Chapter Twenty
Heart in her throat, she glanced over her shoulder and tried to spot any and all danger.
Viktor nudged her with his elbow. “Don’t look suspicious. Control your scent of fear.” He rested his arm over her shoulder, his hand loose and relaxed, as if they were out on a romantic stroll in a torrential rain storm.
“How the fuck do I control my scent?” Her whisper sounded like a hiss. If he had wanted her not to smell of fear, he shouldn’t have warned her to run. That jacked a girl’s heart rate.
Though he appeared relaxed, Viktor propelled them along the sidewalk at a faster and faster pace. “See the intersection ahead?”
She nodded, resisting the urge to wring her hands. “Sort of.” The rain made it difficult, but she saw the better lit area and cobblestone.
“That’s the street to the clubs. Once we reach it, I want you to sprint to Carlos. Tell him you are in danger and need help hiding. He will get you home.”
With narrowed eyes, she glared at her sire. “What’s going on? I don’t see anyone following us.”
“Werewolves.” He nodded to the deep shadows of an empty alleyway. “On the hunt.”
“What about you?” Trixie could sense hostile gazes digging in her back. She wouldn’t abandon Viktor to face the pack alone.
“We have to split up. They only want me. You should be safe once I’m far away.”
“I’ve met the Riverbend alpha at Betty’s wedding. He should remember me.” How many pink haired girls had he met at his ex-girlfriend’s wedding? Especially ones who spilled champagne on his shoes?
Viktor grunted. “Who do you think is leading the hunt? Riverbend is not like New Port. The vampires and werewolves do not have an easy truce. It is more like I had to force feed it to them. The alpha is a hothead.”
“And the nest leader?” Because every conflict had two sides.
“She is a sadistic bitch.”
“Nice, when’s their wedding?”
He stopped suddenly. “I cannot believe you can still joke.” His gaze darted ahead as he crouched, ready to fight.
She wiped her soaking hair from her face and blinked the rain from her vision.
Shadows detached themselves from the dark, blocking their way to the intersection. Standing easily a foot taller than she with night-glow eyes, the werewolves stalked them in beast form. Shifters didn’t change shape to look like their animal cousins. They were more of a blend of human and animal. Bigger, bipedal, and with the same mind as before. It wasn’t against the law for shifters to run around in this form, but it was frowned upon.
Humans technically were weaker than supernatural creatures, but they outnumbered them ten-to-one. Pissing off humans never turned out well, and she was no longer on the winning team. These werewolves could kick her ass and there was nothing stopping them because vampires didn’t exist to the rest of the world. Shit with a cherry on top.
“Cut off.” Viktor circled slowly, back facing her. “They are surrounding us.”
“What’s plan B?” High pitched and thready. She knew how to throw a punch and to take one. She hadn’t any problem with biting, kicking, or pulling hair, but it wasn’t like she was part of some girl’s fight club. These wolves moved like Viktor. Like predators. Maybe one day she would walk with such deadly grace, but today was not that day. Instead, she was on the menu.
A growl behind her. She spun around. The shifters stuck to the dark, shunning the faint street lights, but with her new vampire vision, she could make out their movements. Hunting as a pack within city limits in an area not marked as a hunting ground was illegal.
And here she was, thinking like a human again. Because no one gave a crap about a vampire.
She retreated, reaching behind her to get Viktor’s attention. “There are more on this side.” Her hand felt only air.
“Run!” Viktor commanded from high above her head. She glanced up, almost drowning in the rain, and glimpsed him hopping from one rooftop to another, away from the clubs and the intersection.
He’d left her?
“Run, dammit,” he shouted again.
She glanced at the werewolves that been gathering and saw only darkness. Then in the distance she spotted a tail. The pack was chasing him.
He was leading them away from her.
She took a step in their direction as if she had the ability to fight off a pack of werewolves all on her own.
