The house was silent when Gerri and Wen descended the stairs. Both of their backpacks remained inside the apartment. They didn’t want to alert anyone that Gerri wasn’t coming back. One Lycan sat in a chair in the hallway. He rose to his feet, looking a little leery.
“I’m taking my mate to eat. Do you want us to wait until a few of your pack can tag along?” Wen kept his tone calm.
“Go.”
Wen kept hold of her hand and led her out the front door. No Lycans were in sight. They didn’t talk until they’d made it down the block. “That was weird,” she muttered.
“No lookout at the front. Only one guard downstairs and he didn’t give us any shit. I wonder if Joel died?”
“You haven’t slept at all. You didn’t hear anything?”
“I heard movement, doors, but no one was talking loud enough for me to overhear anything. I watched the back window but nobody left that way. There’s no view of the front from the apartment they put us in.”
“I guess that’s good for you if there’s only one guard.”
“It makes me wonder where the hell the rest of the pack is.” He kept glancing around. “But yeah, I need to hit Horton and his nest first. I don’t want him escaping.”
“He’ll be trapped in the basement.”
“Doubtful. Most Vamps have escape routes if they’re smart.”
“He’s old enough not to be helpless when the sun is up, right?”
“Definitely. I’d bet at least one of his Vamps has been feeding off him too. He’d want backup if he’s ever attacked by the Lycans. The more he lets them drink his blood, the stronger they become.”
“Maybe all three of them have been getting master blood.”
“Not the one who got so hurt last night that they had to carry him out of the room. He went down too easy. That could have changed though, once we went upstairs. Horton would have seen how weak that nest member was and probably will have wanted to fix that. I would have.”
They reached a little cafe and Wen opened the door. “After you.”
She ducked under his arm and walked up to the counter. Wen withdrew cash from his wallet. She ordered them two coffees and some breakfast burritos. “Eat first.”
He paid the cashier. “I need to make a call. I’m going to duck into the bathroom. Watch the door and take a seat near the glass so you can be easily seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were tailed.”
“Got it.” She forced a smile and took a seat at table near the front door. Her gaze traveled along the street. People were out and about but none of them looked as if they could be Lycans. She’d had years of practice watching people, being on alert.
Wen returned to the table within a few minutes. She looked up when he took a seat across from her. “Micah will fly us out right after I’m done. I want you to meet him at the airport. Do you remember the name of it?”
“Yes. That’s a long drive if I have to pay a taxi.”
He slipped her a wad of bills under the table. “That will cover it.”
“Okay.” She tucked the money in her pocket. “So you’re going to go back to the building, then meet us?”
“That’s the plan.” He held her gaze. “I scouted the back. There’s an alarm on the door but I grabbed an employee. I had him to turn it off. I’m going to eat, then go out the front. As soon as I do, you hit the back door. Don’t draw attention to yourself by running. Hail a cab as soon as you can. Don’t stop for anything, G.L.”
She was worried about him. “Got it. Simple.”
He studied her. “You won’t do some dumbass thing and try to follow me, will you?”
She grinned. “No.”
“You thought about it though.”
“Guilty. Then I realized I’d only distract you. I’d be shit backup if I needed saving. I promise I’ll take off out the back and head toward the airport. You promise me you won’t die.”
He reached across the table to take her hand. “Not a chance.”
One of the employees brought their coffees, and breakfast burritos stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Gerri didn’t have much of an appetite but she managed to eat one.
Wen downed all four she’d ordered for him. “I need to go.”
“Please be careful. I’m not saying goodbye to you yet. You promised to stay with me until your scent is gone.”
“I always keep my word. You be careful.”
“I got the easy part. I wish I had my phone. I’m going to be worried about you.”
“I’ll be about an hour or less behind you. Micah will be waiting at the airport.” He stood. “Ready?”
She got up and rounded the small table, grabbing hold of the front of his shirt. He stared down at her.
“Don’t die,” she whispered. “A kiss for luck?”
His mouth twisted upward. “I’m not going to need it but I won’t turn down a kiss from you.”
She went up on tiptoes as he lowered toward her. His lips brushed hers gently. She wanted to deepen the kiss but he pulled away.
“It’s time, G.L. Be careful. Now move that lush ass of yours and no looking back.”
