Unable to take flight, Malcolm tumbled over the side of the barn, shifted midair, and landed with an audible grunt on the grass below. He wrestled with consciousness and nausea as he attempted to push himself onto his knees, but the pain was overwhelming. Something warm and wet seeped down his belly, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was blood. As he rolled onto his back and covered the weeping wound with his hand, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
A split second later something slammed into the side of his head, and as the world went dark, he heard a voice whisper, “Two down, and several more to go.”
“How did you get in here?” A crashing sound from the recovery room captured their attention in the hallway as Steven’s angry voice filled the space, along with the sound of the puppy barking frantically. “You stay the hell away.”
“Tatiana and Kerry, stay here with Dante,” William shouted.
“Are you kidding?” Kerry yelled as the four of them ran into the medical suite.
William and Dante, with their guns drawn, pushed open the door and found Steven standing protectively in front of Courtney’s bed in his coyote form. Growling and snarling, hackles raised, he was ready to pounce as he glared at the young woman through bright green eyes.
A young blonde Amoveo girl stood at the far end of the room looking terrified. Her clothes were torn and bloodied, and she looked as though she hadn’t bathed in weeks. Her energy waves rippled with anxiety, her large green eyes were wide with fear, and she twisted her fingers nervously.
Dropping to her knees, she raised her hands in a clear sign of surrender.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she whimpered, as long hair fell over her face.
“Holy shit,” Kerry breathed. “It’s Savannah.”
Dante and William kept their guns trained on her, and tension in the room was so thick, Tatiana thought she might choke on it.
Static flickered, and Steven shifted back to his human form.
“I should rip your fucking throat out,” Steven seethed. “After what you and your father did to her, you have the nerve to show yourself here?”
“You’re all in danger.” Savannah’s voice was small and shook with fear as she cowered on the floor. “You have to believe me.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Kerry pushed past the others before squatting down in front of the girl.
“Be careful, princess,” Dante said evenly. He stayed close with his gun aimed at Savannah’s head.
“I think I’ll be just fine.” Kerry extended her hand and grinned. “Given your pathetic state, I shouldn’t have too much trouble reading you. Should I?”
Savannah shook her head furiously and placed her hand in Kerry’s. Their bodies jolted as the connection was made, and the room filled with a familiar humming as everyone watched in riveting silence. After what felt like forever, Kerry dropped the girl’s hand and rose to her feet.
“You’ve been hanging around here?” Kerry said in disbelief. “In your clan form. You’ve been hiding in the mountains ever since you brought Courtney back here. Haven’t you?”
“Yes.” She nodded and wiped tears away with the back of her hand. “I couldn’t go back. Not after getting Courtney out. My father’s resources were dwindling, and there were so few Purists left, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to care for her or the baby, and her condition was getting worse. I knew she’d be safe here with all of you.” Savannah lifted one shoulder and gave Steven a sidelong look. “And I knew Steven would care for her, but… I—”
“You couldn’t just leave her here, could you?” Tatiana asked quietly. She pushed past the two men and stood next to Kerry. “You stayed close so that you could keep an eye on her and make sure she would be okay.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “And besides, I had nowhere else to go.”
“She didn’t have anything to do with Matt’s disappearance either,” Kerry added. “She’s been skulking in the mountains, but far as I can tell, she hasn’t hurt anyone.”
“If you didn’t take Matt, then who did?” Tatiana asked, almost not wanting to know the answer. “Where is he?”
“I’m sorry.” Savannah’s green eyes filled with tears. “He’s dead—he’s—”
When Tatiana heard the words, it was like getting punched in the gut. Matt was dead. Her friend was dead because of her.
Savannah’s jaw went slack, and a funny, glazed look came over her face as she wavered on her feet. Tatiana and Kerry grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling, and a moment later, she blinked as she gasped for air, holding onto the two women for dear life.
“You get visions too?” Kerry asked with surprise, and she locked eyes with Tatiana. “I’ve never met a pure-blood who can do that.”
“Oh my God. He—he shot Zachary and Malcolm.” Savannah looked from Steven to Courtney and tugged on Tatiana’s arms. “Please, we have to get her out of here now. He’s not stopping until all of you are dead.”
“It’s Eric. Son of a bitch,” Dante seethed as his amber eyes gleamed brighter. “I can’t reach Malcolm or Zachary. Something’s definitely wrong. God damn it. Eric’s a fucking Purist.”
“No.” Savannah shook her head and flicked her frightened gaze toward the door. “He’s not a Purist. At least, he’s not working with my father and the others.”
“Then what the hell is his problem?” Kerry asked in complete exasperation.
“How do we know she didn’t do something to them?” Steven seethed. “I’m not going anywhere with her. She could be working with Eric or the others and this could be a trick.”
“I read her memories, Steven,” Kerry said urgently. “She hasn’t been with Moravian or the other Purists in months, not since she brought Courtney here. She’s not lying.”
“Please,” Savannah whimpered and looked around wildly. “There’s no time to argue. We have to get out now. Eric is Guardian of the ranch, and he knows this place better than any of you. There’s nowhere to hide. He waited until Dominic and the prince left. Please.”
“She’s right,” William said. His eyes glowed black in the eyes of his falcon. “We can’t stay here. We should take everyone to the vampire stronghold in New York.”
“No.” Steven shook his head furiously. “Courtney has expressed her dislike of vampires in the past, and I won’t take her anywhere that could impede her healing process.”
“Steven, you’re being unreasonable,” William chided.
“Fuck you, Willie.”
“Oh, that’s quite mature.”
“We can go to my place in Oregon,” Tatiana said quickly. “It can buy us time. Eric isn’t mated with any of us, so he didn’t imprint on us, and he has never been to my home. He can’t just blink himself there. Right? I mean, he might figure out where we went, but he’d have to drive or take a plane. Right?”
Tatiana held her breath as the seconds ticked by, and she glanced at the door, worried that any second Eric would burst through and shoot them. Great, the bad guy was armed to the teeth too.
“Go.” Kerry grabbed Tatiana and Savannah by the arms, pulling them over to William. “William, you keep that big fucking gun on Savannah, and if she looks at anyone funny, you blow her head off.”
“I won’t do anything,” Savannah whimpered. “I swear to God.”
“Ah yes,” William simpered and pointed the gun at Savannah. “The promises of a Purist are so reliable.”
“What about you?” Tatiana looked from Kerry to Dante as Savannah clung to her like a frightened child.