Vengeance and Vampires- The Complete Series Box Set

by Alicia Rades

  I didn’t have time to check if the spell had taken. I instantly shifted. My clothes dropped away behind me, and I shot into the air, my wings flapping hard. I landed on Alpha Vamp’s shoulder and pecked my beak at the first piece of flesh I could find. His ear.

  Alpha Vamp cried out. His hand shot toward me, but I was already out of reach before his large hands could wrap around my small throat. I flew to the other side of him, and he twisted to follow me. He swatted at me in the air, intent on knocking me out of it. My talons caught him and sliced across the back of his hand. I’d distracted him long enough that when Ryland spun around, Alpha Vamp didn’t have time to grab on to any fur. He flew through the air off Ryland’s back and landed so hard on the front lawn that his elbow skidded through the grass and left behind a divot.

  A quick motion closer to the house caught my eye. I looked just in time to see the vampire chasing Fiona grab ahold of her tail. She shifted back into human form, and her tail disappeared from his grasp. She tried to dodge out of the way, but he was too fast for her. The vampire jumped forward and tackled her to the ground. Her foot flew out and slammed into his nose, but he held her down and climbed on top of her, like he didn’t even feel it. The light from the nearby street lamp reflected off his pearly white fangs as they elongated past his upper lip.

  Hell no.

  I dove toward him, passing through the narrow space between his face and Fiona’s neck. He pulled back, startled. I flew in an arc and aimed my body at his face again. He leapt backward, completely disoriented as I flapped my wings in his face over and over again. It was a handy trick. He stumbled back so far that he ran straight into Ryland’s backside. Ryland was still trying to fight off two other vampires, and so he didn’t even notice when one of his huge back paws stepped on the vamp’s foot.

  I took the brief opportunity we had to escape. I shifted back into human form and grabbed Fiona’s arms to help her to her feet. She followed behind me as I raced across the lawn—in nothing but my enchanted underwear and boots. I scooped up my clothes on the ground and tossed them on top of Cowen’s box.

  “Come on,” I said in a breathless rush as I grabbed the box.

  I raced out across the street, and Fiona sprinted behind me. My heart hammered at a million beats per minute once we reached Venn’s car. I flung the driver’s side door open and tossed the box on the passenger seat. Inside, my hands found the keys Venn had left in the ignition. I twisted, and the car roared to life. I hadn’t driven a car in years and didn’t have my license, but I remembered enough from my driver’s ed class.

  I shifted into drive and pressed down on the pedal before Fiona even had the back door shut. Tires squealed when I slammed on the brakes in front of the vampires’ house a few doors down from where we’d been parked.

  “What—?” Fiona started, but I laid on the horn before she could finish, drowning out her question.

  Everyone’s heads jerked in our direction.

  “Open the door!” I instructed in a rush.

  Fiona quickly opened her door and franticly gestured for everyone else to make a run for it. Ryland whirled his head to the side, slamming it against the nearest vampire, who was trying to get on top of him. He broke free of the vamp and barreled his way between two others. Teagan grabbed a handful of fur and leaned over, nearly touching the ground but still holding herself up on his back. While Ryland ran, Teagan scooped her knife up from where it stuck in the ground. Ryland shifted not a moment too soon, and he and Teagan stumbled into the back seat.

  “Venn!” Teagan cried in a high-pitched shriek I never would’ve guessed she was capable of.

  Venn raced toward us, but two vampires leapt on top of him at the same time. He clawed at them and managed to slice one of them across the cheek.

  I was a split second away from streaking across the lawn in nothing but my undies and kicking some vampire ass when a loud bang filled the vehicle. The entire car shook, and my heart jumped into my throat. My head snapped in the direction of movement to find Alpha Vamp perched atop the hood of the car. His silver eyes bore straight through the vehicle to the back seat. He glared at Teagan with a look of vengeance in his eyes.

  Not today, buddy.

  “GO!” Venn’s voice filled my ears from mere feet behind me.

  Relief flooded through me when I heard his voice. He was all right—for now, anyway.

