Page 64 of The Tracker's Rage
Chapter 22
Loud music continuedto boom through the giant speakers as chaos unfolded. Strobe lights and dancing spotlights went on their merry way highlighting the massacre.
The vampires blurred in and out of existence, attacking one person after another, while the revelers tried to climb over each other toward the back emergency exit, screaming and stumbling like drunken toddlers.
The bouncers who had stood inconspicuously in different corners of the club peeled away from their watching places and shifted from human-shaped protectors into massive werewolves.
From his spot in the observation room, Ulfen also jumped into action, leaping down the steps and shifting in mid-air. His wolf was large and tawny, the fur matching his human hair in shade. Round, blue eyes flashed in my direction as he leaped over several tables heading toward the swarm of vampires in the front.
Without a word, Jake shifted and charged, too, disappearing in the fray. When he reached the dance floor, he took a final leap and disappeared into the turmoil, his tail waving like a war flag in his wake.
Stephen turned toward me and grabbed me by the wrist. “I have to get you out of here,” he said, attempting to pull me toward the exit where people were pushing, shoving, and stepping on whoever stood in their way to get there first.
I yanked my arm free. “We have to help.”
“No, Toni, you don’t stand a chance against a vampire. I have to take you to safety.” He tried to grab me again, but I pulled back and shifted in one swift motion, my hands turning to paws as I dropped to the floor, my outfit splitting down my back, and disappearing under a table as I tossed it aside with a snap of my teeth and a jerk of my head.
I darted a cold glance in Stephen’s direction, almost pushing a thought into his head with my alpha abilities.
Fight, you coward,I wanted to say, but he couldn’t know I was an alpha. If he learned that bit of information, he would realize that I knew his game, that I’d heard Blake call for his help at the warehouse. So instead, I followed in Jake’s steps, leaping over several tables and diving into the chaos.
When I landed in the middle of the dance floor, my eyes roved all around, searching for a target. I found one quickly, a vamp wearing a black tank top, his corded arms naked and bulging with dark veins. He had one of the performers in his grip, a man dressed in nothing but glittering shorts and silver paint that highlighted his muscles.
The vamp bent over the dancer and clamped his jaw around the man’s throat. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he drank his victim’s blood, lost in ecstasy.
Fearing it might be too late for the dancer, I lunged forward, ready to tear the monster in two. I closed my jaw around the vamp’s thigh, gnashing my teeth together. He roared and let go of his victim, who dropped to the floor clutching his neck. I darted a glance in his direction, glad to see he was still alive.
As the vamp turned his attention to me, I jerked my head downward and almost managed to yank him to the floor, but he was strong and remained on his feet. Baring his fangs with a hiss, he went for my neck with blood-stained claws.
I retreated with a backward jump, growling and locking eyes with the beast. We circled each other for a moment, then he came at me. I leaped out of the way and, as he flew by, I chomped on his forearm with all my strength. Sinew and bone crunched like wood as his arm broke off from the elbow down, leaving behind a splintered stump. I expected blood to spurt out like water from a hose but barely a few drops dripped to the floor despite the dark veins that still bulged at his biceps.
He fell to his knees, screaming like a madman, staring at the stump, then back at the rest of his arm still caught between my teeth.
Spitting in disgust, I let the limb drop. A sour stench rose from the dismembered arm, and I recognized its awful tang immediately. It was the smell of rhabo-infected vamp flesh—if what I’d bitten off could be called that.
Hissing in anger, the vampire crawled toward his severed arm. With trembling fingers, he snatched it up, turned it this way and that, then stuck it to his splintered stump. I stared in horror as the bulging veins writhed with the creature’s dark blood, finding the connection to their severed counterparts and rejoining. Right before my eyes, the limb reattached itself with a wet sound, then the vampire wiggled his fingers and smiled with satisfaction.
A chair went flying above my head and crashed against the wall behind me. Quickly, I glanced around the room, looking for Jake. Half of the patrons seemed to have found their way out of the club, while the other half still fought to reach the emergency exit. Finally, I spotted Jake fighting against a vampire with tattoos all over his bald head. Jake’s silver eyes met mine for an instant as he leaped against a concrete column, flew toward his opponent, and slashed his sharp claws across the vamp’s neck.
I returned my attention to my still-kneeling opponent, who was grinning like mad. Blood stained his sharp fangs. Making a big show, he raked his claws down his chest, ripping off his black tank top and discarding it on the floor. He flexed both arms in unison, shook his head with a satisfied growl, then glared at me, hatred and murder burning in his eyes.
Crap! I pissed him off.
He seemed to float to a standing position. I shook my head and gave him a wolfish grin, letting him know I was ready for more. He bared his throat in a bloodcurdling roar. I rolled my eyes. Cool how I could still do it in my wolf form.
Was the vamp’s plan to kill me with high decibels? Hadn’t he realized we were at a nightclub with speakers as big as refrigerators standing at either end? Clearly, his bark was worse than his bite.
I was about to jump him and take care of his loud mouth when two other vamps peeled away from the fight and joined my attacker.
Oh, shit!
Okay, so the roar had been to call his pals to help him? I had to remember that one.
With his friends by his side, Loud Mouth grew a pair and started advancing in my direction. I took several steps back until I hit the wall and stopped next to a broken chair. The three vampires formed a semicircle, trapping me. I snapped my teeth left, right, and center, warning them to stay away.
The one on the left lunged at me and as I jumped to the right, the other one was waiting for me. At once, they sank their claws into my back, bearing their entire weight down on me. I yelped as pain flared along my spine, and my legs gave out under the pressure.
I struggled to get free, snapping my teeth and bucking, but my efforts were in vain. Loud Mouth stalked closer, smiling like the cat that ate an entire dairy aisle full of cream. I whimpered, a cry of help to anyone who would hear. But the sound was completely useless in the wake of the thumping bass still raging over the cries of battle.
