***
The bar reeked of blood and death. Humans were inside, dancing, seemingly oblivious to the smell.
But Duncan wasn’t human, not anymore. His nostrils widened as he pulled in the heavy scent that came primarily from the door on the far left. The door marked Private.
The door was guarded by two men he pegged instantly as werewolves.
“What’s happening in that room?” Holly whispered from beside him as her fingers curled around his arm.
He tried not to stiffen at her touch. He was too aware of her. Of every single thing that she did. Vampires were addictive, that was the spiel, right? Maybe that was why he had a constant hard-on and all he could think about was plunging into her again.
Mission
.
Focus on the mission
. He didn’t even know what in the hell had happened in that alley. One minute, he’d been trying to get her to use a compulsion on him.
Going out on a mission without even a test run—what had Pate been thinking?
And then in the next instant, he’d just wanted to mark her. To let any other wolf know that Holly belonged to him.
Because other werewolves would want her. Especially once they got a whiff of her scent.
The old stories humans told about vampires and werewolves being enemies…those stories were wrong. Vampires and werewolves were often drawn together. One’s strength was another’s weakness. Together they were damn near unstoppable. So, hell, yes, another werewolf would want her.
He wasn’t going to let anyone have her.
A blonde woman, laughing, drunk, was led to the Private door. The werewolves moved out of her way. Staggering a bit, she headed into the “Private” area. Her escort—a redhead with piercings circling his left ear—left her quickly.
The door closed behind her. The werewolves resumed their guarding position.
Duncan’s eyes narrowed. The redhead started scanning the room once more. Looking for new prey.
“We need to get in that room,” Duncan said.
“I figured that would be your answer.” She sighed, then said, “All that blood…the humans they take in, they don’t come back out, do they?”
No.
She pulled her hand away from him. “I’ll get in. If Saul is down there—”
“He is.”
“Then I’ll get him to come back out.”
Before he could stop her, she was sauntering across the room. The jeans she wore clung to her ass, and his gaze sure wasn’t the only one to notice just how good she looked.
The redhead’s stare locked on her.
He smiled.
Touch her, and I’ll break every bone you have.
The beast was getting stronger within Duncan. So much more dangerous. Was it because the full moon was drawing ever closer? Or because he was destined to be one of those psychotic wolves that lived for blood and death?
The redhead had walked up to Holly. Gotten far too close to her. Duncan headed toward them. Even over the drone of voices, he could hear the redhead say, “You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“I heard it was a good place to party,” Holly replied.
The redhead steered her toward the bar. Motioned to the bartender. “And do you like to party?”
“I like to get wild.”
When had her voice become so throaty? Where was the shy doctor he knew and lusted after?
This was the vamp. Sexy. And taking too many risks.
The redhead was seriously leaning too close to her as the guy tried to give her a drink. “There’s a real wild party downstairs.”
Duncan caught the flash of her smile. “I didn’t even know this place had a lower level.”
“Um, yes, it’s for VIPs.” The redhead trailed his fingers over her shoulder. “I think you count as someone
very
important tonight.” He lifted the drink toward her mouth. “Here, have some…”
The dick was shoving the drink down her throat. And Holly was what—just taking it? The woman had to be smarter than that!
And he realized that she wasn’t actually drinking the dark red liquid. Her head turned a bit as her gaze met his.
Then she pushed the glass away. “Take me to the party,” she told the redhead.
Huh. For her first mission, the lady was doing damn well.
Vamp power? Or just sex appeal? Either way, it was working.
The redhead was leading her toward the door. She had her entrance pass. Now for his turn. Because he wasn’t about to let her go in alone.
The werewolves moved back for her, but Duncan saw them inhale deeply and frown at her. Hell. Her scent could blow things for them—
But then she vanished down the stairs.
The redhead immediately eased back. Started searching again.
Duncan kept his eyes on that door. His whole focus centered on the two guards there. If Holly wasn’t back upstairs in three minutes, he would be going inside after her.
Three minutes.
He started to count.
***
The wooden stairs creaked beneath her feet. Holly’s fingers slid over the wobbly railing, feeling the rough wood press against her skin. More music was coming from below. Pumping, hard music. She could hear women moaning.
