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For a moment the others backed away, and then they seemed to realize she was badly outnumbered. Even with his help, the odds were stacked against them. There were only four tried and true ways to kill a vampire: complete exposure to sunlight, fire, decapitation, and a stake through the heart. Some believed that holy water, a communion wafer, or a silver bullet would do the trick, but those ideas were pure fantasy.
Holy water was like a mild acid to the skin, a communion wafer placed in their mouths would merely burn their tongues, and a silver bullet would hurt but heal almost instantaneously. Sunlight was out, and she had a stake, so that left decapitation to him. Normally, he could just rip something’s throat out, but with a vampire, he would have to literally rip the damn thing’s head off. Colby was going to owe him for this, but if the vampires harmed his mate, Colby wouldn’t live to pay the debt.
Two vamps rushed her simultaneously; she removed a second stake from her belt, spinning one past her as she dusted the other and then grabbing the first one and impaling him through the chest, jumping back as he turned to ash. Damn. She was one hell of a fighter. He wondered where she had learned not only how to fight, but how to kill a vampire.
Answers would have to wait.
Cullen charged past her, gnashing his teeth and attacking. He ripped off the heads of two of the vampires before they could do anything about it, stopping the rest in their tracks. Not waiting for them to recover, he spun around and raced toward her, shoving his muzzle between her legs and tossing her up on his back. Her hands fisted in his fur—holding on. As the vamps screamed in outrage and desperation, Cullen made for the open door at the end of the tunnel, charging up the staircase and through the door. He managed to kick the door closed behind him as he lunged for the entrance that led to the brightly lit street.
Once outside, he headed to the ATV, skidding to a halt to let her off his back. He could hear the vampires making use of the shadows—the quiet skittering of their feet along the floorboards. They would most likely have protective clothing as well. She needed to get out of here. She was his mate, and he would hold them off to ensure she lived. He expected her to gun the engine and leave him to his fate, but she didn’t.
Instead, she gave him a level look. “I hope to hell you’re some kind of shifter. Shift and get on. We need to get the hell out of here.”
She didn’t have to tell him twice. Cullen embraced his humanity as the mist swirled around him in a cataclysmic storm of thunder, lightning, and color as she turned the ATV around. Cullen pushed her back. He knew this land far better than she did. She seemed to understand and didn’t fight him as he jumped naked in front of her onto the ATV.
“Hang onto me. This is going to be a rough ride.”
She wrapped her arms around him as he gunned the engine, engaged the throttle, and barely managed to keep the damn ATV under control as it raced away from the town. He made for open land where the sun was shining brightly. Heading up the hill, he barely slowed down while passing the place where he’d left his clothes and managed to lean down and scoop them off the ground.
“I’ll take that,” she said, wresting the bundle from his grasp and wedging it between them. She hugged his back, resting the side of her head against him.
He changed course and headed for the river. The water was down this time of year, and as long as he could keep the water from the engine, he could use the river to mask their scent. Cullen had to focus to smell anything other than her. His recalcitrant cock seemed unaware or uncaring that they were still in danger and this woman knew nothing about him. He could tell by her scent that she was human, which begged the question: how had she known he was a shifter?
How did she know about shifters and vampires in the first place? Humans had no business knowing these things.
Unless…
Having a fair idea of who she might be, Cullen headed downriver. He knew the area and knew he could get them up into the trees where they could make their way to Ghost Moon Manor. He had to give it to her; the water was cold, she had to be frightened, and the ride was torturous. Luckily, she was not inexperienced and was able to shift her weight with his to help keep them upright. He began to climb into the foothills of the Aleutian Range. Once they were well inside the trees, he stopped scanning the area as he scented the wind, trying to ascertain if the vamps had followed. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t.
His mate handed him the bundle, pointed to his erect cock, and said, “Mind putting that thing away?”
“Am I embarrassing you?” he quipped. “Never seen a man so well-endowed?”
She rolled her eyes. “What is it with guys and the size of their cocks? To be honest, nope; you’re about as well-hung as they come. But we have more pressing matters to deal with, and I find when all the blood rushes to your dangly bits, most of you don’t have enough to fuel the head between your ears.”
Cullen should have been insulted. He should have told her he was her alpha, and she had to learn to speak to him with respect, but he didn’t. Instead, he laughed. “You have a point.” He opened the bundle and pulled on jeans, a shawl-collared sweater, and boots. “I am Cullen Manchester, Alpha of the Ghost Moon Pack.”
She reached inside her jacket with one hand and pulled out her ID while she used the other to pull her gun from the waist holder in the back. “I’m Special Agent Salem Hubbard of the Bureau’s Special Projects Unit.”
Cullen nodded. “The SPU is only under the Bureau’s auspices, as legally, the CIA can’t operate on domestic soil. Trust me, Special Agent Salem Hubbard, you’re a spook.”
“I’d begun to wonder about that. But now that we’ve sorted out who I am, what the hell do you mean you are ‘Alpha of the Ghost Moon Pack?’ I mean, obviously you’re a wolf shifter. Forgive me, I am not yet up to speed on all the varieties of wolves and shifters so specifically you are…”
“Leader of the arctic wolf pack in the Aleutian Range. Seeing as I saved your life…”
“I don’t remember asking for your help and we did use my ATV to get out of there,” she said, her gun still leveled at him.
“I have to apologize for my late entry into the fray. Your skill and understanding of your assailants were a surprise.”
“First off, Cullen Manchester of the Ghost Moon Pack, we humans, and specifically the SPU, aren’t as ignorant about your existence as you’d like us to be.” She regarded him coolly and then holstered her gun and offered him her hand. “Salem. Thanks.”
“Like the capital of Oregon?” he asked, shaking her hand. He would have liked to retain control of it, but she removed it from his grasp.
“Bingo.” She removed her rucksack, setting it on the ground and placing her stakes back inside after giving them a brief perusal. “Is there any reason why there’s no blood? I expected blood.”
“Vamps have no blood of their own, and you’ll never get a pulse as their hearts don’t beat.”
“Kind of takes away from the whole romantic leaning your head against his chest after sex.”
