Lords of the Were (14 page)

“There’s someone approaching through the woods from the north.

They’re human and trying to move with stealth, which doesn’t bode well for their intentions. We’re going out to meet them, but you need to stay here, sweetheart. We need to know where you’ll be.”

“I don’t like this.”

Rafe had to smile at her show of backbone. Their mate was feisty, as it should be. He leaned down to give her a quick, smacking kiss.

“Just do it, Allie. For me.”

“And for me.”

Tim’s gruff voice sounded as Allie was yanked gently from Rafe’s arms. Rafe grinned as his tough-as-nails brother laid a kiss on Allie that was so hot it could melt iron. He did it fast though, knowing they had to get outside before the approaching threat could get too much closer to their home—and to Allie.

Her expression was dazed as Tim let her go and headed for the door.

“Stay inside,” Rafe said with a grin as he followed his twin. He locked the door on his way out for good measure.

Tim signaled to Rafe as they maneuvered around the clumsy human a few moments later. They were closer to the house than they’d like, but it couldn’t be helped. The man was forty-ish with straggly blonde hair and a weak chin. He didn’t look like much of a threat but the twins took nothing for granted.

The man was clearly trying to tread quietly through the forest, but few humans could pass were hearing. Only certain highly skilled woodsmen, a few dedicated magic users and some of the more supernatural inhabitants of the globe even had a chance.

As the thought crossed Tim’s mind, so too did the sudden whiff of something…not quite right…reach his sensitive nostrils. He started with alarm as the faint scent of old blood reached him again.

Vampire!

The thought screamed through his brain. This was no simple lost hiker or anything remotely innocent. This was an attack!

“Stop right there.” Tim’s low, commanding voice halted the human in his tracks as Tim stepped out from behind a tree, directly into his path.

“Oh, you frightened me.” The human seemed to want to dissemble.

Tim tipped his head, considering. Could the human be the hunted and not the hunter? Perhaps the bloodletter was after this man and that’s why he was stalking through their woods. Or maybe the human was somehow in league with the vampire, though Tim had no idea how that could work. Last he heard, vampires didn’t mix well with anyone—

particularly not were, and humans were only a little better.

“You’re on private property.”

Tim felt Rafe circling around behind the man. The quick glimpse he had of his twin’s eyes told him Rafe too had scented the bloodletter and

was staying hidden for now. Rafe would shift, to be ready if needed.

They’d run this game many times while hunting. It was familiar to them.

“I didn’t mean to trespass.”

“Is that so?” Tim appeared at ease, but every muscle in his body was poised to spring.

“If you’ll just point me back toward the road, I’ll be going.” The human turned around in a grand gesture, as if searching for the road that was nowhere nearby. Tim saw the glint of gunmetal against the stranger’s dark coat a split second before the shot rang out.

It was enough. That quick glance and his were reflexes had him springing out of the way just as a gleaming silver bullet imbedded itself in the tree behind where Tim had been standing.

“Now that’s not very nice.”

Tim had the satisfaction of seeing the human tackled from behind by Rafe, in wolf form, just seconds later. The man sprawled on the forest floor and Tim snatched up his gun. Emptying the barrel, five more silver bullets trickled down to litter the ground.

“Silver? What do you think we are?”

“Were wolves,” the human spat as Rafe’s claws dug into him. The man couldn’t move with over two hundred pounds of angry were wolf on his back.

“Now why bother with a puny human when you could fight a much more worthy opponent?”

The new voice came from directly behind Tim.

The trace scent of old blood floated to the were twins as Tim spun to face the newcomer.

“We have no quarrel with you, bloodletter.” Tim’s voice was firm, as was his stance. He realized this vampire was an old one, from the way he held himself and his ability to move

undetected by his sharp were senses. There was also a lost quality to his icy eyes that boded ill.

“What if I have a quarrel with you?”

The vampire moved closer, his stride slow and easy, his gestures nonchalant, but Tim knew it was all a ruse. The creature was poised to strike given the least provocation.

“Now what could you possibly have against me? I’ve never even seen you before.”

