“So sorry, I’m afraid this is going to be the last bag, darling. Feeling weak, are you?” Étienne asked, placing it into the cooler.
Wynter’s eyelashes fluttered. Unable to speak or move, she lay face up, staring up at the rusted metal ceiling. So this was how she was going to die? A tear ran down her face as she thought of how her life might have been with Logan. They would have mated. Wynter realized she wanted a wedding, with Jax giving her away. She wanted Logan’s children. Together forever. But, sadly, it was all a dream. She was dying. Peacefully accepting the inevitable, she closed her eyes and prayed that Logan would survive without her.
Logan’s clothes were off as the airboat hit the bank. Man to wolf, he’d morphed to his beast. Wynter. He smelled her blood and couldn’t contain the rage. Tearing through the brush, he rammed into the flimsy door. Vampire. His mate. He growled, saliva dripping from his lips, and lunged.
At first, Étienne thought he’d heard Fiona returning, but quickly surmised it was an animal. As the menacing wolf crashed through the door, he clutched Wynter’s shoulders and wrapped a muscular arm around her neck. He glared at Logan, daring him to come closer. Grateful that Fiona had taken the frozen blood, he’d have to abandon the rest of the bags. His bargaining chip for his escape was thankfully still breathing, albeit on her way to death. Still, he dangled her in front of the Alpha.
“Good dog,” he jeered. “That’s right. Look what I’ve got here.”
Logan hit the floor frozen as he watched the vampire lift Wynter into the air by her throat. His vision. Oh Goddess, no. He heard and smelled Dimitri and Jake approaching and barked, warning them not to proceed.
“Amazing how responsive animals are when given the proper motivation? Look at your mate. Like a docile puppy,” he whispered in Wynter’s ear.
Wynter’s eyes flew open. She recognized the three wolves before her but was unable to speak. As the life drained from her body, she wished she could tell Logan one more time that she loved him, but she couldn’t utter even a hushed word. Struggling, she mouthed, ‘I love you’. Tears fell from her eyes. She hoped he’d find another mate someday, be happy. There was nothing he could do. Even if the vampire released her, she was dying.
Logan transformed to man. His eyes bored into the demon that held his mate.
“Give her to me now,” he demanded. Logan recognized the vampire as the one from the club with Devereoux, yet he let no hint of recollection show on his face. A shadow of doubt crept into his head. Just how far was Devereoux involved in this mess?
“What makes you think that’s going to happen, wolf? I’ve got Dr. Ryan. I plan to walk out of here, get on that boat…”
“And what boat might that be? My boat?”
“Fiona…she’s waiting,” he stammered.
“She’s gone.” The chinks in the vampire’s arrogant armor became apparent. Fiona must have betrayed him as well.
“Liar!” Étienne screamed.
“Jake, take Zeke, go after her. She can’t have gone far,” Logan commanded.
The walls closed in around the vampire. Choices dwindling, he’d have to fight his way out of the cabin and take the Alpha’s boat to shore. How hard could it be to get out of this godforsaken swamp, anyway? Fiona would surely be waiting for him. Without his brilliant mind, she’d never get what she wanted from the virus.
“My mate. Give her to me now, and I’ll grant you mercy.” Logan’s cold voice resonated throughout the cabin. Dimitri lowered his head.
“I’ll give her to you,” he smiled. The lilt of his voice wavered in preparation for what he was about to do.
Étienne was a great fighter, he thought. A mere wolf could not challenge him. Wynter’s blood had charged his system. He’d created her, and her special blood now ran through him, making him stronger than any supernatural. As soon as he tasted the Alpha’s blood, the lupine vitality would flow into his veins making him nearly invincible.
Logan tensed in preparation, waiting on the vampire to drop Wynter. He’d show mercy all right. He’d stake him quickly as opposed to tearing him apart limb by limb and then decapitating him.
“Mine,” he growled.
“Not anymore.” Before Logan could charge, Étienne extended a large claw. As if slitting the throat of a farm animal, he slashed it across Wynter’s throat. Her eyes bulged right before he tossed her to the floor.
“No!” Logan screamed. As he leapt into the air, he transformed into wolf. Flying directly at the vampire, he lodged his teeth into the vampire’s neck.
Étienne flailed at the wolf, digging his claws up into Logan’s gut. Eviscerating the Alpha, he tore open the fur. Blood sprayed onto the floor. An enormous burn flared inside Logan yet he refused to release the vampire. He’d killed his mate. No death or torture would appease the revenge he sought. No matter what pain he felt, he’d kill him.
Dimitri transformed to human, scooping Wynter into his arms.
“Wynter, please, oh Goddess,” he cried at the sight.
Her pale skin was split open laterally, exposing her trachea’s cartilage. He frantically pinched the skin together. Tearing a swathe of cloth from her shirt, he applied pressure to the wound. A sob escaped his lips as he realized it was too late. Logan would never recover from her death, nor would he. Helplessly, he continued to try to stop the bleeding as her heartbeat slowed.
Logan saw Dimitri out of the corner of his eye with his mate. The vision of Wynter dying played out before him. As the vampire shoved his hand up further into his abdomen, he summoned every power he’d been given as Alpha. Strength. Perseverance. Domination. Logan concentrated, focusing his powerful jaw muscles and forced them downward. The crushing pressure sliced through the tendons and muscled tissue, tearing at the vampire’s carotid. Wrenching backward, his beast broke away taking the dark flesh with him.
Blood spewed wildly as the vampire stumbled forward, still attempting to leave the cabin. Logan, gravely injured, shifted back to human. Enraged beyond reason, Logan lunged onto Étienne’s back wrapping his arm around his already wounded neck. With every ounce of energy he had left, he pressed his knee into Étienne’s back, forcing him onto the floor. With a final twist of his arms, he snapped the vampire’s neck. Fighting for breath, Logan’s beast was unsatisfied. He’d show no mercy. As the vampire’s remains twitched on the ground, his eyes searched the room. Stretching to reach the broken chair, he tore off a shard and drove it into Étienne’s heart.
Logan roared in agony, turning to Dimitri. While the shift had healed the gaping hole in his abdomen, his heart felt as if it had been decimated. The grief on Dimitri’s face confirmed what he’d already known. Wynter was dead. He dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, sobbing. Taking her into his arms, Logan gently cradled his mate.
Fiona leapt from the boat. A few more feet and she’d drive to safety. She knew they were hot on her trail, but she also knew that she was still a few steps ahead of them, as always. Stupid wolves. They always assumed that mere muscle would allow them to lead. Maybe she’d never win a physical challenge, but it was just a matter of time before she had every last wolf begging at her feet. Revenge would be sweet. She’d infect them all with the virus. Then she’d be their savior, whether they liked it or not.
Fiona grabbed the laptop bag and hoisted the small cryo-freezer onto the dirt. Heavy as it was, she only had about a hundred feet to travel through the brush before she reached the small clearing. Shoving the boat adrift with her foot, she set out on her journey. Her eyes darted from side to side. It was quiet. Too quiet, she noted. Not even a cricket could be heard. But she kept on her path, only fifty more feet and she’d be at the car.