The smell of his blood was intoxicating. I remembered too the rich taste of werewolf blood. It had been hard to stop myself the last time I’d sampled it.
Focus
. I found the worst of the bleeding wounds and bent to take a sip. Unlike what I was expecting, I could taste a sharp, metallic taint. It ruined the flavor for me, which I found helpful. Without the temptation to drink deeply and take in all of his life-giving blood, I’d have a much easier time of doing my job. I sucked harder at the wound, while Aiden’s body shook and convulsed underneath me.
It took a few moments and a lot of pressure, but soon, a nasty bit of metal rose to the surface. I gently grasped it with my teeth. I tasted the poison in his blood.
Fallon covered his mouth with her hand to stifle the pain-filled noises he made as I pulled out the tiny bit of sharp metal and spat it to the ground.
“Hurry,” Drew said frantically. “I hear someone coming.”
My heart pounded anxiously. There were still more bits to remove and many more wounds to seal.
Above us, I heard a scuffle and the sounds of Drew fighting with someone or something.
I worked at a feverish pace, losing all pretense of being gentle as I attempted to yank out another bit of poisoned metal from his back. Aiden’s body twitched and shivered beneath me. I spat each tiny piece I removed to the ground as I hurried to get them all before we were attacked.
The scuffle above us silenced. I listened carefully as I continued to work, hoping to hear Drew say he was okay, but the only thing I heard were the unconscious grunts and moans Aiden was making.
After repeating the process several more times, I felt safe in the knowledge that I had removed the remaining bits. I pierced my tongue with my fang and lapped at the wounds on Aiden’s back, making sure to spread my healing saliva and blood all over to close the wounds.
I pulled back and wiped my face, knowing I was still leaving bloody smears behind. “He’s not bleeding anymore.”
“He’s not conscious either.” Fallon looked worried.
I listened for a moment and confirmed that his heart was still beating. “He might need some time before he comes around. He lost a lot of blood.”
“Drew,” I called.
Please still be up there.
I hadn’t heard a sound since he’d warned us of someone approaching.
Seconds went by without a sound.
Fallon and I exchanged worried glances.
“I’m here,” Drew called back, panting and out of breath. “There were two of them, hiding in the trees. I got them though.”
“I’m glad you’re all right. But we’ve still got some problems down here. Aiden’s not going to be able to move. He’s out cold. We need to get him back to the van.”
“Understood. We can’t linger here any longer. Do you know the way?” Drew responded.
“I think I can find it. Let’s pull back and regroup there.”
“Good idea,” he said. “I’ll meet up with the others and let them know. Use your cell phone and let me know when you’ve reached the van.”
“Will do.” I pulled off my coat and wrapped it around Aiden, and then dug my arms under him and lifted him off Fallon’s lap. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t have to tell her twice. She was up in a flash and right behind me.
Running though the dark forest, we attempted to make our way back to the van as quietly and as quickly as we could. Determination to get us where we needed helped fuel me, and I was able to spot landmarks and footprints from our way in, making the trip back a much easier journey.
The added spur of the icy cold weather, freezing the blood in my veins, pushed me to run faster; but Fallon, being human, would never have kept up. Reluctantly, I had to limit my speed.
Aiden rested limply in my arms, occasionally letting out a grunt or a moan, but remained unconscious.
In the distance, I heard the long high-pitched call of a wolf. “Did you hear that?” I asked.
Howling, no matter how distant, was a comforting sound. That meant others had escaped the Acta Sanctorum’s raid. And we’d need all the resources we could muster to fight back.
“Yes. Before we scattered, Connor tried to call back the pack.”
He was a damn good leader.
A twinge of pain tugged at my heart.
Was all of this really a result of our bringing the Acta Sanctorum so close to their borders, or would they have eventually attacked anyway?
“We need to find a way to signal them. Get them to regroup with us at the van. If there are enough of us, we might be able to retake the wolf preserve.”
“How do we alert them and not the Saints?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s get Aiden to safety and we can figure it out.”
