Fire Dancer (Spellbound in Sedona #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

INGO

I paced by the fence of La Puebla for the hundredth time, then swore. The nanny cam had been blocked for ages, and when it did come on again, it showed Pippa heading down a hallway — and not coming back.

I threw down my night vision goggles and started ditching the other equipment I’d brought.

“Fuck this. I’m going in.”

I couldn’t mind-speak to Pippa from this distance, but I could sense her general state of mind, and her anxiety had just spiked.

Kyle Williams, police officer and member of Twin Moon pack, grabbed my arm. “Not yet. Backup isn’t fully in position.”

“To hell with backup,” I grunted, heading for the fence.

Pippa had disappeared minutes ago, and every second had been an eternity. Was she all right? Had Jananovich caught on to her? Was she being attacked by a vampire right now?

She’d sent a series of pictures and brief comments an hour ago, but since then, there’d been nothing. Nothing but the sounds of a party in the main house. A vampire party.

My blood boiled.

The chain link fence surrounding La Puebla rose and fell with every contour of the mountain, but my concern for Pippa carried me over easily.

Kyle grabbed the fence from the outside. “Wait!”

I shook my head. Waiting meant death. I was sure of it.

“Stand by,” I grunted. “If we’re not out in fifteen minutes, I need you to come in. All of you.” I shot a meaningful look at the shadows in the slope above us.

A contingent of wolves from Twin Moon pack had concealed themselves all around La Puebla, but concern over drawing the attention of the agency or making a powerful vampire enemy meant they would only rush in as a last resort.

As far as I was concerned, this was our last resort.

Apparently, they had different ideas.

Let me out! my wolf howled as I ran in a crouch.

I was dying to release my inner beast and let him rage, but human form was best for now. A fact proven two minutes later when I took out the man standing guard at the delivery entrance to the main house. I could muffle his shout with one hand and wring his neck with the other.

Brutal? Yes. But I wasn’t taking any prisoners tonight.

Human form also came in handy for silently turning doorknobs and stealing through the halls. The house was a goddamn maze, but instinct guided me around every turn without so much as a pause.

That way, my wolf pointed, urging me on.

I threw open one door, then stared at the pile of ash on the floor.

My wolf cheered. Pippa one, vampires zero.

I hurried onward, checking the adjoining rooms. Earlier, I’d seen a dozen vampires enter the premises. Even eliminating one left many, many more to go.

And what the hell was Pippa doing, killing vampires? She was supposed to set up the camera, then get the hell out.

The party was in full swing down the hall, but to the right… The scent trails were confusing as hell, with lots of movement back and forth. Pippa had been by several times.

Right, my wolf barked.

I took off at a jog, then slowed to check a corner. Four steps later, my nose caught an acrid smell, and I peered into a room on the right.

“Shit.” I cursed, halting my right foot an inch above another pile of ash. I crouched and poked at the remains of a sequined cocktail dress. A female vampire? I narrowed my eyes on the shape protruding from the back. The remains of a stake, though it was mere charcoal now.

As far as I knew, Pippa hadn’t gone in armed with stakes. She hadn’t gone in armed with anything but a tiny camera and her own wits. What the hell was going on?

A bump sounded in the next room. I froze, then rushed into the hall and burst through the adjoining room just as a body thumped to the floor. Two women leaped back when I entered, and—

“Pippa?” I stared.

“Ingo!”

My wolf howled in glee. She was alive!

Her eyes filled with joy, then panic.

“Wait!” she cried to the second woman.

I turned in time to grab the woman’s arm before she staked me too.

“Watch it,” I ordered, gripping her arm tightly.

The woman was a terrier — small but ferocious.

“It’s okay.” Pippa hustled closer. “He’s with us.”

I stared. Who exactly was us?

“Ingo, meet Delaney. Delaney, meet Ingo.”

I nodded but didn’t let down my guard. Honestly, the woman looked borderline deranged.

Not deranged. She’s on a mission, Pippa murmured in my mind. There’s a fine line.

