Waking Up Dead (The Western Werewolf Legend #1) (3 page)

He shifted slightly, sitting taller in
the saddle and stretched to square his shoulders, probably in
defense of her innuendo.

Being over six feet tall, he sat the
horse admirably. Most tall, skinny chaps presented a gangly,
awkward mount. Not Perkins – who, even now, ran a cool eye over
Sonja. How she despised him.

“
As you might recall, I
seem to have run into a bit of difficulty during our last meeting,
but I overcame your pathetic little attempt at destroying me.” With
those words, he eased his ramrod posture before settling over the
elbow he rested on the saddle horn as his eyes narrowed on
her.

Sonja smiled at the reminder of their
last encounter. She’d ripped the head and backbone from his flesh.
Apparently, vampires regenerated quite well. He appeared whole and
hearty to her.

The heartless major smirked. “You
should realize by now, you’ll never be rid of me — or us for that
matter, wolf girl.”

The sneer in his tone made her wolf
want to pounce.

“
You can try and we can
perform the dance again and again, but you’ll lose, and in the end,
I’ll have what I came for – what I’m destined to have – your
blood.”

“
You, sir, are delusional
if you think you’ll ever defeat me or my clan. We will survive and
live for all eternity long after the rotting carcasses of you and
the vermin with you are but the stench of a memory.” She sniffed
the air with disgust. The smell of burning wood lay heavy in the
morning mist. Sonja hesitated.

With a wrinkle of her nose, she
flicked a glance back as fire leapt from the window behind her.
Though her heart constricted, Sonja refused to let it show. Rather,
with an ease of grace, she reached out toward the flames with the
pine knot in her hand. The fire licked greedily at the wooden stick
before catching with an audible whoosh. With the pine knot aflame,
Sonja held the torch in front of her. The flames cast a yellowish
glow on the vampires seated inside the shadows of the great cypress
trees flanking either side of the dirt path. Their pallor reflected
in their pupils like a yellow-fever victim’s sentence shown in
their stricken eyes.

Some of the vermin hissed. A couple
even threw up a hand to shield themselves from the potential
predator of bloodsuckers – fire!

“
Fear not, men. This Lycan
is no different from the rest. There is no sorcery or witchcraft
hidden within the folds of her skirts. Her truth isn’t cloaked in
the unknown. She is a beast that walks on four legs and spreads not
those legs for her mate to mount her but bears his weight atop her
rump as any whore would do.”

“
Lucifer’s own,” Sonja
murmured. With about as much of the demon’s words as she could
stand, she squared her stance and readied for battle. “Come and get
it, bastards!” she shouted. Stepping out into the meager light of
the pale sun shrouded in veils of fog, she stood silently
waiting.

Perkins flicked a glance her way.
Within his eyes, there lay the answer to her challenge. They would
tangle once more and she relished in the prospect.

Sonja’s grin turned wicked as she
lunged for him even as Perkins met her attack with skilled,
lighting quick movement. So close, their breaths mingled, they
grappled. His sickly stench permeated the air. The vampire managed
to wrap his hands around her neck, squeezing the air from her
lungs. His clothing began to smolder as the sun’s rays hit his
back. Soon the smell of scorched decay filled the air. His grip
eased. The breath quickly rushed back into her lungs. Sonja didn’t
have much time to sound an alarm. Throwing back her head to the
hazy sky, Sonja’s howl rose in the mist and floated on the damp
breeze. Those bound by werewolf blood. Hopefully, the pack would
heed her call and come.

Perkins thrust with a silver
dagger.

