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"His servant asked me how many vampires we were facing. I told him four, and he said Daegan was all that would be needed." Rand lifted a shoulder. "I don't doubt him. Hunting vampires...I think it's what Daegan does for the Council."
He stuck a sword in my back when I was distracted. You're easily impressed.
Cai ignored Rand's who-are-you-kidding look. But he'd come to a similar conclusion at Greenwald's. A vampire who was a vampire hunter. With a vampire hunter for a servant. It made sense. A lot of things made sense right now, because he was too brain-fried to question them.
"Let's hope he's not overestimating the size of his dick. Or sword. My idea is going to rely on me being in full health and walking out of this hole in the ground at twilight, and you and your wolves staying out of sight until I signal for you. Doable?"
Rand nodded, but his brow furrowed. "I'm only getting part of what you're thinking..."
Good. It meant Cai's brain was scrambled enough to hold some things in reserve. He didn't necessarily want Rand anticipating him on part of his plan.
"It's all right. You'll recognize the cues. You're pretty sharp for a quadruped."
At twilight, Cai walked out of the forest as planned. Thank God for shifter blood. If he'd only had access to human blood, he suspected he would have still felt a bit woozy, but after a total of four shifter donors, including Idris, Cai assured a dubious Rand he was glowing with health. The only residual symptom was the emotional wobbles that happened after being tortured, and hell, dealing with those was home territory for him.
Since late afternoon was the most likely time for a vampire of any age to be completely out, it had been decided a couple hours ago to take the risk and free the human woman. Cilya and Chad had cut her loose and taken her with them, headed back to Fane's place, where she'd be turned over to Sangra's care and transported to a hospital.
The human had insisted that the other woman's body be taken too, stretching out her hands toward her in mute appeal. They'd agreed, never mind that it put them down an additional wolf for what was coming. No one was going to argue it, even Cai. He wondered if the two women had known one another before they'd been brought here, but that didn't matter. They were bonded now.
Returning to the present and his semblance of a plan, Cai strode into the clearing, much as he had little more than a day before, though this time he carried a branch about three feet in length. Since he'd been stripped of his knife and didn't know where it was, he picked up a hunting knife someone had left stuck in the picnic table near the well. It had the odor of human blood on it. Fuck only knew why, and he wasn't going to spare it thought. Taking a seat on the top of the picnic table, he broke the branch in half and started whittling upon the two pieces. Waiting.
Malvin came out first. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Cai, which told him they either didn't have the monitoring equipment Cai had assumed, or Brian's serum had kept them out of it during the key footage of Cai's release. Malvin did look nicely groggy. Rand had told him he'd mounded up some dirt and debris so if the camera feed was as grainy as it typically was for a security camera, a passing glance would have made it look like he was still there.
Malvin's mouth tightened in disappointment. He'd probably been anticipating being the first to stand over Cai and gloat over his horrific condition. Subsequent to the short nap he took after his feeding--completely, blissfully buried under the earth--Cai had risen and found a creek to finish the skin sloughing process. It had been on the screaming side of painful, but it looked better. He was a little pinkish and mottled, like a kid too long in the sun at the beach, but he'd assured Rand he'd have his milky-white corpse complexion again in no time.
"You were chained," Malvin said. "Even if your wolf had shifted, he could not have freed you. How did you..."
"Kind of boggles the mind, doesn't it? Makes you think I have more tricks up my sleeve than you first imagined." Fane had broken the padlock and chains with the bolt cutters they'd brought from the farm. Cai cast a glance over himself. Since he'd only donned the jeans from the clothes Brutus had so courteously left folded up next to his block of shade, he added, "Well, since I'm not wearing a shirt, I guess that would be tricks up my ass, but you get the gist."
He waved the knife generally before taking another peel off the ever-sharpening stick. "The lying aboveground screeching thing was boring, so I got loose, went and hung out in the forest. Freed your blood sources, since that's twisted and sick, and it nauseated me to see it. What respectable Trad keeps a human for blood rather than hunting for it? You guys have gone downhill since I saw you last."