When we finally reached the van and shut ourselves inside, I inspected Aiden’s wounds again. Thankfully, they’d all formed scabs and appeared to be healing with no sign of infection. “I think he’s going to be all right.” I pulled one of the blankets off Lysander’s coffin and wrapped it around Aiden’s naked body.
“Thank you for saving him. Even after… you know.”
“Like I would let your man die?” I said trying to sound as nonchalant about it as possible. Then the thought occurred to me. With Connor’s death, Aiden was now the leader of the pack—assuming no one stepped up to challenge him.
“Still… thank you.” She pulled me into a hug, squeezing me as tightly as she could.
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have a lot left to fix. We need to figure out how to call the rest of the pack. We need to take back the preserve, and unearth the Pandora’s Box.”
She pulled back, shock widening her eyes. “Do the Saints know about the box? And what’s inside?”
“That’s the other thing. We don’t think there is anything inside. The spirit we meant to put back might be hiding out in the same crystal that Lysander is trapped in.”
“So you’re saying—”
“We buried an empty box. The Saints know about it and the wolves, and that’s why they took over the preserve… yes.”
“If Connor had known all this, he would have never sent you away or let the rest of the pack go home after the full moon.”
“About Connor…”
She gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh no. He—“
“Didn’t make it.” I didn’t like being so blunt about it and wished I’d found a nicer way to break the news. “That leaves your man in charge.” I glanced down to Aiden.
“Or Brady. Aiden is in no shape to do anything.”
“Do you know where Brady is?”
“No. Connor ordered all the women to scatter and the men to transform and fight. I took off into the woods and got lost. Aiden found me just before I sprang one of those traps. He pushed me to the ground. When it was all clear, we tried to make our way back, but his back was pretty badly hurt and he was bleeding everywhere. I haven’t seen anyone until you and Drew.”
I’d momentarily forgotten that the others were still out there and I was supposed to send them a message when we’d gotten to the van safely. If I could get a message to them and they ran into one of the wolves, they could pass our plan along. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I texted to Drew and Nicholas both, “We’re safe. Tell all wolves to regroup at van. Make a howling chain.”
“A howling chain?” Fallon scrunched up her face in confusion.
“What else am I going to call it? That’s how they communicate, right? They pass messages along when they howl.”
“I guess. How will we know if it worked?”
I shrugged. “Listen for someone to howl.”
Aiden, still unconscious, twitched and almost fell out of his seat.
Fallon rewrapped the blanket around him and snuggled as close to him as the space allowed. “He’s going to freeze to death if we don’t find something warmer to cover him with.”
“He needs his fur coat back. Once he wakes, try to get him to transform.”
“What if he’s not healthy enough to transform?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Wolves are different than vampires. We just need blood. I have no idea what will heal them. We need a wolf here.”
“But that would be dangerous. If Connor is dead and Aiden is too weak to take over, there might be a power struggle.” The worry had returned to Fallon’s voice.
“Do you really think that, with all of this going on, someone would want to challenge an injured wolf?”
Fallon pursed her lips, as if trying to hold back what she wanted to say.
“Well. I’m not letting anyone attack a defenseless man, wolf or not. We have more important things to deal with.”
“Wolves can be pretty vicious when it comes to power and leadership.”
“And I can be just as vicious in protecting those who cannot do it themselves.”
“As frustrating as you can be sometimes, Alyssa, I’m glad you’re so recklessly loyal.”
I smiled. “Not sure if that was a compliment or not, but I’ll take it.”
Another wolf howl pierced the night. It was a long and deep call that reminded me of a rallying cry. A moment later, another howl followed, then another. I smiled with relief and said a silent thank you to modern technology. “I think our message got through.”
CHAPTER 21
Aiden stirred from his unconsciousness. He groaned, and his eyes slowly opened.
Fallon perked up, smiling the second she saw the life returning to Aiden’s face. “It’s all right, Baby. We’re here with you. You’re safe.”
All around us, sounds of the wolves’ howling grew more frequent and closer. I felt comforted knowing they were on their way. Aiden looked as if he wanted to join in the rallying cry. His muscles strained as he tried to move.
