Page 1 of Wicked Allure
“Kane, I’m going after her!” Dru snarled.
She pulled her sword from the dead lycan who lay on the ground at her feet. The stench of lycan blood filled the air. Dru spun around to seek out Captain Kane Thaddeus in the melee. Her gaze landed on the elder vampire in the midst of a heated battle of his own.
They had invaded a lycan den deep underground in the sewers that ran underneath Crystal Cove. This was a mission of the utmost importance. The lycan alpha was here, and Lethia, the commander, had disappeared after her.
Dru Moldark had led the manhunt to help find the woman who’d threatened not only her princess but the entire royal family. The alpha had been hard to track down, and she was on a mission to take out the vampire nation.
That was something Dru refused to allow to happen. While there was air left in her lungs, she’d defend her kind. Dru whipped her sword around and slid it into the sheath on her back. She rushed forward in the direction Lethia had gone. The underground lycan den was in complete chaos. The vampires had surprised them, and they had never expected an ambush to occur on their own territory.
Dru arrived at a metal ladder attached to the wall and hauled herself up to a ledge. She stalked along a narrow walkway and glanced down a dark tunnel. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Dru reached for the weapon on her waist and aimed it true. She flipped the safety off and went down the hall. She was sure this was the way Lethia had gone. She released a curse and picked up her speed.
Her longtime friend may be the only one here who could take down an alpha, but there was no way Dru was going to let her do it alone. For all Dru knew, Lethia could have been running into an ambush.
Dru arrived at an opening and paused. She glanced through the doorway and found a large room with television monitors along the walls, a table in the center, a cot in the corner, and a few scattered boxes stacked up against the wall. Other than that, the room was empty.
An opposite door had been left open, and Dru’s senses told her that Lethia had certainly come this way.
Dru pushed forward and raced across the room to the door. It led her to another darkened hallway. She exhaled and quickened her steps. She had to get to Lethia. Dru didn’t trust the lycans, and an urgency swept through her. A metal door stood ahead. Dru slammed her shoulder into it and forced it open.
The cool night air greeted her. There was no sight of Lethia. Dru raised her fingertips to the comm in her ear.
“Your Highness, where are you?” Dru stalked forward while listening intently for any sounds of a fight or scuffle.
A pain-filled cry sliced through air. It sent a ripple of fear through Dru’s spine.
Lethia!
“Where is the princess?” a voice growled behind her.
Some of her men must have followed her out. Dru motioned for them to go with her. She took off in the direction of the sound and rounded a corner. Ice froze her veins at the sight that greeted her.
Lethia was pinned to a thick tree with the alpha’s claws buried in her side. Dru instantly raised her weapon and fired several rounds of argentite bullets. The alpha’s body jerked. More gunfire rattled through the air. Azura snarled and turned away from Lethia then raced off into the woods. Lethia slid down the tree and hit the ground as Dru and her vampires advanced. Dru arrived at her side while most of the warriors went after Azura.
“Your Highness!” Dru fell to the ground in front of her. Panic filled her at the sight of all of the blood. “Fuck. Are you okay?”
Lethia’s hand pressed against her wound that bled profusely. She grimaced and inhaled sharply.
“I’ll be good as new in a second,” Lethia gasped.
“Let me see.” Dru pulled her hand away and glanced down at the sizable gash on Lethia’s abdomen. She cursed and raised a hand to her comm. “We need help. The princess is down.”
“I’m fine,” Lethia growled. She pushed up to stand, but she fell back down.
Dru reached out a hand to rest it on her stubborn friend’s shoulder. “Rest, my princess. We’ll get someone to help you.”
More vampires poured out of the door, flooding the area. A stubborn glint appeared in Lethia’s eyes. Dru was extremely familiar with the look.
“I’ve got to get up.”
Dru sighed and jerked her head in a nod. Dru stood by with her gaze locked on the princess. Lethia pushed up and leaned back against the tree before she stood straight on her own two feet. Her golden hair was braided away from her face in an intricate design, but a few wisps had escaped. She held her head high, but there was something different in her eyes. Dru’s body was tense. She’d fought by Lethia’s side for decades and knew her as well as she knew the back of her hand. The color drained from Lethia’s face as she blinked.
“Report.” She blinked again and tilted to the side.
She stumbled slightly, and Dru flew to her.
She brushed Dru’s hand away. “I’m fine.”
Lethia’s eyes rolled back, and her knees gave way.
