Love Bites (Bitten Book 4) (29 page)

As the moon rose in the sky, Lachlan threw back his head and howled. The rest of the pack echoed him.

“It’s time,” he declared, his voice carrying in the crisp night air.

As everyone stripped down and shifted, I kept my eyes moving and ears open. Discreetly, I dropped the amulet Kerry had given me on the ground. After I changed, I gingerly picked it up with my teeth. Then I lifted my snout and inhaled deeply several times, scenting the air. All I smelled was pack.

Lachlan howled again, signaling the beginning of the run. As usual, I took my place on his right side, slightly behind him, while Chloe stayed toward the rear of the pack. Being new, no one knew her patterns of behavior yet, which was a benefit for us. She was a wild card as far as the Faction would be concerned.

As one, we all sprinted across the clearing and into the woods. Though the branches blocked out a great deal of moonlight, enough shone through the foliage to illuminate the wooded area.

With the adrenaline and knowledge of what was coming thrumming in my veins, this run felt exciting, dangerous. Lachlan must have felt the same because he ran faster, pushing the pace. My feet pounded the dirt as I dodged around trees and fallen limbs. I could hear the sounds of the rest of the pack; yipping, panting, and their running steps sounded like a symphony of drums. It was the music of the full moon to any werewolf, the sound of the run.

Suddenly, I caught a scent, the same vaguely familiar scent of the wolf who had been spying on Ricki and me two weeks ago. I moved forward until I was abreast of Lachlan and yipped. He glanced over at me, getting the message.

He backed off just a bit, slowing the pace. It was a signal to Chloe that something was coming.

To our east, a low howl sounded, followed by another. And another, until it was a chorus of wolves, and they were moving closer. Suddenly a heavy weight hit my back, taking me down to the ground as teeth dug into the back of my neck.

I snarled and rolled. There was another growl and the weight disappeared. I wheeled around, head down and ears back. Brian was standing in front of George Hayes, teeth bared. George was snapping at him as he lunged forward, trying to find an opening. They began to circle one another as the distant wolves drew closer.

It was time.

I bit down on the amulet in my mouth, breaking through the thin plastic bag that held potion and magic. The bitter taste of herbs filled my mouth and I spat it on the ground. That was the signal.

I heard more snarling and growling as about ten of our pack separated from the others, hackles raised as they circled us. George was still facing off with Brian, waiting for his opening. I could tell the rest of the pack was confused and hoped that meant that everyone else was loyal.

As a unit, three of the traitors lunged toward Chloe, falling on her viciously. The rest turned on Lachlan and me.

Satisfaction roared through me. Finally, we were all seeing each other for what we were. I was looking forward to ripping these assholes to pieces. As they leapt toward me, I charged.

It was time to put this conspiracy to an end.

Ricki

I
tried to
keep one eye on Brittany at all times. It had been a half hour since her arrival and her behavior was increasingly nervous and erratic. Her friends were even jumpier. My instincts were screaming at me to do something and do it now before it was too late.

Then it was too late.

The door burst open and four vampires entered. Considering Brittany and her friends intended to help them, I was seriously outnumbered.

Brittany shot me a triumphant look, sauntering over to the group. The kids were all at the other end of the room, watching a movie, but I moved quickly to step between them and the vampires. I realized that Meredith and Stella were beside me, their bodies tense.

Stella tilted her head toward me. “What is going on?” she asked.

Without taking my eyes off the group, I whispered, “The Faction. Brittany and the two women with her betrayed the pack.”

Meredith growled behind me, low and angry. “Ah hell no. Now I wish you’d killed her last week.”

As we squared off against three she-wolves and four vampires, I agreed wholeheartedly.

Brittany had finished speaking to the vampires and they all faced us.

I locked eyes with her. “Leave now and I won’t kill you,” I snarled, enraged that she could put innocent children in harm’s way. Children who trusted her and not an hour ago had greeted her.

She smiled smugly. “I would say the same to you, but you’re the one these vampires came for, so it would be a lie.”

“Who’s that?” a little voice piped up from behind us.

I didn’t glance back, couldn’t afford to take my eyes off the enemy. Stella answered for me.

“They’re bad people, Caleb. Stay back.”

I heard movement, as though he were walking closer and my heart nearly stopped. Dear God, please don’t let any of these babies get caught in the crossfire.

“Clarissa,” Stella barked, “keep them together and keep them back.”

Clarissa was young, around twelve or thirteen. She hadn’t wanted to be here, but I was thankful for her presence now given that she was old enough that the younger kids would listen to her.

There were murmurs and rustling of fabric. I heard one of the younger children start to cry and it only fanned the flames of my fury.

The wolf inside me snapped and snarled. She wanted out. She wanted to maim and kill and sink her teeth into hot flesh, ripping it to shreds. The urge was even stronger than the day I’d threatened to rip out Brittany’s throat. And this time I wasn’t going to reign my wolf in and she knew it.

“Come with us now and the little ones won’t be harmed.” This was from the vampire who’d been speaking to Brittany.

Though his face was passive and blank, I could clearly see that it was a lie just by looking at Brittany’s friends. Their faces were pale and they looked sick. They knew what was going to happen and they weren’t going to do a damn thing to stop it.

“Don’t lie to me,” I retorted. My voice was deeper and harsher than before. I knew I was hovering on the edge of shifting but I couldn’t fight and win in wolf form. I had to remain human for now.

I reached out in my head, searching for my wolf.

Not yet. We can’t win if we shift.

The wolf within me snarled and backed off, no longer trying to claw her way out of my skin, but she remained close.

Soon
.

