The Recruit (Book Three) (33 page)

He weaved
unsteadily and Mallorie, rubbing her wrists gingerly, steadied him
around the waist. “You need to sit down, Mannie.” She touched the
lump on the top of his head. “You’ve got a concussion for
sure.”

“I’m fine!” He
insisted vehemently.

“You’re not
fine.” Mallorie replied. “You go out there, you’re just going to
get yourself killed.”

“I won’t, I –
“

“She’s right.”
Chen interrupted. Alex and Paul had gathered around him and he
stared unblinkingly at them. “Remember your training. Alex, do not
let your anger cloud your judgment. Paul, keep your sword
down.”

“Yes, master.”
They replied in unison.

Chen turned to
the twins and Stephanie. “The three of you will stay in here with
Mannie until we are finished. Do not – “

“No fucking
way!” Luther snapped. “Those fuckheads killed Constance. I’m not
staying in here, Chen. You can’t make me.”

He stomped to
the stall and picked up two wooden stakes. “I’m going out
there.”

“If Luther’s
going, I’m going.” Tyrone grabbed his own stakes as Mallorie
gathered the remaining guns. She stuck one in the waistband of her
pants, handed the other to Stephanie and gripped the final one
tightly.

She squeezed
Stephanie’s shoulder. “Keep Mannie safe, Steph, alright? If any
vampires come through that door, make sure your shot is to the
heart.”

“Alright.”
Stephanie stood in front of Mannie. “Don’t worry, Mannie. I’ll keep
you safe.”

“Thanks.”
Mannie grunted before sinking to the ground and leaning against the
wall. He stared at the others. “Be careful out there.”

Chen nodded and
the others followed him out of the barn.

Mannie
struggled to his feet and held his hand out. “Get me a stake,
Steph.”

“You’re not
going out there! You can’t and I won’t let you!”

“I’m not.”
Mannie eyed Judd who was hanging limply with his head down and his
eyes closed.

Stephanie
handed Mannie the stake. He stood in front of the vampire and
Stephanie watched nervously as he touched the leech’s shoulder.

“Judd?”

There was no
reply and Mannie spoke louder. “Judd, look at me.”

Judd sighed and
opened his eyes. “I’m thinkin’. I can’t remember that fella’s name.
I don’t know why. He was the last drink I ever had and I can’t
remember. Was it Terry?”

“It’s over,
Judd.” Mannie said.

“Is it? You
gonna let me go?” Judd said hopefully.

“I’m going to
set you free.” Mannie replied. “Are you ready?”

Judd nodded
before staring over Mannie’s shoulder. “It wasn’t Terry. Something
with a G maybe.”

Mannie plunged
the wooden stake into Judd’s chest. The vampire’s back arched and
his eyes widened.

“Gary. His name
was Gary.” He whispered.

Mannie wrenched
the stake free and stepped back. He staggered on his feet and
Stephanie hurried over and led him away as Judd, a smile on his
face, disintegrated into ash.

* * *

Hannah,
adrenaline singing in her veins and the pure, unfiltered joy of
hunting lighting up every nerve, raised her swords as the vampires
advanced. Beside her, the short-haired vampire appeared in a flash
and slammed into Will. Her mate gave a short howl of pain as he was
driven deep in to the forest, the vampire clinging tightly to
him.

Before she
could turn and go after them, Olof was standing in front of her. He
smoothed his hair back, a few strands had loosened from the bun,
and smiled at her. “I find you interesting, my dear. Very
interesting.”

Vaguely she was
aware of Selena and Reid being surrounded by the four remaining
vampires and she prayed that Tyrone and Stephanie would free the
others in time to help them. As Olof took a step closer, she
tightened her grip on her swords and grinned fiercely at him.

“I don’t find
you interesting at all. You’re just like every other leech I’ve met
– boring, and too stupid to know they’re about to die.”

Anger flashed
across his face. “You do not want to call me that again, Lycan
bitch.”

“What?” She
taunted. “Boring? Stupid?”

With a snarl he
dove at her. He was quick, quicker than even Samuel, and three
months ago she wouldn’t have stood a chance. He would have gutted
her and feasted on her blood before she could have even
reacted.

