NocC 001- Katie Reus - Destined Mate - Harlequin 2011-10 by Nocturne Page A

because they thought they could take her on their own. And maybe they could.
    As she ran, they silently spread out to her right and left. Despite her keen awareness she couldn’t read their expressions in the dark. Knowing she’d only be able to bring one of them down at a time, she raised her gun and fired at the one on her right.
    The soft thud of the tranq hitting flesh was music to her ears.
    “Oh, shit…” He hit the ground faster than the first guy.
    Before she could even think about swinging her arm around to take a second shot, a heavy weight rammed into her. Damn wolves were just as fast as she was. She flew through the air and landed on her side.
    All the air rushed from her lungs but she quickly jumped to her feet to square off with the werewolf. To her surprise, the male hadn’t shifted form. He still wore black cargo pants and a long-sleeved black shirt.
    “What are you doing on our land, little vampire?” His voice was almost mocking.
    Little? Baring her teeth, she lunged at him, fist raised.
    He dodged her punch but she was ready for him. She might be one of the youngest of her species but she was agile and she trained every day. As he moved his head to the left, she kicked out, high and hard.
    When her booted foot made contact with the other side of his head, he grunted a string of curses. He hit the ground with a thud and she heard the unmistakable growl of the beast within him.
    He’d be shifting soon. And while he did, she’d be hauling ass away from him. Werewolves were weakest when they shifted form and she knew it would give her time to run. She could stick around and try to tranq him, too, but knocking out a wolf in shifted form was a lot harder. As his body started to change form, she turned and ran.
    Behind her, she heard the breaking and snapping of his bones. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Wouldn’t be much longer now before she was being hunted. Her legs pumped hard and her palms dampened.
    Now wasn’t the time to freak out. She had to keep a level head. As she breached the clearing of trees, her heart jumped into her throat.
    A brick house— a freaking mansion —lay on a giant spread of land surrounded by the forest. She didn’t know how many rooms it had but the mansion had to be as big, if not bigger, than the one she lived in with thirty other vampires.
    There were at least a dozen males patrolling the grounds and judging from their outlines, they were all armed to the teeth.
    Flipping on the radio she’d taken, she kept the volume low. As she listened to the chatter, she realized she’d been discovered. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew of her presence. Her instinct to fight kicked in with a rush of raw rage she’d never experienced before. She might be outnumbered but she’d come this far. No turning back now.
    Using one of her main advantages—lightning fast speed—she rushed toward the house. Her boots barely touched the earth as she sprinted right into the den of wolves.
    The patrolling males stopped and a few uttered surprised curses but she ignored them. If she could get in the house, she could find her friend. After that…well, she hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead yet.
    A low, guttural growl sounded to her left. A werewolf with gleaming white teeth hurtled through the air toward her. Using all her lower body strength, she jumped high in the air. She couldn’t clear the six foot beast so she used his back as a springboard and landed on the hard earth. At least she landed on both feet.
    When she hit the ground, she didn’t pause. Some of the werewolves ran at her in human form while others shifted to their animal form. She kept going full speed.
    The growling and snapping behind her was terrifying. Blood rushed so loudly in her ears it was all she could do to try to block out those vicious sounds. She couldn’t get distracted by her fear.
    Just a little bit farther…
    Her thigh muscles strained again as she prepared to leap. As she got