“How nice of you to come to me, my dear. Now we really must be going. I’ll come and visit your friends again some time.”
“No.” She couldn’t let him live.
Craig would always be in danger.
“Let her go, Drake,” Craig demanded.
Vladimir’s hold on her neck tightened and threatened to snap her neck. She didn’t think that would kill her, but she really didn’t want to test it.
“Have you taken a lover, my dear?”
His words were mild, but she could feel the fine tremor in Vladimir’s arms, feel his anger beating at her.
“No.”
“Yes,” Craig contradicted, practically taunting the older vampire.
“She is mine and she will never be yours. Let her go. Fight me, unless you’re afraid of me.”
Vladimir roared and the power behind the ear-splitting sound shattered all the liquor bottles behind the bar.
They exploded outward, sending shards of glass ripping through the air like deadly missiles. All the werewolves ducked, but not all of them got out of the way in time to keep from being hit.
She heard a female cry and a male’s yell of concern. Teague dragged his mate to the side and worked quickly, carefully removing several large shards from her bare arms and one from her torso, while ignoring the several pieces piercing his own body. Benjamin, the dark-haired werewolf who’d given his blood to Craig, yanked a six-inch jagged piece of glass out of his leg and tossed it to the floor.
Evie sensed their pain and smelled their blood. She struggled harder, but Vladimir’s grip on her was as strong as an iron bar across her throat—
unyielding and potentially deadly.
He grabbed her braid and yanked her head back, exposing her neck. “If you’ve had her, then maybe I’ll just drain her dry.” Her stomach roiled when Vladimir licked her neck. She desperately tried to get away, but he held her as though she were a rag doll. His strength was astounding.
“Coward,” Craig taunted. “It’s easy to subdue a woman or even a human. Bet you’ve never taken on a male of your own kind.”
Vladimir laughed, the sound low and deadly. “I killed my maker and he was much older than you. I can squash you like a bug whenever I choose.”
Evie wanted to yell at Craig to shut up even though she knew he was stalling for time until Damek came. She turned her head so she could see Craig and was rocked by the pure determination and banked fury in his gaze. He really wanted to fight this crazy vampire.
She had to think. There had to be something she could do to get Vladimir away from here. “Let’s just go.” It wasn’t easy to speak with him choking her, but she managed. She had to get him away from Craig and his family and friends before anyone else was injured.
“See,” Vladimir taunted. “She wants to be with me. Don’t you, Evie?”
“Yes.” She’d lie to the devil himself if it got Vladimir away from here. “Let’s go. Now.”
“So eager.” Vladimir smirked at Craig. “You must not be very skilled in the bedroom, my friend, if she is so eager to leave you.”
Craig’s gaze never wavered, never changed. She could practically hear him thinking and planning, examining and discarding various scenarios, trying to figure out how to defeat Vladimir.
Isaiah exploded into the air, morphing into a giant wolf as he flew across the room, his heavily muscled brown and black body flying toward them. The massive muzzle with sharp teeth closed the gap between them in a heartbeat. Vladimir, caught off-guard, all but threw her at the massive beast.
At the last second, Isaiah twisted his huge body in midair. She hit him full on and they both went flying. Before she could recover, the wolf clamped his jaw around her arm and dragged her away from Vladimir. Powerful jaws that could easily harm or kill were gentle and protective with her.
Craig saw his opening and pounced.
He sliced at the vampire with his knife, catching Vladimir in the arm. Vladimir cursed, his eyes blazing, fangs glinting in the light. Before her very eyes, the deep cut began to close.
Vladimir attacked, backhanding Craig. The blow would have shattered every bone in his face if he’d been human. But Craig was fast. Somehow he managed to avoid the worst of the strike, but he still tumbled backward, knocking a table and several chairs askew.
Evie scrambled to her feet and launched herself onto her enemy’s back.
Without hesitation or thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted, determined to break his neck if she could.
Roaring his displeasure, Vladimir reached behind him. He grabbed her hair and yanked her forward. Evie flew through the air and crashed into a table, splintering it into pieces. The blow knocked the air out of her lungs, but she didn’t stay down. She couldn’t. Craig was on the attack once again.
“I will kill you all,” Vladimir promised. And Evie believed him.
Tonight would mean the end of either him or them, because there could only be one winning side. And in spite of the number on their side, the odds weren’t necessarily in their favor.
If it were closer to dawn the wolves would have a definite advantage, but she sensed the fight would be long over by then. Vladimir was smart and cunning and wouldn’t allow the battle to last that long. He’d run if he had to, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.
The male werewolves had all shifted and attacked as a pack, moving quickly forward and back, nipping at the vampire but managing to stay just out of his reach until one got too close.
Vladimir swatted one brown wolf, sending him flying. Evie had no idea which one it was. Maybe Kevin, the quiet one.
Isaiah was coming up behind the vampire as Craig attacked from the front.
Evie reached beneath her sweater in the back and drew out the wooden stake she’d hidden there. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would definitely slow him down.
Stake in hand, she hurried behind Vladimir. Isaiah saw her coming and moved out of her way. Evie didn’t hesitate. She rammed the stake through the vampire’s back beneath his left shoulder and prayed she’d hit his heart.
Vladimir lurched forward and whirled around, his gums drawn back over his elongated fangs. “How dare you? I made you. I gave you more than your puny human existence. And this is how you repay me.” He reached around and yanked the stake from his body.
Blood spurted from the wound, but he ignored it. Vladimir pulled his arm back and threw the stake like a dagger. Evie managed to jump to the side, but it struck her in the arm and drove her backward.
Pain shot threw her shoulder and coursed down her body.
Craig howled and attacked, forcing Vladimir to turn away from her and defend himself. They couldn’t beat him.
He was merely toying with them. She could see that now.
She yanked at the stake in her arm, biting back a cry of agony as she pulled it out. Pain radiated down her arm. She ignored it and the blood that quickly soaked her clothing and spilled onto her hand. Tightening her grip on the wooden stake, she moved forward. She’d kill the bastard if she had to hack him up one
tiny piece at a time.
The two vampires continued to grapple with Craig surprisingly holding his own. Evie moved closer, ready to strike the second she got an opening.
Craig could smell Evie’s blood and it made him crazy. He could also smell werewolf blood and knew several of them had been hit by flying glass. The vampire had gotten in a few strikes when his friends had attacked as well.
Vladimir Drake had hurt Evie, his family and friends, and therefore he had to die. He couldn’t be allowed to live. If he did, he would always be a danger to the Haven pack, and most especially to Evie.