Well, maybe. But Delaney was definitely teetering toward the dark side.

Pippa touched me, and every nerve in my body calmed. Slowly, I released the woman’s arm, and we both stepped back.

“Delaney is Janet’s sister,” Pippa explained softly.

My brow folded. Police research hadn’t come up with any such relation.

My skepticism must have shown, because Delaney chimed in next.

“Technically, her stepsister, through her mom marrying my dad. Eventually, they divorced, but Janet and I were always close.” Her eyes shone with grief and anger. “Sisters, through thick and thin.”

So that was why police hadn’t found the link — and why Jananovich hadn’t caught on to Delaney either.

I eyed the stake. “Have you two been…” I trailed off, incredulous.

“Luring in vampires one by one and offing them?” Pippa supplied.

Delaney gave a proud nod, and they exchanged high fives.

“You bet your ass, we have,” Pippa finished.

I didn’t know whether to cheer or yell.

“What happened to setting up the camera and getting out?” I asked.

Pippa shrugged. “I guess we had a better idea.”

Delaney moved to the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

I stared. How long was her hit list?

Long, I decided. With Jananovich at the top.

Still, I tugged her back.

“Offing them one by one will only work for so long. Sooner or later, Jananovich’s security guards will catch on, and what will you do then?”

And, uh-oh. Delaney had an eerie sense of calm about her. Kamikaze-style calm.

“That’s why I’m going for Jananovich next.”

Her tone was as flat and emotionless as a person giving driving directions. Go left, then right, then stake a vampire in the heart…

I eyed the stake in her hand. “How many of those do you have?”

“Last one. And it has Jananovich’s name on it.”

Literally. I could see the letters etched into the wood. Wow. She really had it in for the guy.

Pippa hurried to the desk, then motioned to me.

“This is the office. Jananovich’s office.” She tapped the desk with both hands.

I met her eyes, then looked at the desk, wishing for X-ray vision.

“So?” Delaney asked, annoyed.

“Evidence,” Pippa whispered.

“Evidence?” someone echoed from the door, and we all whirled.

My hackles rose, and I spat his name. “Jananovich.”

The son of a bitch ignored me, keeping his eyes on Pippa. Two more vampires crowded the doorway behind him.

“Evidence of breaking and entering,” Jananovich said, smooth as can be. Only then did he acknowledge my presence. “Evidence that will put you away, Agent Kemper, for a long, long time. Not just for harassment, but for corrupting and enlisting these innocent young women to do the dirty work in your misguided cause.”

“Corrupting?” Pippa screeched. “You’re the criminal here.”

I curled my hands into fists. As absurd as Jananovich’s accusations were, he’d found ways to make false allegations stick before. He could find a way again, especially if he still had an insider at the agency.

Pippa bristled from head to toe, while Delaney seethed.

But this wasn’t another ambush where all it took was timing to plunge a stake into an unsuspecting foe. That required a hell of a lot of moxie, but still. Taking on a vampire head-on was a whole different kind of fight. A quick one, and the vampire wasn’t usually the one to spill blood.

“Criminal?” Jananovich shook his head sadly. “I can see Agent Kemper has presented you with his twisted facts.” He sighed and turned to his guests. “Gentlemen, I regret the disturbance.”

The big, olive-skinned guy on his left grinned, showing the points of his fangs. “On the contrary. A dinner party is always nice, but nothing beats a good digestif.”

I’ll show you a digestif. Pippa’s eyes blazed.

I glanced around for a way out. A wolf’s odds of beating a vampire were fifty-fifty at best. But a vampire with backup on his home turf… Those odds were closer to nil, even with Pippa and Delaney at my side.

Not good.

Edge toward the window. I shot the message into Pippa’s mind. Get ready to open it.

I’m not running away from that jerk, she retorted.

I shook my head a tiny bit. Not to run. To call in Kyle and his pack.

And, whew. Pippa inched toward the glass expanse.

“The only question is, who gets whom?” One of Jananovich’s bloodsucking buddies grinned.

Jananovich smirked. “As a good host, I’ll share, of course…”

I growled.

