more foes, potentially.
As they reached the parking lot, Eric glanced around. Figuring it was safe enough, there weren’t any mortals nearby to become hysterical at the sight, he drew BrynTröll .
Part of him worried. While he’d gotten in some practice since waking, he hadn’t been in a real fight since before he’d been taken and tortured. His skills were bound to be rusty.
He glanced at Cat.
It didn’t matter. Above all, he must protect her.
The stench of the wolves grew overpowering. “If something happens, take the car and get out of here.”
“Absolutely not...” her words trailed off as they reached the SUV.
On the driver’s side, both the front and back door handles were wrapped in barbed wire glowing with a misty blue light.
“Magic,” he stated, furious.
Not just at whoever had done this, but at himself. He’d been so busy concentrating on lightening Cat’s mood, he hadn’t considered someone might try to prevent them from leaving.
His gaze fell on the dark building hulking above them, and he had to wonder if the doctor was responsible.
Argus and the Judge were the only two people who knew they were here.
Growls rose in the night air. Husky eyes, ice blue and devoid of emotion, approached from a nearby shadow.
“Check the passenger side,” he commanded, turning to face the immediate threat.
Cat hurried around the car. “They’re wired shut as well.”
“The back?”
She checked. “Yes.”
“Be careful, but break the window far from the wire and open it from inside.”
She did so, then came back to his side. He wanted to tell her to get into the safety of the car, but he didn’t know what the effects of the magic might be. Nor, by the stubborn expression on her face, would she listen.
From the gloom, shaggy shapes appeared. Three wolves, fur ranging from black to gray, approached stiff-legged.
Their eyes were strange, unfocused.
Behind them strode the Judge.
“What the...” Cat said, tensing.
The wolves spread out in a semi-circle, then stilled, waiting.
“What is this?” Eric demanded of the man facing them.
His brown eyes were wide with fright, but he straightened. “This must end here. I will not have the Council taking their fury out on my Pack. And she knows as well, now that the two of you showed up to my hotel.”
Before Eric could ask any questions, the Judge raised his hand and the wolves surged forward. The Judge shuddered as he shifted into a wolf of the darkest night.
Eric concentrated most of his attention on him. Take him down quick, the others would falter. The leader bared his fangs, a growl rumbling over the twenty feet between them.
“If you fight me, you will die,” Eric stated, his tone full of confidence he used to be able to fully feel. He slid a dirk from his boot, holding it in his free hand. Two weapons were always better than one in a close fight, and that’s what it would be against these dogs.
At his side, Cat raised her blade, standing straight and tall, her pose that of a warrior ready for battle.
A flush of warmth touched him, admiration for her courage.
The Judge padded toward them, eyes strangely dull and empty like the others, as if by changing into his animal form, he’d lost his humanity.
Strange.
Unnatural.
The scent of the vampires mingled with that of wet fur. Eric sensed them, could pinpoint about where they were. Friend or foe, he didn’t know. But they stayed back, as if not ready to join in the fight.
No, they’d wait. When an opening appeared to serve their purpose, then they’d strike, like a coiled snake waiting for a meal.
Tactics he himself had used many times.
He hated going into a fight with such blatant unknowns skulking about. And he despised himself being one of those unknowns. With a glance at Cat, he straightened taller.
He refused to falter. It wasn’t just duty anymore. Somehow, the woman beside him had touched a part of himself that had lain dormant since his torture.
She was waking him
As they reached the parking lot, Eric glanced around. Figuring it was safe enough, there weren’t any mortals nearby to become hysterical at the sight, he drew BrynTröll .
Part of him worried. While he’d gotten in some practice since waking, he hadn’t been in a real fight since before he’d been taken and tortured. His skills were bound to be rusty.
He glanced at Cat.
It didn’t matter. Above all, he must protect her.
The stench of the wolves grew overpowering. “If something happens, take the car and get out of here.”
“Absolutely not...” her words trailed off as they reached the SUV.
On the driver’s side, both the front and back door handles were wrapped in barbed wire glowing with a misty blue light.
“Magic,” he stated, furious.
Not just at whoever had done this, but at himself. He’d been so busy concentrating on lightening Cat’s mood, he hadn’t considered someone might try to prevent them from leaving.
His gaze fell on the dark building hulking above them, and he had to wonder if the doctor was responsible.
Argus and the Judge were the only two people who knew they were here.
Growls rose in the night air. Husky eyes, ice blue and devoid of emotion, approached from a nearby shadow.
“Check the passenger side,” he commanded, turning to face the immediate threat.
Cat hurried around the car. “They’re wired shut as well.”
“The back?”
She checked. “Yes.”
“Be careful, but break the window far from the wire and open it from inside.”
She did so, then came back to his side. He wanted to tell her to get into the safety of the car, but he didn’t know what the effects of the magic might be. Nor, by the stubborn expression on her face, would she listen.
From the gloom, shaggy shapes appeared. Three wolves, fur ranging from black to gray, approached stiff-legged.
Their eyes were strange, unfocused.
Behind them strode the Judge.
“What the...” Cat said, tensing.
The wolves spread out in a semi-circle, then stilled, waiting.
“What is this?” Eric demanded of the man facing them.
His brown eyes were wide with fright, but he straightened. “This must end here. I will not have the Council taking their fury out on my Pack. And she knows as well, now that the two of you showed up to my hotel.”
Before Eric could ask any questions, the Judge raised his hand and the wolves surged forward. The Judge shuddered as he shifted into a wolf of the darkest night.
Eric concentrated most of his attention on him. Take him down quick, the others would falter. The leader bared his fangs, a growl rumbling over the twenty feet between them.
“If you fight me, you will die,” Eric stated, his tone full of confidence he used to be able to fully feel. He slid a dirk from his boot, holding it in his free hand. Two weapons were always better than one in a close fight, and that’s what it would be against these dogs.
At his side, Cat raised her blade, standing straight and tall, her pose that of a warrior ready for battle.
A flush of warmth touched him, admiration for her courage.
The Judge padded toward them, eyes strangely dull and empty like the others, as if by changing into his animal form, he’d lost his humanity.
Strange.
Unnatural.
The scent of the vampires mingled with that of wet fur. Eric sensed them, could pinpoint about where they were. Friend or foe, he didn’t know. But they stayed back, as if not ready to join in the fight.
No, they’d wait. When an opening appeared to serve their purpose, then they’d strike, like a coiled snake waiting for a meal.
Tactics he himself had used many times.
He hated going into a fight with such blatant unknowns skulking about. And he despised himself being one of those unknowns. With a glance at Cat, he straightened taller.
He refused to falter. It wasn’t just duty anymore. Somehow, the woman beside him had touched a part of himself that had lain dormant since his torture.
She was waking him
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