Avenger's Heat (21 page)

The vampires remained preternaturally still, eyeing her and Noah as they slowly separated and spread out. The room was elegant and lined with wall-to-wall bookshelves. Erin kept her back to one of the shelves while Noah did the same. While these vamps weren't visibly armed, she knew that each and every one of them was damn dangerous. If her assumptions were correct, they were all bloodborns. At least two of them were. She knew that from her files. The others she'd never seen before. If they were bloodborns, they were stronger and faster than made vamps. When they struck it wouldn't be with man-made weapons, but fangs and claws. For the first time in a long time she had to leash her wolf who desperately wanted to come out and fight.

“Why are you in my home?” one of the vamps demanded, clearly Gervais Barrett.

She flicked a glance at LaPomeret whose face was a furious red, then back to Barrett. “Don't ask stupid questions. We've taken out your guards and we'll give you
one
chance to surrender. Your own people can deal with you. I just want the Tyson brothers.” Not exactly true, she'd deal with these monsters too. But first she wanted to see if their mates had been involved and if this ring was bigger than just the six of them.

Chris laughed, the harsh quality of it grating over her senses. His expression was dark and filled with unbridled hatred. “You stupid cunt. Why can't you just die?”

Before Erin could respond to his vicious words or even move, Noah flew across the room with a quickness that stunned her. Air brushed over her face as he tackled and slammed Chris's body into one of the bookshelves.

Then, all hell broke loose.

O
ne of the bookshelves splintered and cracked under the force of Noah slamming Chris into it. Erin wanted to jump into the fight and protect Noah, but as two vamps rushed at her with fangs gleaming and deadly claws flashing, she went into battle mode. Noah could take care of himself. She had to believe that if she wanted to stay focused. He was older and had been alive a long damn time. He hadn't gotten that way by sheer luck. Not in this violent world.

Dodging to the side, she avoided the sudden rush from the vamps. Without pause, she ran at one of the bookshelves and scaled it. The two males who'd originally come at her must have thought she was running because they gleefully cackled.

They sounded like something out of a bad horror flick. She resisted snorting in disgust at them. The framed leaf vintage lights that spanned out in a display similar to the ivy on Barrett's outer walls appeared sturdy. At least the base did. She sure hoped it was as she jumped from her high perch and grabbed on to one of the three lighting fixtures on the ceiling.

She grasped the mounted part, swung back, and used the momentum to turn her body into a weapon. Throwing herself at three vampires, she prepared to get ripped to shreds, knowing it would be worth it if she could pull off her plan.

Spreading her arms out wide, she angled her blades down on the two vamps flanking the middle one. With one vicious stroke she sliced off the head of the one on the right and nearly decapitated the one on the left. Warm wetness splashed her face but she ignored it. The sweet scent of vamp blood filled the air, adding to the horror of the battle.

As she tackled LaPomeret, the vamp in the middle, he sliced his claws into her. One hand grabbed her thigh and tore at her like she was paper. The other ripped into her waist.

Fire and agony erupted all over her body as she gritted her teeth and brought her knife down in the center of his chest. LaPomeret's eyes flickered to bright amber, but he stopped moving at least.

“Behind you!” Noah's shout rent the air.

Without looking, she rolled off him as one of the bloodborns sliced down with his claws, barely missing her and cutting across LaPomeret's jugular instead. Blood spurted everywhere.

Fighting through the burning pain in her wounds, Erin jumped to her feet and brought her blade down on the vamp she'd only partially decapitated and finished the job. Two down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Noah had taken down one too.

Okay, three dead.

He was still fighting with Chris and another vamp. As the vamp who'd accidently wounded LaPomeret jumped over his friend's twitching, but unfortunately still-alive body, Erin leaped over him and landed on LaPomeret's body.

Her boots slammed into his chest, pinning him as she finished what the other vamp had started with one clean sweep of her blade.

Now there were only two left. Erin swiveled and faced off with the other vampire. Barrett. He jumped back about ten feet and latched onto one of the bookshelves. “You're going to pay for this!” As he flew at her, she jumped over one of the tipped-over settees. His claws barely missed grazing her throat.

She was vaguely aware of the agony coursing through her from LaPomeret's earlier attack but adrenaline had taken over, drowning out everything else. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris attack Noah from behind, slicing his claws down his side. Erin started to cry out, but Noah roared, the sound eerie and all-consuming as he shifted to his wolf form.