But she was
different now. Her wolf, ruled by a simple, animalistic need for
survival, surged within her and she whipped to the right with ease.
The leech’s hands gripped air which only seconds prior had been her
smooth throat, and he blinked in surprise as he stumbled over his
own feet and fell.

She laughed
loudly, a sound that was half-howl, and her eyes glowed as Olof
leaped to his feet and hissed angrily.

“Too slow!” She
crowed at him.

She had never
felt so alive or more powerful in her life. Every muscle in her
body was vibrating with power, and her Lycan senses had kicked in
with a rush that left her breathless with excitement. She could
hear the mosquito’s buzzing, the leaves on the trees trembling in
the wind, and the rustling of the small creatures hiding in the
forest. She inhaled deeply. Her mate’s scent filled her lungs,
blotting out the other smells, and she smiled happily as her fangs
popped out.

She would kill
this troublesome little worm and then she would find her mate. She
would take him deep into the forest and they would hunt and mate
until the sun began to rise over the horizon. They would –

Olof, his body
a blur, reached for her and she snapped her teeth and sliced him
across the stomach with the sword in her right hand. He screamed
and scurried backward, clapping one hand over the gaping wound in
his flesh as she howled again.

“You make this
too easy, leech.” She snarled.

The pain on
Olof’s face was replaced with amusement. A small trickle of fear
slid down Hannah’s spine when he moved his hand and she realized
the wound had already healed. Olof straightened his torn suit
jacket and tightened his tie.

“Perhaps I
should start making an effort then, she-wolf.” He said.

“Perhaps you
should.” Her voice was deepening and hair was sprouting on her
cheeks as her wolf tried to take control. She fought against the
shift, knowing she needed her swords, and Olof cocked his head at
her.

“Why do you
fight against the turning? Is it not better to let it free? What
use are silly human weapons when you have a beast inside of
you?”

She didn’t
reply and, moving more quickly than she could ever have imagined,
the leech snatched her around the waist, lifted her into the air
and threw her into the forest. She crashed into a tree, her head
slamming against the bark hard enough to make her see stars and she
yelped in pain when two of her ribs broke with a harsh snap. She
dropped to the ground, panting loudly and her wolf howling for its
freedom, and searched frantically for her dropped swords.

“Looking for
these?” Olof appeared in front of her. He held her swords in his
hands and he lifted them to the faint light of the half-moon,
studying them carefully as they gleamed dully. “I’ll ask you again,
what need does a Lycan have for swords?”

“Fuck you.”
Hannah growled as she climbed to her feet. Behind her, hidden by
the thick trees, she could hear her mate and the leech fighting
viciously and she took a small step backward.

Olof laughed.
“I’m really not that interested in you, my dear. You’re pleasant
looking enough but the smell of your wolf is enough to turn any man
away. Now, stop moving away and pay attention. You will answer my
question or I’ll use your own swords to slice you apart.”

He giggled like
a small boy and studied the swords again. “Oh, this is going to be
fun.”

* * *

“Selena?”

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking
when we’re done here, we should go for tacos.”

“Are you
kidding me?”

“What? I’m
starving. Don’t you like tacos? I’d be willing to go for Thai food.
You like Thai food?”

“Now is not the
time, Reid.”

“Fine, but when
we’re driving aimlessly around town later tonight trying to decide
what to have for dinner, you’re going to wish we had made the
decision now.”

“Reid – “

“I’m not trying
to sway you or anything but you might want to consider the tacos.
They’ve got a higher caloric value and you’re going to need your
energy for what I’m going to do to you later.”

“Oh
really?”

He grinned at
the hint of curiosity in her voice. “Really, really. We’re talking
shenanigans, sweetheart. Lots and lots of sexual shenanigans. Until
you can’t stand and I have to carry you around the – “

“
Halt die Klappe,
Dummkopf!”

“What did he
just say?” Selena asked.

They were
surrounded by the four vampires and she gripped Reid’s hand tightly
as she raised her gun.

“He’s asking me
to go for drinks with him later.” Reid said cheerfully.

The vampire
gaped at him. “Habe ich nicht!”

