Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(64)

sneaking suspicion who it might be.

Darting out, Bell on his heels, he came to an abrupt halt. Two lions fought on the dance floor. Blood dripped from their jowls. Vampires in the

room looked at the scene, their eyes bright green from hunger. Weres and half-weres, at full lunar strength, stared on with orange gazes.

Perry cut his eyes left, then right. Caleb and his father were no longer at the table. Perry’s focus shot back to the lions, and instinctively

he knew the smaller one, the one losing the battle, was his father.

Bell shot forward. Perry grabbed her elbow. “It’s dangerous.”

“It’s my job.” She jerked loose. “I’m waitress and security.”

“I’ll take care of it!” Before he could stop her, she jumped on his father’s back, latched on to his mane.

“Stop fighting!” she yelled.

His dad’s head swiveled as if to latch his teeth on to her. “No!” Perry shot forward, stopping only a foot from the fight.

His father roared but turned to look at him. Caleb lunged, teeth exposed, and snatched Bell from his father’s back and shook.

And shook.

Blood. Bell’s blood, splattered all over Perry.

Shock. Rage. Hot emotion burned Perry’s skin. The option to morph or not was no longer an option.

His blood pulsed. His skin crawled.

“No!” someone screamed.

Bell’s limp body was slung through the air. Caleb in pure lion form charged at Perry. Half morphed, Perry was helpless. The scent of lion

breath filled his air, then Perry felt himself being lifted from the dance floor.

Caleb stood on his hind legs, swatting his large paws. Perry’s father attacked, his jowls sinking into the shape-shifter’s soft underbelly.

Struggling to free himself, Perry saw the face of his abductor, the brunette, the one who’d looked familiar. He tried again to fight. She

head-butted him.

He slid into unconsciousness.

*

Adrenaline, pulsing and pumping through Perry’s veins, brought him out of the darkness. Flashes of memory ripped through his mind. Not knowing

if it had been hours or minutes since he’d been swooped up by the vampire, he bolted to his feet. His lungs begged for air. Unsure of his

location, he turned left, then right. He recognized the brick wall behind the bar where he’d followed Chuckie. Remembering Bell had Perry

racing for the entrance.

Panicked voices littered the air. He met bar patrons tripping over everyone as they sought escape. The vision of Bell in the lion’s mouth

raced through his mind. He knew vampires could live through a lot, but … Oh, hell!

He pummeled his way through the crowd. Silence—a dead silence—filled the bar that had recently hummed with noise.

His gaze shot from one corner of the room to the other. He finally saw her. Bell lay—still, too still—in the middle of the dance floor. He

ran to her, ready to offer her his blood. Her wide eyes stared up. Stared at nothing.

“No.” He knelt, still praying he’d find a pulse.





Chapter Eighteen

With the scream trapped in her throat, Miranda gaped at the gold armadillo eyes staring back at her.

Do not fear me. The words echoed in her head.

And that alone was a reason to be afraid. Who the hell, or what the hell, could talk to her telepathically? Besides a … mystic Wiccan. Was

this creature…?

I’m here to help.

“Help? I think freeing you is what caused the house to explode.”

No, freeing me is what saved you. Don’t you remember I told you to leave?

“You didn’t tell…” Miranda remembered back to the drug house, the armadillo looking at her as if prodding her to leave. Or had he actually

told her to leave, telepathically, and she just hadn’t realized it. “What are you?”

I’m … The creature tilted its head to the side as if hearing something. If you want me to help find your sister, you can’t tell anyone or—

Just like that Miranda found herself staring at cat-hair dust bunnies. No gold eyes. No ugly pink snout. She blinked once. Twice. “Or what?”

A knock sounded on her bedroom door.

“Miranda?” Della called. “You okay?”

Was she okay?

Hell no, she wasn’t okay.

If you want me to help find your sister, you can’t tell anyone or …

Popping up as fast as a one-armed girl could, Miranda hadn’t gotten to her feet when the door opened.

“What are you doing?” Della asked.

Miranda stood. Unsure if she should … “I was … checking under my bed.” It was the truth. She couldn’t get a lie past a vampire.

“For what?”

“Monsters.” Another truth.

Della tilted her head to the side. “And?”

“And what?” Miranda plopped her butt on the mattress.

“Is there a monster under your bed?” The vamp lifted her face and sniffed the air as if to detect any monster scent.

Shit! Miranda hoped the armadillo was scentless. “Just a couple of scary-looking dust bunnies.” Her heart skipped a beat.

Della, now looking doubtful, moved into the room, studying Miranda as if she were a suspicious speck of something floating in her drink. “You