He shook off Chris, then lunged at the remaining vamp he'd almost decapitated. He finished the job as his jaws clenched around the vamp's neck.

In that moment, Chris raced toward a curtain-covered window. He dove through as if he was jumping into a pool. Glass shattered, flying everywhere but before she could chase after him, the last remaining vamp launched at her again. She let out a growl of frustration. She wanted to hunt down Chris before he got too far away.

As he flew through the air, she used a broken piece of what had once been a table as a springboard to propel herself at him. Slashing out with both blades, she brought them down fast and hard on his neck from both sides.

His head hit the ground before she did. Noah had already started for the window to run after Chris and she was a step behind him. But she froze when three more vampires raced into the room. One she recognized as the vamp she'd tranquilized on the wall. Guess half an hour sleep time was a bit of an exaggeration. She'd have to thank Jayce for that later.

The vamps took in the room, murder in their gazes. Furniture was busted apart and covered with blood and body parts.

Panic exploded inside her at these newcomers. Not because she didn't think she could take them, but because Chris was getting away. Malcolm still huddled in the corner, looking like a scared bunny. Whatever Brianna had done to him had some serious lasting effects. Now his own brother had abandoned him, but Erin took no pity. He'd get what was coming to him soon enough. More time she spent fighting was more time Chris had to increase the distance between them. She held in a scream of frustration.

Noah dove at one of the vamps, his all-black coat gleaming under the lighting—even if it was a little bloody. In that instant, Ian sailed through the broken window with his sword and a shorter blade drawn. His crew was close behind, leaping through the window with a lethal grace that was beautiful to behold.

Everyone froze, including Erin and Noah, who'd stopped a foot in front of the vamp he'd been about to rip apart. The vampire watched Noah and Ian, looking between them warily and she saw a bit of hope in his gaze. Maybe because Ian was a vampire. She hoped Ian would be on their side, but she truly didn't know enough about him to make any assumption that could get her and Noah killed.

With inhuman quickness he threw the short blade at the closest vamp. It drove right through the middle of his chest, pinning him to one of the built-in shelves. The vampire cried out briefly but slumped against the blade a moment later. Then Ian wielded his bigger, scarier sword, like he was showing off that he knew how to use it.

Damn. Okay, Ian was definitely on their side.

And she needed to haul ass. “I need to hunt down a shifter that got away. He's involved in this mess, but I'll be back. No one leaves this house and try to keep at least one of them alive.” At that, she sprinted toward the window, ignoring Ian's crew. She glanced at Noah who was a step behind her. “You all right?”

He let out a yip and kept running. She inwardly smiled. As long as he was okay, she could deal with anything. Noah was a giant black wolf and would probably scare the shit out of any humans that saw them—and her blades and blood-covered self probably looked awful too—but Erin didn't care. She was catching Chris once and for all.

Heart racing, she jumped through the broken window and plunged into the semidarkness. As she sprinted across the lawn she nearly stumbled when Chris dropped down from one of the low-hanging branches of a live oak, his canines bared, eyes glittering with hatred. What the hell? Before she could formulate anything audibly, he answered her unspoken question.

“I know you'll keep coming after me and I'm not spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder,” he growled, circling warily.

His clothes were shredded and his face was covered in bruises. Blood was also smeared all over his body, some of it his, some Noah's if she scented right. She could kill him for that. The thought that he'd even scratched Noah let alone done worse made Erin's claws ache. But she kept her cool.

Noah had come up next to her and he made a move to go after Chris but she held out her blade in Noah's direction. Without looking at him, she said, “No. This is between me and him. I don't care what happens, stay out of it, Noah. I'm declaring a
nex pugna
.” Technically that was a death match between Alphas but Chris would understand the sentiment. She wasn't stopping until one of them was dead.

Chris glanced at Noah and practically smirked when he focused on her again. “You really want to take me on by yourself, little wolf?”

She snarled and took a step forward with a calm she didn't feel. “You're so fucking pathetic you couldn't even kill me when I was
pregnant
. I was as weak as a human and I still had enough strength to withstand your beating.” Erin couldn't believe it when her words came out calm and steady. Inside she was shaking like a leaf, though her wolf was just plain pissed. She wanted blood.

His eyes spewed rage and hatred. “I made a mistake, but I won't again. I'm just glad I killed the baby. The thought of having a kid with you . . .” He shuddered as if the idea repulsed him.