“Don’t get up,” I said, pushing Aiden back into the chair. “You’ve still got a lot of healing to do.”
He mumbled something, but I couldn’t understand him. I assumed it was his dominant wolf side grumbling about being told what to do. I smiled at that thought. If it was true, then it was a good sign—meaning he was on the mend.
I gave him the quick rundown of our situation and told him we were waiting to regroup with the others.
“With my father… Connor gone… it falls to me to lead.” Aiden strained to get the words out. “Or Brady.”
“We know.” I tried to sound sympathetic. Aiden was in a bad position, losing his father and potentially being too injured to join in the upcoming battle. For a wolf of his status, he was in a very vulnerable position. “You’re in no condition to fight, and as soon as you have the strength, you need to change to avoid freezing to death.”
Fallon sat on his lap and snuggled in closer as if she was trying to smother him with her body. “You just worry about staying warm and healing, okay?”
A cold prickling tingle crept up the back of my neck. “Someone’s here,” I whispered, welcoming the tell-tale sensation of another vampire approaching.
“Who?” Fallon eyed me nervously.
“Don’t know. But it has to be one of us. I’ll go out and check. You keep him warm, and get him ready to change.”
She nodded stiffly.
I eased the door open, and peeked through the crack before stepping out of the van.
It seemed the night had turned colder, or perhaps I had just gotten used to the lukewarm atmosphere in the van. I shivered and pulled my coat closed as the breeze blew past me, bringing with it the smell of death and blood. Normally, I’d savor the smell of hot, rich blood, but not now. Knowing it originated from the Saints’ ridiculous quest to rid the world of unnatural creatures made me want to find each and every one of them and feast on them. They needed to pay for their crimes against my kind, and I would see to it that they would pay.
The tingling sensation intensified. I felt as if eyes were on the back of my neck, watching me. I turned.
Santino was there, silently stalking forward. I let out a huge breath.
“Where is Nicholas?” I whispered feeling both relieved and worried seeing only him.
“Shhh,” he said and continued his silent approach.
Confused, I turned around, half expecting to see someone coming up behind me. But there was nothing there.
I caught a whiff of something else on the breeze. It wasn’t blood. Musky sweat maybe, heightened by adrenaline. I couldn’t quite place it. “What’s going on?” I whispered again.
In a flash, Santino shot past me. He was a blur of motion, too fast for even my vampire vision to process. A moment later, I heard the satisfying crack of a neck being snapped.
Santino returned with a rifle in hand. “You were being hunted. You should learn to be quiet.”
“Looks like I owe you now,” I nodded, feeling a little embarrassed but very appreciative that he had my back. If he hadn’t been there, that Saint might have attacked us in the van. Aiden was already weak, and Fallon… a human might not have survived.
He grunted in acceptance and handed me the rifle. “The others are coming.”
“Fallon and Aiden are inside.” I gave him the quick summary of our plan, but when I got to the part about needing Brady to take leadership, he scowled.
“Brady is in the hands of the Saints. I saw them. They know about the box. He’s being tortured for the location.”
My breath hitched in my chest.
Poor Brady. They’ll kill him no matter what he tells them.
“Nicholas and Drew are working to gather the remaining wolves and clear away any traps between the preserve and our path.”
Another wolf howled, this time much closer.
“I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Santino said. “They’re giving away their positions.”
“How else are they going to communicate?”
“That was always their downfall.” His voice held no emotion, a reminder that he was a cold-blooded killer.
“Just remember whose side you’re on,” I said angrily.
“I was just stating a fact. And you of all should know where my loyalties lie.”
“Like I said before. Don’t fuck me over.” I may have vouched for him, but in the back of my mind there would always be some small remembrance of him playing for Team Vampire Hunter.
“If the wolves give away their position, and they are heading toward us, then our position is compromised as well,” he said matter-of-factly.
“We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t right now. All we can do is remain on alert. We can’t coordinate an attack without the wolves. We just don’t have the manpower.”