Ignoring the warning, Jananovich pointed to Pippa. “However, I would appreciate getting to sample that one first.”

My wolf tore out of me so fast, I only felt the pain of the lightning shift after a delay. By then, I was hurtling through the air, aiming at his throat.

And just like that, the fight was on.

Pippa! I yelled into her mind. Call for help!

Then I grunted and rolled, body-checked aside by Jananovich’s buddy. The swarthy vampire was obviously itching for a fight. The shorter Latino stepped forward too, stripping out of his jacket like a gentleman getting ready to duel.

Vampires. Such fucking snobs.

I whirled, lashed out with my claws and fangs, then skittered back and snarled.

Jananovich remained behind his buddies, more focused on Delaney than me.

“Now, now,” he said in an annoying, singsong tone. “I’m sure we can clear everything up.”

Delaney stared at me — but to her credit, didn’t run or scream at the sight of a wolf — then turned to Jananovich, clutching her stake. “Clear up killing Janet? Not happening, asshole.”

“Janet?” he cocked an eyebrow. “Her death was a tragedy, but it had nothing to do with me.”

Delaney snorted, and I growled, then jumped aside as one of the vampires lunged forward. The next minute passed in a blur of fists and fangs. Then we broke apart, panting.

Cool air kissed my cheek, telling me Pippa had the window open.

“Help! Over here!” she yelled into the night.

Jananovich tsked and turned to the burly guard who’d just arrived on the scene.

“Check on that, please.” Jananovich sent him off again — but not before I caught a whiff of the man’s scent.

Bear shifter. The one who’d driven Stacy.

My hunches had been right. But we needed help, and fast.

Kyle! I yelled at the top of my lungs. It came out as a guttural roar, closer to a lion than your average wolf.

But I was not your average wolf. Not when fighting for my true love’s life.

Jananovich’s friends stood shoulder to shoulder, preparing their next attack. The swarthy one seemed familiar, though I couldn’t place him.

Meanwhile, Jananovich continued speaking to Delaney. “Just put that down, and everything will be all right.”

In my peripheral vision, I saw her go stiff. Shit. Jananovich was enthralling her, and it was working. Worse, it seemed to be working on Pippa too. She froze by the window, staring into space.

Shit, shit, shit.

Jananovich chuckled. In the same instant, his buddies lunged for me.

Vampires were lightning-fast, with long, claw-like nails. One sliced across my shoulder in the tussle that ensued. Hissing in pain, I landed my own blow, sending the smaller vampire careening into the first. Then I stepped back, snarling at Jananovich.

The bastard chuckled, focused on Delaney and Pippa.

“That’s right. Put down the stake. Step back. Take a deep breath.”

And, crap. Delaney did as she was told, moving robotically. Pippa wore an equally vacant expression.

I screamed inside. No, Pippa! Don’t fall for it! Don’t listen!

Fear struck me, because what if this was it? The wolves of Twin Moon pack weren’t charging to our rescue — yet. Neither was the agency, which I hadn’t involved — except for sending Nash a last-minute message to notify them. Pippa and Delaney were my only allies on the inside, but Jananovich was neutralizing them both. The moment I fell — and sooner or later, I would — Jananovich and his guests would devour them in a gory feast.

I unleashed another loud growl, praying for help from Kyle or Nash. Without them, we were doomed.

Then my eyes caught a tiny movement. It was Pippa, slowly bending her fingers in a motion I’d seen before. The night of the bonfire, when she’d left even her father spellbound.

Maybe she wasn’t enthralled. Maybe she was working on her own trick. I didn’t dare look closer for fear of alerting the vampires, but I could sense her mind ticking away.

My hopes soared, or at least peered up from rock bottom. If I could hold off Jananovich and his men a little longer, Pippa might be able to catch him by surprise, and the tables would be turned.

That, or I was imagining things and we really were doomed.

The vampires flexed their claws, preparing for their next attack. I growled and stepped forward, sliding all my chips to one spot in a last, desperate gamble.