Stunner (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress 0.75)(6)

The three vampires keeping watch laughed and joked about how their evening was looking up, thanks to me. Their buddies were outside, making sure I had come alone. Because I had let the hunger for the hunt outweigh my common sense, I was alone. I had told nobody where I was going. Not even my closest friend, fellow werewolf, Shaz. Young, reckless and dead. Talk about learning the hard way.

“It ain’t every day we get a sweet piece like you walking in here.” The short, stout vampire seated on a stool directly across from me leered. He wore a grin that exposed yellowing fangs. I shuddered at the thought of them touching me.

“Especially a werewolf,” added another guy as he sniffed at me as if I were fresh meat.

I leaned as far away as I could, which wasn’t far. Irritated by my obvious rejection, he snapped his teeth together, inches from my face. I jumped, cursing myself again for such a foolish blunder.

These vamps hunted innocents. Soccer moms and accountants. Regular every day people that never deserved to die that way. I’d come here to right a wrong and succeeded in making myself a victim.

The third vampire present, Octavia, stared out the window. She was the one I’d come for. “If they don’t come back soon I’m going to open a vein on her. Can you smell that? She has power.”

Thanks for reminding me, bitch. I kept the thought to myself but focused on the power coiled in my core. The wolf was useless right now. I couldn’t shift while bound. That left my metaphysical abilities, as erratic and misguided as they may be.

I concentrated on Octavia, feeling she was the biggest threat in the room. Her energy felt lively and hungry. I needed to prove I was a force to be reckoned with.

“Screw that.” The first guy spoke up. “You can bleed her after we’re done with her.”

Oh, God. This was just getting better. I’d rather Octavia kill me than have to live through whatever those creeps had in mind.

“It’s taking those idiots too long. Something is wrong.” Octavia turned to me with a raised brow. “Any idea what that could be?”

“No.” I really didn’t. My shoulders slumped. I wasn’t able to focus my power. Not without use of my hands to direct the force that filled me.

I turned my attention to the heavy zip ties binding my hands together behind my back. It was possible to break out of them. If I didn’t have to deal with the awkward angle of my wrists, it would be easier.

“One of you go check on the others,” Octavia ordered. “This feels like a trap. If they ran into trouble I’d like a heads up.” So she could run. Octavia had a tough front but it didn’t go far beyond the exterior.

“I don’t answer to you,” Yellowteeth snarled.

The two of them glared daggers at each other. I took the opportunity to tug at the zip ties, testing them for weakness. Their buddy saw an opportunity too and he went for it.

He was on me before I could scream. Ravenous and wild, he sank fangs deep into my neck. A strangled sound escaped me, something between a shriek and a growl. Blood poured down my neck and chest, soaking my shirt. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears was deafening.

Octavia responded first with a closed fist that knocked my attacker back several feet. “Can’t you control yourself? You’re no better than a goddamned animal.” Her shouts were muffled by the pounding in my head.

As the scent of my blood permeated the room, all three vampires set their sights on me.

“What the hell is that?” Yellowteeth shoved the others aside to get to me. “Smells like heaven.”

I braced myself. It wouldn’t take long to finish me off. What a way to go. At the hand of my own stupidity.

Octavia reached me first. Having the power advantage over the others, she tossed them aside with little more than a gesture. But her power paled in comparison to what I felt coming. A cool breeze filled the room, its cold, dark source unseen. The undead energy held the promise of violence and death.

The door burst open with the sound of splintering wood. The vampire moved fast, a blur of motion. With barely a look at Octavia the power went out from him and slammed her against the wall. In the same moment, he punched a fist into Yellowteeth’s chest, tearing his heart free with little effort. The remaining vampire beat a hasty retreat, fleeing through the open door before the newcomer could grab him.

“Arys, please!” Octavia begged, her back to the wall as the dark haired vampire advanced on her. “I tried to stop them.”

I struggled to focus on escape. The atmosphere was energized with a tangy, intoxicating power. It called to me, luring me into a deep, dark abyss. The promise of pleasure taunted me.

Octavia whimpered, a pitiful sound that stripped away any semblance of danger she may have possessed. There was terror in her eyes as Arys grabbed her by the throat and bounced her head off the wall.

Arys Knight was not unknown to me. I’d heard his name. He had a hell of a reputation as one of the biggest of the bad around here. This was really not my night.

His power felt bottomless. It held an allure that would draw any foe or victim into a web of irresistible danger. Tall with the body of a god and a head of short, disheveled jet black hair, Arys was as intriguing as he was intimidating. Deep blue eyes sparked with fury as he stared into Octavia.

“I told you not to touch this one,” he snarled. “I warned you what would happen if you so much as looked in her general direction.”