her weight on her good leg.
“Not her he’s after.”
Guess that left Breena. “Let her go then.”
“I won’t hurt her, but I will shake the life out of you.” The wolf cleared the bed in half a leap.
Breena threw her body weight fully to the right, knocking the coin onto the hardwood as the wolf tackled her flat on her back. It pinned her to the floor with massive front paws and bared its razor-sharp teeth. Pain shot through Breena. She could barely breathe.
Scrabbling on the floor, she stretched her arm out as far as it would go.
There. Almost.
The wolf’s hot breath scorched her neck. Its teeth were close enough to rip away her skin.
Got it.
Breena slammed the silver dollar into the wolf’s eye with all her might. The animal buckled. Breena managed to pull the coin back and press it into its snout. The wolf choked and clawed at its mouth.
“Window!” Breena yelled. Her sister stood and spun around to work on the only exit strategy they had.
Breena limped to the bed. Jenny had the blinds pulled up and the window unlocked, but couldn’t lift it open.
Breena stuck her fingers under the window seal and yanked. Then the room spun as she was flung by her shirt away from Jenny, face first into the wall. She slid down into a heap of pain on the hard floor.
The silver wolf stalked to her. “It’s a shame he wants you dead. I’d like to turn you.” It licked its lips with a black tongue. “Your survival instinct is impressive, despite the preternatural bitch’s blood in your veins. And you take good care of Jennifer.”
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br /> Breena lay motionless against the wall. What was it talking about? Whose blood? Why did it care about Jenny? Breena couldn’t think. Her head pounded. Her leg throbbed. She needed to stand. Willed herself to get off the floor. To fight back. Do something.
She was halfway to her feet when her blood tingled in her veins. Myles was close by. But when the door swung open, her once-nameless hero stood in the doorway with a gun in his hand. The silver wolf sprang for Breena as the shot rang out.
The bullet cut through the wolf’s back leg instead of its heart. It fell to the ground with a yelp, then pushed off and jumped out the open window.
Orin didn’t have a chance to fire off a second shot.
Breena scrambled to Jenny. “You okay?”
Jenny looked up at her with big saucer eyes. “I’m having a bad dream, Bea.”
“I know, baby girl. I know.” Heart breaking, she wrapped her arms around her sister. “It’s gonna be okay now, short stuff. You’re safe. I’m right here.”
Myles walked in behind Orin, his mouth covered in blood. He looked a little too happy for the situation. Breena needed to get Jenny out of this house and away from the craziness.
Right on cue, Crazy herself walked into the room, leaving bloody tracks on the floor behind her. Norma must’ve been hiding out. No one did self-preservation quite like her.
“You did this.” The woman glared at Breena. Norma didn’t seem at all concerned that her daughter lay in mangled bits in the hallway. Bitch to the core.
Norma ran straight for her, but Orin stepped in front of Breena, stopping her crazy train mid-step. He pushed her out into the hallway. A minute or two later the front door slammed.
Orin walked back into the bedroom. “I confounded her into leaving. She’s pretty screwed up, so it may only buy us a few days.”
Why hadn’t Myles compelled her? Wouldn’t it have wiped her memory?
“Come on, short stuff.” Breena hoisted herself and Jenny up off the floor with sheer determination.
“I’ll carry her,” Myles offered.
Jenny padded over to Myles’s side. No hesitation. “Why’re you bleeding?”
“Nothing to worry about, kiddo. Got a little messy with my dinner.” He wiped the blood off his face with the bottom of his shirt.
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