Page 71 of Daddy Wolf's Secret Baby

“It’s stupid of you to fight. I always get what I want,” Elias said.

“Not this time. Being mated with me would be miserable for you. I loathe you and want nothing to do with you,” Zahra spat at him.

“Breaking you is going to be the best part of this. Little by little, I will break you and make you mine. You’ll see.”

Two of them shifted. She shifted, too, and they started fighting. They were bigger and stronger than she was, and she knew she couldn’t win, but she hoped to give Jace enough time to get to her parents’ house.

“Mom,” Jace screamed.

She looked up and her heart dropped into her feet. Her stomach knotted and she was certain she was about to throw up.

Elias was holding Jace, one hand around his throat. “I’ll kill the boy right here, right now, unless you stop this nonsense. If you come back, willingly, right now, I’ll even let him live. I’ll treat him like he’s my own dear boy, except that he won’t be my heir.”

All the fight left her. “Fine. If you give me your word that Jace will be safe, I’ll go. Instead of taking him with us, though, you can leave him here.”

“No, I don’t think so. He makes a nice little insurance policy. As long as I have him, you’ll behave. Now, put on some clothes. Although I love seeing you standing there in shredded clothes, it would be weird driving home with you like that.”

She complied, her mind racing, trying to figure out a way to save her and Jace. Zahra quickly packed a bag for Jace. Elias shoved Jace toward her and pushed them both outside and into the truck.

The sun was setting and darkness settled over the land and her heart. She sent out a frantic telepathic message, hoping against hope that Josiah would hear it.

Elias has Jace and me. Please help us.

24

Josiah

Josiah and Zac talked about the vampire attacks once they got back to the ceremonial hall and settled into Zac’s office.

After Zac sent a message to Matthias and Lucious, explaining the situation with Jeff, Zac sighed. “They’re becoming increasingly bolder. They are attacking before dark or right at dusk in businesses where they could potentially be seen.”

“I think it’s a challenge, just like serial killers and other people involved with extreme activities. The challenges have to become harder and harder for it to be fun. Jeff might have been the first easy target they ran into.” Josiah sighed. “If someone else had been in the office with him, they might have left.”

Zac nodded. “I notice that we don’t find more than one victim at a time. These vampires might have a pack mentality. They like to hunt in packs.”

“I’ve heard that, actually.”

Zac’s phone rang. “Matthias, you’re on speaker with Josiah.”

“A bear shifter came in this morning. He was attacked by a vampire near the old barn southeast of town. He said it was a single vampire. Jackson said he was in bear form so the vampknew he was a shifter. Jackson said that he was able to fight off the vampire and managed to get away, however,”

“Is he hurt?”

“He has a couple of scratches and maybe a bite. I’m not sure. I took the liberty of calling Conner first to see if Beth would mind helping. She’s coming here. Conner said he would meet you out there. I’ll send a couple of shifters that way, too.”

“Josiah and I will head out that way.”

They arrived at the same time that Conner did. The three of them decided not to wait for the bear shifters and surveyed the scene first.

Loud noises were shaking the walls of the old barn. Men were shouting and a scuffle was definitely taking place.

Josiah grimaced. “I think we found them.”

They stripped quickly and shifted, and they burst into the barn. A fight was in full swing. Three men were trying to hold their own against eight vampires. The wolf shifters knew the three men were hunters, but decided to help them out. The vampires were the bigger threat.

Josiah didn’t have time to think or feel anything. He jumped on one of the vampires who had just attacked a hunter. Josiah bit the vampire by the back of his neck and pulled. The vampire fell back. He jumped to his feet, and hissed at Josiah, showing his fangs. “I love the taste of wolf.”

Lowering his head, Josiah ran as fast as he could into the vampire, knocking him to the ground. The hunter, who Josiah had helped, stabbed the vampire in the heart with the stake. The wolf and hunter nodded at each other.

---