He knew the exact moment she allowed her senses to rise above them. Into the mist. Into that dense fog that pressed down on the forest and mountain. Her breath caught in her throat, and she clutched him tighter as she buried her face against his chest.
A vampire.
You missed one. There are two. I doubt either are the master. They are not covering their tracks. Both are on the way to the village. They are hunting victims.
He felt her fear. The panic rising. Her feeling of terror nearly overwhelmed him it was so strong, but along with it, he felt something else. Sheer, utter determination. A will of absolute steel.
We can’t let them get to the village, Andre. They’ll kill someone. Maybe more than one innocent person.
He had no intention of allowing the vampires to get to the village. He was a hunter. He sought out and destroyed the undead. That was who he was. What he was.
I am going to draw them to us. You will have to trust me, Teagan, and do everything I tell you. I am going to bring Giles and his friends to us as well.
Teagan went still. She had known, even before she said something, that Andre wouldn’t allow the vampires to reach the village where they could kill any number of innocents. She bit her lip. This was certainly one of those moments to prove the old adage, Be careful what you wish for. Still . . .
I left my grandmother’s off-the-Internet vampire-hunting kit in the States, so you might want to take them on all by yourself. Giles and his slimy friends, I can help with. In fact, I’m all about helping with them.
You are all about sitting quietly and waiting for your man to clean up the neighborhood.
Teagan bit her lip. She wasn’t really all about that. She believed in pulling her own weight, and six to one weren’t the greatest of odds. She didn’t reply. Andre took it for granted that she would obey him. He did that a lot. She figured sooner or later he would catch on that she wasn’t good with authority figures. He could deliver his commands in his low, sexy voice, but that didn’t mean she would obey them.
Andre stopped under some trees where there was just a small clearing forming because a large tree had come down and hit another, dropping both to the forest floor.
Shift to an owl. I want you in that tree and very still.
Teagan blinked as Andre set her on her feet. She looked up the tall tree, at the thick branches. You want me to hide away while you face all this alone, because I don’t think I can do that.
His hand slipped into her hair, bunched there, exerting pressure until her head tipped back. He kissed her. Hard. Long. Delicious. As if they had all the time in the world. Even as he kissed her, she knew he was still scanning the area around them and he knew the exact position of all six threats. She didn’t bother to scan, she enjoyed the kiss. A lot.
Do what I say. I do not want to have to worry about you.
Well. She felt a lot more in the mood to do anything he said after that kiss. She had to admit to herself that she was maybe a lot bit of a pushover when it came to Andre and his sexy side.
She stepped away from him and held the image of the owl in her mind. She’d already done this once, so it wasn’t nearly as difficult the second time. One moment she was Teagan and the next she was the owl, spreading her wings to get the feel of them.
Next time, instead of a bird, I’m going for sex kitten. Lots of curves.
You already are a sex kitten. Now get into that tree. Keith and Kirt are very close, Andre announced. Get up in the thickest part of the tree and stay there.
She liked that he thought she was already a sex kitten. Wow. She knew he was telling the truth because she was in his mind and he spoke matter-of-factly, as if his mind was elsewhere and he could only be honest.
Teagan.
She did a full body shiver right there inside the owl. Well, she’d definitely have a ringside seat. She took to the trees, rising fast, her wings silent. She found a branch that was slightly under several larger ones and she perched there, her talons gripping the bark so that she could peer down and see the little clearing and much of the surrounding trees.
Teagan could feel the vampires, much closer now. The air had turned foul. Oppressive. She could barely breathe. She was shocked that the human men couldn’t feel the difference in the air. Each time she drew in a breath, her lungs hurt. Burned. Felt raw, almost as if they pushed the air out as fast as possible to avoid contamination.
From her vantage point she saw the two men creeping through the trees, trying to sneak up on Andre. He had his back to Kirt, and Keith approached from the front. Kirt was much closer, moving into position for the attack while his brother kept Andre’s attention.
Andre, behind you.
No distractions. Do not help me.
He didn’t turn around. He just barked orders at her. Sheesh. Try to do someone a favor and they just got mad. Kirt was nearly on him now, and she could see the knife in his fist. Keith broke through the brush right in front of Andre, also armed with a knife. Andre whirled around fast, slashing across Kirt’s throat with his open hand, his nails long and sharp. Blood spurted. Andre spun again and met Keith as he rushed in, knife low, blade up, going for the softer parts of the body. Andre slapped the knife away with blurring speed, so fast Teagan couldn’t actually see his palm hit Keith’s wrist, but she heard the smack and saw the knife go flying. Andre’s hand continued in motion, going from where he’d deflected the blade away from him, up to Keith’s throat.
Teagan’s heart stuttered to a halt. There was blood everywhere. Droplets hit the fog and she knew Andre was calling to the vampires, using their assailants as bait to bring in the undead, to draw them away from the village. With hunger clawing at them, the vampires would never be able to resist the lure of the scent of fresh blood.