A werewolf strode out under the streetlight, arms crossed over his furry chest as if daring her to try to pass him. Another wolf crossed the street behind him, smaller and dainty, yet no less feral looking. She eyed Trixie from head to toe and licked her muzzle. “Fresh meat,” she said to her pack mate.
Wait, what? She retreated, tripping off the sidewalk into the deserted street, ankle deep rain run-off. Scanning the street for an escape route, she came back empty handed. “This is all a big misunderstanding.” She held her hands in front of her in a symbol of peace. “I met your alpha not long ago. We’re friends.” She bent the truth. He wasn’t going to win the Mr. Personality award any time soon. She’d been secretly happy that Betty’s relationship hadn’t worked out. She was much better off with Ken.
Neither werewolf reacted.
“Stop toying with her,” the wolf shifter behind her shouted. The one blocking her path to the bar district. “Get her already.”
Trixie held her breath. Her vision focused on the werewolves to the point where she could count each individual hair. The rain slid off her skin unnoticed and the sound of heartbeats filled her ears. Her pulse galloped and her muscles tensed, ready to spring.
Self-preservation kicked in. Years of street living in rough neighborhoods had honed those instincts. She spun on her heel and rushed toward the intersection guarded by the asshole shouting for them to get her.
People. She needed to be surrounded by witnesses. The shifters wouldn’t dare hurt her in public. She was a vampire, but to the humans, she looked like one of them. If they saw werewolves picking on a girl, the National Guard would be called.
The shifter blocking her way stood rooted to the ground, muzzle unhinged.
She was moving. The rain drops hung motionless in the air as she smashed through them. The shifter’s mouth closed in slow motion.
“She’s a vampire,” he shouted, the sound dragged out and unnaturally deep.
She tucked her chin to her chest and rolled into a tight ball, right through the werewolf’s long legs. It worked. The rain poured on her head again. She had more momentum than she’d thought and instead of rolling to her feet to continue running, like she normally would, she stopped on her ass and bounced over the wet pavement like a skipped stone. The impact left her teeth rattling in her head.
“She’s supposed to be human.” Female voice shouted. She could hear their clawed footfalls, closing the distance.
Leaving her DNA on the asphalt, Trixie scrambled to her feet. Head spinning and ass smarting, she ran onto the populated cobblestone street lined with night life. The werewolves had thought she was human and that was what saved her. Why would they think she was human when she was with Viktor?
She ran at human speed, not looking back and straight for the club where she had met Carlos. What was the donor going to do for her? He couldn’t fight off a pack of shifters—she pressed between the parked cars to cross the street—but Carlos might know some of the local nest. They could help her save Viktor. Yes, that was the plan.
A familiar face watched her from the humans. He stepped into her path, his eyes flashing amber. His tight T-shirt soaked and molding to his muscled chest.
Trixie stopped on a dime in the middle of the road. Crap, in her hurry, she’d forgotten they could look human too.
A car honked long and hard.
Before she could blink, she was yanked into his thick, veined arms and out of the way of danger.
She waggled her fingers in a little wave. His face mere inches from hers. “Hi, Chris.”
The wolves were good. Moving like a military unit, they herded Viktor yet managed to stick to the shadows and out of the humans’ sight. It was an unspoken rule to hide their battles from the humans. His real concern was their goal.
He snorted. When had he last been prey? The beat of his heart was a palpable thing. His blood sang in his veins and he wanted nothing more than to leap into the fray of battle and confront the pack. Have a good honest fight.
Not tonight. Not in this city. The truce was too fragile. One little crack would shatter all civility. It was a bad omen that pack felt confident to hunt him. The hostilities must be worse than he had been informed. Aggression came naturally, but as Master of the City, he led by example. Until he knew the facts of what had happened between pack and nest, he would not resort to violence. If war broke out in Riverbend, the vampire and shifter ruling bodies would want it extinguished fast. That meant sending him in to kill them all.
