Betrayed in Blood (Of Blood & Dreams #6)

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Decker’s wolf chased the vampire, slamming into his back and dragging him down. The wolf immediately went for the neck. He was taking a chunk out of it when he heard the gunshot. The vamp struggled to toss the wolf off when Decker stopped and turned to scan the area.

A wolf lay on its side. It was impossible in the darkness of the driveway to see who it was. A vampire stalked toward it, the gun still in his hand as he raised it for another shot. Decker was too far away to get to him in time.

Out of nowhere, another wolf flew out from the shadows and took the vampire down. There was no mistaking this wolf. Full black, blending with the night—Elijah. That meant the downed wolf was Rachel.

Elijah ripped into the vampire’s throat, chomping at muscle and tendons until the body went limp. He lifted his blood-soaked muzzle and glanced around until he spotted Decker. His lips lifted in an angry snarl before he lifted his head and howled.

The musical notes sent shivers over Decker. It was a call that couldn’t be ignored. His wolf instincts took over, and much like the beast inside a vampire, Decker no longer had control.

It was war.

The red wolf glanced around in search of other prey. He sighted in on another vampire. The wolf, even in a manic rage, could identify friend from foe. He ignored this particular vampire, recognizing him as one of his temporary pack and, not seeing another immediate threat, glanced down at the vampire who was building strength beneath him.

The wolf nudged him with his muzzle. Then he sniffed at the vampire’s neck, licked it, and let the taste of blood fill him with centuries-old hatred of those who’d kept them down. Treating them no better than dogs in chains.

He howled in return, pleased as the sound echoed through the night. When the vampire beneath him squirmed, the wolf bore his teeth before tearing into the bloody neck, ignoring the screams that finally quieted as the head separated from the body and rolled away.

He didn’t stop there. His ears pricked.

Another vampire shot out into the night. Then another one after that.

One of Decker’s vampire team members chased after them, but the red wolf was faster. He raced past the vampire and met up with the black wolf. Even though Decker had been the team leader before the shift, his wolf slowed, allowing the black wolf, as Alpha, the first kill.

The two wolves took the vampires down in what their team members would later say was an amazing synchronous attack. And while the swiftness of their kill was a bit unnerving to the vampires, they understood why their House leader had partnered with the shifters. And if nothing else came of that night, a stronger bond had formed between the two species.

Decker, taking control of his wolf but remaining in its form, laid down next to Rachel. He was still keyed up. Elijah, who’d taken the time to shift back to human, knelt naked next to him and ran a hand down his back, ruffling his fur.

“Be calm. The enemy has been vanquished.” Elijah gave him two more strokes before turning his attention to the vampire kneeling over Rachel. “I could hear her heartbeat before I shifted to human.”

The vampire nodded. “She’s alive. It’s a leg wound. My concern is the loss of blood. We just cleared the scene with Sergi. The healer is on her way.”

His words were barely out of his mouth before a car pulled up. Soon, Madame Saldano and another healer dropped next to Rachel.

“Can you make her shift?” Madame Saldano asked.

Elijah nodded and bent low. “Rachel, you need to shift.”

The wolf whined and began to struggle, but nothing happened.

“Rachel, I command you to shift. Now.”

Elijah’s fierce command rolled over Decker but kept him alert for danger. All the others took a step back as the gray wolf, whimpering in obvious pain, gave a short yip and morphed into a naked woman with blood soaking her legs.

The healer went to work, but Decker refused to change. Not until he knew Rachel was alright. Not until he was comfortable there were no more enemies.

His ears pricked when the vampires became agitated. When he shifted to wolf form, he’d lost his earbud, so he had to wait for someone to share the information that had rattled the team.

“What is it?” Elijah asked.

“It’s Simone. She’s near death.”

“Send in the healer. Rachel can wait.” Although Elijah said the words, Decker didn’t believe the Alpha meant them but understood this was the vampires’ mission. Their packmate would have to wait.

But the vampire and healer both shook their heads.

“The house hasn’t been cleared to send anyone in,” the vampire said.

“Besides, I need to get this bullet out before she can shift again,” Madame Saldano replied. “It’s silver. I’m impressed you actually got her to shift. It helped bring the bullet closer to the surface. Once I get it out, you’ll need to make her shift again.”

“But Simone—” Elijah didn’t get any more words out before the vampire spoke.

“Devon and the cadre’s orders. Treat who we can once the target area has been secured. Most grievous injuries first, regardless of species.”

Decker whined and howled. He understood Devon’s wishes, but Simone was his friend. He laid his head down and put a paw over his muzzle as Elijah rested a hand on his back. Madame Saldano would never defy Devon’s orders.

Blood donors stood ten feet away. Unable to do anything but wait.