The scent of blood was getting thicker.
Some party, all right.
Darkness waited at the foot of the stairs.
She headed into that darkness.
And was immediately grabbed by strong arms.
“I knew you’d come for me.” The voice was familiar. Growling.
Saul.
He yanked her with him, pulling her through the darkness. She saw the flickering flames of candles burning. And…in that faint light, she saw a woman’s broken body on the ground. Her neck had been ripped open. Blood pooled around her.
“The bitch reminded me of you,” Saul said. His breath was hot against her throat. “I had to
bite
.”
Fear shot her, and it was that wild, desperate fear that she needed. She twisted and put her hands on his chest. Stared into his hate-filled, wild eyes, and said, “Drop your claws.” The claws that he’d dug into her sides.
He blinked. His teeth snapped together.
“Drop your claws!”
His claws fell to his sides. His body tensed, as if he were straining, and she knew he was trying to fight her compulsion.
“Now don’t move. Not so much as a single step, understand me?”
He didn’t move. Didn’t reply. Didn’t blink.
She figured he’d understood her.
Her gaze flew around that area. There was another door to the right. The faint moans were coming from inside that room. “What’s happening in there?”
He didn’t speak.
“
Tell me!”
“Food.”
That one word sent a shiver through her. She remembered the blonde who’d been led down the stairs just moments before her. “Is your alpha in there?”
Laughter. “You’re…out of your league…little girl.”
She leapt forward. Her fingers wrapped around his throat. “I’m not a little girl.” She bared her fangs. “I’m the woman who can kill you in an instant.” She was itching to use that silver collar on him. Her gaze narrowed as she studied his neck. It was red and bloody—it looked like he’d been trying to claw the collar off.
No dice. Those things had been built to withstand just about anything. Pate had always been so clever with his gadgets.
“I’m asking again…is the alpha in there?”
“
Yes
.”
There was no time to go for Duncan. The woman would be dead in moments. “Stay here,” she told him, knowing he’d have no choice. “And don’t even
think
of shouting out a warning to the guy.”
The mission was to get Saul. To have him take the agents back to the alpha who was leading the wolves on such a rampage through the human population.
But Holly wasn’t about to leave a woman to die. She couldn’t.
I’ve been there.
So she crept toward that room. Her palms were sweating when she opened the doorknob. The door slid open. A fluorescent bulb flickered overhead. A woman was on a table, her blonde hair trailing around the table’s edge. A man bent over her. His teeth were at her throat.
But he stiffened even as the door creaked open. His head lifted. His eyes—bright, glowing gold—met Holly’s.
“Well, hello, there.” He inhaled deeply and shoved away from the table. “Aren’t you something…sweet.”
Oh, shit. Was that the pick-up line that all the werewolves were going to use? As soon as she was back in her lab, she’d have to find a way to combat that scent.
He stalked toward her. He was big, as tall as Duncan, but with shoulders not quite as wide. His teeth were sharp, and the guy’s claws were definitely out.
“Harold said he’d be sending me some treats, but I had no idea…” he inhaled again, seeming to draw her scent fully into his lungs, “that a vampire was on the menu.”
“I’m not,” she gritted. Then, because she wasn’t an idiot who’d come into this battle unprepared, Holly yanked out the gun that she’d tucked into the back of her shirt. A gun that Pate had given to her before she’d left her apartment. The gun wouldn’t be loaded with wooden bullets—Pate would never risk giving her a weapon that could be used against her. Instead, she knew it would be packing silver.
The werewolf was just a few feet away from her now. No chance that’s she’d miss this shot. “Freeze,” she told him. Technically, she didn’t have a badge because she was the doctor on the team, not an FBI agent, but the wolf didn’t know that. “Don’t take another step,” Holly ordered, “because you’re under arrest.”
He laughed at her.
Laughed
. Figured. Then he lunged toward her.
Holly’s finger squeezed the trigger as she fired.
When he heard the blast of gunfire, Duncan jumped away from the bar. The patrons had frozen, and that gave him the perfect chance to rush right through the crowd.