“Same to you.” She let him go with regret. The words “I love you” caught in her throat but she swallowed them down.
He turned away, pushed open the door, and strode back in the direction they’d come.
She spun, walking toward the back of the cafe. The exit sign was near the bathroom. She pushed the door open and ended up in an alley. She turned in the opposite direction Wen had gone and strolled away. A few bums were sleeping but no one stopped her. She hit the street and saw a kid sitting at a bus stop texting on his phone. She went right up to him and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket.
“Hey.”
He lifted his head, glancing at her, then the money.
“I need to make a call. I’ll be real fast and it’s local. I lost my cell phone. Can I borrow yours for one minute?”
He hesitated then handed it over. She slipped him the money and dialed Micah.
He answered on the first ring. “Who is this?”
“Gerri. Wen is going in alone. He needs backup. Do you have the address of where we were?”
“Give it to me.”
She rattled it off. “Help him. I’m on my way to the airport.”
“Will do. He’s not going to be happy about this.”
“I don’t care. He wouldn’t let me go with him and I hate the idea of him being alone. Is your brother still around?”
“He is. Both of us will go.”
“Be careful. Two dozen furs and four others. Got it?”
Micah chuckled. “Someone can hear you?”
“I borrowed the phone. Got to go. I see a taxi. Be careful and don’t let anything happen to him.”
“We’ll do our best.”
She ended the call and passed the cell back to the kid. “Thanks.”
“That was the easiest twenty bucks I ever made.”
She walked over to the street and waved to the taxi oncoming. It pulled over and she slipped into the back. “I hope you’ve got some time, because I need a ride to the airport.” She gave him the name, so he wouldn’t assume she was going somewhere local.
The guy gaped at her. “You know that’s a private airport, right? It’s not a regular one.”
“I know.”
The driver faced forward. “Okay. I want a hundred up front.”
She pulled out the money, hiding the large stash from him, and offered up two hundred. “I’m not going to screw you over by running up a tab I can’t pay. Just get me to the airport.”
He glanced at the bills, then her. “Okay.”
She turned in the seat, glancing back at traffic. It was possible someone might try to follow if the Lycans had been watching them. It was her job to make sure that didn’t happen. Her mind went to Wen.
Please be okay. Please come back to me.
* * * * *
Wen entered the house, his face a mask of fury. The Lycan leapt up from his chair in the hallway. “Where’s the woman?”
“We got into a goddamn fight. Do you have a mate? They can be infuriating! The fact that she’s human makes it ten times worse. Your little fight last night upset her and now she doesn’t feel safe here. I protected her, didn’t I? Yes, I did!”
The Lycan gawked at his rant, then recovered. “You need to find her. She knows about us.”
“She’s having one of those girly iced coffees and donuts down the street, told me to give her space. I’m picking her up in ten minutes. Space? What the fuck is that about?” He paced, as if agitated. “She’s my mate. There’s no such thing as space.”
“You need to get her now.”
Wen spun, walking closer. “I know. Mates can drive you crazy.”
He threw a sucker punch, surprising the Lycan.
His fist made contact with the guy’s nose, snapping his head back. Wen moved fast, caught him, and snapped his neck. Then he carried the body to Horton’s office and dropped it there. He closed the door, then moved quickly while the coast was still clear to the basement door.
It was locked. He withdrew his hunting knife from his ankle holster, wedged the blade between the door and frame, and popped the cheap lock. He eased the door open. The scent of Vamp filled his nose. They were definitely sleeping down there. Fresh blood hit his nose too. He grimaced, silently entered the stairwell, and eased the door closed behind him. He made sure it remained locked, his eyes adjusting to the dimness.
He inched down the stairwell into the finished basement.
The sight of eight bodies shocked him. They’d been callously dumped on the floor. He only picked up a few heartbeats, and they were faint. He silently mouthed a curse. He hadn’t expected victims. He walked closer and crouched beside the one nearest him.
There was blood around the man’s mouth. Wen leaned in and sniffed.
Dread hit hard as he glanced at the others. He could see some of their faces. They had blood around their lips too. Vamp blood.
Fucking Horton had turned them.
Another heartbeat suddenly joined the others. They were turning from dead to undead.
