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Chapter Nine
Skylar
“Stay behind me,” Xander said.
I lifted a cynical brow. “We’re surrounded. And I might not be armed, but I can fight.”
The initial fear was giving way to my fight or flight instincts. And flight wasn’t an option. We had no choice.
“You have something we want,” hoodie vamp said. “Hand it over, sweetheart, and we’ll let you and your pup continue on your way.”
Xander growled and I could tell he was ready to fight. I wondered if the vampire was trying to stir things up on purpose or if he really didn’t know he was talking to the alpha of the High Moon Pack. Xander was essentially royalty, with as much authority as their own queen when it came to the wolves within his territory.
“Don’t tell her that, Charlie,” a whiny female voice cooed. “I wanna snack. I’m so hungry.”
The female moved closer to us and stopped next to Charlie, who was apparently the one in charge. In the glow of the single streetlight, I could make out her bright red lipstick and heavy makeup. Her bottle blonde hair looked more like straw than hair. She’d ruined it to achieve the color she was going for. I wondered if that was before or after she turned.
With a grin, I balled my hands into fists. My money was on before. Which meant, she was young. An older vampire wouldn’t have messed with hair dye. They were too vain to risk ruining their looks and they often didn’t trust anything that hadn’t existed before they were turned.
I could feel a shift in the air around me. An electricity sizzling and popping over my skin. I wasn’t sure of the cause, but it sent a thrill through me. Vampires couldn’t wield magic like that. It was either coming from me or Xander.
I glanced over at the alpha and saw the flicker of understanding in his gaze. Without words, we knew what the other was thinking. Was that because of our bond or because of my part wolf reacting to an alpha? I knew wolves could communicate in far more subtle ways, but until tonight, I hadn’t experienced that for myself. I always thought it would feel invasive. Instead, it was a comfort knowing someone had my back without words.
The female vampire bared her teeth. “Let’s eat them then search the bodies.”
More dark figures moved closer. Vampires of all shapes and sizes. A few who had been turned as teens, acne scars dotting their faces. A pair of huge vampires with large bellies hanging over their jeans.
These weren’t the vampires you’d see at high society events. They would never be inner circle of the Queen. I’d heard enough about her court to know she valued appearances over anything.
The vampires facing us now were likely Clover Coven. Members of the outskirts who weren’t afforded the power and status that came so easily to those who fit the traditional molds of beauty.
In my line of work, there was no such value placed on looks. Appearances were temporary. Age and injury could change your face. Sometimes in a second. There was no time to worry about what you looked like when you were fighting for your life.
I knew shifters felt the same, they valued strength and cunning. They were elevated based on their successes.
Vampires weren’t kind to those who didn’t meet their expectations of physical beauty. Probably because they’d be less able to lure helpless humans to their lairs.
Either way, it was another thing to add to my list of why I didn’t like them. Nobody should be made into an outcast for the way they looked. Those weren’t things they could control. Especially if they’d been turned during a particularly awkward phase.
“Listen, there’s no reason to fight.” Heat was already simmering inside me, my whole body was ready to charge. But I felt a little bad for these outcasts. “I don’t know who sent you or what you think I have, but there’s no reason for any of us to fight.”
Charlie laughed. “We know you have the moonstone. And you’ll hand it to us, or we’ll pry it from your corpse.”
“You think she’d make a good vampire?” Female asked. “I could use a new toy.”
The heat bubbling inside me roared to a full on bonfire. I didn’t care if it was an idle threat. I wasn’t ever going to be a vampire.
Xander charged her before I had a chance. He knocked her to the ground, then twisted her head. The snapping of her neck sent a little flicker of nausea through me. I’d never been great with breaking bones. I much preferred impaling my marks.
She wouldn’t stay dead, but she was down for now. It would buy us time. I braced for Charlie to attack, but he went after Xander instead, throwing himself against the shifter before he was on his feet.
I lunged toward them, but a trio of vampires cut me off. Three males in jeans and dark tees. The first two were in black beanies. The third had long dark hair hanging loose around his face. They looked like they had been about my age when they were turned and they were all attractive enough by human standards.
What had they done to get cast out of the rest of vampire society? They would have fit in just fine.
Unless they were loose cannons. They were here because they either broke the rules or didn’t agree with them. Which meant, I was in a lot more danger than I was when I faced off against vampires who were trying to keep their position and status. Damn Clover Coven and their band of misfits. Every time I fought one of them, they played dirty.
This was going to be another one of those fights. The problem was, I was unarmed. It was going to be hand to hand combat. Which, I had tons of training in my younger days, but I’d gotten dependent on my knife.
