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This time, he’s the one who underestimates his opponent. Because I’m smaller than Jace—and, okay, I’m also female—he thinks I’ll be easier to take down. The way he comes at me totally telegraphs his confidence. But that’s the thing about a vamp targeting shifters. He got cocky because he beat a delta.
I’m going to have fun proving to him that an alpha is a little harder to take down.
Watching him fight Jace, I figure he’ll go for the same move: fangs meet throat. I’m willing to lose a little blood and deal with some pain to get in the proper position to retaliate. He deserves what’s going to happen to him, too. I gave him the chance to walk away, and how did he repay me? By trying to kill Jace.
Welp, turnabout’s fair play.
I’ve never actually slain a vampire before, though I had a front row seat to the gruesome display when Ryker dispatched a killer vamp a couple of weeks ago. He managed to finish him off quickly by popping the guy’s head off like it was a freaking daisy.
I pretend to dodge his obvious attack. When he grabs me by the upper arm, swinging me around before hoisting me up by the waist, I can’t believe what a fucking idiot he is. Like, seriously? Why not just hand me a sword while you’re at it if you’re going to leave my hands free.
Cocky idiot. He draws me up against him, striking like a rattlesnake as he sinks his fangs in my throat; it pinches, but I’m used to love bites from much bigger canines. Before he could do the inevitable jerk that would tear my flesh, I shoot my hands up, gripping the top of his head and the bottom of his chin in one quick motion.
Then, using all the strength my wolf has, I twist.
Pop goes the daisy.
My own throat burns. He didn’t have a chance to tear on his bite, but when I twisted his head, his fangs were still buried in my neck. A small price to pay to end this vampire who, for whatever reason, was prepared to kill Jace and me.
The blood spatters everywhere as I snap the neck and tear the cartilage keeping the head on its stump. Throwing it far away from me, I shove his still-standing headless body so that it slumps to the dirt.
I told him to back off. This wouldn’t have had to happen if he listened.
My wolf yips in agreement. As an alpha, death isn’t anything new to either of us, though I’ve never allowed myself to give into my hunting urges unless I was chasing a rabbit or a deer. A vamp is much bigger prey than game, though, and I’m a little disappointed at how fast this hunt was over and done with.
Ah, well. Maybe next time.
Stepping over the corpse, I wipe the spatter of blood from my cheek with the back of my hand as I head over to my packmate.
Jace is still on the ground. He’s propped himself up, bracing his upper body on his elbows. His eyes are partially shifted, more burnt orange than gold, and his claws are currently carving grooves in the road where he hit. He looks like what he is—a supernatural monster—but the expression on his face tells me that if he’s afraid of anyone, it sure ain’t the bloodthirsty vamp that tried successfully to take a chunk out of my throat.
Nope. That expression—a combination of awe mingled with “oh, shit”—is just for me.
A stray lock of hair escaped my ponytail during the quick but brutal encounter. My claws are retracted, but that doesn’t do a damn thing for the blood smeared all over my knuckles and palm. I use my wrist to knock it back, cheerfully bringing a smile to my face as I move closer to Jace.
He doesn’t flinch. I’ll give him credit for that. He doesn’t flinch, but I can tell he almost wanted to.
Huh. Looks like I might just be scarier than I thought.
I hold out my hand. “Need some help?”
“I’m okay.”
Right. Bloody hands.
As Jace pushes himself off the asphalt, jumping to his feet, I wipe my fingers against the side of my jeans before giving it up as a lost cause.
His wolf has a much better sense of self-preservation than that vamp did. He meets my gaze once, looking away before my wolf can take it as any kind of challenge. Instead of me, he turns his attention to something else, goggling at that.
I glance over my shoulder. Oh. Right. The now-headless vamp.
“Hey, Jace.”
He swallows roughly. “Yes, Alpha.”
I let that one slide. “Do me a favor? Maybe we don’t tell Ryker what happened here tonight.”
I purposely turn it into a request. With the adrenaline thrumming through me, there’s no way he could say no, but I want to at least give him the chance to refuse.
