Warrior (Relentless #4)(141)

I tried not to think of Sara. Worrying about her fate only distracted me, and one second of distraction was all a vampire needed to take me down. Desmund and I could be the only thing between these bastards and her. We couldn’t let one of them get past us.

When loud roars came from somewhere behind the main building, Desmund and I, and the four remaining vampires, all stopped and stared in that direction.

Khristu! What were my people facing now? I prayed Chris had gotten to Sara in time, even as I began to imagine the worst.

My Mori roared and pushed forward, and I let it have what it wanted. Its excitement filled my mind as its strength flooded my body. A red haze fell over my vision, and I struck out at the nearest of the two vampires circling me. He darted to the side and right into the path of my other sword, which found its mark. I pulled my blade free from his chest, and he crumpled to the ground.

“Now it’s you and me,” I taunted my last opponent. I gave him no time to respond before I was on him, my sword slicing cleanly through his neck. His eyes bugged as his head flew from his body to roll across the blood stained snow.

I spun to face the next vampire and found Desmund dispatching the last one. Blood roared in my ears as I looked around at the dozen or more vampire bodies littering the ground.

“Now that was refreshing.” Desmund’s voice broke the sudden silence that had fallen over the grounds.

He looked at me and sighed. “You’d best go find your mate before you lose it altogether.”

I sped toward the main building. I was almost at the front entrance when I felt Sara off to one side. I rounded a corner of the building and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of her. She stood with Chris, Jordan, and the werewolves in the middle of a bloody battlefield, surrounded by vampire bodies and dead crocotta.

My eyes narrowed as I strode toward her, fighting to stay in control. She was bloody but alive, and that was all that mattered.

I threw down my swords and grabbed her shoulders. “Are you hurt?” I growled, trembling from the effort to keep it together.

“I’m okay, Nikolas; we all are.” She laid her hands against my chest, and her touch immediately began to calm me.

Then she stood on her toes and whispered, “Please, don’t freak out on me, okay? I don’t think I can take it right now.”

The feel of her body pressed against mine and the sound of her husky voice fed my need for her. I crushed her to me, my mouth capturing hers hungrily, demanding. She filled my senses like a drug, and I wanted more.

She made a soft sound, and her arms crept around my neck as her lips parted under mine. My heart raced when our tongues met, and I began to explore her sweet mouth. Her surrender to the kiss made my body burn for her, while my heart rejoiced at her response and the way she clung to me as if she didn’t want to let me go.

Mine, my Mori whispered, and I felt the bond expand. No words could describe the emotions that filled me when our demons connected for the first time. It left me stunned and humbled that this beautiful, passionate woman was mine.

I almost protested when Sara ended the kiss and pulled away from me. But then I saw her blushing cheeks and realized we were not alone.

Jordan whistled. “Wow, I think you guys melted the snow.”

“Shut up,” Sara retorted.

I hid my satisfied smile.

Chris gave me a tired grin. “You missed all the fun.”

He wobbled, and Sara moved to support him. I gently pushed her aside and hooked his arm around my shoulder. I couldn’t see any serious injuries on him, but he looked like he’d been put through the ringer a few times.

Sara went to help a boy up from the ground, and my body stiffened when I saw the white markings on his face. A Hale witch? That explained how the vampires were able to breach our defenses.

“I can guess what happened,” I bit out.

Chris coughed. “No, you can’t, my friend. You really can’t. Now, can you please get me somewhere I can lie down before I pass out?”

I nodded and looked at the others, my eyes falling on Sara’s bloody clothes. “It looks like you all could use a trip to the healers.”

She saw me looking and tried to brush it off. “It’s just a scratch. I can hardly feel it. We have to go find the people who were out on patrol. They ran into this guy, and we need to get to them as soon as possible.”

My eyes narrowed on the Hale witch who couldn’t be older than sixteen. If he’d attacked our sentries, God only knew what shape they were in.

Tristan approached with Desmund and Celine, and I was relieved to see them all looking well except for a few scratches.

“We will find them,” Tristan said with barely suppressed anger. “I am relieved to see you are all safe. Go to the healers and I’ll talk to you when I get back. Maybe we can piece together exactly what happened here tonight.”

“It was Michael,” Sara blurted. “He helped the vampires.”

“Michael?” Tristan repeated, looking as stunned as I felt.

She had to be mistaken. That kid couldn’t even make eye contact with his own people, let alone associate with vampires.

“Little bastard led us right to them,” Jordan spat. “If he’s not dead, I call dibs on finishing the job.”

“Why would Michael do that?” Tristan asked, almost to himself.

Sara wrung her hands. “It’s not his fault. The vampires got to him somehow and convinced him they had his twin brother, Matthew. They promised to let him go if Michael helped them.”