  Without a second thought, I floored the pedal. Alpha Vamp steadied himself on the hood of the car. In my rearview mirror, I saw four vampires rush out onto the street, following much closer behind us than I would’ve imagined they could. I swerved to the left, then to the right, almost hitting into a vehicle parked at the curb. I must’ve missed it by inches.

  “The brakes!” Venn shouted.

  I immediately applied the brakes, and Alpha Vamp went flying. I was half surprised he didn’t splat onto the pavement like a bug against a windshield. A thud sounded behind us as the four remaining vamps ran into the back of the vehicle, stunned by the abrupt halt.

  “Hang on!” I warned as I wrenched the shifter into reverse.

  I whirled around to look out the back window and stomped on the gas. The car jolted as the tires passed over at least two separate bodies. It wouldn’t kill the vamps, but it would sure slow them down. Shifting back into drive, I put the pedal to the metal and hightailed it out of there. Alpha Vamp leapt from the middle of the road out of my path. Our speed increased rapidly, and I swerved around a slow-moving vehicle ahead of us on the street.

  I didn’t pay attention to the vamps behind us. I let Fiona—who was screaming at me to step on it—worry about that. Instead, I focused on not crashing as I turned down another street in an attempt to lose the vamps at our tail. I never even saw the stop sign on the next block, but I sure saw the black sedan I almost t-boned. I pulled the wheel to the left as the driver in the other vehicle slammed on his brakes. I just barely missed him.

  On the next block, we broke out from the residential area onto a street with more traffic. I made a sharp right turn, and by some miracle, I managed to slip right into traffic without hitting anyone.

  Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re gone.”

  I slowed to follow traffic, but my heart continued to slam against my rib cage. I glanced back briefly to see that Venn was still trying to get situated, but it was nearly impossible with Ryland taking up half of the back seat. Apparently, Venn decided he had enough of trying to fit four people in the back, because he ducked his head and climbed over the middle console. It took him a good ten seconds of struggling—since there wasn’t exactly much room for a guy his size—before he was seated in the passenger seat with Cowen’s box on his lap.

  “What the hell happened back there?!” Ryland exploded.

  I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could, Fiona’s small voice cut through the brief silence in the car.

  “Um, guys,” she said with concern.

  “What?” Ryland snapped, like he didn’t have time for her.

  I glanced to the back seat to see that Teagan’s body was slumped against Fiona’s, her eyes closed. Fiona slowly drew her hands away from Teagan and stared down at the blood on them in horror.

  Fiona shook. “Teagan’s not breathing.”

  9

  I was pretty sure I stopped breathing when I heard Fiona mutter those words. I wrenched the wheel to the right and slowed to a stop in a gas station parking lot. I kicked my door open and rushed out of the vehicle, still half-naked and everything. I pulled Ryland’s door open so fast that I was half surprised it didn’t rip off its hinges.

  Ryland didn’t even notice me there. He leaned over Teagan and shook her, begging her to wake up. Because that was totally going to work.

  I reached two hands around Ryland’s bicep—and they didn’t even reach all the way around—and pulled at him. “Move! Let me help her.”

  It took several tugs before Ryland acknowledged me. Then, as if he suddenly remembered I actually could help her, he droppe
d her shoulders and jumped out of the car.

  I climbed into the back seat and knelt over Teagan. The first thing I did was check her chest while Fiona pressed her hands over her wounds. I was relieved to see that it was rising and falling, though slowly.

  “She’s still breathing. That’s a good sign,” I said. “Help me, Fiona.”

  Together, we propped Teagan up in the middle of the back seat.

  “What happened to her?” Ryland demanded desperately from outside the car. “Is she going to be okay?”

  On the other side of Teagan, Fiona was breathing heavy, shallow breaths, like she was doing everything she could to keep from freaking out.

  “How can we help?” Venn asked from the front seat. His head was screwed on straighter than Ryland’s, but his tone still sounded rushed and worried—for good reason.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Ryland’s voice rose as he began pacing.

