Warrior (Relentless #4)(69)

Moving swiftly, I came to a stream. There were blood smears on a fallen log, and I told myself she had cut her feet while running and wasn’t suffering worse injuries.

I kept moving, and suddenly I could smell the ocean.

Then I felt her.

I burst from the trees and stopped dead in the middle of a small field. Ahead of me on the cliffs milled a dozen or more vampires, and in the middle of them stood Sara and Eli.

Red colored my vision when I saw his possessive grip on her arm. I pulled my swords free of the harness and welcomed the rage descending over me.

Sara spun, and her gaze locked with mine.

Solmi! my demon roared.

For a moment, the world faded until there was just her and me and the bond that stretched between us. My eyes greedily drank her in. Bruised and bloody, wearing torn, dirty clothes, she was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

Eli’s shout broke the spell that held me. “He is only one. Risa, Heath, Lorne – take care of this.”

Three vampires came at me. Circling me, they stayed out of reach of my swords, looking for an opening.

My Mori boiled beneath my skin, wanting blood from those who would harm our mate.

You’ll have it, I vowed as its bloodlust filled me.

A red-haired male moved toward me. His eyes darted to my left as I raised my swords, and I knew he was trying to distract me. We spun away from each other at the same time, and one of my blades cut through skin and bone.

The blond male that had attacked on my left screamed and tried to retreat, but I gave him no quarter. His face was still frozen in shock when his severed head hit the ground.

A female shrieked behind me as the red-haired male came at me again. The look in his eyes told me he was not feinting this time.

Holding my swords against me, I kicked off from the ground in a burst of speed. Flipping backward, I landed behind the charging female. She was moving too fast to dodge the male’s attack, and she screamed again as his claws gouged her face.

The male tried to veer away, but he hesitated too long and my swords were waiting for him. He cried out when the first blade slashed across his chest.

Kill! my Mori growled as my second blade cut deep into the vampire’s gut, eviscerating him. No longer a threat, he sank to the ground, clutching his entrails.

The female made an inhuman sound, and I spun, bringing my swords up as she flew at me. One of her eyes had been destroyed by the male’s claws, but her good eye held enough hatred for both of them. Crazed, she charged like a mindless beast, and I cut her down easily, driving my blade through her heart. Before her body hit the ground, I brought my other sword down in an arc to remove the head of the male that still writhed on the ground.

I faced the remaining vampires, who watched me in wary silence. My eyes went to Sara and the vampire that held her captive. She was pale, and I could sense her fear. But pride and hope shone in her green eyes.

Eli’s voice rang out sharply. “All of you! Finish him.”

“Coward!” Sara screamed at him as the other vampires took a step toward me.

I prepared myself for the attack. A warrior entered every battle knowing it could be his last, and each of us had our own way of facing our possible death. For me, it had always been the knowledge that I’d lived an honorable life, keeping humanity safe from the evils that walked the Earth, and I would die doing what I had been born to do.

But that was before I found Sara, before I knew what it was to live for another person. Her fate rested in my hands now, and if I fell, she’d be lost. I would not let that happen. I’d never faced this number of vampires alone, but then, the stakes had never been so high.

Sara gasped. At the same time, every one of the vampires blanched and took a step back. I didn’t need to look behind me to know reinforcements had arrived. I could smell the werewolves, and I heard the soft whisper of an arrow being fitted to a bow.

I looked at Eli, but my words were directed at all the vampires. “Let her go and we will let you live…for today.”

Eli yanked Sara against him with his claws pressed to her throat. His lips pulled back into a snarl that couldn’t mask the fear in his eyes. “I think not. We both know I could rip her throat out and jump before you reached us.”

My breath caught when he moved closer to the edge of the cliff. He would survive a plunge from that height, but Sara might not. I had to convince him that letting her go was the only way he’d get out of this alive.

“But then nothing would prevent me from hunting you down, and this time I will not stop.”

Eli sneered. “I think sweet little Sara is important to you, and you won’t do anything to jeopardize her life.”

I didn’t respond because he was looking for a reaction to give me away.

“Nothing to say?” Eli laughed and ran his claws down her face. “Will you still have nothing to say when I taste her?”

I knew the vampire was goading me, but that didn’t stop the growl that worked its way up from my chest. The sight of his hands on her was enough to drive me and my Mori insane with rage.

“Stay back, Mohiri,” Eli shouted. “You might kill me, but not before I end her.”

The only thing that kept me in control was the knowledge that Sara’s life depended on me holding it together. “Let her go and you’ll have a chance of getting out of this alive.”

My gaze swept over each vampire. “Is she worth your life – all your lives?”