Twenty-Two
As soon as Fraze reached the crumbling old lodge, he jumped out of his car and shifted into his lion. He dashed through the woods, fast as he could go. He was vaguely aware of another car engine approaching, and he heard the door slam. When the wind changed, he realized who it was—Dristan.
Despite their differences, his brother was coming through for him. The trees whipped past him as he sprinted. He wasn’t built for endurance, just quick bursts of speed, but he’d force the distance. However long it took for him to find her, that’s how long he’d be running.
The blood Gracie had given him the night before had strengthened him, too. Her power still coursed through his blood. Senses heightened. Strength amplified.
He listened as he ran. Beyond the sounds of Dristan’s and his footfalls, beyond the sounds of the creatures in the forest, of the trees shifting slightly in the breeze, beyond all of that, he searched for Gracie. Her heartbeat. Her intoxicating scent. Could he find her this way? He had to try.
Something stepped out of the trees suddenly, and Fraze skidded to a halt, ready to rake his claws over the interloper’s face. Dristan caught up with him, already growling.
The man held his hands up in front of him, showing he meant no harm. His dark hair was held back in a short ponytail, and one of his ears was ripped at the bottom. He had dark, dark eyes like Gracie’s.
Fraze sniffed. Vampire.
“You want to help Gracie,” the man said. “You’re the sheriff’s kin.”
Fraze nodded.
“They’ve got her tied to a tree back there,” the vampire said. “I’m not allowed to fight the lions. I can’t save her, so you gotta do it for me. For my brother.”
Fraze nodded slowly.
The vampire said, “Good. Follow me.”
It could be a trap, except everything the man said sounded like the truth. Fraze turned to look at Dristan. Dristan closed his eyes once. Yes, Dristan believed the man, too.
They followed him, and the man started jogging, then sprinting. It was hard to keep up, even in their lion forms, but Fraze managed—maybe because of Gracie’s blood in his system. Dristan fell behind.
They couldn’t afford to go slow—the sun would rise soon.
It felt like hours, but it was probably only minutes that passed. Finally, the vampire slowed.
“They’re just up here,” he said. He didn’t even sound winded despite all the time they’d been running.
They walked over a low hill to a small clearing of trees. One dead tree stood in front of the rest, over on the west side. The side where the sun would reach first at dawn.
Gracie’s arms were tied behind her back and fastened to the tree. Her eyes looked wide and frightened. Fraze growled. Doug stood off to the side, in his human form, and Ben was crouched low, waiting to pounce.
Dristan caught up with Fraze and the vampire.
The vampire whispered, “I’ll get Gracie. I’m not allowed to fight the lions, but if you two take care of them, I can free her.”
Fraze struck first. He went after Doug, pinning him to the ground before Doug could shift to lion. He locked his jaws around Doug’s neck and waited. “You win,” Doug said, sounding pissed.
There was honesty in the words. He wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Then Fraze turned to Ben and Dristan. They were fighting, growls and claws and teeth. They took turns slashing at each other’s bodies. Their mouths were open with fierce intent.
The male vampire was at Gracie’s back, doing something with the ropes, so Fraze rushed to Dristan’s side. Together they fought against Ben. Two on one. Only fair, after Ben and Doug had taken Gracie two on one. Fraze wanted to kill Ben. His bloodlust was high, and his body smacked painfully into Ben’s side. Ben finally rolled to his back, giving up.
Fraze allowed him to walk over to Doug’s side, and the two of them walked away, smelling of blood and defeat. Now Fraze had to rescue Gracie.
The sun was rising—already the sky above them was lightening. Fraze shifted to his human form and tried to help Gracie’s friend with the ropes. “Almost got it,” the male vampire said. “The sun—”
“Go, Bo,” Gracie said. “Get back to shelter. There’s no more time.”
“How much time do we have?” Fraze asked, frantically pulling at the knots.
“Maybe fifteen minutes,” Gracie said. “A half hour.”
“Can you get somewhere in that amount of time?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she said.
Bo tugged at some knots on the other side of her.
“Go,” she told him. “Please.”
“Clive wouldn’t want me to abandon you like this,” Bo protested.
Fraze felt Gracie stiffen in front of him. “We can’t keep doing what we think Clive would want,” she said, her voice small. “He’s dead, Bo, and he’s been gone a long time. We gotta let go, don’t you think?”
Bo stepped forward and pressed a brotherly kiss on Gracie’s forehead, then he turned and ran. He went so fast, he looked as if he was flying.
Fraze pulled once more on the knots, and finally Gracie was free. He tugged on her arm. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
Dristan, still in his lion form, walked alongside Fraze and Gracie toward the tree line.
A petite, ghostly figure stepped into the clearing. Her voice was high-pitched, like bells, as she said, “No, I don’t think this will do. Not at all.”