“Are you with me?” I whispered to Stella and Meredith.

“We are,” Stella replied.

“Yes.” Meredith’s voice was cold and hard as stone.

The four vampires rushed us, their fangs bared. One at Stella, another at Meredith, two at me. If I’d had time to think about it, I would have been flattered that they considered me dangerous enough to attack me in a pair.

As the leader came within striking distance, he reached for my right arm, the exact move that I worked on with Chloe during my first training session. I didn’t even think, naturally falling back on my training. I laid my free hand over his, twisting my right hand to grab his forearm. As soon as his wrist locked up, I angled my arm and hand, turning simultaneously. I heard the crack of the bones in his wrist just before I used his own momentum to throw him to the floor. I didn’t have time to defend myself from the second vamp, who hit me like a boulder, taking us both down to the floor.

Several of the kids screamed, reminding me what was at stake, and I didn’t hesitate. As the vamp lunged at my neck, I grabbed his head with my hands, squeezing hard and shoved my thumbs into his eyes as deep as they would go. My throat convulsed at the sounds his flesh made as it gave under the pressure and the hot gush of blood that flowed down my hands, but I didn’t stop, digging as deeply as I could. My fingernails bit through the skin of his scalp because I was gripping him so hard.

Shrieking, the vampire yanked away from me, trying to shake me off. I followed him up, letting his momentum pull me to my feet in his effort to escape. Next I did something I never thought I would be able to do. I moved one hand to cup his jaw in a tight grip, the other at the back of his head. Then I wrenched his head sideways until I heard a loud pop.

He fell to the floor with a thud. I whirled, looking for the other vampire and found him crouched over Meredith while his buddy lay motionless on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Meredith had one hand on his neck, barely holding his face away from her throat while he pinned her other hand down on the ground.

I ran over and hooked my fingers in the corner of his open mouth, jerking as hard as I could. His head twisted as the flesh of his cheek tore, and he screamed out in pain. Leaping to his feet, he turned on me, the skin of his cheek gaping open over his teeth. If we hadn’t been in the heat of battle, I would have gagged at the sight.

Suddenly, a hand buried itself in my hair, yanking my head back so hard I saw stars. The vampire grinned, which made the visual of his torn face even more disgusting. Then he whirled, backhanding Meredith. She was boneless as she hit the floor, not even putting her arms up to protect her face. Stella was still fighting the last vamp.

I threw an elbow back but only managed to graze Brittany’s ribs. She was tall enough and had a reach that I couldn’t match. I watched in horror as the vamp came closer, his eyes glowing with red fire. Red, as though he were a demon.

I wasn’t going to let this happen, but I had to be smart. Chloe reminded me time and again during our training sessions that being a female could work to my advantage. Men wouldn’t see me as a threat. It might be a little too late for him to think I was harmless, given the state of his face, but I could make him think that I was caught in the trap.

I struggled against Brittany’s hold, crying out when her grip on my hair tightened and I felt a few strands pull loose from my scalp. The vampire came close and I put my hands up as though I were making ineffectual efforts to force Brittany to release me.

I could barely breathe because of the fear that filled me, so I let it loose. I let it show. Let him think he’d won.

I only had one chance to take him down. Despite the grip Brittany had on me, she was the lesser threat, so I needed to focus on him.

More quickly than I liked, he was in front of me, sneering. The skin of his cheek was pulling itself together, but there were still gaps where his teeth showed through.

“I’m going to enjoy making you scream,” he hissed.

“Same to you, asshole,” I retorted.

His eyes narrowed into slits and he snarled as he lunged forward.

That was when I made my move.

My hand shot out, my fingers stiff, and I clutched his trachea, just like I had done with Brittany. Only this time, I followed through and pulled as hard as I could.

As the vampire fell into a lifeless heap on the floor, Brittany released my hair with a shocked cry.

I turned toward her as she backed away from me with horrified eyes. Her two friends, who were hovering by the door, scurried out.

“It’s your turn,” I growled.

Brittany turned and ran. I started to follow her, but Stella’s shout distracted me. I looked toward her in time to see her hit the floor just before the vampire she’d been fighting dropped down on top of her.

I sprinted to her, grabbed the vamp’s head, and twisted viciously. When he went limp, I tossed him to the side to find Stella looking up at me with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she answered breathlessly.

“Check on Meredith and get the kids to Lachlan’s. Take them straight to the basement. No lights, nothing. You hear me.”

She nodded.

Hoping I was doing the right thing by trusting her, I sprinted out the door after Brittany. I wasn’t going to let the bitch go a second time. Tonight, she died.

When I burst out into the street, I was surrounded by the sounds of battle. I could see shadows moving along the tree line, wolves fighting each other, men and women too. The fight was too close to the compound, and it was getting closer.

I glanced back at the building I’d just emerged from. I couldn’t leave Stella to deal with all the kids alone with the enemy so close.

Brittany was going to have to wait. The children were more important.

I turned my back on the possibility of vengeance, and sprinted back into the meeting hall. When I re-entered the building, Meredith had come to and she was sitting up, cradling her head. Stella was trying to calm the group, pairing the younger children with the older ones. When she heard the door, her head whipped around and her face twisted into a snarl.

The aggression disappeared from her expression immediately when she saw me. I hesitated when I saw the bodies and the blood on the floor, my mind rebelling at the thought that I had done that.

“What are you doing?” Stella asked. “Brittany will get away.”

“The fighting is coming toward us. There’s no way you could get the children and Meredith to safety alone.”

“I’m fine,” Meredith insisted weakly.

“So you could take me in a fight, right?” I quipped. “Can you even stand right now?”