He saw when things went south the moment before they did. Alex was holding his own against a warlock who was as drained as the rest of them. It was the female vampire who fucked things. Time stretched into slow motion as he watched her slam a fresh magazine into a Beretta and swing it around to point at Alex.
Merek didn’t hesitate, didn’t think, just launched himself forward and prayed he made it in time. One step, two, and he was airborne, catching the wolf around waist and sending the boy crashing to the carpet.
Merek’s body jerked as searing heat and power slammed into his back, his side, his chest, spinning him around like a puppet with broken strings. Another strike to his chest, and one to his injured leg that drove him into the floor.
Some part of his mind knew they were bul ets, that he’d been shot. More than once. But a haze swam through his consciousness, and he couldn’t seem to piece everything together. They were stil in danger. He should do something, but what that was drifted just beyond his grasp.
There was screaming, and golden flames danced in front of him, driving away the enemies. That was good. Alex stood over him, fangs bared, a roar of anguish and rage rending the air. Merek blinked in confusion as the world revolved around him. Someone was rol ing him onto his back.
“No! Please, no.” Chloe swirled before his eyes, her precious face tear-streaked. Her hands were frantic as they ripped open his shirt, but he knew she didn’t have enough magic left to stop al the bleeding. He could feel blood pumping out of him with every beat of his heart. “Don’t leave me, Merek. I need you. I love you! Please don’t leave me alone. Please! ”
He wanted to reach for her, wanted to touch her so badly, but he couldn’t make his arms move. Couldn’t speak, couldn’t warn her to run before they came for her, could only stare up into her hazel eyes. Her broken pleading trailed off into ragged weeping as she used al of her energy to try to pul bul ets from his body. A body he felt disconnected from. There was no pain, no panic . . . nothing.
It was funny. Al this time, he’d worried about failing her, about failing Alex, about not being able to protect them because he couldn’t see their future. About someone else he cared for dying on him. Now, he was going to fucking die on them, and who would protect them then?
Blackness edged into his vision, and he coughed, his mouth flooding with his own blood.
It tasted bitter.
14
Chloe woke to darkness.
It took everything she had not to scream as blind terror exploded through her. Her blood froze in her veins; her heart stopped and then jackhammered against her breastbone. The blackness closed in around her, suffocating her. She lay on her side, and her hands were bound behind her, bronze blistering her flesh. Her fingers trembled, and she fisted them tight, trying to fight down the need to gag.
She didn’t know where she was, just that she was bronze-bound and alone in the vast, gloomy nothing.
It was the sum of al her fears. Her stomach heaved at the thought, and she swal owed bitter bile that coated her tongue. Sweat slid down her face to burn her eyes. Tremors ran through her muscles, and she panted, her face pressed to the hard, cold floor.
Something landed on her back, and she bucked, biting back a terrified shriek. Whatever was on her rol ed away, but she knew it wasn’t gone. She could hear it breathing. She went rigid, waiting for the next nightmare to materialize. Sandpaper rasped against her left cheek, and she flinched away from the harsh sensation.
“Prrp.” Ophelia laid a paw against her cheek, then rubbed herself down Chloe’s torso. How her familiar had gotten here, Chloe would never be able to guess. The cat crawled over her and settled against her back, vibrating with a purr. A few seconds later, the bronze shackles clanked to the metal floor.
Chloe choked, freed, but reminded far too much of being stranded with her familiar in the forest as a child. Only this was worse, because now she knew the danger she was in, knew there were people out there counting on her to help them and not just herself. She couldn’t give in to her fears; as much as she wanted to curl up and sob as she once had, she didn’t have time for any weakness.
Alex and Tess needed her.
She got a vice grip on her control, pul ing her injured wrists into her chest. Forcing her mind to focus on healing spel s helped drag her back from the abyss. She clenched her jaw to stop her teeth from chattering.
Wherever she was, there were vampires and werewolves out there, and they could hear if she made too much noise.
Swal owing hard, she forced back the darts of panic that shot through her. Memories exploded through her mind. Merek shot, bleeding out faster than she could extract the bul ets and seal the wounds. A screaming and struggling Tess hauled away from Luca by a werewolf. Alex roaring, so much grief on his face it hurt to recal it. He’d left her with Merek, shooting forward to attack those who’d hurt a man they both loved. The teen’s body had frozen after no more than two steps, his muscles flexing in uncoordinated jolts as if he were struggling against himself. His eyelids fluttered, and he shook his head hard, prying them open. A vampire stood across the room, her gaze locked on Alex’s face—hypnotizing him into unconsciousness.
Chloe had stopped healing Merek long enough to heave one of her fire canisters at the bloodsucker, but the other woman had stepped smoothly out of its path. She didn’t even lose eye contact with Alex. Merek choked, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. Energy she didn’t know she had poured into him for the spel s, and she’d felt her own grip on reality, on life, begin to fade. Jerking, she’d tried to refocus on Alex, searched for him . . . and was caught by the vampire’s gaze herself.
That was the last thing she remembered, before now.
Patting her hands along the hol ow metal floor, she tried to feel for anything that would orient her. A van?
The space felt smal enough for that. She fended off a wave of dizziness as the darkness assaulted her once more. A tiny part of her couldn’t believe this had happened again. Trapped in the black, scorched by bronze, those she loved most lost to her, perhaps forever. She snorted, tears stinging her eyes, hysteria rising.
No. She was no longer a scared child. She refused to let her fears rule her, refused to let them freeze her up. She didn’t know where she was, but she knew it was nowhere she wanted to be. She didn’t know where Alex and Tess were, but she doubted it was any safer. Luca and Merek were— Agony poured through her like acid, and she pushed that away as wel . Not now. If she survived this, there would be plenty of time for grief. Years. Decades. Centuries.
She shuddered, but made herself complete her train of thought. As far as she knew, both men were dead.
No one was coming to save them. No one was going to protect them. No one was going to get them out of this. That was her job now.
Cracking open her senses, she tried to stretch out her magic and see if there was anyone else within reach. Nothing stirred outside the van, but there was a flurry of activity in the distance. Her ears buzzed with the life forces of many different kinds of Magickals. Mostly wolves, which only made her bel y cramp tighter.
She’d never felt so many wolves in one place at one time. This was not good.
Her hand came into contact with the side of the van, and she got to her knees to try to feel around for the door. Quietly. Was the van parked on the street? In a garage? Could she scream for help? If she did, would anyone but the wolves hear her? She didn’t know so she couldn’t risk it.