Page 102 of The Huntress
They spun to battle the writhing masses, swinging uppercuts, hooks, and kicks, leaving a trail of bodies behind them even as she screamed at them to cease fighting. She was a poor peacemaker. She blurred from combatant to berserker, neutralizing as she moved. She’d drawn her daggers, not to kill, but to poison. Her instincts demanded she come prepared.
The beasts and suckbloods collapsed to their knees, and over one head, she tossed Gabe a dagger or two. Her arms should’ve grown heavy, but she wasn’t human anymore. Amazement made her stare at them, at their automatic actions, nicking beasts and suckbloods with speeds almost beyond her ability to see. Words tumbled from her mouth, as if she bargained for peace. In a way she did, but they didn’t listen, and now she performed the action for the senator’s eyes. She snorted at Syl and Rhys’s demand she remain neutral. Fools!
Bring them to me, and I’ll throw them into the bay,Gabe said.
She scrambled backward as if to imply weakness. They followed, unaware that as enemies they stood alongside each other with the common goal to kill her. She sighed, holding out her hands as if to placate them. When they lunged, she leaped, sending kicks and jabs, dropping them one by one. Gabe tugged each one off the pier, tossing her daggers back at her when she’d lost her last one. She mourned the loss. Those weapons had been with her for years and had helped her escape many situations, not unlike her current one.
Where are they coming from? I didn’t know we had so many participating today.She threw a glance at Syl and Rhys who fought alongside each other, trying to keep their alliance intact. Neither killed, but later, there would be quite a few in agony on both sides.
Almost done, my love.Gabe’s mental voice was calm, and a scan of his mind revealed it wasn’t a ruse. Gone was the red haze of battle lust from earlier.
I’d like to finish this before the sun rises. Fighting at a disadvantage doesn’t sit well with me.As it was, her energy leaked from her with the first rays of the sun touching the bay’s water.
If Syl or Rhys endanger you in any way, they will not be happy with my retaliation.Red tinged their connection again, and she sent her love in waves, calming him.
Black-uniformed suckbloods cut a path through the masses and bowed before her. They gave her their backs and formed a circle around her, even as more of thepal’tsyswirled outward, neutralizing as they moved.
Dimitri sent his fingers. I could kiss him!She lowered her arms to watch his men work.
Swift and effective, with their usual lethality missing. Any deaths from today would cement the feud between the suckbloods and the beasts. It would be a shame if that happened. She’d come to respect Rhys as an alpha.
No, you won’t kiss Dimitri.Gabe said, conveying an image of him scowling.
There’s only one grumpy ass suckblood I want to put my lips on.She slid her remaining daggers into her boots and stepped over the strewn bodies to reach him.
The circle ofpal’tsyshifted with her.
I can’t decide if I’m delighted or offended by Dimitri’s need to protect me. Does he not trust me?
Since he has an attachment to our daughter, I’d say you’re delighted.Gabe brushed his lips across her temple, and she sighed with contentment.
Remind me to thank him later.She tugged his arms around her, nuzzling her nose across his blood-stained sleeve.
There better be no kisses.
Chapter Forty
PSEUDO-BATTLE
Leoscannedthebattlefieldfrom the hotel window, seeing every detail, planned or otherwise. The docks had been Callie’s suggestion. Her suckblood journey had involved witnessing the canister pass hands, and it seemed symbolic that the conclusion should occur here. The full moon cast light and shadows, but they’d repaired the floodlights so the officers and Carter could see the show. The sun teased the horizon, kissing the ocean’s edge with a splash of color.
This was a bad idea. There had been too much hatred for the pseudo-battle to play out without casualties. It was a full-out blood bath, trickles of it staining the tarred ground. The enticing scent of it reached him in his room, extending his teeth as if he hungered. Callie had gone from damsel-in-distress to huntress, knocking out shifters and vampires to spare their lives. Gabe protected her with more lethality, no matter the species.
Leo tuned out the gleeful reactions from Carter, which he could hear through the thin walls. The recordings would capture his incriminating words. Dimitri’spal’tsyfollowed Callie’s example and neutralized large swathes of combatants. Blood had been spilled, and it was sacrosanct to both sides—sustenance versus lineage.
Syl and Rhys battled alongside each other as they fought to keep the new alliance strong. Metcalfe’s officers had arrived, but they hovered on the outskirts with weapons drawn, indecisive since this free-for-all wasn’t part of the plan. Their choice to remain on the sidelines was wise, for many a human would have died this night.
Leo conveyed his panoramic view to the key members, sharing where the chaotic nuclei were. Even including an absent Dimitri in the communication. The man had chosen to remain with George, trusting hispal’tsyto do as trained.
Dripping blood from their fingers or claws, and with their chests heaving, Syl faced Rhys. Callie leaned against Gabe, seeming content to remain so. Around them, bodies sprawled outward, resembling the petals of a flower.
“That didn’t go as planned,” Syl said to Rhys, who grunted in response. The sound was animalistic but its meaning understood. “Take your wounded and go.”
“I need to kill you first,” Rhys said. The words were discernible in his coarse voice, but Leo had read the thought before Rhys spoke it. “We can salvage this.”
“Ready,” Syl said.
Rhys roared, his jaw extending amid the bellow of a grizzly bear. His body contorted in jerks and spasms. The alpha’s pain lancing through Leo’s mind had him shutting off the connection. The massive brown bear stood on its hind legs, towering over Syl, who looked frail in comparison. It was an impressive sight.