“Of course you
did.” Reid replied. “Listen, I’m flattered - maybe even a little
curious - but you see this lady beside me? She’s the jealous type.
And I know she’s small but believe me – you do
not
want to
piss her off.”

The vampire made a snarl of rage and
lunged at Reid. Reid pushed Selena bac
k and fired. The leech dodged the bullet and
landed on him with a heavy thud, knocking him to the ground. His
gun fell from his hand and he twisted for it as the vampire pounced
on him.

“Reid!”

He could hear Selena screaming and her gun
firing. The vampire on top of him winced when a bullet grazed his
neck, drawing a spurt of blood that spilled down his shirt, but
didn’t release his grip around Reid’s neck.

“I am not allowed to kill you,” he hissed,
“but ripping your foolish tongue from your mouth will not wound you
mortally.”

Reid clamped his mouth shut as he reached
blindly for his gun. The tips of his fingers brushed against the
hot barrel and, ignoring the sizzling pain, he wrapped his fingers
around it and dragged it closer.

The vampire squeezed his throat and traced
his mouth with one cold finger. “Open up,
Dummkopf. I will make it quick. It might not even
– “

A
look of fear blanketed his face, as he stared down at the
gun jammed against his chest.

“
Good bye, fuckface.” Reid said and pulled
the trigger.

The sound of the dry click made his face
drop as the vampire laughed and knocked the empty gun out of his
hand.

There was a soft, whistling rush of air
and the vampire blinked in mild surprise. A thin line of blood
appeared on his throat, and the vampire’s head slid from his body
and landed in a soft thump on the ground next to Reid.

Blood poured out of the vampire’s headless
neck and Reid groaned and shoved the body off of him. “Gross,
dude.”

He wiped the blood from his face and stared
up at the Asian man holding the bloody sword. “Thanks, Chen.”

Chen bowed slightly as Reid’s eyes suddenly
widened. “Selena!”

He jumped to his feet, looking around
frantically, and sighed with relief when he saw her standing with
Mallorie. The two women, along with Paul, Alex, and the twins, had
surrounded the three remaining vampires.

As the vampires hissed in fear, Paul glanced
at Chen.

“Master?”

“Begin.” Chen said softly.

Chapter 26

Hannah took another step back and Olof’s face
wrinkled in anger. “I said not to move, Lycan bitch. Pay attention
to me.”

Will howled and Hannah turned toward the
sound of pain and anger, her heart pumping with a sudden rush of
adrenaline. Her mate needed her. He needed her and –

There was a rush of burning pain as Olof’s
cold hand wrapped around her throat. She looked down to see her
sword embedded in her stomach and she gasped harshly as he yanked
it free.

“I told you to pay attention to me.” The
leech said softly. He glanced at the wound in Hannah’s stomach. “Do
not worry, she-wolf. Your Lycan abilities will heal you and you can
adapt to life as my pet.”

She stared wide-eyed at him as he pushed her
back against the tree and tightened his grip around her throat.
“You must forget about your mate. As we speak, Lars is ripping him
apart. But do not worry – I will give you his pelt as a gift to
remember him.”

He laughed as the skin on her face began to
ripple and change. “Now you shift. It’s about time. What kind of
Lycan are you, anyway? I’ve never met one who was so reluctant to
shift. In fact, I – “

He jerked and made a soft strangled noise of
surprise as Hannah’s jaw cracked and twisted into a long snout and
dark, coarse hair covered her flesh. His hand dropped from around
her neck and she growled hungrily as he stared down at his
chest.

Her hand had punched through his chest and
he watched as her wrist twisted and she pulled sharply. She grinned
as his heart, black and bloody, emerged from the dripping hole in
his chest. She squeezed it tightly, blood dripping over her
fur-covered hands and her nails digging into the rotting
flesh.

He stared mutely at her as she made a
soft-pitched yip of excitement and tore his heart in half before
shoving him to the forest floor. He collapsed on his back, his skin
beginning to smoke and blacken, and stared up at the woman standing
before him. Her body rippling and her clothes
tearing at the seams, she lifted her head
to the sky and howled triumphantly.