The scent of Claire’s sweet blood made its way to my nose. Even though I’d eaten earlier, it still sent a craving for more rippling through me. My feet faltered in the threshold to her brother’s apartment. The pitter-patter of her heart kicked up a notch as I struggled to make sense of what was happening here. Another howl of pain bellowed from her beautiful panther form. It snapped me from my trance. Dark shifting smoke rolled in on itself, creating the shape of an oversized dog.

The hellhound was here.

I was across the apartment in a flash. Without hesitation, I reached for the beast. My fingers didn’t reach right through the thing like I’d thought. Instead I found he was tangible. A jolt of electricity zapped me when I made contact with him. My vampire side rushed to the surface of my mind as I tapped into survival mode. There was something dark and a demonic about this creature. It had me wanting to protect myself in the only way I knew how, by releasing my fangs and tapping into my own inner darkness.

The beast released his grip on Claire and shifted around to face me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Claire’s panther form slump across the cushions of the couch. Was she okay? The desire to check on her pulsed through me, but I couldn’t turn my attention away from the hellhound’s blood-red eyes. They glowed with an eerie vibrancy. A low, menacing growl spurred past its curled lips, and I knew I’d managed to add myself to its list of enemies in the room.

Why was it here? Had Claire opened the book?

The hellhound inched toward me, his eyes never wavering from mine. A whine floated through the air, distracting me for a split-second. It was Claire. My gaze flicked to her. She was bleeding out on Danny’s couch. How? Couldn’t she heal herself? Didn’t all shifters harbor that kind of power?

The sound of bones popping and cracking filled the room, followed by an electrical charge that ignited through the air. Claire’s low whimpers turned to tiny gasps of agony. She was shifting back into her human form. A sheen of sweat beaded across her bare skin as her face contorted in pain. I needed to get to her, to comfort her, but one thing stood in my way.

The hellhound.

My gaze snapped back to him. He was staring at me as though I were his next meal. Why he hadn’t already attacked I wasn’t sure. I had no choice except to get rid of him. It was the only way I’d be able to get to Claire.

I felt along the tips of my sharp fangs while I thought of my options. There weren’t many. Basically, I needed to take the beast down. It was the only way. Leaving Claire wasn’t an option.

My gaze drifted back to her. Her eyes were closed, but she continued to moan and whimper. Whatever pain she was feeling must be excruciating.

At least she wouldn’t see the monster I was about to allow myself to become.

I bared my fangs and focused my attention on the hellhound. His eyes were on me still, watching and waiting for me to make the first move. He was close to me now. Too close. When had he moved? I didn’t have time to react to his nearness before his teeth sank into the side of my right hand.

Fire burst through my veins, nearly bringing me to my knees. Something potent was in the hellhound’s bite. Venom or poison.

This wasn’t good.

In fact, it made one thing certain in the span of a few seconds: I wouldn’t be a hero today like I’d thought because the hellhound was going to kill me.

Venom wasn’t something I harbored. All I had was strength, speed, and fangs. None of which would help me individually; I needed to use them together.

Which meant I had to let go. Completely. I needed to shut off my mind and allow the vampire side of me to take control.

The beast lunged at me again, barely missing another bite at my hand. I locked my gaze on him. The primal instinct to survive, to fight back, kicked in.

Time slowed as my left hand flew forward. I gripped hold of the beast by the neck and squeezed with all my might. A whimper pushed past its black lips. I’d caught it off guard. Without hesitating, I sank my fangs into the scruff of its neck. Its howl blasted through the apartment as an exotic taste surged across my tongue.

One of smoke and black licorice.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled in one large, greedy gulp after another. Strength, unlike anything I’d ever felt before, rushed through me with each swallow. There was power in its blood, and I could feel it entering me.

The hellhound’s heartbeat fluttered before the beast grew limp in my arms. He was dying. I’d drained him and won. However, I couldn’t bring myself to release him. I wanted more of the energy within his blood. I needed it. As the final drop touched my tongue, I pushed the beast away. With my hands rested on my knees, I closed my eyes and struggled to gain composure. Something was happening inside me. Something strong. Drinking the hellhound’s blood had changed something.

Claire whimpered again, and I knew I would have to worry about the consequences of drinking its blood later.

All that mattered right now was her.

I made my way to Claire. The sound of her heartbeat was fading. She’d lost too much blood. Her shoulder was mangled beyond recognition, and the pillows around her were soaked in her blood.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to get you help.” I reached for the throw blanket draped over the back of the couch and covered her naked body. “I’m taking you to the hospital. Hang on.”

Her eyes fluttered at the sound of my voice, or maybe my touch, but they didn’t remain open. She was so weak. I slipped my arms underneath her as carefully as I could and lifted.

“No… No hospital,” she whispered.

“You’ve lost too much blood. I have to take you there. You need help. There was something in its saliva that must be making it impossible for you to regenerate.” It was the only explanation I had for why my hand it gnawed on hadn’t been healed.

“No, take me to Ida.”

What could the old woman who owned the bakery next to the bookstore do for her? I didn’t understand.

“Please, Mason, take me to Ida,” Claire whispered.

Her head fell against my chest as her body grew limp in my arms.

I wasted no time exiting Danny’s apartment and making my way toward the stairs. I didn’t know what Ida’s magical capabilities were or how she could help, but I had to trust Claire knew. There had to be a reason she’d insisted on seeing the old woman instead of an actual doctor. I wished she’d stayed conscious long enough to tell me where the woman lived, because the probability of her still being at the bakery after midnight wasn’t likely.