She countered with a block of his
forearms, thrusting upward and out. A cleansing breath and she
rebased for the next thrust of his blade. Steadying her stance,
fists in front of her face, as Ty had taught her, she rested
lightly on the balls of her feet. The fighting stance, as her lover
called the position, reminded her of dangling from an invisible
rope operated by an unseen puppeteer. Willing the errant image to
the back of her consciousness, she focused instead on thwarting the
vampire’s next move. Her senses, already in tune with her
surroundings, began to heighten. A tingling of sorts set up in her
joints and muscles. The signs of the change began and Sonja
strained to control her body as her body shifted into that of a
werewolf. Hair sprang along the ridge of her backbone, claws shot
out from her fingertips, which now resembled stubby paws. The pain
alone of a temper born shift was excruciating and for a fleeting
second, Sonja considered what Ty dealt with on a regular basis.
Dropping to all fours, she shook her white mane trimmed in silver
and glowered at the vermin standing before her. Fire sizzled in her
eyes, the sensation a stark reminder of how fragile she was in a
half state of transformation. From blazing gold eyes she surveyed
her prey. Imitating a low menacing growl, she didn’t pause to ask
herself if she was ready for the hatred she read in his
eyes.

The vampire sprang at her with gnarled
fingernails splayed in attack mode. He scratched at her face aiming
to blind her. Sonja with only seconds to react as the downward
thrust of Perkins talons drew blood. Blocking in time, she managed
to halt his advance. “What? You will not give me the chance to
shift, bloodsucker?”

He snarled and spat near her hind
legs, exposing his yellowed teeth as fangs sprang forth to hang
menacingly over his lip. Twisting, he threw up a forearm to counter
her return blow. Dropping low under the horse’s neck, Perkins leapt
once more with ferocity. His cold, dead eyes bore into hers. With
the little magic he possessed, he tried to hypnotize
her.

Sonja dodged the lunge. “So, you’ll
try your pitiful attempts at a spell, huh, Perkins? Hum, too bad.”
Wheeling, she balanced on her hands and raising both legs, flung
her heels squarely at his head.

Stumbling back, he
regrouped.

“
Come on, you bastard, come
and get me,” she growled in her wolfish tone. The sound of bones
cracking, cloth ripping and snarls surrounded the two adversaries.
She paced out of reach of Perkins’ blade until the pain of the
transformation ended. Her blood surged through her warding off the
vampire’s power, whose dark magic fizzled weakly in the werewolf’s
presence.

With the change complete, Sonja lunged
for his throat, snarling and snapping with her displeasure. She
managed to shove him back sending him hurtling into the midst of
his men.

Engulfed by the bodies of the agitated
cavalry mounts, Perkins growled and the ground shook. “Take her,
you fools!”

The command set the vampires in
motion.

Grappling with the surge of Yankee
blue charging her position, Sonja countered, blocking and in turn
ripped flesh right and left. Over the screams, came Perkins’
laughter. The sound of his sickly amusement made her blood boil. A
glimpse up showed him seated in a tall oak watching the c at
work.

Slowly rising like a resurrected
saint, he hovered above the second wave of gnashing, wonton
vultures on horseback. With a benevolent sweep of his arms as if
bored with the whole affair, Perkins gave the order, “Seize her.”
The bloodsucking soldiers wasted no time in attacking.

Sonja, the she-wolf struck out,
delivering blow after blow.

The skills Ty had drilled into her
came naturally, as she struck with an attack of her own. Her small
human feet wouldn’t have been much use against the vampires’
vicious fingernails and teeth, but fur covered paws with razor
sharp talons proved more of a challenge for Perkins’ men. Striking
the first vampire she encountered across the cheek, she drew blood,
a minor flesh wound, but enough to raise the stakes. With a nearby
limb, she used all her strength as she plunged the wooden dagger
deep into his chest. His eyes vacant and brittle dropped atop the
heap of dust at her feet. The other advancing bloodsuckers didn’t
pause.

As she struck out again with renewed
force and prowess, the vampires went on the offense.

“
Don’t worry, mates, dying
will be a boon for such as you,” she told the snarling, hissing
bloodsuckers. With two more down, she caught the movement of
another out of the corner of her eye. The third vampire caught her
along the ribs. The wound wasn’t deep, irritating more than
anything. She didn’t want to share even the first drop of her blood
with these vile coffin robbers. Blow after blow sent the vamps
falling one by one until Sonja stood alone amidst the bloody
clearing.

Resembling a vulture waiting for the
last deathblow, Perkins hovered out of reach until only the two of
them remained.

