Page 92 of Healer’s Betrayal

That gets all of us moving. It’s harder to let Kayla go than I thought it would be. But I force myself to lay her down on the grass and then stand; I need to be able to see what’s coming. And more importantly, I need to be able to fight what’s coming. Ransom lays Noah next to Kayla. “Can you check him too?” I ask Paul. Paul moves right to him. I stand in front of Kayla and Noah, and Ransom stands shoulder to shoulder with me.

“Vampires?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t know.” But even as I say the words, I think it through. They got us all out here. I feel something in the air, a subtle shifting in the air.

“Vamps incoming,” Liam shouts a warning.

“Only way to truly kill them is to rip their heads from their bodies,” Garrett says to our group that’s growing by the second.

“Make a circle around the humans,” I tell my guys and I brace for what’s coming.

“Aw, look at this,” a voice says, and my eyes shoot to Alicia.

“Don’t move,” Garrett says in a low voice. “Nobody shifts, not yet.”

I almost defy his order, but I hold still. “Isn’t this sweet?” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now, before one of you gets any ideas, let me just say first that all these women are going to die.” An explosion of growls so fierce sound, that the ground literally trembles beneath us. She rolls her eyes. “Always so dramatic. Let me finish, will you? If you kill me, they die.” Any plan I had on attacking her dies a swift death. “Aw, that got in, didn’t it. Good. I hope you all have your wolves under control. Because if something happens to me; they’ll all be dead in twenty-four hours.”

I don’t move. I know I can’t attack her, but I memorize every detail of her scent, how fast her heart is beating, where her blood pumps through her body. She’s dead; she just doesn’t know it yet. I am a very patient man. It may not be today, but she will die for what she’s done to my mate and to the others. More vampires show up and surround her. Nobody makes a move, but the air is thick with so much tension, I wonder which side will crack first. “Do not make a move,” I say, letting my voice carry. I can’t afford for one of my wolves to do something to risk the lives of these females and Noah. “Nobody shifts until I say.” I don’t trust one of the younger ones to not shift because their wolf forces them to.

“Here’s the plan,” Alicia says, without coming any closer. “The females come with us.” I hear several growls, but there’s a rumbling sound that doesn’t cut off. It only takes me a second to locate it. Max. I will him to stay in control.

“That’s not going to happen,” Garret says in a low rumble.

Alicia laughs. “Oh, Alpha, but it is. Because if not,” her voice sharpens. “They’re all dead.”

“How about we just kill you then?” Liam says easily. “Problem solved.”

She laughs again, but it’s cold and bitter. “Do that and say goodbye. And before you get any ideas, I should probably tell you that if your mates die, you will still survive.” It’s absolutely silent. “That’s a surprise, right? Especially to you strong, dominant wolves. Yeah, we’ve found a way to sever the connection. It’s a tricky thing.” She speaks easily, as if she’s simply discussing the weather. “It has to be done at the exact right time, just as they’re passing into the next realm. Too early or too late, it doesn’t work and the mate dies with. But if you do it at just the right time,” she pauses and smiles. “It severs the bond. That means, they will die, and you will live.” It’s hard for me to even process her words right now. “So, back to my original explanation. You will let the females come with me. I have the antidote. But it’s not on me; it’s at the facility. We have to get them to the facility in less than,” she checks her watch. “Twenty-three hours and about five minutes, give or take. To be on the safe side, we should probably administer it sooner than that anyway...just in case.”

“You’re a monster.” The words are ripped from my throat.

She rolls her eyes. “And you’re dramatic. So, do we have a deal?”

“No,” I bite out at the same time Garrett and Max do. “Of course, we don’t have a deal.” I want to keep her talking while I try to figure this out, figure out if there’s a way to kill her and still keep our mates alive.

“You are not taking our females anywhere,” Garrett says, taking a single step forward.

Her eyes flash. “Then say goodbye to them.”

“No,” Paul says, entering the negotiation. I eye him and wonder if he can figure out how to treat the females if we kill her. He turns to me and meets my eyes and gives me the slightest head shake. Dread runs through me.

There has to be some other way, right? Ransom says through our bond.

Alicia steps back. “I’ll give you time to discuss it. But remember, the clock is ticking. Tick tock, tick tock.”

I growl and want nothing more than to tear her head from her body. I turn to Paul. “Can you figure it out?”

“Yes.” Relief flows through me, but it’s a moment too soon. “But in time? I don’t know.”

“Just kill her, and we’ll deal with the aftermath. We’ll figure it out,” Max adds.

“Oh, one more thing to think about,” Alicia says, and several loud growls sound around me. She laughs in delight. “You probably shouldn't kill me.”

“Why not?” Liam bites out.

“Because if you do, I take Kayla with me.”

I whirl around, and Alicia’s eyes meet mine. “That was the serum I gave her. It ties her life to mine. It’s fascinating really what they’re whipping up at these vampire compounds. This new concoction acts just as if I sired her; her life is tied to mine. If I die, she dies.” She stares me down. “Insurance, you know?”