Undead Or Alive (Bad Things #3)(38)

And the crows—that woman—Amber knew she’d be running right to Luke.





Chapter Thirteen


Cass slammed his foot down on that gas pedal, knowing that time was running out. The woman who’d been in that parking lot—she’d been a very, very powerful witch. And every single crow—Cass had counted twelve of those bastards—would have gone to spread the word about his location.

“Luke isn’t giving me the time I was promised.” His hands tightened around the wheel. Because the guy knows I’m breaking our deal? How would Luke know that?

“We can get away,” Amber said but her voice sounded uncertain.

They’d already driven for an hour, blazing down the dark, deserted road.

“We just have to keep going,” she continued but she shivered next to him, as if suddenly cold. “We can’t stop. We—”

The sedan rounded the curve and the headlights fell on the two men in the road. Two men…and the two wolves who were at their sides.

Cass didn’t even slow down. He shoved his foot down harder on the accelerator. “Hold on.”

“Cass…”

But the wolves were charging at him. They leapt onto the hood of the car and then the beasts came crashing right through the windshield. Glass shattered around them, and the big, white wolf sank its teeth into Cass’s arm.

The car careened to the right, spinning, and it slammed into a tree.

Cass drove his fist at the wolf, again and again, and the beast wouldn’t let him go. He could hear footsteps closing in…

“Cass?” Fear roughened Amber’s voice.

He glanced at her. She hadn’t been hurt in the accident, but the other wolf’s fangs were now inches from her face.

Screw this. He brought his left hand to his mouth and used his teeth to yank off the glove. He brought that hand toward the wolf—

The beast that had been attacking him backed away, howling.

And the wolf that had been far too close to Amber retreated.

Cass took off his other glove. “They’re surrounding us.” He eased out a slow breath. “When we get out of the car, just stay behind me.” He would take them out. Amber would be safe.

“You’re…going to kill them all?”

Grimly, he told her, “I’ll do what’s necessary.” He shoved open his door, knocking broken glass out of his way.

Amber scrambled out behind him—but she didn’t stay behind him. Instead, she put herself right at his side. “There are a lot of them…”

Two fully shifted werewolves. The two men he’d seen before—he wasn’t sure what those guys were yet. But they’d pulled out guns and aimed them at him. A crow called from overhead.

Figured. The witch had joined the party.

“Not so many. Only four,” Cass said, smiling. The witch didn’t count since she was still in crow form. “This will barely take any effort.”

“Don’t be too sure…”

The taunt came from the right.

Cass’s head turned and he found himself staring into Gregory’s gleaming eyes.

“Got you,” Gregory said. The crow flew down and landed on his shoulder. He reached up and stroked the crow’s head. “Do you remember Marguerite? She was Hycim’s lover…and she was quite pissed when you killed her man.”

“Hycim?” Amber whispered. She inched closer to Cass.

Cass swept his gaze toward the crow. “Didn’t ask about his lovers…didn’t care. He was a dead man walking.”

More crows called from overhead.

“The men here…they all followed Hycim.” Gregory stalked a bit closer. “Werewolves and vampires.”

The two men with guns bared their fangs.

Since when did vamps need guns to attack?

Since they’re trying to take me out.

“We gave you a home, Reaper. We helped you,” Gregory continued in a voice thick with fury. “Then you turned on us.”

“The vamps I took out were rabid. They were killing everything in their path and I—”

“You were the good foot soldier for Luke. Doing exactly what he said.” Disgust dripped from every word. “Well…here’s your chance to redeem yourself. Because I am going to give you one chance. Only one.”

Cass kept his body loose.

“Do you know what Luke wants to do to you?” Gregory asked. Another crow swooped down and landed near the white wolf. “He’s going to lock you up. He thinks you tried to escape with Amber here…that you wanted to keep her for yourself.”

I do.

“So he’s going to throw you into the prison on his island. You will never see daylight again.”

“That can’t happen,” Amber whispered.

It won’t.

“Then he’s going to take her…” Gregory pointed to Amber. “And he’s going to do whatever the hell it is that he wants with her. You won’t be able to stop him. You’ll be long gone. Wasting away in that cell.”

Cass swept his gaze around the group, already planning just who he would kill first. Gregory was obviously the most dangerous. Should have taken him out long ago. But the white wolf was closest…

“That’s option one,” Gregory explained. “But there is another way for all of this to end.”