  I didn’t answer him right away. I reached for Teagan’s dark braid and pushed it out of the way. Fiona lifted her hands, exposing the back of Teagan’s neck. Two puncture wounds lay side by side on her skin, confirming what I’d seen earlier. My stomach churned at the sight of the raw, swollen skin and the blood soaking into her shirt.

  “What?” Venn demanded.

  I could hardly get the words out past the lump in my throat, but somehow, I managed. “She’s been bit.”

  Ryland stopped pacing abruptly. “You can help her, can’t you?”

  I turned to him, hoping the fear I felt for Teagan didn’t come across in my expression.

  “Can’t you?!” Ryland shouted.

  I swallowed hard. “I can try.”

  The truth was, I knew there was nothing I could do. The only spell I had that I thought might help—the one to counteract supernatural injuries—was clearly a dud. But if we didn’t do something about that venom, we could be waking up to a vampire in the morning.

  “I need that shirt, Venn,” I demanded.

  Venn tossed me the shirt I’d been wearing earlier.

  “How did this happen?” Ryland asked, to no one in particular. “She was with me the entire time.”

  “That big vampire bit her while she was on your back,” I said, wiping the shirt across the blood. “I saw it.”

  “Is she going to—?” Ryland started, but I cut him off before he could finish.

  “No,” I told him. “We’re going to fix this. But either way, she’s going to have a rough night.”

  “A rough night?” Ryland repeated, like he couldn’t believe my words. “So you’re saying you can’t do anything? I thought you could heal!”

  “I’m going to do my best!” I shot back at him. “Stand back if you don’t want blood all over your shoes.”

  Ryland’s hands shook, like he was trying to physically hold himself back from ripping me out of the car just to hold Teagan in his arms, but he stepped aside anyway.

  Peeling the soaked shirt off her back, I took a deep breath to ready myself. The longer I thought it through, the deeper the venom would penetrate into her body. So, ignoring my instinct to brainstorm further solutions, I lowered my lips to her skin and sucked her blood into my mouth.

  A fire burned across my lips and raged through my mouth, scorching every millimeter of my body that her tainted blood touched. There was no taste to it; only fire. It was like eating the hottest ghost pepper in the world, if that pepper had been coated in red-hot molten lava.

  I longed to cry out, but I resisted the urge. I didn’t need everyone worrying about Teagan and me. My mouth filled with blood. I turned my head out the open door and spit. Blood sprayed across the pavement. I quickly returned my lips to her wound and repeated the procedure until the pain in my mouth stopped building and became a constant dull, but intense, pain.

  “I got most of it,” I slurred, my tongue barely able to move in my mouth. “Just need to stop the bleeding.”

  Before I had a chance, Teagan lifted her head slightly. A small groan escaped her lips.

  “Tea?” Fiona asked in a rush.

  Teagan only replied by gritting her teeth and letting out another sound of discomfort. I was surprised tears weren’t rolling down her cheeks.

  “We need to get her home,” Venn insisted.

  Just as I placed my hand over the bite marks on the back of Teagan’s neck, the door beside me slammed closed, making me jump. A second later, Ryland was climbing into the driver’s seat. I ignored Ryland’s curses and Venn’s instructions that he thought were helping. Instead, I focused on channeling my magic into Teagan’s skin. On the other side of her, Fiona rubbed her back.

  I muttered the incantation two more times just to make sure. Before I could start the incantation a fourth time, Teagan’s head snapped upward, and a high-pitched shriek filled the vehicle. I nearly jumped out of my skin. As fast as the screech came, it was gone, and Teagan slumped back against Fiona.

  Ryland whirled around in his seat, completely oblivious to the cars in front of him. “What’d you do to her?”

  “It’s the venom,” I bit back. “Eyes on the road!”

  Ryland twisted back around just in time to slam on the brakes. He barely missed hitting the car in front of us that had stopped at a red light. Venn braced himself against the dashboard.

  “Calm. Down,” Venn barked at Ryland. “You’re not going to do Teagan any good by getting her killed before we make it home.”

  The sound of Ryland’s heavy breaths filled the car, but he ignored Venn. The light turned green, and the car jerked forward. Ryland weaved between vehicles and sped through a yellow light, then took a sharp left turn.

