“Where are you going?” Talon growled. “There’s nothing down there . . . the club’s this way, Flint. Flint! What the fuck are you doing?”

Flint barely heard the shifter as desperation took over. His body moving entirely on its own, his muscles working overtime to propel him through the darkness and over the obstacles in his path. He leaped over huge garbage containers, landing without making a sound nor breaking stride, and swerved smoothly when the backdoor of a restaurant opened unexpectedly, his heart pounding as the tantalizing smell grew stronger . . . vanilla and caramel. It was so strong now that he could almost taste it on his tongue and his ears now picked up voices, slowing his feet as his training kicked in.

Straining his ears to hear and his eyes to see, he moved closer to the buildings, trying to remain as hidden as possible. He could feel Talon catching up so he slowed further, waiting. He might need his help . . . for what, he wasn’t sure yet. But the shifter might come in handy for whatever waited up ahead. It took only a few moments for the Wolf to catch up but it felt like an eternity and his skin itched uncomfortably as he stayed in place, his feet ached to dart ahead to reach that intoxicating fragrance that summoned him like a beacon to a ship coming home from a round-the-world trip.

“What the—” Flint’s hand shot out, covering Talon’s mouth to shut him up.

“Shh,” he cautioned, whispering quietly so only his companion would hear. “There’s something going on up ahead and . . . well, I’m not sure but I think someone needs my help.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Talon shot back, his voice full of anger as he shoved Flint’s hand away from his face with strength befitting his size and species. His eyes glittering brightly in the darkness of the alley and Flint thought his beast was near the surface.

Good. Flint thought. He might just need the man’s help shortly, and possibly even his Wolf. “I can’t explain. Not now. Please, just trust me.”

“If you get me into trouble with the Directive I’ll have your guts for garters, Vampire. And I’ll wear them with pride . . . I bloody swear it,” Talon growled.

Flint could feel the Wolf’s body tremble with anger as he crowded him, his large hand landed on his shoulder giving him a hard shake for good measure to get home his point. He didn’t blame him but didn’t have time to allay his fears. “Come on, keep it quiet.”

He took off, staying low and motioning for Talon to take the other side of the alley, which he did. Thank fuck. Flint felt relieved knowing he wasn’t alone, although he would’ve gone on without Talon anyway. No doubt about that. But having him for back-up eased his mind, somewhat, especially when he heard multiple voices as they drew nearer. He sent every single one of his senses out . . . needing to know what he was up against. Flint never went into a fight without knowing his enemy and although everything inside him screamed at him to sprint in there at full-speed and grab whoever it was that was giving off that aroma . . . vanilla and caramel . . . he knew he had to think and use his head.

His fangs sprang free, bursting through his gums viciously, and this time he didn’t attempt to stop them. So far he’d sensed at least three Vampires ahead and one Wolf so he’d need everything in his arsenal . . . but the other being, the one that smelled so damn delicious, well, he wasn’t quite sure what she was. She. Shit. That thought slammed into his brain like a runaway train at the same moment as . . . fucking hell. No, it couldn’t be.

He stopped, gasping for breath as he shook his head in denial. He didn’t have time to even think about that right now. He just had to deal with what was ahead. That was what he had to focus on right now. And they were now close enough to hear what was going on.

“Let me go! You’re a bunch of bastards!”

The high-pitched voice tore at Flint like a knife was buried deep inside him and someone was right there, twisting it around and around. He’d never felt pain like it in his very long life. Never before had he suffered such agony as he did at that second when he heard the fear in that voice as the woman screamed abuse at her assailants. His legs moved forward, anger flowing through his body that engulfed him like a tidal wave that left him nothing more than a snarling monster hell-bent on destruction. Talon’s massive hand latched onto his shoulder. “Wait! If you rush in like a fool then you could end up with her dead.”

Flint’s brain fought against the fury burning inside him, knowing the Wolf was right, so he motioned for them to move closer, keeping to the shadows as a vile voice broke the silence.

“Shut up, bitch.” A harsh guttural one replied a second before a thud, followed by a moan.

“Stelian, what have I told you? You can’t damage the merchandise too much. It depreciates their value.” A long sigh and then it continued, “You’ve cracked her skull, you moron. What do you propose we do now?”

“I could fuck her and then I’ll get one of our Healers. She’ll be good as new, boss. She’s so tiny . . . I want to feel how tiny she is around my cock.”

Flint didn’t think his rage could get worse . . . but it did as he heard those words. His body thrumming with a ferocity that he could barely contain. He reached for his blades, releasing them, bar two . . . his cherished jeweled knives he kept safe. He wouldn’t tarnish those with these fuckers’ blood, but the rest would soon be dripping with crimson.

“You’re a fucking Neanderthal, Stelian, but I have other business to attend to and I’ve no time for this. Just make sure she’s at the sales house tomorrow, fit and healthy. Understand? If not then you’ll be the one paying. I can sense something in her that will make the bidding go well and if she’s not there . . . fit and healthy then I’ll take it out of your hide.”