Wen sheathed his knife to free his hand. He touched the one next to him, using his finger and thumb to open the eyelid. Rage hit next as he stared into the bloodshot eyeball of the unconscious victim. Not a Vamp. It was going to wake up a soldier. He was certain of it. The proof was in the eyes, and the fact that he had died before turning.
Just to be sure though, he released the eyelid and leaned in closer to study the man’s complexion. He saw the beginnings of very faint, darkening veins under the skin, but the victim still smelled human. That fight last night must have made Horton worry about the Lycans outnumbering his nest.
It was a fucked-up situation, but Wen knew what he had to do. He rose up, ignoring the still bodies. They wouldn’t be dangerous until the sun went down and they were done turning. He had more pressing matters to deal with first.
He walked down a small hallway, paused near a closed door and frowned. It was a security door with at least four locks. He moved to the next room and eased that standard door open. It was a storage space with some furniture inside, no scent of Vamp there. Next, he went to the room across from it. It contained cleaning supplies, some paint, and other things that were probably used to maintain the building.
He returned to the furniture storage and glanced around, found metal bed frame rails, and lifted two of them. He tested their strength by trying to bend them. They held. He kept very quiet, entered the hallway, and studied the enforced safety door. He set the rails on the floor and returned the maintenance storage room. There was no rope but he found cables. They’d work. He returned to the hallway and tied them tight around the railing, then pushed the railing against the walls across the door, pressing his body up against them to keep them from falling. He attached the cords to the doors that opened inward.
The Vamps might try to open the door from the inside but they’d have difficulty. He backed away, eyeing his handiwork. The rails would work as a reverse brace. The door wouldn’t open more than about four inches before the rails slammed against it. He grinned, then entered the room with furniture that was right next to the Vamps’.
He eyed the drywall, glad it wasn’t brick. He took some deep breaths, rolled his shoulders, and then bent, retrieving his hunting knife. He withdrew another one from his boot, rose up, and surged forward.
He hit the wall hard, using his shoulder and tucking his head, going straight through the cheaply constructed barrier.
All four Vamps were there. They had set up two bunk beds. Horton woke and rolled out of a top bunk. He hissed as he landed on his feet, looking confused as Wen shook off debris from the wall and insulation.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Two of the Vamps stirred but they were more sluggish. The fourth didn’t move at all. It was a mistake that Horton hadn’t made him stronger after he’d survived the Lycan fight. Then again, Wen wasn’t surprised. He didn’t think much of the bastard.
“What do you think? You want to turn my mate into a soldier. Fuck you!”
Wen lunged, going for the closest Vamp, who’d managed to get to his feet. Wen took his head off with his blades and dust filled the room.
He went after Horton next.
The master hissed and leapt, jumping back onto his bunk. Wen knew he’d try to dive over him to get to the wall he’d broken through, or attempt to reach the grate he saw on the floor under one of the beds. That was probably the escape route out of the building. He couldn’t let it happen.
He shoved one of his knives into the heart of the second Vamp to free his hand, grabbed the guy by the throat, and threw him at Horton.
Using his superior speed and strength to reach them quickly, Wen tossed the Vamp aside and grabbed Horton. He punched out with his second knife, the blade sinking into Horton’s neck.
The master screamed, the sound coming out more of a gurgling noise.
The injured Vamp leapt on Wen’s back but he ignored it, keeping hold of Horton as he gripped the handle of the blade and violently twisted.
He felt fangs sink into his shoulder, the bastard on his back trying to weaken him. But he refused to let go of the master.
Horton stared at him with horrified eyes for a precious second—and then it was over. His head came off and he burst into ash.
Wen stabbed the Vamp behind him in the head, reached back to fist him by his hair, and ripped him off him. He threw the bastard on the floor, trying to use his boot to stomp him in the ribs, but his foot slipped in all the blood coating the guy’s upper body from the stab he’d taken to the chest earlier.
The room spun but Wen ignored the dizzy moment, fell on the Vamp, and yanked his knife free. He hacked at his neck, removing his head. The body under him disappeared into ash.
Wen sat there on his knees, slowing his breaths before reaching up, feeling the rip in his shirt. It was soaked.
He turned his head, angling it enough to see how much damage had been done. The bastard had torn him open with his fangs. It would heal, but he’d bled a lot. He stayed down for a few more moments, taking deep breaths. He finally rose, reached the sleeping Vamp, and ended him with the flash of his blade.
