“How did you get here?” Kellen didn’t look over to the bed. My respect for the alpha went up tenfold.
“I’m assuming you know who and what I am?”
“I didn’t ask questions, although I know you are not a wolf, nor are you a vampire or a human.”
I tilted my head, wondering what the alpha would do or say once he realized he was talking to the son of Satan and an Angel mixed. The words were out of my mouth before I could call them back.
“Damn, boy. That is quite the combo.” Kellen rubbed a thumb over his bottom lip. “So, you take after your dad or mom?”
Unable to help myself, I laughed. “Do you want to know if I collect souls for the good or the bad side?”
“No. I mean, do you have wings like an angel, or horns like a devil? I mean, wings would be cool, except they’d get in the way. Horns, they would sort of give you away unless you could hide them and shit.” The seriousness in his voice and expression wasn’t lost on me.
I searched the alpha’s face and mind, coming up against a wall that kept me from seeing inside him. However, being as old as I was, I was pretty good at reading others and came to a decision. “I have wings, and I can transport from place to place as long as I know where I want to go, or if I can lock onto a person. As for horns…I have them in my demon form. So, I guess the answer is, I take more after Daddy Dearest in that way. However, I am not a soul collector. Now,” I growled.
“What does that mean?” Kellen’s hands went to his hips. The tattoos on his arms jerked as his muscles flexed.
“Meaning I’m not a boy, Kellen. As a matter of fact, I have seen worlds come and go for thousands of years. So yes, I’ve collected the damned for my father, but only those who were truly evil and vile. I’ve never once in all my time been one of my father’s minions. He has plenty who do that for him.”
“Good to know. Alright then. You bringing her back or what? I don’t want to be killing the Cordell twins, but I’m this close.” He held his thumb and pointer finger together.
I laughed. I liked the man and his one-track mind. “Why doesn’t Jenna bring them here? The reason we are here is to keep Raina out of the way of my father.”
Kellen shrugged. “Probably cause they get on her nerves. Hell, they get on mine, and I wouldn’t have to be sandwiched between them. Yeah, I just threw up in my mouth on that one.”
Shaking my head, I looked toward the bed to see if Raina still slept. My mind reached out to her. I hoped she wasn’t dreamwalking, especially when I wasn’t there to monitor where she went. If my father wanted to capture her, he’d try it when she was most vulnerable.
“I’m going to go persuade one Fey to put two Wolpires out of their misery.” Kellen strode toward the door.
“Wolpires?” I asked, walking with him.
At the door, Kellen looked over his shoulder and shrugged. “The mix of wolf and vampires. Seems a fitting name.”
The door clicked shut behind him, Kellen’s voice sounding muffled as he yelled for Jenna. I snorted out a laugh. The big bad alpha had a demented sense of humor, or he was just plain crazy. Either way, I was glad he was gone.
Staring down at my woman’s sleeping form, I marveled at the miracle I’d been given. “I’ll protect you with every fiber of my being, and beyond.” I made the vow, knowing I’d die to protect her.
I heard Creed and another man speaking. I tried to pry my eyes open, but something kept me from waking completely. A sinister presence like a black fog surrounded me, pulling me deeper into slumber. I looked around the unfamiliar setting. Darkness intruded, making my breath catch in my throat. I swallowed against the fear. Never had I been unable to manipulate the dream world. Pulling on my experience, I harnessed control. Light appeared all around, showing me where I was.
“Dang, maybe it was better when I couldn’t see.”
Back in the valley where I’d been during my dream walk with Creed, only now I stared at the castle that was closer than before.The barren ground under my feet crunched all around me as beings went about their business, paying no mind to me. Heat buffeted my legs, scorching in its intensity. In that moment, clarity hit me. I wore only Creed’s shirt.
My thoughts skittered as I tried to conjure thick leather from head to toe to protect myself. When the action took more effort than normal, I was breathing hard as the last article covered my flesh. Pulling my hair back, I secured it with a band from my wrist, not wanting to expend any more energy than necessary by using my mind. Whatever was going on in the dream was draining me.
A loud hiss to my right had me jerking around, claws extended. The sight of a small childlike creature sitting on a large boulder, eating what looked like the remains of an arm, revolted me. “You don’t belong here,” it hissed.
I shook my head. “Why are you here?”
The thing licked its treat, then tossed it onto a pile of other bones. “I live here.” It waved a bony arm in an arc. “You smell like Bastard.”
My back straightened. “Excuse me?”
The thing leaped through the air like a spider monkey before I could anticipate its move, landing on my back. “My brother, the bastard. You smell like him.” It inhaled deeply. “Where is he?”
I nearly cried out as the thing jerked my head back at an angle sure to decapitate a human. Unwilling to be the next victim of the creature, I reached over my shoulder and jerked it off, tossing it away with my enhanced strength.
“If you plan to hurt Creed, you’ll have to go through me.” My wolf pushed partially to the surface, mixing with my vampire. I allowed the thing—now crouched and ready to attack—to see the long claws and fangs I sported. My eyes would be the red of my vampire, and if needed, I’d morph into my wolf to rip whatever I faced to shreds.