Erin wanted to remain in control. She fought so fucking hard, but she couldn't hold back anymore. This monster had not only taken her unborn child, but her chance to ever have children again. His words set her inner wolf free. With a rage she didn't know she was capable of, her inner wolf took over, ripping aside the human veneer with razor-sharp claws until her animal was the one in control.

Erin was vaguely aware of Noah creeping up close to her. She briefly turned her head and snapped her jaws at him, ordering him to back up. When he didn't move she swatted her paw at him. She was so damn close to giving in to her animal instinct completely that she didn't want to hurt him if he jumped into the middle of this.

He moved back.

As she turned to face her enemy, Chris had shifted too. He was big, a brown-and-gray wolf that stood maybe five feet tall on all fours. She was a little smaller and though she couldn't see herself knew her coat was a shade darker than her auburn hair.

They started circling each other, slowly moving around. She was aware that some of the vamps in Ian's crew had come outside, but they were standing back. Noah was still nearby but he'd given her a wide berth.

Blood and tears.

That's all she could see in her mind for a moment. Her own blood. So much of it. And blinding tears when the doctor had told her the depth of what she'd lost. She could even smell the garbage and days'-old food from that alley Chris had dumped her in when he'd thought she was dead.

She wanted to attack outright, but her wolf was having none of that. A born predator, she knew more than Erin. Doing what she hated most, Erin let her animal take even more control until all she saw was the enemy.

Prey.

The wolf in front of her might be big, but she was faster and deadlier. Drawing on her speed, she stepped back and ran toward the back wall.

Her prey howled, taking chase. Picking up speed, she darted around the back corner of the house. The yard was big, with a surprising amount of open land and trees. Her paws pounded the earth as she pulled even farther away from the other wolf.

He thought she was afraid. That she was running.

He should be so lucky.

On a burst of energy, she quickly rounded the other side of the house and made a beeline for another giant live oak. The branches swooped out low, some touching the earth. But others were much higher, running parallel to the wall.

That's where she wanted to be. Racing up one of the low-hanging branches, she jumped from branch to branch until she reached the wall. Launching herself, she landed on all fours. As she skimmed the top of the west wall, she crouched, using the tree as cover. She'd have only seconds now.

When her prey rounded the corner, snarling and clearly agitated, she went completely still. It raced past the tree and her, running for the front of the house once again.

She jumped from her perch, wondering how long it would take him to figure it out. Silently, deadly, she ate up the distance between them in seconds. He was weak and he would soon be dead.

She was so close she could taste her victory. Could feel her jaws snapping around his neck. Her hackles rose, tail puffing up in preparation for the attack.

Chris raced on, his legs stretching and straining as he foolishly tried to catch her. Up ahead Noah and the vamps waited still, watching. That's when her prey realized his mistake.

He slowed and turned his head, his actions a fraction faster than she'd anticipated. She was already in the air, pouncing with her claws at the ready, jaws open wide. Instead of landing on his back like she'd planned, she tackled his big form and sank her canines into his side instead of his neck.

He yowled in pain and thrashed against her as she dug deeper. Her prey was going to feel her wrath in a way he'd never imagined, he was going to pay for all of his sins here and now. She ripped through fur, skin, and bone as she connected with his rib cage. A crack rent the air as bones broke and blood filled her mouth.

He shrieked more than howled at the pain she knew he must be feeling. Suddenly, sharp claws pierced her sensitive underbelly as he twisted their bodies and gained more purchase. He was thrashing around, not fighting like a true predator, but his adrenaline would be raging now.

Releasing her grip, she rolled to all fours and he did the same, facing off with her, his jaw open wide as he snarled at her.

Slowly, she started backing up and stupid wolf that he was, thought she was running again. Or at least afraid.

Not of him. Never again. The pain was still there though, lurking right under the surface, spurring her on. This bastard had taken so much from her. Too much.

Yelping as if she was scared, she turned, tucked tail and ran toward the wall. She could hear his yowl of victory and the sound of his paws slamming against the ground as he gave chase.

She couldn't wait to end him.

Instead of racing toward the wall, she aimed for one of the ancient oaks and with her unsheathed claws she scaled the bottom half before releasing and turning on her would-be attacker.

Her timing was perfect as she landed on his back. It was a dirty move, but she wanted him to suffer before she finished him off. Her wolf was bloodthirsty. Ripping through his tail, she sliced through it until he screeched in agony and twisted, throwing her off.