With blades gripped in my hands, I slunk through the woods, treading as silently as possible as I headed toward the closest group. A rumble of growling flowed around me as I drew closer to my prey. Wolves circled the group, keeping their bodies hunkered down close to the ground, hidden among the ferns and low-lying brush.
My knives winked in the light of the full moon as I wiped away the cloak that had hidden me from the view of the humans. I smiled, my pale skin seeming to glow in the light that broke through the trees. They raised their guns toward me but offered no warning as they each fired off a shot. My smile never wavered as I dodged the bullets and then returned to my relaxed stance, casually spinning one knife in my right hand. Humans were an easy target for me after so many centuries fighting nightwalkers, lycanthropes, warlocks, and naturi. Under most circumstances, I could easily let them go with a couple superficial wounds and a good scare. But this time I was struggling to follow my own advice. They had attacked my friends and comrades. They endangered James’s life and now they were shooting at me.
“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.” Lunging forward, I knocked the guns out of the hands of two of the four men before plunging my knives deep into their abdomens. As they bent forward in pain, I pulled my blades free and turned to the other men. One managed to get a point-blank shot to my stomach. I lurched backward a step as the bullet ripped through me and into a nearby tree with a thunk.
“My turn,” I snarled before stepping forward. I grabbed the end of the gun and yanked it out of his hands before slamming the stock against the side of the man’s head, the wood splintering as he crumpled to the ground. With only one man left, the wolves hovering on the fringe of the fight lunged forward, taking him down before he could get off a shot. The two men I had initially wounded with the knives were also shredded into pieces.
Frowning, I reached down and grabbed the collar of the man I had knocked unconscious. A couple of wolves growled at me for taking away their prey, but they quickly backed off. As much as I hated it, we needed to keep a few alive.
Are you all right? Danaus suddenly demanded. I could sense him drawing closer to me, his concern wrapping around me as his powers searched my body. He knew I was wounded.
Just a minor flesh wound. You? I replied, warmed by his concern. It helped to temporarily wash away the hatred seething inside of me, demanding a little more blood of my own.
Couple scratches. I’m having trouble keeping these bastards alive. The wolves . . .
I know, they want blood, and they deserve it.
I’ve got two that I’m taking back to the clearing, he said.
I’ve got one. When you get to the clearing, stay there and guard the attackers. We need them alive for at least a little while longer so we can find out what’s really going on.
I’m not leaving you out there alone, Danaus warned.
There are only a few left and this is my domain. I won’t be alone. The wolves will help me finish this.
When I reached the clearing, I found Nicolai circling a hunter who was seated on the ground clutching his bleeding arm to his chest. The other wolves were hovering close on the fringe, snapping and growling as well. I dropped the unconscious man next to the other man. The wolves’ anger and sense of betrayal was thick in the air.
“Danaus is bringing two more,” I told Nicolai. “Keep an eye on them. Keep them alive. We need information.”
Nicolai answered with a disgruntled snort, but I knew he would follow the orders—he was a good soldier and loyal to his pack, even if he was planning to leave it.
“I’ll be back with more,” I said, and then smiled as another human cry of pain and horror echoed through the woods. The wolves had struck another blow. Entering the woods, I scanned the area, discovering there were only a handful of scattered humans left. They had disbanded in terror and were now trying to run for safety. Launching myself forward, I flowed through the woods like water through a well-worn riverbed. With a few well-placed hits to the back of the head, I knocked out three more before they could reach their vehicles at the edge of the forest.
I sighed as I tossed the smallest of the three men over my shoulder and dragged the other two back toward the clearing. The wolves would take care of the remaining two. There was no use trying to save them. Barrett’s pack never hunted humans. In fact, they were careful to steer well clear of any human territory. The worst that ever happened on a full moon hunt was that they might bring down a buck or flush out a few hares. They ran together as a pack, enjoying the stretch of muscles and the feel of the wind through their fur. They reveled in their connection to the animal that existed within them. The humans had tried to destroy that, and there would be no quarter.
Upon reaching the clearing, I dropped the ones I was carrying with the other survivors, bringing our grand total up to seven of the more than twenty who had gone out into the woods to hunt the shifters that night.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Barrett and the remaining members of his pack trotted out of the woods. A couple of the wolves were moving slowly, limping as they favored wounds. The man who had been shot in his wolf form managed to heal enough to change back into a wolf, though one side of him was covered in blood. His connection to the earth was stronger while in wolf form, and the earth magic had sped the healing process.
Turning slowly around the circle, I did a quick count and then sent my powers out into the surrounding woods. Everyone was alive and accounted for, to my relief. Barrett had lost enough already.
“You’re not one of them,” one of the captive men bravely said, breaking the silence of the group for the first time. “You’re one of them bloodsucking vampires.”
“That’s surprisingly astute.” I smiled wide enough to expose my fangs.
Reaching inside his shirt, he pulled out a large gold cross on a gold chain, dangling it in front of my face. “You’re not going to lay a hand on me!”
To my extreme surprise, Danaus stepped forward and wrapped his fist around the chain before jerking it from the man’s neck. He tossed it into the woods, putting it a good distance from the man.
“Traitor!” the man snarled, rubbing the back of his neck where the chain had temporarily bit into his flesh. “You’ve turned your back on the human race. Betrayed us! You’re worse than those monsters.”
Without a thought, I lunged toward the man who had insulted Danaus, aiming to bury my fangs deep into his throat and rip him apart, when Danaus stopped me. I growled at him as I tried to jerk free. He shook his head.
“I am one of you,” Danaus said gently, dousing my anger in an instant. “I want no claim to the human race if this is what they are to become.”
A surprised smile tweaked the corners of my mouth as I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close. The time when mankind discovered the existence of nightwalkers and lycanthropes was growing uncomfortably close, and deep down I had always wondered which side Danaus would fall on when the time came. Now I knew—he would remain at my side—and the knowledge was as sweet as the hunt.
“How did they know?” Barrett demanded from beside me, once again in human form.
I released Danaus and looked around to find that most of the wolves had returned to human form. Some of them had pulled on clothes, while others remained boldly naked, staring down the seven men who had hunted them.
There was only silence from the captives who sat at our feet, not that I actually expected any of them to speak up. Narrowing my eyes on them, I reached out with my powers and rifled through their minds, confirming my fear and guess. My stomach twisted and knotted.