Blood Moon, Original Version (Shifters #1) (6 page)

             
They landed by a door, a doorway that would lead them out of this place.

             
Nate put her down and growled, “”Go!” their eyes locked. Maxine knew those eyes. Even in his werewolf form, the eyes were still Nate’s.

             
She started towards the door but stopped when she noticed he was not following. He growled more ferociously this time shoving her towards the door. “Go now!”

             
Maxine turned and ran to the door not looking back this time. She understood. This would be her only chance; Nate would stay behind holding them off as long as he could to give her the chance she needed to get away.

             
There was only one problem, neither of them bargained on the vampire on the other side of the door.

             
Maxine stared into the dangerous eyes of a blood thirsty killer. It was a trap…he had been waiting for her.

             
Nate tensed himself ready for the attack approaching him. Maxine was gone. He had led her to safety. He might lose his life but now she would live hers, and that was enough to make the fight well worth it.

             
He could let her go now, finally concentrate on the mission and hopefully take out the vampire master with him.

             
Nate would never return to his pack. They would choose a new leader when he was gone, but his pack would be rid of their threat and be given a chance for their own survival.

             
Nate blocked the entrance to the door. The first attack came from above. A vampire that had scaled the ceiling dropped down on him taking Nate down to the ground with it. Nate shifted his body to the side, and rolled into a stance. He slashed the vampire across the chest straight to the heart. Just as that vampire was taken care of, another was on him and it continued to go on like this until Nate noticed something was not right.

             
Not once had any of the vampires approached the door that Maxine had gone through, maybe they had not noticed. No, that was not right. There was no way they could have not seen.

             
They were up to something, and all at once he knew, it had been a set up. They had been pushing them in this direction all night.

             
Nate held his claws ready at his side. He scanned the room only to see something that held him in shock.

             
Crowds of vampires parted, and between them walked the master vampire.

             
But it was what the master vampire held in its clutches that really caught his eye, caught in a tight embrace of the creature’s arms with frightened eyes was Maxine.

Chapter Nineteen

              The master vampire jerked Maxine’s body up off the floor holding her in midair against his chest. The master vampire had grabbed her on the other side of the door. She had fought but was no match for the creature. The master vampire knew that Nate would not attempt to attack their creator, there were too many of his minions in the room. Nate was outnumbered. His minions would protect their master; they would do anything that was asked of them.

             
Maxine squirmed and fought against the vampires hold. Even she, being a mere human could smell the stench of death rolling off of the creature. Never in her worse nightmares had she imagined anything so vile and evil.

             
“I can smell you’re fear, it’s almost as sweet as the smell of your blood.” The creature stuck out its hideous tongue and ran it down the length of her face and neck. She tried to jerk away from the vampire but it held her tight.

             
It whispered its vile words into her ear, “Soon child, soon you will belong to me. But first you will watch the werewolf die.”

             
Fear gripped Maxine, not entirely for her own life, but for the life of Nate.

             
She didn’t care that he had rejected her, she knew now that he had only done it to protect her. More than once he had proven that she did mean something to him, and he meant something to her.

             
But now Nate was going to die, the master vampire had used her to get to him. Now she would be cursed to become one of the vile creatures.

             
Rage filled Nate. The sight of the master vampire with Maxine brought on a blood lust all of his own.

             
The vampire looked at Nate with blood red eyes. “That’s right dog, I have the woman. Too bad you will be dead by the time I turn her.” The vampire taunted Nate, wanted him to make an attempt to save her.

             
Before tonight, Nate would have never of risked a mission or his own life to save a mere human, until tonight, until Maxine.

             
The vampire scraped the surface of Maxine’s neck with his fangs. Nate’s anger and rage filled him and threatened to spill over. His whole body tensed.

             
Nate knew if the vampire bit Maxine that the bite would condemn her to hell. He could not allow the creature to steal her soul.

             
He knew he had to do something.

             
It was only a matter of time, and there was none to waste. Nate had a plan.

             
So as the vampire jerked Maxine’s head to the side to turn her, Nate set himself into a crouch as the other vampires prepared to descend upon him.

             
He launched himself into the air above the crowd of blood hungry creatures.

Chapter Twenty

             
Before the vampire could sink its teeth into Maxine’s neck, Nate landed on his hind legs behind the creatures back.

             
Maxine closed her eyes knowing what was coming. Her body tensed as she felt the vampires fangs come down on her neck. But there was no pain, the bite never came.

             
The vampire suddenly released her. From exhaustion and fear, her knees gave way as she fell to the floor. The stone below her was cold but she laid there still with her eyes still shut afraid to move.

             
She finally found the determination she needed. Gritting her teeth together she pushed herself up off the floor. Slowly she opened her eyes looking in the direction of where Nate had been, but he wasn’t there.

             
Confusion jerked at her senses. Maxine balanced herself as she wavered in her step. None of the other vampires in the crowd moved towards her, they only stood staring with shock showing in their own features.

             
She remembered the vampire that had released her and looked up to see him just as he fell.

             
As the vampire burst into flames, so did his followers. The whole chamber was chaotic and had turned into a flaming inferno.

             
Nate stood not far from her still in his beastly form. Blood dripped from his claws. He had saved her yet again.

             
She offered her hand to him, he never accepted it. Making a mad dash towards her, he swept her up in his arms and ran towards the door.

             
Smashing the door in, he carried Maxine out holding her protectively in his arms.

             
Maxine buried her face into his chest not caring what form he took, human or werewolf.

             
They rushed through the remaining lengths of the tunnels and out of the building on the street. The sun was just starting to rise shedding down its first rays of light onto them both.

             
Nate finally put her down and took a step back as he returned to his human form.

             
He went towards her and she gladly wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes and embraced her back.

             
He removed his arms from around her and stood back. “We can’t, there is no future for us together, we come from two different worlds.”

             
Remembering everything she had just been through, she laughed. “I have seen your world.”

             
“I am a werewolf; my existence is not the same as yours.”

             
She smiled up at him. “I have really never been thought of as normal.”

             
He paused, his words held more compassion. “I’m a leader of a wolf pack, the brotherhood I belong to would never understand.”

             
She stood up on her toes and pulled his face closer to hers. “They will get over it.”

             
Their lips met and they stood there, two bodies locked in a passionate kiss.

             
Maxine didn’t care, she knew what she wanted. That was all that mattered. Nate knew the consequences, thought he was not allowed to feel, before tonight.

             
Maybe it was too late to turn off what he was feeling, maybe he didn’t want to.

             
Embracing the woman in his arms, he knew what he wanted, knew who he wanted. And by God, he would make her his.