The vampire shrugged. “It’s not you personally, but your kind. You see, many years ago your people killed a very dear friend of mine. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to pay the were back.”

“What has this human got to do with it?” Tim nodded toward where Rafe still had the human pinned, but never took his eyes off the bloodletter.

“He’s simply a means to an end. He knew you two were the current lords of the were. He agreed to lead me to you so I could leave the were leaderless as they left me friendless.”

Tim turned that over in his mind. How in the world had this human come by such knowledge? All were guarded the alpha primes’ identities.

It was a sacred trust. But somehow the human had known who they were and where they lived, and he’d teamed with a vampire to get them out of the way.

That could mean only one thing.

“Venifucus! ”

Tim spat the word, turning to the human with rage, but the vampire chose that moment to spring. It was all Tim could do to dodge the worst of the vampire’s blows, panting as he grappled with the immense strength of the ancient creature.

He heard Rafe’s howl and saw only a flash of a blade as the human scurried off. The vampire inhaled with a sinister smile as Tim scented his

twin’s blood and singed fur. A quick glance told him Rafe was stumbling after the man, slowly making his way back toward the house. Someone had to protect Allie!

But Rafe was hurt badly and the vampire was a more than worthy opponent. Whether Rafe would make it in time to protect their mate was doubtful. A pain gripped his heart as he realized his twin could very well be breathing his last at this very moment.

If Rafe failed, it would be up to Tim to fulfill their pledge. Allie’s life was on the line, but this damned bloodletter was standing in his way.

With a snarl, Tim renewed the fight. He shifted half-way, gaining strength and deadly claws while remaining on two feet to face his opponent. It wasn’t easy to hold this form, but Tim would do anything to save Allie.

Moments later a wicked slash appeared across the vampire’s chest.

Mild surprise showed on his face for a moment. Nodding, he smiled wickedly.

“First blood is yours, my friend, but I will have the rest. Every last drop.”

Dante licked his lips as he advanced. This were wolf was good, but he was better. He’d had centuries to develop and perfect his skills, plus vampires were naturally faster than even were.

“You can try, bloodsucker, but you won’t succeed.”

“You have spirit, pup. It’s almost a shame to kill you, but I’ve had a grievance with your kind for over a century. It’s time for a little payback.”

“You bastard! What grievance do you have against our mate? That’s who the human is after. Damned Venifucus! ” The enraged were wolf spat blood from his injured jaw to the ground at Dante’s feet in clear challenge. “And you’re working with him! He’s trying to kill the future

High Priestess of the Lady. If your soul isn’t damned already, it will be if your cohort succeeds.”

Dante stood back, weighing the were wolf’s shocking words. He knew of the dark deeds of the Venifucus. He’d had a nearly disastrous run-in with them three centuries ago, but hadn’t heard anything of their doings in decades. He’d thought they were extinct like so many of the other dark societies that had sprung up over the years.

“Who is the High Priestess?” Dante asked cautiously.

The angry were stood back, panting. “Betina. But our mate is her successor. She’s only just been consecrated. She has few skills as yet.” Dante was rocked to the depths of his damned soul. “Vabian is not merely human. He’s a powerful warlock.”

“Fuck!” the were wolf cursed.

“I didn’t know.” Dante’s anger was slow to burn, but it was heating mightily at the thought that Vabian had used him. “I would never harm a priestess.” The stark truth of his words cut through the stillness of the forest as if the very trees held their breath to see what would happen next.

“But you’ve helped a killer to her door.” The were wolf advanced on him, coming right up into his face. “The question is, what are you going to do about it now?”

Dante held the were wolf’s gaze for a long, testing moment, then stepped back.

“Go to your mate. I’ll not interfere further.” The were wolf nodded, shedding the rest of his clothes. “We’ll settle this rest of this later. If she dies, there’s no cave deep enough where you can hide from my people.”

In a flash, the were shifted all the way to the form of a huge wolf and bounded through the trees. Dante watched after him as he disappeared into the forest, cursing the human who had so easily played him.

Dante didn’t like being played. He hadn’t been so gullible since he’d first been turned and even then, the few who had crossed him had paid with their lives. Eventually.

