the candy house. Jessa and I had been so busy talking that we’d missed the sweeping wind closing in on us. It was so close now that if I took a single step forward I’d have been swept up into it.
“Any ideas?” I said, as we both slid back as close as we could to the house. My heels were against the front step; if I moved back any further I’d been up through the peppermint railings and onto the chocolate deck.
Before she could answer, I noticed movement on the other side of the wind wall. Shadows moved into view, large and distinctive.
“Braxton,” I heard my twin say with an exhalation of air. “We stay put until the boys figure out how to break through this.”
Of course, that was a brilliant plan. Except for the fact that the house must have heard her and decided it was not okay with that. The wind exploded around us. My feet left the ground and we were swept up into the gale. I reached out and grasped onto Jessa’s hand, covering my stomach with my other as I fought to protect my child from whatever was going to happen.
The front door of the house slammed open, and I swear as we were sucked into the unknown beyond, multiple roars ripped through the wind. The Compass shadows disappeared when the front door slammed behind us, enclosing me and Jessa in darkness.
Maximus Compass
My head was a mess. My heart was a mess. But my vampire instincts never let me down and neither did my brothers. I was heading south, chasing down our prey; the boys were spread out across the forest. The distance between us was great but I could sense them strongly through our bond. The quad bond. It was also through this that I kept tabs on Mischa, via Braxton and Jessa.
The dragon shifter’s attention never strayed far from his girl, which was exactly how a mate bond should be.
The twins hadn’t exactly remained where we left them, but the area around them was still clear of danger. Which was a relief, allowing me to immerse myself fully in the chase. My vampire side was amped, the bloodlust riding me hard. I had not fed properly in a long time, and the faint life in human blood was dull and tasteless compared to supes’.
Unlike other vamps, I could go a long time without feeding, but the time was nearing. I would have to find a donor, or settle for bottled blood. The thought of feeding from a female supe just wasn’t sitting well with me. Humans had been different, they were not my kind, but when vampires fed from female supes, there was something intrinsically sensual about it.
So it looked like it was bottled blood for me. Almost as bad as human.
Scents crashed into me as I closed the distance between me and my prey – one of the four supes who had been stupid enough to try and stalk my steps earlier. I had zero tolerance for any being who thought they could threaten my pack. And with Jessa and Mischa pregnant … well, let’s just say my brothers and I would be asking questions later.
We protected what was ours.
Mine’s a shifter. Tyson’s magical essence was strong. His words cut off as he confronted the male. I could see through his eyes if I wanted, but there was no need. Shifter bear, Tyson finished.
He would call for us if he needed help, so I pulled my focus back to the one I was tracking. A flash of black caught my eye, clearly not part of the natural landscape around me. Asshole was going down, and once I found out who sent him, he was going to find himself in Vanguard, where the guards might pay extra close attention to him.
My senses were firing hard, and I followed the scent I had locked into my brain. I could pick this supe out in a crowd any day, but I still had no idea of their race. The muddiness of it suggested demi-fey.
I kicked up my speed another few notches and the black came into sight again. It was a cloak shrouding a small, hunched form. The figure moved fast, almost at the same superspeed as me, which ruled out ninety percent of the demi-fey.
After another minute, I was
C. J. Cherryh
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