I carried Claire down the narrow stairs leading to the sidewalk. Once I pushed through the glass door at the bottom, I headed next door to the bakery, praying for a damn miracle.

There were no lights on inside the bakery when I made it to the door, but there was a young woman exiting the shop. Flour dusted her dark skin and clothes. I didn’t know her name, but remembered seeing her coming and going enough times to know she worked here. Either she was an employee or of some relation to Ida.

She’d be able to get me in touch with the old woman; that much I knew.

“I need to see Ida,” I insisted as I erased the distance between us.

The young woman spun to face me. Words rested on her lips, but they stalled out when she noticed Claire in my arms.

“Please, I need to get Claire to Ida,” I pleaded.

“Ida isn’t here. She won’t be until morning.” Her gaze swept over Claire’s limp form. “What happened? What did you do to her?”

Her tone was sharp and accusing. I ignored everything it made me feel and took another step forward.

“Nothing. This wasn’t me,” I insisted. “We were attacked by a hellhound.”

The young woman’s chocolate eyes widened as though I’d confirmed something she had been trying to for some time. “A hellhound? I knew there was something dark lurking around town. I could feel it. No one wanted to believe me, though.” She pulled a set of keys from her coat pocket and unlocked the door to the bakery while continuing to mutter to herself. “Get her inside. Take her to the back. There’s a door on the left. An office. Set her in there on the love seat. I’ll call Grandma.”

I stepped inside to do as I was told. The scent of cinnamon and cocoa lingered in the air. I focused on it instead of the scent of Claire’s blood seeping through the blanket and soaking into my shirt.

When I entered the office, I placed Claire on the love seat as gently as I could. She released a whimper but didn’t open her eyes. Adrenaline spiked through me. What if it was too late? What if Claire had reached a point beyond Ida’s capabilities of saving her?

I swallowed hard, hoping wherever Ida lived it was close. Guilt kicked in, and I wondered if I should have ignored Claire’s request to come here and instead have taken her to the hospital. If she died, her death would weigh on my conscience forever.

“Grandma will be here in about ten minutes. It doesn’t take long to get from her house to the shop,” the young woman said, interrupting my thoughts as she peeked inside the office.

“Okay, thanks.” I debated adding how I wasn’t sure Claire would be able to hold out much longer. Surely this woman knew how dire the situation was, right?

When she disappeared from the doorway and the sound of cabinets closing and opening echoed through the otherwise silent bakery, I assumed she was preparing for when her grandmother arrived.

Time seemed to tick away at a pace far too slow. Claire’s breathing slowed even more, as did her heart. She was barely hanging on.

“She does know how to help Claire, right?” I asked as I left Claire’s side to stand in the threshold of the office. I needed to see what the girl was doing. I needed to know there was some sort of progress happening to save the girl I was begining to care deeply for. “I mean, she’ll know what to do when she gets here, right?”

“Of course Grandma knows what to do. I told her it was a hellhound attack. That was all she needed to know.” A pinched expression shifted across her face. She clearly didn’t appreciate my lack of confidence in her grandmother. “I need to fetch some water from the channel near the willow tree. I’ll be right back.” She grabbed an empty mason jar from a cabinet and headed toward the front of the store.

A low murmur stemmed from Claire. I headed back to her side. Sweat dripped from her forehead while her body shook beneath the blanket she was wrapped in as though she were chilled. I reached out and felt her forehead with the back of my hand.

She was on fire.

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, and I prayed Ida would be here soon because I wasn’t sure how much longer Claire would last against whatever crap the hellhound had injected into her system with its bite.

I glanced at my hand, checking my own bite mark. It seemed to be healing, but at a much slower rate than normal. I didn’t understand why I was healing and Claire wasn’t.

The front door to the shop opened. Ida’s granddaughter had returned. I knew it was her without having to see her. I could feel her presence in the bakery. She had a strong magical presence. One I didn’t think she was even aware of yet.

“I’ve got the water. There were a couple of other things my grandmother wanted me to gather. Once I get those, she should be all set when she gets here and able to perform the healing spell.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Don’t thank me. I’m not the one performing it. I don’t have the kind of power for something like that. You can thank my grandmother after she’s finished.”

“I will,” I assured her at the same time the front door of the bakery opened.

Ida dressed in a peach nightgown, slippers, and a baby blue robe burst inside.

“Where is she? Where is Claire?” she demanded. It was clear from the tone of her voice she cared for Claire.

“In here,” I said as I motioned for her to come into the office.

The old woman rushed past me to where Claire lay on the love seat.

“Thank you for coming. The hellhound took a large bite out of her shoulder.” My words shook as I said them. Claire hadn’t opened her eyes since we’d left her brother’s apartment, and her heartbeat was growing fainter by the second.

“I would do anything for this girl,” the old woman muttered as she peeled the blood-soaked blanket away from Claire’s shoulder to get a better look at the damage.

“Me too,” I stated, meaning the words whole-heartedly.

“I can sense that about you. I know she can, too. Let me get her fixed up, and then I’ll take a look at your hand.” She rushed past me and into the kitchen where her granddaughter continued gathering ingredients. “Gwen, did you get everything I asked for?”

“I did.”

I watched as they rushed to prepare something that resembled a tonic made with water from the channel near the base of the willow tree. Whatever concoction they were making, I hope it worked because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Claire.

Not now. Not when I had just realized how much she meant to me.