He picked up his other blade, wiggled through the hole in the wall, and left the furniture storage room. The master and his Vamps had been taken care of. Now he just had to deal with the soldiers.
More heartbeats sounded now. The dead were coming back to life. They couldn’t be saved, it was too late for them, and they wouldn’t turn to ash if he removed their heads. He’d have to kill them and destroy the bodies with fire.
Guilt hit but he pushed it back. Their fates had been sealed the moment Horton had forced his blood into them, then killed them. He couldn’t allow a bunch of bloodthirsty savages to be let loose on a city.
Noise sounded above his head and he tensed. It was a miracle the Lycans hadn’t already come downstairs. They had to have heard the fight that had taken place in the other room. He sheathed his knives, no longer needing silence.
He unleashed his claws and waited. It didn’t take long. The door above burst open with the sound of wood cracking. Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Joel was the first one to arrive.
“It’s over,” Wen told him. “Horton is dead. Just walk way.”
More Lycans filled the room behind Joel. The alpha held up his hand, glaring at Wen. “What did you do?”
“Look at the bodies on the floor. Do you know what they are?”
“Dying humans.” Joel glanced at them, curling his lip. “The Vamps feed off them.”
“Wrong. Your little fight with Horton last night must have made him uneasy. These were humans, but by sundown they’ll become soldiers. Think super-tough Vamps with bloodlust unlike anything you’ve ever seen. They’ll recover faster than a normal Vamp and grow more insane every time they’re injured. He brought them into this building to use against you. And they would have turned your pack into food. Understand? I did you a favor.”
“Horton was going to make us rich.”
“You’re an idiot if you believed anything that Vampire told you, Joel. He was using you until you weren’t needed anymore. Then he would have slaughtered your pack with these things on the floor. Did you hear him last night, ordering me to fight your pack? Notice how I didn’t? My beef isn’t with you.”
More Lycans eased into the room. Wen kept track. There were nineteen of them. He was greatly outnumbered and damn sorry he hadn’t brought his guns to the fight. He would have, but he’d had to get Gerri to safety, and the risk of humans on the street noticing he wore weapons would have drawn attention. And he hadn’t had the opportunity to return upstairs to grab his backpack.
Joel snarled, hair growing along his body. “Fine. We’ll ransom you for the reward money.”
“I hate to break it to you, but I cut my own deal with the VampLycans who were hunting me. I called my old clan after that fight last night. They wanted Horton dead. He pissed them off even more than I did. The bounty is gone. You won’t get a fucking cent for me.” Wen wasn’t about to admit there hadn’t been a real bounty. “It’s over.”
“You cost us a lot of fucking money, VampLycan,” Joel snarled. “You’re going to die for that!”
They attacked in pack formation. Wen tensed, knowing he’d have to fight his way to the stairs they currently blocked. It would help if he could bottleneck them there, take on fewer at a time. He’d have to reach the stairwell first though.
At least the dead humans weren’t a threat until the sun went down and they awoke soldiers.
Six Lycans hit him at once, pain shooting up his arms from their claws, and Joel tried to go for his throat. Wen slashed out, his knife making the alpha scream in agony.
The Lycans began shifting, growing fur, and pushing against each other to get to him. He staggered back, throwing them off and dropping his weapon in order to free his claws. Then he tripped on a damn soldier body and went down.
Fangs tore into various body parts and he roared, twisting to protect his belly, then shoved up from the floor. He got to his feet and fought hard. It was tempting to shift but he was just as lethal half-shifted. It also made it harder for them to do as much damage with his clothes on.
He fought on, killing any Lycan that got close enough. At one point a wolf leapt at him. Too late, he tried to duck—but the Were sailed over his head, clearly on purpose, slamming into another Lycan that had been sneaking up from behind.
Wen identified the markings on the fur and laughed. Graves had come.
He spotted another familiar furry body by the stairwell, tearing out a Lycan’s throat. Micah was there too.
He was going to survive after all.
Wen felt dizzy and almost dropped to his knees as another set of fangs sank into his arm. He threw the bastard, smashing him against a wall. His claws plunged through the Lycan’s throat as he held it there. The enemy died fast.
He let the body fall, snarling as two more of the pack attacked.