Unfortunately, the werewolves at the door hadn’t frozen. They’d ripped open that door and were already vanishing down the stairs by the time Duncan made it across the bar. He followed the sound of their thudding footsteps.
Then he heard another shot.
Holly
.
He jumped over ten steps and landed on the bottom floor in a low crouch. The werewolves that he’d followed spun to face him. Duncan bared his teeth. They weren’t getting in his way. No one and nothing would stop him from reaching Holly. The werewolves ran at him, attacking in unison.
Since they were attacking that way, so would he. He swiped out with the claws of his right hand and the claws of his left—catching both of those bastards with his attack. Blood flowed. They howled, then they hit the floor.
He kept running, heart pounding, as he tracked the sound of that gunfire. The rooms were dim, lit only with candlelight, but he didn’t care. He could see perfectly.
He could sure as hell see Saul, standing frozen in the middle of the next room, with eyes wide and fangs glinting.
Duncan lifted his claws, more than ready to rip and tear again—
“Don’t!” Saul yelled. “I’m not a fuckin’ threat!”
The guy had fangs and claws. Like he’d buy that Saul wasn’t about to attack him.
“Your vamp bitch…” Saul gritted out the words, but didn’t so much as take a step forward. “She
froze
me.”
Duncan didn’t know if the guy was lying or not, so to make absolutely sure that Saul wasn’t gonna be an issue, Duncan slammed his fist into the guy’s jaw as hard as he could. Saul’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he hit the floor.
Duncan could hear the pounding of footsteps overhead. Humans, fleeing, but also…steps coming toward the basement room. Backup? If so, the agents needed to run faster.
He raced toward the room down the hallway. There were no more shots, but that didn’t matter. Now he could smell Holly’s scent, and he knew exactly where she’d be.
Hold on, Holly, I’m coming, hold on.
He knocked the door down. Went in with his claws out and a snarl on his lips.
Duncan saw a man on the floor. A man with dark hair and heaving shoulders. The guy’s own claws appeared to be buried in his chest. Blood soaked the front of the man’s shirt.
“I got him,” Holly whispered.
Duncan’s gaze snapped over to her. She stood to the left, about five feet away from the crouching man. She still had her weapon pointed at the guy.
Duncan hurried to her side. “Are you all right?” She didn’t seem to be injured but—
The man’s laughter stopped him. Chilled him. Because the laughter was cold, haunting, and strangely…familiar.
Duncan glanced back at him. The man’s dark head lifted, and his glowing, golden eyes met Duncan’s.
The werewolf’s smile widened. “Hello, brother.”
Duncan stiffened. “I’m not your brother.”
Smoke was rising from the werewolf’s chest. Now he realized why the guy’s claws were in his chest. Holly had been the one shooting, and she’d fired the silver right into the werewolf. Now the fellow was trying to dig the silver out, with his claws.
The werewolf’s head cocked to the right. His gaze swept over Duncan.
Duncan’s own eyes narrowed. That guy…why the hell did he seem so familiar to him? Had they crossed paths before? “You’re the alpha.” Holly’s shoulder brushed against his arm. Duncan wanted to grab her and pull her close, but that move would reveal too much to the predator that watched them with glowing eyes. Eyes that were searching for a weakness.
“So, it seems…” The man flashed fangs. “And so are you,
brother
.”
That brother shit was getting old.
The werewolf inhaled deeply. His golden stare flickered to Holly. “Guess you got the first taste of her. But I’m sure there’s plenty to go around.”
Duncan lunged forward. In a second’s time, he had his claws at the guy’s throat. Holly was screaming behind him, telling him to back away, that she had this—
No,
he
had this. Duncan had the fool who thought he’d take what belonged to him.
“It’s the way of the beast,” the werewolf whispered to him. “We don’t like to share what we’ve marked as ours, do we?”
Holly is mine.
The werewolf gave what appeared to be a sad shake of his head. “It’s going to be a problem for you.” Hell. It almost sounded like the psycho werewolf pitied him.
Duncan tightened his hold, ending the guy’s words. “You don’t threaten her. You don’t even look at her.”