Page 50 of Happily Undead in Dark River

“Tex!” I shouted, and the snake lifted its head. I let out a sigh of relief. Thank god. My distraction was enough that the vampire had me in his arms, my body locked tightly in his hands. Raul just looked bored.

“He can run as fast as his little rabbit feet can go, but it still won’t be fast enough,” Raul sneered, moving slowly to keep my Alpha in his sights. “Easy there Alpha, or I’ll rip her head from her shoulders. End your abominable little love affair.”

I scoffed. “He’s full of shit. If he killed me, Lucius would rip him apart like a bug.”

The guard behind me huffed a laugh, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound.

I stared hatred at Raul. “Let them both back across the border and I’ll come with you willingly. Everyone will already know it's you, Colton will tell them that. You have nothing to gain from killing them other than bringing the wrath of the Convocation and Titus down on your head.” Invoking the name of a man I’d never met was probably a ballsy move, but I had to try.

Raul just looked bored. “I’m pretty sure that Titus wouldn’t care if I killed some half-breed Shifter.”

Brody shifted back to a man. “No, but Alexander would care if you killed his only offspring.”

Raul reared back at the mention of this Alexander. Who the fuck was Alexander? “You lie.”

Brody grinned a feral smile. “Maybe. But are you willing to gamble with the chance? He hates your kind. You know what he did with the last vampire who crossed him? Kept him for a thousand years, tied in his cave, burning the flesh from his bones. When the vampire healed enough, his flesh pale and golden again, the pain is finally gone? He’d sear it off all over again. For one thousand years. Just think about that as you consider your next move.”

Ugh, as someone who’d just felt like they were melting in the sun, the thought made me want to vomit. I must have made a heaving noise because the Enforcer pushed me away from him a little but not enough for me to wiggle out of his grasp.

Raul frowned at Brody. “You can go. Take the snake with you.”

Brody laughed in his face. “I’m not going anywhere, fuck face. Not until I’ve torn you all apart and feasted on your hearts.”

I wanted to kick his ass. He needed to run, to go behind the border that would protect them. They were outnumbered. Outskilled.

We were so fucked.

That was until hot blood sprayed all over my arms, the Enforcer holding me dropping his arms and flopping to my feet. Shit, had I done that? I looked over my shoulder to the feral grin of Judge. Nope. That was all my Killer. I couldn’t hold back the smile that lit my face, and Brody took advantage of everyone’s distraction and launched at the vampire closest to him. His scimitar sized claws pierced the Enforcer's chest and he crushed his skull in his huge jaws, big fangs popping through the guys head. While I understood that Vampires were immortal, I wasn’t sure how anyone could survive that. He didn’t waste time playing with his food, as he leaped from the body of the shredded vampire to lope over to me, looking as graceful as he was deadly, blood all around his maw.

Judge made his way back to me and Tex was reared up in front of my feet.

Fuck I loved these men. We were now even, and I let myself breathe a little easier. Raul looked like he personally wanted to turn us all into confetti, but he hesitated. A good tactician would run right about now, but Raul looked like a dumbass. He stepped toward us, pulling his dagger from his hip. His eyes were completely on Judge, the cruel twist of his lips screaming hatred. “I’ve wanted to cut out your heart for a long time, Judge,” he sneered, but Judge looked completely unperturbed. He looked like this was just another day in Deadsville for him. He circled Raul, dodging the swift slashes the Enforcer leveled at his gut. The remaining uninjured Enforcer stood behind him, not interfering. Raul, despite being a dickhead, was an accomplished fighter, and Judge was out of practice. When he didn’t dodge a slash to his arm quick enough, blood quickly soaking his shirt and dripping down his arm, I stepped forward. Only Tex tangling his huge snake body around my legs stopped me from diving into the fray.

“Let go Tex, I have to help him!” I hissed, and he shook his snakehead.

A noise from the edge of the clearing drew my eyes and the eyes of the other enforcer. Even Raul was momentarily distracted, allowing Judge to slice quickly across his face before he could pull away.

Walker and Nico stepped from the treeline and I almost sagged with relief. Nico was at my side in an instant. “Leave, Raul, before I have you on trial before the Vampire Nation,” he growled, sending shivers down my spine. My ancient vampire was pissed. He was savage when he got in this mood, and I’d only ever seen flashes of it around his normal affable nature. But it never paid to doubt that it was there.

Finally outnumbered, Raul sneered at me, his grin disconcerting. “I will see you again, Fledgling.” The other vampire bent down and picked up his Fallen comrades, nodding almost respectfully to Judge and Nico, then following quickly behind his psychotic leader.

Walker had me in his arms the moment the Enforcers had left. He held me so tightly, it was like he was trying to consume me. “Raine,” he said, a whispered plea, though I don’t know what he was pleading for. Instead, I kissed him deeply, tasting the fear and desperation on his tongue.

Nico pulled me from Walker’s arms and kissed me with a desperation that bordered on manic. His tongue tasted every inch of my mouth, devouring me with a passion that he must have kept locked way, way down inside. I kissed him back just as furiously. Life was too short, especially mine, to not take advantage of every ounce of love and passion that was given freely. I moaned as he pressed me closer, his hard body compact against mine.

He groaned, pulling away to rest his forehead against mine. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. You’ve haunted all my dreams and my nightmares, Raine Baxter.” He hugged me tight, the hard ridges of his body almost perfect under my hands. I pulled away, and he let me go with a touch of reluctance. Something niggled at the back of my brain, and I searched for threats in the trees.

“It’s okay. You guys got here just in time. We can all go home.” I hesitated. “But first we should go into Nîso and make sure everyone knows that there are traitors in their midst.”

Nico grinned. “Wolves among the sheep?”

My shoulders tensed but I grinned over my shoulder. I pushed Tex toward the border, and Brody went before us. As I stepped over the magical ward, Nîso embraced me.

Nico stayed on the other side. He grinned at me. “Clever and beautiful. I should have known.” His feral grin was not the sweet expression I was used to seeing on Nico’s face.

But I’d definitely seen it before, on the face of his twin. “Lucius,” I breathed. Judge and Walker leaped toward him, but he was an ancient and powerful. He moved out of their grasp as easily as if they were fumbling toddlers. “Beautiful and clever. I see what tempted my brother to break his self-imposed monkhood now.”

“Where’s Nico?” I growled, and he laughed, quirking an eyebrow. I frowned, going to step back across the ward so I could shake the answer from him, but Brody’s hand around my arm stopped me.

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