“All right, take me to where the action is,” Mom said as we stepped into the woods.

I opened my mouth to tell her it was before the lake, but sounds of the battle taking place between our pack and the Midnight Reaper echoed through the night. A strange hissing sound reached my ears next. While I’d thought of the vampire responsible for all of this as a monster before, hearing him hiss confirmed my theory.

“What the hell was that?” Mom asked as we neared the others.

“I think we’re about to find out,” I said, trying to keep hold on my wolf.

She desperately wanted free so she could get to Eli and the others faster than my human legs could carry me. She was ready to kick some ass. I held her back, though. Mom and I had a level of surprise going for us. Not even our pack would be expecting us to return. This was the only advantage we had, and I needed to make sure it was utilized properly.

That meant keeping my wolf in check.

Once we reached the scene, I’d decide if I needed to release her.

I stepped over a fallen branch and maneuvered through thick foliage until I broke into the clearing where the pack stood taking on the vampire responsible for all of this chaos. My eyes sought out Eli. He was in wolf form. Blood matted his fur in places, but it was difficult to tell if it was his or someone else’s. Julian was beside him. Blood was splattered across his clothes and smeared along his face. His glasses were broken, and his eyes looked darker than I’d ever seen them. The rest of our pack seemed to be all over the place. Those who were willing and able to continue the fight stood behind Eli and Julian, while others lay nearby eerily still or just waking from a massive blow. Only one appeared to be hurt so badly he’d shifted into human form.

Tate lay on the ground a few feet away from me, motionless.

All the air rushed from my chest at the sight of him. Was he dead?

As I thought this, movement captured my attention. A female vampire stood in front of the pack members, poised and ready to fight. She was no taller than I was with short dark hair and a round childlike face. Dressed in all leather and a pair of stiletto heeled boots, she seemed like an assassin. Her hand reached out in front of her, and her fingertips grew stiff as though she were gripping something invisible too tight.

What was she doing?

When Eli’s wolf cried out in pain as well as Julian and the others, I understood. She was using her power on them. Slicing them up with the invisible razors of her mind. The same ones she’d used on Dorian.

I could barely breathe as I watched. This chick was powerful. More powerful than anyone I’d ever encountered.

My gaze zeroed in on Eli. I watched as the cuts along his leg widened and deepened before my eyes seconds before they spread upward to the midsection of his wolf.

“No!” I shouted.

The vampire shifted to face me. She extended her other arm in my direction, and I felt the first flickers of white-hot knives slice across my left cheek. Moon magic filtered through the air, and I knew without looking at her, Mom was shifting beside me. The sight of another wolf must have distracted the vampire long enough for Eli to slip free of her hold. He launched forward and sank his wolf’s sharp teeth into her neck. The female vampire let out a hiss of agony as she gripped Eli, but he refused to let her go. When he finally did, there was a gaping hole in the side of her neck. She fell to the ground, and her skin became papery as she turned to ashes like I’d watched other vampires do before.

Eli’s wolf’s eyes were on me. I could feel them.

I reached up and touched the place where the vampire’s imaginary razors had sliced my cheek. The cuts burned, feeling like bee stings. Really pissed off bee stings.

A softness shifted through Eli’s wolf’s eyes. He was upset I’d been hurt. I could sense it.

“Glad that’s over,” Julian insisted as he took off his broken glasses and messed with their cracked lenses. “She was incredibly strong.”

I stepped forward, wanting to get a better look at her. Her skin was translucent as she continued to turn to papery ash. There was no doubt she was dead, regardless of how strong she’d been.

Moon magic filled the air again. Eli and the rest of the pack shifted into their human forms.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he rushed to where I stood. His hands landed on my hips and he stared me in the eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“I’m good,” he said before shifting his attention to Julian. “Have you ever seen anything like her? Anyone who possesses a power like that?”

“No.” Julian shook his head. “It was almost as though she wielded invisible razors. She also seemed hell-bent on killing you,” Julian said as he narrowed his eyes on Eli.

“So, you think this was an attack on our pack?” I asked through gritted teeth.

I was sick of people trying to take us out. When the hell would we be left alone?

“Could be.” Julian shrugged. He glanced over the vampire’s body. “Wait a minute.” His brows furrowed as he bent to look at something.