“
I knew it would come down
to you and me, my dear.” His fangs showed gray in the pearly mist
swirling about them. Slowly he transformed into his true self, the
horrid scales and ashen hide of the vampire’s original form. With
eyes heavily hooded and bloody red, Perkins turned into the
skeleton remains of an ancient fallen angel. Taters of sackcloth
hung from his boney frame as the predator rose off the field,
floating mere inches above the ground. “You see, I know everything,
one of the strengths provided me by my considerable age.” Flicking
a long nailed finger of sickly gray at her, he taunted her with
words. “Your training and tutelage are minuscule to my edification
over the centuries. After a demonstration, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
With a tap of one finger against his cheek, he smirked. “It’s such
a pity I can’t keep you as a pet.” His eyes glowed red as his words
slurred. He continued to turn into his truest form - the spawn of
Hell, and as he did, he grinned baring all six rows of fangs. “You
understand, my dear, you’re worth more to me dead than as my
lackey.” His eyes flashed like red embers deep in the sunken
sockets of his grotesque face. With features contorting, he
transformed into a creature so void of life, Sonja could find
nothing of the major remaining.

Apparently, Perkins didn’t know of the
powers contained in her blood, not yet. Watching the creature sway
back and forth in abject demonic defiance, Sonja grinned
devilishly. “Listen, Perkins.” She cocked her head and raised an
eyebrow. “The hollows of Hell are calling. You’ve only to take a
step over here and I will send you home.”

“
Not before I get what I
came for.” His voice rasped over his tongue. Flicking out his
tongue to sweep over his fangs in sickening anticipation, he hissed
at her.

Stepping into the light from the sun,
Sonja smiled knowingly. For Perkins to follow her would mean the
beginning of his demise. “Take a step, you reject from
oblivion.”

Perkins staring back took her breath.
Doing her best not to give away her plan, Sonja eased into the
light. If she could just get him to step out into the light, she
could destroy him and all those who followed after.

Perkins did, indeed, forgot himself
and followed. It was enjoyable to see smoke seep from his booted
foot. “I will have it now!” His last words uttered as his right
foot caught fire, Perkins lifted off the ground, rising upward over
her head. In the mist, the major’s foot sputtered and went out. His
eyes turned red as he centered all his energy and dove out of the
mist directly for her.

“
As the sunlight seeps
through the trees…” Sonja bit her lip in frustration. “While the
vampire smolders, seize…” Her brow furrowed as her head pounded
with the effort to remember the words.
Oh,
what a time to forget Hortence’s spell!
Sonja brushed her snout with the back of her paw. The old
witch had shared the magic with her only the night
before.

Perkins’ gray nails skimmed her
forearms. Pain seared her wolf’s flesh as she shoved the broken
words of the spell to the back of her mind. Avoiding yet another
blow, she leaped sideways into the air. White fur flew through the
air as the vampire’s claws left their mark.

***

A contained rage drove Ty forward.
Ever since Hortence had told him of a prisoner of war camp in the
vicinity, he’d planned for his men’s rescue. He couldn’t sleep
without visions of the awful place being his men’s last resting
place on the earth. His men had gone through hell with him.
Discovering only days before, a vampire pit disguised as a prisoner
of war camp and ran by Perkins made his blood boil. The knowledge
ate at his insides until he’d have walked through fire to set them
free. They didn’t deserve to die at the hands of vampires. He’d do
anything he could to save them.

Being a werewolf provided a benefit in
dealing with the bloodsuckers. Strength like he’d never known
before allowing him to travel great distances without the need for
rest. His body restored itself in record time. A heightened sense
of sight and smell beyond anything he’d experienced in his life
came with the gift. On the other hand, his temper required a
certain amount of control, which he still didn’t possess. He would
speak again with the Guardian concerning the problem. What to do
about Sonja as a werewolf was a situation of much greater
magnitude.

She’d wanted to accompany him in the
search for his men. Confident she could help, she couldn’t
understand his concern over her safety. The Guardian had warned him
her blood was coveted by the vampires. “She carries the blood,”
he’d said.