“That’s too many people, considering Cas killed four.”
“It comes with the territory. No one who works for criminals is all that pure-hearted. We’ve got to take our chances and trust sparingly.”
He led me through the parking garage, which was devoid of most vehicles. Supernaturals didn’t use them much in close quarters. Why would we when a vampire could move faster than a car ever could? Even shifters rivalled vehicle speeds over short distances. We’d be putting ourselves at a disadvantage by getting behind the wheel.
As we got closer to the open garage door, the guards grew more alert. Their attire was more uniform, everyone wearing navy blue short sleeve shirts with a logo on them. I’d seen the logo in various other places around the building, so I assumed it was for Nolan’s company. These were the guards currently on duty. Clement clapped one man on the shoulder, peering out and up onto the brightly lit road. “Anything interesting happening, man?”
The guard shrugged, cocking his head to the side like he was listening for something. He was a mage, so he was unlikely to be listening for actual sounds. Both Clement and I could hear across much greater distances than him. “No one’s got anything to report. It’s quiet.”
A telepathic mage, then. We’d been worried Freya was one, before we’d known it was her that wiped my memories. Telepathy and memory manipulation often went hand in hand, but she’d mentioned in passing that she’d never been able to make telepathy work for her.
“Quiet is good. I doubt it’ll stay that way much longer, so stay sharp,” Clement said.
We didn’t wander outside the confines of the parking garage, and I preferred it that way. Despite not being one of her mates, I didn’t want to be far from Freya when she went into heat, and it was risky to be outside the confines of the building. I was sure Amabella had some kind of wards set up that would kick into effect the moment suspicious activity was detected.
“Is it odd that Kylan hasn’t retaliated yet?” I asked once we were out of hearing range of the mage.
Clement shrugged. “He’s a calculated man. Patient and willing to wait for the right moment to strike. I’m not worried because he hasn’t struck yet, I’m worried because it’s Kylan and he’s guaranteed to strike when we’re weakest.”
My mind immediately went to Freya’s heat. She would be weakest while she was in it, and Kylan wanted her specifically. How would Kylan know when she’d go into heat, though?
“We expect him to attack when Freya is holed up in heat.”
He confirmed my thoughts as I stumbled to a stop. “How would he find out about that?” I barked, suddenly worried.
“We’d be naïve to think he doesn’t have spies among our ranks, and as an unmated Omega Freya’s scent will fill the entire hallway of the floor she’s staying on. People are going to know, and they’re going to talk.”
His point was solid, but I didn’t have to like it. “I should get back upstairs. Just in case any of those spies are brave enough to try something. She’ll be going into heat tonight.”
“If you’re not together, won’t being there be a bit too much temptation for you?” Clement asked with a chuckle.
I wasn’t as easily tempted as most Alphas, but I had to admit basking in her scent and not touching would be difficult. Worth it, though, considering she’d need someone to keep her safe and I was the only one I trusted with the task. “I’ll manage.”
“Have fun with that. See you in a week, I guess.”
My mind was on a single track, and I was determined to return to Freya as soon as possible. She wasn’t in any more danger than she’d been in when I left her hours ago, and she had to be back with Cas and Shan by now. Knowing about the probable existence of spies made me paranoid, though. I needed to be close.
I was standing beside the elevator waiting for it to arrive when I heard the first shout, followed by a stampede of feet.
Spinning on my heel, my eyes widened at the army of vampires pushing their way through the garage door. They made the guards look like paper dolls with the way they were mowing them down. More shouts rang out as people realized what was going on, mixing in a chaotic symphony with the screams of people being taken out.
The elevator dinged and opened behind me, and I glanced at it. I was itching to be back with Freya, close enough to keep her safe. That wouldn’t do a hell of a lot of good if these guys got through the first line of defence down here. I reached inside and pressed the button for the sixth floor, sending the elevator back where it had come from.
“Donotlet them get to the elevator or the stairs!” Clement shouted, rolling up his sleeves as he grabbed a sword from the pile of weapons.
He took control of the group on our side, preparing us in the seconds it took for the vampires to get across the parking garage floor. Then, we clashed. His orders were drowned out. I reached inside for my bear and let him come out, my clothes ripping off me as my form changed. In a space this wide open, I’d have better luck in my shifted form than I’d had when trapped in the alley.
Using one massive paw, I swiped at an oncoming vamp, ripping through his skin and tearing him near in half. His scream drew the attention of some of Kylan’s other men, and more came at me the next time. I got one across the chest while another latched onto my back and tried to grab me with his fangs. He barely nicked me, getting a mouthful of fur. Rearing back, I shook him off and stomped on him with my paws.
The opposing vampires were easy to tell apart from us because they wore white, the shade stark against the dimness of the underground garage. Plus, they were fierce. They never stopped charging forward, tearing through our men until they were mowed down themselves. They were creatures on a mission, one they would likely be killed for if they failed. None of them had anything to lose.
A few snuck past the primary force and tried to make a break for the stairs, but I followed them with a roar. Both were injured, and I caught them before they could break the lock on the stairwell entrance. My teeth sank into flesh, ripping off limbs indiscriminately. The stairwell door opened amid the blood spray and I turned toward it with my teeth bared, but calmed when I saw who it was.
Altair. Sky’s scent was in the air too, but he must have been invisible because I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“You keep guarding the stairwell,” Altair said, more serious than he’d been when we’d first met. “You take up most of the hallway like this, so it’ll be difficult for people to slip past. We’ll head to watch the elevator. Reinforcements are on their way, but there are enemies on the other floors too so we can’t count on much help.”
I growled low in my throat, fighting the urge to shift back right now and sprint up to our suite. If they were inside, Freya wasn’t safe. If they were here at all, Freya must have gone into heat. Only my knowledge of how far Shan would go to keep her protected kept me down here instead of rushing to her side.