He wasn’t so patient now. The mage would die at his hands, if the were wolves didn’t get him first. Of course, if the young priestess was already dead, Dante knew his end would soon follow. One didn’t aid in the murder of a priestess—even a young one—without consequences.

The end of his existence didn’t bother Dante as much as the thought that any small chance at redemption would be forever lost if the girl were killed. Until that moment he hadn’t quite realized how much he still craved that ultimate reward, the return to the ranks of the blessed rather than the damned. Suddenly he wanted that chance more than anything and he saw it slipping through his hands. If the girl died, so too would his chance.

Her mates were strong fighters, but Dante couldn’t trust his own fate to them. One was already badly wounded and the other might not have the skill to face a magic user of Vabian’s caliber.

There was only one thing to do.

Dante harnessed his power and shifted. A sleek, midnight black wolf sped through the forest a moment later, fast on the heels of the were wolf.

Something was wrong. Allie heard the pitiful yelping as Rafe, in wolf form, staggered onto the porch. He was bleeding badly and growling at her in a way that told her to stay inside even as she came to the door.

Only seconds later, a huge fireball hit the side of the porch, just missing Rafe. Sparks rained down to dissipate harmlessly against the wood, though the whole house shook with the force of the blow.

Magic!

Allie felt a tingling in her newly awakened senses. This was not good.

The flavor of this magic, the scent of it, turned her stomach. She was confronting evil. Allie looked up to see a man approaching from the woods, a flashing silver blade in his hands, dripping with what she could only assume was Rafe’s blood. But where was Tim?

The man raised his arm and she saw the bright ball of orange flame form in the palm of his hand just before he lobbed it at the house. Again the solid structure rocked on its frame, and Rafe growled deep in his throat, placing himself squarely between the danger and Allie.

But he was wounded! Allie saw the blood flowing out of him and the dark stain of the wound that would have crippled any normal creature.

The magic user raised his arm once more and Allie’s heart lumped in her throat as she saw the man aim for Rafe as he slunk down the steps to open ground, in a brave, last-ditch effort to stop the man.

In a moment of foolish courage, Allie stepped from the comparative safety of the house and ran down the porch steps. She jumped at Rafe a

split second before the man let loose with a huge ball of magical energy—

glad when he redirected it to her instead of poor, injured Rafe. Allie poured all her energy into the shield she’d been learning to construct as her feet hit the ground.

She thought it was all over for her, but to her amazement, the rudimentary shield held. She looked up to see the sparks dissipating in a sphere around where she stood. The mage stopped dead in his tracks.

“What do you want?” Allie faced the man with all the courage she could muster, though she was shaking on the inside.

“I want you dead.”

The strange mage launched another volley directly at her but the firebolts bounced off the circular shield that formed like a bubble around her body. Even as she ducked, the bolts came nowhere near her, repulsed about a foot away. She felt the power though, draining her own newly discovered energy and she knew she couldn’t take many more hits like this.

She had to get to Rafe. He was trying to stand and fight, but he was far too weak. Allie prayed like never before, using the words Betina had taught her as she called upon the Lady she served for the first time in dire need.

Raising one hand, she felt the power gathering and flowing through her, pulsing out in a wave that knocked the mage to his knees, his expression stricken. At the same time, Rafe stood, renewed by the energy wave, not completely well, but better than he’d been.

“Come to me, my love.” Allie’s whispered words drew Rafe to her, within the circle of her protection. She clutched him close as he collapsed in front of her, panting heavily. He faced the mage, baring his teeth and snarling as the man tried to rise once more to his feet. Allie clutched Rafe by the fur of his neck in fear.

“Stay with me, Rafael,” she whispered as she bent only slightly to reach his ear. “Tim is coming. Stay with me, my love. We’ll protect each other.”

Tim broke through the line of trees in time to see the mage regain his feet. A quick glance showed him Allie was right in the line of fire. His heart raced and caught in his throat to see her outside the safety of the house. But Rafe was with her, guarding her, though he looked to be in bad shape.