Warrior (Relentless #4)(225)

I wanted to crush her in my arms, but there was no time. That vampire had gone for Sara and taken her instead of trying to kill her back at the road. Part of me had hoped it was a random attack on the Mohiri. Now I knew what they really wanted.

Grabbing my sword, I picked her up and got to my feet. “It’s an ambush. I have to get you out of here.”

“What about the others?” she cried.

“It’s you they want.” I’d die before I let them take her.

“But Emma –”

Five vampires appeared from the trees in front of us. I set Sara on her feet, not taking my eyes off the new threat. They were mature or close to it based on how fast they’d arrived. I’d taken on five vampires at once, but not five mature ones.

I pushed Sara behind me, hoping she was recovered enough to use her power. Something told me our attackers weren’t going to come at us one at a time.

A ghostly white light spread across the snow to illuminate the clearing, drawing the vampires’ attention to Sara. I didn’t want them looking at her, but it provided a distraction we desperately needed.

I struck first, my blade taking off a vampire’s arm. He screamed, and he and three of his friends started to circle me while the last one went for Sara. I sent up a silent prayer that she was back to full strength. Even a mature vampire was no match for her power.

A vampire came at me, moving so fast only my demon sight saved me. I ducked to one side and slashed him across both thighs, deep enough to sever tendons and touch bone. He went down howling, but as old as he was, he’d heal within minutes.

Behind me, a vampire roared in pain. I spun to see one backhand Sara with enough force to knock out a human. In the next moment, she retaliated when her glowing hand made contact with his chest.

I heard someone come at me from behind, and claws ripped into the back of my leather jacket. As I threw him off me, Sara went after her downed vampire.

Two more vampires stepped from the woods.

“Sara, look out!” I shouted.

Rage erupted inside me. I welcomed the red haze that dropped down over my vision and the roaring that filled my ears as my Mori’s aggression took over.

The vampire I’d thrown off went for my stomach. He was dead before he touched me, his head flying into a snowbank. Two more flew at me, but my mind was too crazed to register them as a threat. One, I sent headfirst into a large rock. The second, I gutted from his navel to his throat.

The first one gained his footing just as a furious roar split the air and the trees around us shook. Everyone stared at the large winged creature diving from the sky, flames shooting from its snout.

The wyvern went straight for the two vampires stalking Sara. No one else moved as it engulfed the female vampire in flames. She was still screaming when Alex snatched up the male in his powerful claws and tore him to pieces.

Blood and flesh rained down on us as the wyvern circled the clearing. I tore my gaze from him as the vampire whose thighs I’d cut leapt back to his feet, fully healed. He looked ready for payback, but their numbers had dropped drastically, and I was fueled by pure rage now.

Alex dove again. I prayed he wouldn’t mistake Sara or me for the enemy. He rose into the air again, and I waited for the fresh shower of blood as I swung at the closest vampire.

I gasped as I felt Sara’s presence pulling away from me. I stared around the clearing, but she was nowhere in sight.

Sound above me drew my eyes to the sky. Fear exploded in my chest when I looked up in time to see Sara disappear over the tops of the trees in the wyvern’s claws.

“Sara!” I bellowed.

The rage consumed me, and I lost all conscious thought. When I came to, I was standing in the clearing, surrounded by at least a dozen bodies. More vampires must have arrived while I was out of it. I didn’t know how much time had passed. All I could think of was finding Sara.

I set off in the direction the wyvern had flown, trying not to think about the overwhelming odds against me finding Sara out here. There were hundreds of miles to cover, and Alex left no tracks to follow.

I headed north toward the mountains. Tristan had said they believed Alex was living in a cave up there. He could be taking Sara there. It was all I had to go on. I prayed I was right and that I got to her in time.

Stop. She’ll be okay.

If it had been anyone else, I’d have little hope of their survival with the wyvern. Sara wasn’t just anyone. She had a gift for connecting with creatures. I’d seen it in her friendship with the troll, the devotion of her hellhounds, and the adoration of the young griffin. Even the wyvern had come to help her the night we were attacked at Westhorne. He could have flown off, but he’d gone straight for Sara, according to the stories I’d heard about that night. Just like he went for the vampires attacking her back in the clearing.

Using my Mori speed, I moved quickly over the ground. My enhanced vision pierced the heavy snow and the approaching dusk, searching for any sign of Sara and the wyvern. My hearing picked up every crack of a branch, every movement.

I wanted to call to Sara, but I didn’t know if there were vampires out here searching for her too. A mature vampire could move as quickly and as quietly as me, and I couldn’t take the chance of leading one to her. I’d feel her once I got close enough.

When the woods began to darken and the snow turned to sleet, a new fear settled in my chest. It was close to freezing, and the temperature was going to plummet once it got dark. Sara wasn’t dressed for this weather, and her Mori couldn’t regulate her body temperature to keep her warm. If she couldn’t find adequate shelter, she could die from exposure before I found her.