The two vampires exited the house together and raced toward Lucas. Not that they could see him. When they got closer, Lucas drew out a throwing star and was ready to let it fly when he saw the gun rise in the lead vampire’s hand.

He’d heard shots coming from the house and knew they were carrying, but what a cowardly action. Though he’d been aiming at the first vampire, he changed direction and threw the star. It flew by the vampire with the gun with less than an inch to spare, and though the whirling blade had bypassed him, he stopped to rub his cheek, discovering the throwing star had missed him.

Behind him, however, the second vampire stumbled and fell forward, face-first into the lawn. He wouldn’t be down for long.

The first vampire refocused on his exit strategy and lifted his arm, the weapon once again trained on Lucas. Before he could get a shot off, a blur raced in from the right.

He had no idea Ginger could move that fast, but she’d taken some of his blood before the mission. It must have hyped up her metabolism. At first, he assumed it was one of the other team members, but there was no mistaking the ponytail.

The second vampire was rising, but another team member raced out of the darkness and, with a single swing of her blade, removed his head.

Lucas went after Ginger, who must have wrestled the gun away from the vamp because it went flying into the night. The vamp pushed her off, but she was getting up, and as soon as she was on her legs, she gave him a roundhouse kick to his head before he could get off his knees. He went down.

Lucas grabbed her, but it was like pulling a wild cat from a fresh kill. She wasn’t done. He clamped his arms around hers and dragged her away as the vampire attempted to rise. He never made it to a knee before his head slid off his shoulders.

Lucas nodded at Roberta. Blood dripped from her sword, and she grinned at them as Ginger stopped fighting. He let her go, and they stared down at the headless vamp.

“We should get the gun,” Ginger suggested.

Then, the voice came through the earpiece. “Simone is down.”

They listened for another thirty seconds before Ginger started to run, but Lucas tugged her back.

“We’re not done with our assignment.”

“It’s Simone.” Ginger pulled away.

“What can we do?” Lucas wanted to go to Simone, but they weren’t healers.

“I’m a donor.”

That stopped him. Sometimes, he forgot she was human, especially when she fought like she did.

“Go. We’ve got this.” Roberta nodded to the other five on their team, who had gathered but were still monitoring the house for movement.

Ginger didn’t hesitate. She was flying across the yard with Lucas right behind her, catching up and passing her before she made it to the back door.

He stopped before opening it. “The house hasn’t been cleared. I go first.”

She opened her mouth, must have recognized his own stubbornness, and nodded.

He wasn’t sure where Simone was, but he found two downed vampires on his way toward the foyer. Neither of them were team members. Doors along the way had been smashed open or ripped from their hinges, giving him a clear view to confirm they were empty.

The first team member he ran across was holding his arm, probably waiting for it to heal based on the blood dripping on the floor.

“Where’s Simone?” Lucas asked.

“The kitchen.” His eyes glowed with the beast. “It doesn’t look good.”

Ginger must have had enough of the stalling because she pushed past him before he could stop her. They’d all memorized the floor plan, and she didn’t hesitate as she cut through a room with a second exit that led directly to the kitchen.

Neither of them could have anticipated what they found. Four team members were in the kitchen. Levi, the vampire from the city safe house, was holding Simone’s head in his lap while the others stood at the door perimeters, moving aside as Ginger barreled her way through.

There was blood everywhere. It wasn’t all Simone’s. Three other vamps lay headless on the floor. But glancing at Levi, his pants were soaked in what must have been her blood.

“The house was just cleared, but the healer has been delayed. One of the wolves was shot, and she went to them first since she couldn’t get in the house.” He stopped and listened to something coming through his earpiece. Sergi must be giving information to specific team leaders since Lucas wasn’t hearing anything.

“It will be another five minutes.”

Lucas nodded and turned in time to see Ginger pull her dagger and slice her wrist. When she knelt next to Levi, he opened Simone’s mouth. Blood dripped into her mouth, and Ginger pushed down on her forearm, forcing the blood out faster.

“Is she hurt anywhere else besides her head?” Ginger asked.

It was obvious she had a head injury based on the blood-soaked kitchen towel wrapped around it.

“Her arm took a good slice. It’s healing but not quickly.”

“Show me.”

Another towel had been lying over Simone’s right arm, but Lucas had assumed it was to replace the head bandage, which clearly needed to be changed. When the towel lifted, Simone’s shirt had been cut away from the wound. It was a long cut, but he couldn’t tell how deep from where he stood.

Ginger dripped her blood over it until Levi nodded. He grabbed a fresh towel from behind him and covered the arm. Ginger then placed her wrist on Simone’s mouth.

“Drink, Simone. Drink.”

Lucas knelt next to Ginger, helpless to do anything. Everything they could do was being done. All he could do was watch Ginger’s tears fall as she tried to save her friend.