Page 98 of Come for Me
I look for weak spots among them and notice rogues with chunks ripped out of their ears and others missing fur from being bitten previously. This tells me they’re survivors of previous battles, but they’ve slipped up, causing those battle wounds.
The vampires are new, making them eager, impulsive, and less strategic but quicker, which leaves minimal recovery time and little to no room for error.
Clumps of them gather in front of us, each with varying ratios of vampires to rogues than the other. Her best chance is the one with more rogues.
“You take the left. Watch for fangs.”
Even though they aren’t planning to kill her, that could change at a drop of a hat. Especially rogues, who’ve been without order and law for so long. After not having to control their anger for fear of repercussions, they forget how to rein it back in.
The faster I kill all my enemies, the sooner I can assist her and get her to safety. Until then, she can hold her own.
They charge in all at once, leaving no space for us to shift, so we fight in our human form. The first vampire lunges and misses, allowing me to throw him off the side of the ledge. A rogue fails to nip at my leg. I protrude my claws and rip its heart out.
Two more charges at me, and I kick one in the face while biting into the other. I peer over at Alaina, who’s on the back of some rogue, taking her claws, reaching in front of it to slice its neck. A growl of approval leaves my throat.
A vampire creeps behind her, its intent to jump and pull her off the rogue bleeding out beneath her.
“Alaina, behind you!”
She snatches the vampire, falling off the rogue’s back, and rolling until she’s on top of him. With the help of her wolf, her canines elongate, and she bites the shit out of the side of the vampire’s neck, then claws at its chest until she reaches its heart and chomps into it. Destroying the vampire’s lifeline completely.
Her canines are out, eyes glowing violently, blood dripping down the sides of her face, her chest and neck.
My deranged queen.
Appreciating the savagery of my mate, I forget my surroundings, allowing a vampire to jump on me. We fall, with his hand gripping my throat. Half my upper body is hanging off the ledge, hovering over the fluffy trees covering the rocky depths below.
With better leverage and full access to my wolf, I could easily buck him off of me, hurdling him over the cliff, but I’d topple with him at this angle, killing us both. I settle for what I can, digging my claws in his hand and clawing at his eyes with the other. My talons leave marks across his veined face, but it’s not enough to get him to relent.
I’m fighting consciousness when waves of anger hit me, but these emotions aren’t mine. The vampire is tossed over my head, disappearing into the depths below. The loss of his grasp around my windpipe has me coughing.
Alaina kneels next to me, checking me over. “Are you okay?”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“What’re you talking about? I saved your life.”
I laugh. “Exactly. Hard to deny you care for me moving forward after you’ve prevented my death.”
She rolls her eyes playfully.
I brush the hair out of her face, cupping her cheek. “Am I wearing you down, little one?”
Staring into the violet swirls of my guardian angel, I sense something different from the usual regretful lust wafting off of her. Like her eyes, they’re hypnotic, easy to get lost in.
Before I can name the feeling, a rogue bites her leg, throwing my precious darling like a rag doll into a tree trunk. Tree bark crushes from her impact.
She thuds to the ground, pressing a hand onto her injured leg. Judging by the twisted angle of her limb, it’s not broken, but it’ll take a day or two to heal completely. Her whimpers and cries call forth this unhinged wolf, red taking over my vision.
Whipping my head to the rogue who dared to hurt my girl, I pounce on the scum, calling forth the strength of my wolf to my human form, hurling him at the vampires trying to creep up on me from behind, tearing out a chunk of his throat in the process.
“Dax!” Alaina screams.
Rogues and vampires lurk toward Alaina, who’s struggling to stand.
I barrel through the mob, planting my body firmly in front of her, snarling at the filth plotting to get their hands on my queen. Ready to kill whoever dares try to take her from me, I fling any rogue or vampire off the edge who’s dumb enough to get too close.
But there’s still too many, and without my formidable queen able to fight by my side, I’m forced to take them on alone in only half of my wolf form. We need backup—and fast.