  I wiped the remaining blood away from my mouth and Teagan’s back with the t-shirt. I was satisfied to see her swelling had gone down and the bleeding had almost stopped.

  Several minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of their home. I jumped out of the car so that Ryland could scoop Teagan into his arms and carry her up to the house. Fiona rushed out of the car behind Ryland.

  Finally, I took a moment to breathe. I stared after them. After everything that happened today, I needed a minute to absorb it all.

  “Here.” Venn’s voice cut through the darkness.

  I tore my gaze from the house to see him holding my pants and purse in one hand and balancing Cowen’s box in the other. He avoided my gaze.

  “Thanks,” I said shyly as I took the pants from him. I so needed to get my own clothes back. Running around half-naked every time I shifted was not high on my bucket list. I held the pants close to my chest, covering up as much exposed skin as I could. I mean, I wasn’t exactly showing off more than I ever did at the pool, but still… My off-white underwear didn’t exactly scream sexy.

  I stood there awkwardly, going beet red under Venn’s gaze. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to get dressed right here in the middle of their driveway or what. And what was our plan going forward?

  “We should get inside,” Venn suggested.

  The tension in my shoulders eased. At least I had a plan for the next five minutes. After that… I had no idea.

  10

  I followed Venn into the house. Teagan’s cries of pain traveled down the stairs and to the front door.

  Venn exchanged a glance with me. “You’re sure there’s nothing more you can do?”

  Fiona’s voice came from the top of the stairs before I could answer. “You probably shouldn’t even try, unless you want Ryland to bite your head off.”

  I hated to think that he literally could do just that.

  “That bad?” Venn asked.

  Fiona descended the stairs and held out a clean shirt to me. “He says Teagan needs space. He’s cleaning her up and trying to make her comfortable right now. I think this is harder on him than it is on her.”

  “She’s tough,” Venn said.

  Fiona stared up at Venn with tears at the corner of her eyes. “She’ll be fine, won’t she?”

  “Yes,” I said, hoping to sound reassuring. “I don’t know everythi
ng about vampire venom, but I know there’s not enough in her system to cause long-term damage.”

  Fiona bit her lip, and her voice cracked. “You’re sure?”

  “Hey, Fiona,” Venn said softly.

  He set down the box in his hands and stepped forward to pull Fiona into a hug. She hugged him back, looking comfortable in his arms. It wasn’t the type of hug that made me suspect there was something between them. It was more like the type of hug a brother and sister might share.

  Still, it didn’t feel right to be standing there watching their family moment. I slipped out of the hallway into the dining room, where I finally pulled on the clothes in my hands. Though I wasn’t thrilled to still be in Teagan’s clothes, I felt a hundred times more comfortable now that everything was covered.

  I sensed Venn in the doorway before I saw him. He entered the room looking like he had something he wanted to apologize for. Probably for dragging me into all this, even though I was the one who insisted on coming. He seemed like the kind of guy who would do that.

  Fiona followed behind him.

  “So...” Venn dragged out the word and glanced down to the box he carried. “Should we check it out?”

  I nodded, because my mouth still burned. Apart from the pain, I was running out of strength anyway. How late was it? I was used to staying up late, but tonight, I was completely drained.

  Venn sat and set the box in front of him on the table. I sank into the chair beside him. He pulled the top off the box, and together, we leaned forward to peek inside. My stomach fluttered at the close proximity.

  I didn’t know what I expected to find, but I thought it’d be more… vampire themed, though I had no idea what that would entail. Vials of blood or something? Instead, all we found was a pile of junk: pens, a phone charger, an old watch, a thin roll of duct tape. There was even a pack of mint gum, which seemed weird for a vampire, but I guess when you didn’t need to eat regular food anymore, gum was a good way to add flavor to your diet.

  I frowned, but inside, I was completely heartbroken. I let a vampire bite me for this? This probably wasn’t even Cowen’s stuff. Dracula could’ve just grabbed a random box of junk from the garage so that he could get consent for a taste of my blood.