He barely dodged a swipe that would’ve gutted him, his face twisted in a mixture of fury and desperation.
Then, a new presence filled the clearing.
The leader.
The air thickened, pulsing with something ancient, something wrong. The other vampires hesitated, pulling back slightly as a figure emerged from the darkness.
Tall. Broad. Well-dressed. And eerily calm.
His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, intelligent and assessing as he looked at us like we were nothing more than insects under his boot.
A slow, cruel smile stretched across his face.
“Well,” he said, voice smooth as silk. “What do we have here?”
The moment he spoke, the rabid vampires stopped. Just stopped.
Their snarls faded into eerie silence, their bodies unnaturally still, their glowing red eyes locked onto him, waiting.
Waiting for a command.
This wasn’t just some brute leading a pack of mindless monsters. This thing was the equivalent of the ruler of a vampire nest, something stronger, smarter.
The leader flicked his gaze over the battlefield, taking in the blood, the bodies, the barely-contained tension between Kit’s team and us.
Then, his eyes landed on Donovan.
I didn’t let him look any longer. I launched myself at him.
The moment I moved, the other vampires exploded into action. I barely registered the chaos breaking out around me. I had one focus.
The leader. The creature moved fast, but I was faster. I slammed into him, my knife already swinging toward his throat. He caught my wrist mid-swing.
The strength in his grip was monstrous, bone-crushing.
Pain shot up my arm, but I didn’t hesitate. I drove my knee into his ribs, twisted my free arm, and stabbed my second knife toward his side.
He let me go at the last second, jerking back just enough to avoid the strike. My blade barely grazed his skin before he retaliated.
A brutal punch connected with my ribs, sending me stumbling back. I gritted my teeth through the flare of pain and lunged again.
He grinned, like he was enjoying this. Behind me, I could hear the battle raging. Gunfire, snarls, the clash of steel against flesh. But I couldn’t afford to look back.
I had to keep him focused on me.
If he was busy dealing with me, he wouldn’t be giving orders. I dodged a strike aimed at my temple, twisted around him, and sliced at his back.
He spun too fast, blocking with an unnatural grace, and slammed a fist toward my chest. I barely had time to brace before he was on me again, a blur of speed and claws.
I twisted, dodging by inches as his hand cut through the air where my throat had been moments before. A fraction slower, and I’d be bleeding out on the forest floor.
My knife came up fast, aiming for his ribs, but he caught my wrist again. This time, he twisted hard enough that pain shot up my arm.
I gritted my teeth and lashed out with my other blade, aiming for his gut.
He released me at the last second, dodging with inhuman precision. Then, to my annoyance, he laughed.
“Impressive,” he murmured, his voice smooth and taunting. “Most people would be dead by now.”