“What?” Eli stepped closer to Julian, trying to see what he saw.

I watched as Julian pulled back the vampire’s top, revealing a black marking beneath her collarbone. It looked like a tattoo.

“This is a branding. A Sire Brand,” Julian insisted.

“You say that like it’s something we’re all supposed to know,” Max said from behind Julian.

“Sorry. A Sire Brand is magical. Basically, it’s a marking a vampire can place on other vampires in order to control them like a magical compulsion rune,” Julian said as he continued to stare at the black mark. The sight of it seemed unnerving to him. “It’s not something I’ve seen in a long time.”

Again, skepticism pooled in my lower belly. Julian was hiding something.

“When was the last time you saw it?” I asked.

Julian glanced at me. “A very long time ago. And I would prefer not to talk about it.”

Obviously, it was a sore subject. Didn’t mean I planned to steer clear of it. He seemed to have information that might be important.

I opened my mouth to press harder, but Eli spoke before I could.

“So, that means this wasn’t the Midnight Reaper? Instead, it was a soldier.”

“Exactly.” Julian stood. His gaze shifted to Eli. “The Midnight Reaper is more than one vampire. As you said, this was one of his soldiers.”

My stomach somersaulted. This vampire had been powerful. Did the other vampires serving as soldiers for the Midnight Reaper harbor crazy dangerous abilities similar to this ones as well?

“Is there any way to track who the Sire Brand belongs to?” Mom asked.

Julian shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. There isn’t a distinct mark for each Sire Brand created. They are all the same, only they’re created by different vampires. That doesn’t mean everyone is connected to one vampire though; it means they’re all connected to the one who drew the rune on them.”

“You said this was something you haven’t seen a while,” Eli said. “Does that mean it’s something not common among vampires, then?”

“Yes. This is ancient. It’s not something I’ve seen in well over a hundred years.”

“Would that narrow it down any as to who could be doing this?” I asked.

There couldn’t be that many ancient vampires roaming the earth, could there? And if there were, wasn’t there a club among them so they could all brag about how old they were?

“I don’t think so.” Julian shook his head. “Vampires aren’t normally close-knit. We’re more solitary. Witches have their covens and wolves have their packs, but vampires don’t stick together unless they’re part of the same bloodline or an actual family.”

“Is there any way we could get the Caraway witches to do a spell that might give us the knowledge of who placed the Sire Brand on this vampire?” Mom asked.

“It’s possible they might be able to do something, if they had time before the body turned to ash,” Julian said. He motioned to the vampire at his feet. “But I don’t think time is on our side. She’s nearly gone.”

I glanced at the vampire. The wind picked up and bits and pieces of her blew away.

“I’m sorry. I wish there was a way to pinpoint who was causing all of this chaos, but there isn’t,” Julian insisted. “The only piece of advice I have left to give you is that when vampires have been Sire Branded to a particular vampire, they all travel together, which often means if you’ve spotted one there are others nearby.”

Goose bumps pickled across my skin. Suddenly, I felt as though eyes were on me, watching from the woods somewhere.

“Judging from how badly we just got our asses handed to us,” Max said. “I think we should consider retreating. It might not be wise to go against another one of these vampires while we’re all beaten up and exhausted.”

“You’re right,” Eli surprised me by saying.

Determination still festered through his bright green eyes, though. He wanted to keep going, that much was clear, but he didn’t want to put our pack in any more danger than it already was. His gaze shifted around, taking in the state of his pack. When his face grew pale and his mouth dropped open, I remembered who was lying on the ground, motionless and in his human form due to injuries.

“Tate!” Eli shouted as he rushed to his brother’s side.

My heart pounded in my chest as I watch Eli search for a pulse.

If his brother died tonight, Eli would never be the same.

“He’s okay,” Eli breathed.

I wasn’t sure if his words were for himself or us. It didn’t matter. They still brought a collective sense of relief through the pack and even Julian.

Julian stepped to where Eli hovered over Tate and helped lift him. We all sprang into action then. Within seconds, we were exiting the woods to lick our wounds.

The night hadn’t been a total waste. We’d taken down one of the Midnight Reaper’s soldiers. However, we had no clue how many more there were or what powers they possessed. I was positive we’d find out soon though because Eli wouldn’t rest until they’d all been taken out.