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Nathaniel sniffed in distaste. The stench was overwhelming for his heightened sense of smell. He flicked away his cigarette with a scowl as his talons grew.
The alpha, a shadow that resembled a Bernese mountain dog, yipped, and the pack turned tail and ran, fleeing back the way they’d come.
Lily snarled before leaping forward in pursuit.
“Head them—”
“Already on it!” Nathaniel called, his fangs glinting as he slid into the nearest shadows.
There was a whooshing! sound and he disappeared.
“Round them up, girl!” Amberson cried, sprinting over the lawns after Lily.
Despite his bulk, his long strides made short work of the gap between them. They were heading west towards Constitution Hill and Hyde Park beyond. He could see the hulking shadows of the Blood Hounds in the distance. They kept in a tight formation behind the alpha, weaving in and out of the trees and shrubbery.
Out of the shadows, Nathaniel burst like a god of death. Leaping, he crashed into the alpha with a snarl, tackling it in a tumble of fangs and claws. Whimpers and yelps mixed with Nathaniel’s growls.
Darting forward, Lily cut off the rest of the pack from their alpha. A smaller Blood Hound advanced. With a snap of her teeth, Lily forced it back. Squaring off, she lowered her head, eyeing the hounds warily as a low, guttural bark rumbled at the back of her throat. Heeding the threat, the rest of the pack gathered together, their hackles raised.
As Amberson approached, they formed a protective circle, their eyes blazing crimson in the gloom. Their gnarls reverberated through the night.
The centre of his palm began to glow, and with a flick of his wrist, he magicked a bladed cestus and a tomahawk axe out of the thin air. The charge danced along his hands, jumping to the weapons he plucked from the air. In the same instant, the glamour on his Fæ features melted away, leaving behind glowing silver hair and eyes.
His magic glowed, quickly intensifying to morph into a crackling maelstrom of electricity as he summoned lightning. A sharp whistle escaped his lips before he leapt into action, flinging the axe into the nearest Lost Soul with a deadening thunk!
Lily bounded forward, swatting the nearest Blood Hound with her sharp claws before going for its neck with sickening ferocity. But instead of gushing blood, the shadowy beast exploded under her touch in a flurry of black petals. The blossom dissipated on the breeze, drifting higher and higher to corkscrew to the heavens above.
The other Blood Hounds stilled at the loss of one of their pack, their red eyes trained on the disappearing petals. Then their attention returned to Lily and Amberson, and they snarled, launching themselves forward in anger, their teeth gnashing.
Amberson was ready. Thrusting his bladed cestus to the path, he summoned an ultrasonic blast to pound the earth. It rumbled, and plasma tore through the ground, creating a fissure that snaked forward, splitting the ground where most of the Blood Hounds had gathered. With their footing disturbed, they stumbled into the crevice, but not before Amberson had summoned a fire attack. The inferno roared through the opening, engulfing the trapped Blood Hounds in its hot embrace. With a series of yowls, the Lost Souls evaporated as a squall of black petals.
The remaining two Blood Hounds eyed him warily through the flames.
Amberson spied Nathaniel pinned under the alpha hound, its teeth snapping at him. Raising a knee, the vampire pushed off, sending the alpha flying. Before the demon could get its bearing, Nathaniel launched himself forward, knocking it down. It snarled, its teeth inches from his face, and he snarled back, his fangs unhinging. Taken aback, the alpha hound took in the sharp points of his teeth. With the Lost Soul distracted Nathaniel plunged his fist into its shadowy mass, slashing with his talons to eviscerate it in one blow.
Black petals erupted, flurrying around them as they regrouped.
“Are you okay?” Nathaniel asked, dusting himself down.
“Yeah, I think we—”
Frenzied barking interrupted them as Lily lunged at the two remaining Blood Hounds. They separated, one fleeing south to The Mall and Buckingham Palace whilst the other, a smaller one, headed north, back towards Piccadilly and its busy High Street.
Amberson swore as Lily bounded after the one headed for Buckingham Palace.
“Meet you back here?” he called as he stumbled after Lily.
But Nathaniel was already gone, a black blur whizzing over the lawns in pursuit of the one bound for Piccadilly. The shadows scattered as tendrils in his wake.
Chapter Five
Nathaniel
The chase was on!
With the lights of the high street fast approaching, Nathaniel launched himself at the small Blood Hound. They tumbled, rolling onto the pavements of Piccadilly. Tourists and passersby scattered with shrieks and cries as the Lost Soul escaped his clutches, scurrying for the shadows of the dark park.
With a feral snarl, he dashed after it, slashing at it with his talons before it escaped, tearing the beast to shreds. Black petals burst forth, engulfing him with their silky softness.
