Page 86 of Wicked Allure
Before she could reply, he lunged forward. He used his vampire speed to reach her in mere seconds. The clash was instant. Their blades met each other. Steel versus steel, strength against strength. The air grew thick as the battle ensued.
Vampires and lycans.
Behind them, her warriors and the lycans collided in a frenzy. The sounds of gunfire ripped through the air along with the angry growls and roars. Through all of the chaos, Dru focused on Solomon. The elder warrior was still quick and holding his own against her.
He moved like a shadow—fast and fluid. Every strike he threw at Dru carried fury and centuries’ worth of rage. She countered, her own blows driven by a fierce need to protect her mate and to honor her queen’s request. This vampire wasn’t going to win. Dru would prevail. There wasn’t going to be any other outcome.
“A general, huh?” he said.
They broke apart and circled each other. He was slightly out of breath. Dru took in every detail about him. She’d adjust her strategy. It was what she taught her soldiers who trained under her. He was already underestimating her. He may use his strength and brawn, but Dru was a calculating warrior.
“General Moldark.” She flashed her fangs at him, not in the least bit intimidated by him.
“I’ll make sure to remember that when I send the queen your body parts cut up in small pieces.” He stalked toward her.
They clashed again. He tried to use his weight against her, but as he’d mentioned, she was a general, not a wet-behind-the-ears warrior. She threw herself into the fight, ignoring the brawling going on around them. She was certain her warriors would be able to handle the lycans.
Then she heard it—the shattering of glass and the unmistakable crunch of metal. Dru’s heart skipped a beat at the scream that followed.
Tomesha.
Her head whipped around toward the SUV. Two lycans circled the vehicle. One lunged on top of the hood. The windshield shattered, glass spreading around the street. The other lycan dragged its claws along the frame. They were in an enhanced frenzy at the scent of Tomesha’s fear.
“I thought she was just a whore who didn’t mean anything,” Solomon taunted.
Rage flooded Dru so hot that her vision blurred. She drove him back away from her with brutal strikes of her dual daggers. She forced him to the curb. He staggered but caught himself. The harsh laughter that spilled from him sent Dru over the edge. She spun around at the sound of another of Tomesha’s screams piercing the air. One lycan tried to fit inside the shattered windshield while the other worked on the door.
For a split second, Dru froze. Duty screamed at her to finish Solomon while at the same time she was being driven to go and save her mate. If she didn’t capture or kill Solomon now—if he slipped away from her—she’d have failed in her mission.
“General!” Orenda’s voice sliced through the air.
Dru spun around just in time to meet the traitor’s blade. She twisted around using his momentum against him and slammed her dagger up beneath his ribs. His expression faltered as shock and disbelief appeared on his face. She drove him backward until this time he tripped over the curb and fell to the ground. She followed him down.
“She’s not for you to worry about,” Dru spat. She twisted the weapon around and pushed it in deeper. Her hands became covered in his warm blood as it escaped around the wound. She withdrew the blade and stood.
Solomon’s head fell back onto the ground. Blood slipped from his lips, and he fought to breathe. The sounds of gurgling met her ears. She turned away from him and took in the scene around her.
She didn’t know where her other dagger had fallen, but it didn’t matter. She locked in on the lycans attacking the vehicle in a frenzy. She flew forward using her speed and vaulted into the air. She landed on the back of the lycan on the hood. The lycan howled and tried to throw her off him. She wrapped an arm around him and yanked him backward. The air escaped her when she hit the ground on her back with the beast still in her grasp. She tightened her hold on the lycan. It tried to break free. She whipped her blade forward and sent it directly into its neck. She slashed completely across the width of it, severing the arteries, veins, and tendons to the point where she almost decapitated it.
She winced at the amount of blood that sprayed. She tossed the animal to the side and rolled to her feet. She ignored the amount of blood that covered her. Orenda had arrived to the second lycan and sent her sword through it’s back. The lycan’s howl pierced the air but grew weak, the life draining from it. The body fell to the ground, lying still. Behind her, the last of the lycans fell.
Dru raced over to the door and yanked it open with all of her strength. An urgent need to get to her mate filled her. She glanced inside and saw Tomesha huddled on the floor.
“Dru!” Tomesha cried out.
Dru reached in and dragged her mate into her arms. Relief crashed over her.
Tomesha wrapped her arms around her, trembling. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” Dru murmured. She pulled back and hated the fact that she’d gotten the lycan’s and traitor’s blood on her mate. She’d take her back and personally wash all of it off, but for now she was grateful Tomesha was unharmed.
“Wasn’t that man a vampire?” Tomesha scanned Dru’s body as if she were looking for wounds.
“He’s the traitor to the crown,” Dru explained. She didn’t have time to go into too many details about Solomon. She was satisfied at the moment that he’d got a taste of her blade. His head would make the perfect gift for her queen. It would be unfortunate that he wouldn’t be able to answer for his sins against their people, but his head would suffice as payment.
“There were so many lycans. Where did they come from?” Tomesha’s bottom lip trembled.
Dru held her tight. The citizens of the town were still hidden away. Dru was glad that none of them had ventured out during the battle. This was another attack on them out in the open, and this time, the damn beasts didn’t care that they had been in the middle of town. She bit back a growl at the thought of them growing so bold while there was a vampire warrior post located here.