“Sure,” Stelian replied. “I’ll have her there, along with the others and after the Healer is finished with her she’ll be good as new. Almost anyway.”

“Fine,” the other voice answered. “I’ll be on my way, I’ll leave these two with you in case you find any other suitable candidates tonight. Remember, don’t take anyone too close to that damn club . . . the Directive are always hanging around.”

“I know. I’ll be careful. Now, can I have my fun with this one?”

“For fuck’s sake, you really are a brute. I’ll leave you to it.”

Flint heard some footsteps then a car door slamming, an engine starting a moment before a vehicle pulled away. He leaned out, checking the scene and his heart almost burst from his chest at the sight . . . a brute of a man, Stelian he presumed, hauling a young woman from the ground roughly. She had long reddish-brown hair that was hanging loose, wet and dirty from the ground, a pair of jeans clad her legs and a jacket that had been torn open, as well as the shirt she wore beneath it, the material ripped to reveal her bra and pale skin that he could see was already bruising from the manhandling she’d been subjected to. There was blood running down her face as well as from a wound in her head that was hidden by her hair, but he knew it was there, he could sense it as well as scent the blood as it seeped from her skull. His scrutiny of her took him all of two seconds and then he analyzed his enemy: two Vampires and a Wolf.

Stelian appeared to be the leader and the most powerful, possibly a day walker like him, which meant he may even be an ancient. The other Vampire was strong, no doubt, but he wouldn’t cause him any trouble and as for the shifter . . . Talon could take care of him easily. That’s when Talon leaned in, whispering in his ear.

“Shit, this is bad. I know that voice of the guy that just left and I know Stelian. We should go, Flint. We don’t want to get mixed up in this.”

“I’m going nowhere,” Flint shot back. “Not without her.”

“Why?” Talon tugged on his shoulder, attempting to force him to leave, but he didn’t flinch or move an inch.

“I’ll tell you once we get her to safety, I promise I will”—Flint locked eyes with him—“All I ask is you take care of the shifter and then get the car ready. I’ll do the rest, deal?”

“This is a bad idea. A fucking bad idea,” Talon cursed, running a hand over his face before glaring at him. “Why is this so important?”

“Please, Talon . . . trust me? It just is.”

Flint couldn’t wait any longer. Not another second. If he did he was going to explode in a spectacular fit of bloodlust that would end with crimson splattering the walls and running like a river down the damn street. He could feel his control slipping . . . slipping . . . and he couldn’t wait. “I’m going in, with or without you.”

He placed two of his throwing knives in his mouth, lengthways, so he could snatch them easily when required, then held the others in his left hand, choosing his first weapon. Hefting it in his hand, he strode out, just as the fucker, Stelian, handed the girl to the shifter.

“Hold her,”

Flint watched as the asshole started to undress, pulling his jeans down and that’s when he moved, using his speed and flashing forward, throwing his weapons with precision. The first one landed right where he wanted . . . Stelian’s groin, and he was rewarded with his howl of pain, but he followed it up with two more into the powerful Vampire. One in each of his eyes. He was old and would survive but all they needed was enough time to grab the girl and get outta there. If Talon could take out the shifter they were home and dry . . . almost.

They were almost on top of them. Stelian had dropped to the ground, rolling around, one hand covering his eyes and one his bloody manhood, while the Wolf was looking at him with round eyes filled with . . . hell. It looked like the damn Wolf was relishing the Vampire’s pain, in fact, he was grinning down at the writhing, bloodied Stelian, and that suited them just fine. With his attention firmly on the injured Vampire, Talon galloped past Flint toward him, taking him completely by surprise. Flint saw Talon barrel into the Wolf, knocking him aside and scooping up the girl in one fluid motion before turning around and taking off back up the darkened alley.

It was over in a heartbeat but Flint still had the other Vampire to take care of and he was headed his way, fangs bared and spouting threats. “You’re fucking dead! You’ve no idea who’ve just messed with but you’ll soon find out . . . that bitch is ours and we’ll get her back, you stinking motherfucker!”

Flint remained silent, knowing his accent would be a dead giveaway, plus he still had blades in his mouth. So he let fly with the remaining weapons in his hands before reaching for the ones between his lips . . . all reaching their targets even though this time his target was moving, and fast at that. The Vamp had seen what he’d done to Stelian, and he kept his balls covered, but Flint wasn’t interested in his cock. All he wanted to do was stop the fucker for long enough so they could get away. And that’s what he did, downing him quickly with his razor-sharp blades each one hitting his face and blinding him in seconds. His howls of pain reverberating down the alley even as Flint was already halfway back to the Range Rover and the Wolf was back on his feet, shaking his head and wondering what the hell had happened to the girl he’d had in his arms only moments before. All in, their blitz attack had lasted less than thirty seconds, and when he arrived at their vehicle, Talon had it running with the girl lying across the rear seat and the back door open ready and waiting for him.

Thank fucking god! He threw himself in beside her, slammed the door and shouted, “Go!”