Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(6)

And now Nix was fighting for his life.

Zander unsheathed his knife and threw himself at the rogue, just as more of them emerged from the trees and flew at them like the hollow-faced horrors they were.

Two

Change was coming.

Nick could feel it all around him. In his bones, seeping into the rapidly darkening recesses of his heart.

Nothing remained the same forever, and today marked a vital turning point. A period of trial for all of them. More than that, he knew death was rushing for him on swift wings, reaching out with cold talons to tear out his heart and bear him away. The end wouldn’t come today, or tomorrow. But all too soon.

He wouldn’t submit to the darkness without a fight. But even he couldn’t see whether he would survive.

A shout interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced in its direction. Beside him, Aric whirled.

“What was that?”

His question was followed by more shouts, and he quickly stripped, leaving his weapons with his clothing. His wolf could cover the distance much faster than his human form. Aric did the same, and they took off.

It seemed to take forever to reach the location of the fight, which became louder and louder as they sped through the trees, but it was probably just a minute or two. Even that was too long.

As he and Aric burst over a small rise, he spotted the onslaught of rogue vamps that had put Zander, Phoenix, and Micah on the losing end of the battle. Nix was lying on the ground, pressing a hand over his bleeding throat, as his companions swiftly became overwhelmed by six of the enemy.

Fuck!

Five against six wasn’t terrible odds, normally. But Nix was hurt and these rogues weren’t typical. Sending up a prayer that the rest of the team had heard the fight as well, he threw himself into the fray.

Zan grabbed the vampire attacking Nix, buried his fingers in the bastard’s greasy hair, and swiped the bowie knife across his throat. He made the cut so deep he nearly decapitated his opponent, then took him down to the ground and finished the job.

There was no time to gloat. He barely had time to take in Nix struggling to get up and failing, before a body slammed into him, knocking him backward. The back of his head smacked hard earth, and pain exploded in his skull. Before he could move, the rogue grabbed his hair and yanked him up, pulling his head back to expose his throat. Zan struggled, trying to break the vampire’s hold, but the creature’s strength was unreal.

“Fuck!”

He was pinned like an insect to a corkboard. The rogue grinned, showing off bloodied fangs, and then lowered his head. Zan sucked in a breath, fully expecting to feel the razor-sharp teeth ripping out his throat, and suddenly the vampire was jerked away from him.

Aric, back in human form, threw the rogue to the ground, quickly extending a hand. Fire shot from his palm, and the bastard writhed, screaming as he burned. Zan grimaced at the gruesome sight and then turned his attention back to the fight. The rest of the Pack burst through the trees, and the threat was dispatched.

Except for one. Nick shifted back to human form and shouted something at Kalen just as the Sorcerer leveled his magical staff at the last vampire, stopping him from executing the creature. Kalen made a face, clearly unhappy at the order, but raised the staff and made the rod vanish with a flick of his hand. Instead of killing the vampire, he uttered a few words Zan couldn’t make out—probably a spell in Latin—and the creature’s hands were immediately bound behind his back with a silver chain. For good measure, Kalen added a wide strip of duct tape over the rogue’s mouth.

“Can’t have him getting anyone with those teeth,” he snarled.

Jax gestured to the bodies of the captive vampire’s five companions, and Zan caught his words. “They’re not burning in the sun like they’re supposed to. What should we do with them?”

Nick pushed a hand through his hair and stared at them. “Take the bodies back for study. This one will be our guest in Block R. We’ll give him the opportunity to cooperate.”

“You really think he can be rehabbed?” Zan asked.

Nick shot the rogue a doubtful look, and the vamp sneered back at him. “I won’t hold my breath, but we’ll see what the tests show.”

Beyond Nick, Zan saw Rowan shouting and waving her arms at them. She was crouched next to Nix, who was sprawled on the ground, unmoving, as Noah examined him. Her face betrayed her panic, and Zan pushed to his feet and jogged over to them. Kneeling, he gazed at the ragged wound on Nix’s throat and cursed under his breath.

Rowan reached over their fallen friend and grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Can you heal him?”

Zan nodded. “Yes.” Without his full strength, he was walking a fine line, and he knew it. So did Jax, who skidded to a stop next to them and squatted beside Zan.

“You’re not healed enough for this.”

Noah’s face was etched with fear. “Jax is right,” he said, his voice cracking. “You’re still recovering and—”

“And he’ll die if I don’t.” Zan met each of their gazes steadily. “There’s never a choice for me. You all know that, so let me work.”

Noah looked relieved and worried at the same time. Jax’s jaw clenched, and frustrated anger clouded his eyes. But then he looked down at Nix and, sighing, moved back to give Zan room. The others did the same, except for Noah, who remained kneeling on Nix’s opposite side.