He had to focus before he tripped off the rooftops. The rain made the footing traitorous. Instead of fighting, he let the pack continue to guide his steps. The only blessing was that Trixie had escaped. He had seen her ingenious roll and awkward landing. Then she’d run to the bar section of the city. She would escape them there. He had faith in her.
He smiled. She was not used to her new strength and speed, but she’d managed it well. The look on that wolf’s face as she’d rolled between his legs would be added to his cherished memories.
A clothesline full of soaking sheets crossed his path. He turned direction to keep the pack’s attention from Trixie.
Werewolves awaited him on the adjunct roof.
He stopped his jump, pinwheeling his arms for balance. He spun around. Shifters closed in from behind.
He tore the sheets aside and came face-to-face with the pack’s second in command. “Jeffery.” He pulled up short before trampling him. “Thank you for the workout. It was exhilarating.” They had never met but he made sure to know the faces and names of any major players in his cities.
“It’s Ryan.” The big shifter folded his ears back.
“What happened to Jeffery?” So, he did not have the best memory.
“Dead. He didn’t recover from his wounds after our challenge fight.”
He made note of Ryan. Not sure why he bothered. Riverbend’s wolf pack changed betas almost on a yearly basis. That didn’t speak well for pack stability or the alpha’s leadership skills. Hell, he was a vampire and he understood this. What was the alpha thinking?
“I’m happy to oblige in hunting you down, Master of the City, but my alpha would like a word with you.”
Viktor eyed the suddenly polite werewolf. “You should’ve asked before hunting me across the city.”
“You ran before we could.”
He opened his mouth to respond and paused. Ryan spoke the truth. Had Viktor overreacted when faced with Riverbend’s pack while alone with Trixie? He thought not. “You could have approached me in a less threatening manner.” If they had been in human form, he would not have sent Trixie off alone.
Ryan smirked. “Yes, I could have.” He gestured to the other wolf shifters. “Bind him.”
“That is not—” Shoved from behind, he lost his balance.
It took every shifter on the roof to hold him down and bind his wrist behind his back with silver chains. The metal was of poor quality and did not even burn his flesh. Snapping it would be easy, but he did not want to escape yet. How else would he find out what the alpha wanted?
Trixie had had enough time to find Carlos. Viktor had sensed the human had a protective streak for new vampires. Carlos would make sure she returned to New Port. At the next chance, he would call the nest there to meet her feeding needs. Maybe he should ask Angie if Trixie could return to the castle. Viktor would not tolerate her living with Paulo.
Ryan took him by one arm while another soldier took the other. They guided him off the rooftop.
“How long of a run do we have? The sun will be rising soon.”
“We arranged a car.” The beta stood a head shorter than him. In single combat, a vampire would always beat a shifter, but werewolves tended to fight in coordinated groups. Something his kind lacked.
The staircase leading to the first door was empty, the building silent as the occupants slept. Outside, a car pulled up and parked in front of the exit.
One of the pack opened the back door. Inside sat Chris, the pack alpha, in human form. Soaking wet. He leaned back so Viktor could see the other passenger.
Viktor’s heart dropped.
“Hi.” Shoulders slumped and rain soaked, Trixie waved, a sheepish look on her face. “He caught me outside the club.”
Viktor broke loose of his werewolf guards. Before he could reach her, Chris pressed his clawed fingers around her throat. Viktor halted so fast the guards missed their mark as they tried to restrain him again. “Did he hurt you?” he asked his precious fledgling.
She shook her head and mouthed the words I’m sorry. He wanted to gather her in his arms and sooth the dejected expression from her face. Make her laugh, make her smile. She’d thought she’d failed him, but the opposite was the truth. He had failed her. He had placed her in an impossible situation.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at the alpha. Viktor had placed her in an impossible situation. Chris was smarter than Viktor gave him credit for. The alpha could not do him any real damage or keep him prisoner, but Trixie… She was still so young and fragile. The alpha could easily kill her.
Viktor entered the car.