Hector's lip curled in a pre-battle sneer, his fists starting to curl, but Cai pointed at him with the knife. "Hold your ground. I'm done dicking with minions." He raised his voice. "Goddard, unless you think you need four vampires to deal with one, why don't you bring your ass out here?"
He heard Rand's voice in his head, quizzical. This was the part he hadn't let him see fully because Cai wasn't in the mood to turn it into a debate. He didn't bother to respond, since his plan was about to be obvious. He was betting his normally conservative wolf would come up with some creative swear words. Cai was looking forward to it.
Goddard emerged, zipping up his pants. Cai's gut clutched, remembering earlier, but sick as Goddard was, he wanted that baby. And he was coming out of the outbuilding he and Hector had shared, not the cabin where Dovia was. While Cai didn't doubt there was a tunnel between the two, from the scent that hit his nostrils and reflected off Hector, he confirmed that Goddard had expended his insatiable needs on Hector. That was a mental picture Cai wished he didn't have to have, but it was better than one involving Dovia.
Goddard had never been particular about the gender of the orifice he used, and his earlier threats suggested even species barriers didn't bother him. He really would have screwed Rand as a wolf. Cai was even more certain he would have skinned him the way he described. Which might be a big part of why Cai was doing what he was about to do.
Rand had told him his wolf form was his sanctuary, but even if he hadn't, the feelings Cai had picked up from the male would have made it crystal clear. Rape was rape, and all of it was awful, but if Goddard had carried out that threat upon Rand, it might have broken something in the wolf's mind that could never be repaired.
Cai had seen the scars on Rand's wrists, in Rand's heart and soul. He'd been broken enough for one life. And Goddard was going to pay for even thinking about adding to it.
Goddard looked toward Malvin and Malvin shrugged. "He was like that when I came out. No idea how he got free."
Goddard scoffed at Cai. "You've learned to be more resourceful. It changes nothing."
"Yeah, nothing's changed, that's for damn sure. Trads are all brutal assholes, but most of them have a code. It's about staying pure predators. Their interpretation of what that means is still pretty fucked, but it's consistent. My wolf is a natural predator, and he doesn't have a sadist
ic bone in his body."
Cai rose from the picnic table and squared off with Goddard. "You're sick of me? I'm sick of you. Sick of knowing you exist. We're going to fight, just you and me. You claim to be better than me, stronger? You claim I'm nothing? You're going to have to back that shit up. We throw down right here, you and me, to the death."
He tossed the two stakes he'd carved on the ground, his aim decent enough that the pointed ends lodged into the earth halfway between them.
Cai? Even back in wolf form, Rand's consternation came through. Goddard older. Stronger. Faster.
Yep. Let's hope Daegan and Gideon didn't stop at Cracker Barrel to eat dinner. You wanted a good distraction for their approach, you got it. When it's in play, circle to the back of the main cabin. When they had me chained over at storage, I noticed the bottom two logs are rotting, water damage. A couple of you should be able to knock them out, go through and pull Dovia out of the cellar. Use the gum on her first thing, in case they did a blood tracker on her.
He spoke over Rand's protests. If things go wrong...I'm sorry. I don't want to take you down with me, but worst-case scenario, you'll get to be with your family, the way you want to be.
Cai...
Busy now. Shut up.
He received a searing blast of feeling, so articulate he almost grinned. He was right. Rand had a creative way of swearing. Better than words.
Goddard stepped forward. Cai matched him, pace for pace, and the vampire stopped.
"This is foolishness. I'll kill you. You know it."
"Hmm. Big talk." Cai lifted a hand and, right on cue, a nice dramatic touch, the wolves started to materialize from the woods, ringing the clearing around the cabin and grounds. Hell, more had arrived. Cai had been so focused on his plan, he hadn't sensed them. Fortunately, so distracted by Cai and how he'd gotten free, neither had Goddard and his cronies.
Rand had a lot of loyal friends. About fifty wolves, enough to give even four vampires pause. It was a lot of teeth and glowing eyes. What was even more unexpected was about half of them weren't shifters. They were actual wolves.
