Page 32 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)

Chapter Thirty-One

I trailed after Sergi as he crossed a wide stream. One of my earliest training memories was of my uncle teaching me about river crossings, especially when it was impossible to determine its depth. There was one method when leading and a different one when following.

“Whenever you follow someone,” my uncle said, “watch their path to the middle of the river before following in their same steps. If there are several in front of you, watch how others reach the center. Most won’t follow the same path and end up falling into an unseen predicament. Always watch and learn.”

He’d passed that wisdom on several times until one day, not long after that first time, I responded to his lesson rather than simply nodding. “You’re not speaking of just the river, but life in general.”

I never glanced away or flinched as he considered me. He lifted my chin with a finger, and when he spoke, the glow of his wolf held me still.

“You are wise for your age. Never let anyone make you doubt yourself.”

When Sergi reached the center of the stream, he turned and waited for me. He’d never questioned my actions since we’d left the cave at dawn. At times, I was barely a foot behind him, at others, I lagged several yards behind. Then there were moments like this when I paused before proceeding.

The distance between us had grown the last couple of miles. Soft footsteps from behind us came and went with the soft breeze and made it difficult to determine how far away they were. Sergi either understood my delays for what they were or assumed I grew tired.

After crossing the shallow stream, thankful my boots were waterproof, we walked in silence, each to our own thoughts, but I wasn’t fooled by his focus on the landscape in front of us. He was vampire, and after listening to battle stories while we nibbled on nutrition bars for breakfast, there was no doubt he’d heard the same thing I did.

We were being followed. I couldn’t determine their numbers, but it was more than two and probably less than ten. With wild shifters, it was impossible to guess their pack structure. Either way, Sergi didn’t order me to stay close or request I take the lead to put himself in between me and the threat. He treated me like an equal. Like the wolf I was.

After another hour, as the sun dipped low, I found him waiting for me at the top of a small ridge.

“We should get rid of them before we find cover.” He glanced behind me, his gaze following the tree line. “I sensed four, maybe five. What do you think?”

I wasn’t surprised he was aware we were being followed or that he might have calculated the number of wolves, but I was pleased he wanted my opinion. Not because I was female but because I was a shifter. “Not more than ten, but I think some are closer than the others. These wild ones don’t follow the same pack structures the rest of us do. They might not have an Alpha, and they will be unpredictable.”

He considered it. “We can’t kill ten, even with my daggers and your wolf. If it’s less, maybe. But sometimes taking down one or two is enough to deter the others.”

“Strike fast when they least expect it and hope we only have to deal with a handful of scouts. Leave them injured so they know we mean them no harm.”

He nodded and jutted his chin toward the road ahead. “I noticed a couple of places we can wait for them.”

I followed him to a thick stand of trees near a pool. When he told me his plan, I laughed. It wasn’t because I thought it foolish. It was because I could picture my uncle doing the same thing, though not in wolf form. Our wolves don’t like to get wet.

I took off my clothes and laid them at the base of a tree, out of sight of anyone approaching. It didn’t surprise me to find Sergi watching me. This wasn’t the first time. A shifter gets used to the naked body at an early age. Packs liked to run together so it was common to shift with others. Yet, when Sergi’s gaze rolled over me, I was quite aware it was a male appraising me. And I liked it.

“What?” I couldn’t help but ask. His expression was unreadable, and I found myself sinking into warm nut-brown eyes lit from behind with a soft red glow.

“It’s not often I see a shifter change into their wolf. It’s an amazing sight.”

“I’ll try not to bite you in the middle of battle.”

The tips of his fangs showed when he flashed a wicked grin. “I’ll try not to confuse you with the other wolves.”

I was still laughing when the wolf came out, and it turned into a yip. The lust for a fight surged through me. Sergi wasn’t an Alpha, but his proximity brought on my shift faster than normal. Maybe it was his beast. My wolf sensed it riding close to the surface. The primal instinct of our other selves preparing to do battle together.

Sergi took off his clothes and hid them. I watched every nuance of his muscled physique as he waded into the pool, a dagger in each hand.

The night was quiet, but they were out there. I yipped again as if I were injured, then made a couple of turns before nestling into the grass. With my snout on my paws, I lowered my lids and waited.

It was five minutes before I heard the first rustling along the trail. I listened for distinct sounds to determine how many were out there. We might have disturbed their hunt or simply crossed through their territory, and they didn’t like trespassers. They would know something lurked beneath our human forms, so less likely on a hunt and more likely scouts not happy with our intrusion.

They didn’t completely surround us. One was in the crop of trees to our left, and another approached along the pond’s shore. One, maybe two, came down the path we’d walked.

Their footsteps were light, and if I wasn’t in wolf form, it would have been difficult to hear them. That’s what made the wild ones so dangerous. They spent most of their time as wolves, which heightened their senses. There was no doubt they’d picked up my scent. Did they know Sergi was vampire? I doubted they saw many in this area.

I kept my wolf still as I mentally prepared my attack. There wasn’t time. The wolf to my left burst out of the trees as a howl pierced the silence. It was lean and smaller than me, but that didn’t stop it as it leaped into the air.

My wolf rolled, and as the other landed where I’d once been, I grabbed the back of its neck. I shook it, my teeth sinking in, and blood filled my mouth. The wild, musky taste urged me on as the wolf howled in pain beneath me.

When it went limp, I dropped it and turned in time to see two things at once. One was the bared teeth of two wolves bearing down on me. The other was the warrior who rose out of the pond like Poseidon from the sea. His face was grim with determination, the water sluicing over his body in rivulets, emphasizing his bulging biceps and thick muscular thighs.

I wasn’t the only one staring. The wolves, not expecting this new adversary, couldn’t stop their trajectory or speed within such a short distance. The four of us met with claws, fangs, and daggers.

Sergi didn’t hesitate, swinging his daggers as a wolf launched itself at him. I lost sight of him when the second wolf hit me in the side. We rolled, and though this wolf was larger than the first, it seemed dazed from seeing Sergi, who’d made a show of his bright white fangs.

Proof they hadn’t known they’d invited a vampire to battle.

I bit at the wolf’s neck, and it pulled away, but not before it took a huge bite of my shoulder. I yelped but didn’t stop as I clamped down on a back leg as the wolf shifted position. Its cry of pain urged me on, and I used my size and weight to shove the wolf away before I grabbed the back of its front leg. Its snout whipped around, and it pulled away long enough to get a hold of my neck.

Fear gripped me, and putting all my strength into it, I yanked out of its teeth and scrambled back. I felt the blood seeping into my coat. It had gotten another bite of me.

We circled each other, which gave me a quick peek at Sergi and the wolf he battled. Blood smeared his torso, arms, and legs, but the wolf wasn’t fairing any better. Sergi’s daggers were stained red as he slashed at the wolf. He wasn’t stabbing, which would produce deeper, harder-to-heal cuts, preferring to slice, which would still result in the rending of blood but heal easily after one or two shifts.

The wolf who I’d been sparring with lunged when he noticed my glance at Sergi, but I wasn’t a foolish wolf. My uncle taught me as a pup to always keep an eye on the events around me while remaining focused on my enemy.

The wolf was surprised when I twisted as he hit, sending us both to the ground with me on top. Not what it was expecting as I grabbed it’s neck and shook. If this were a lesser beast, a couple good shakes could break its neck, but wolves were made of tougher stuff, and all I wanted was a decent enough injury to make it stop.

Fighting to disarm or maim was always more difficult than fighting to kill. And it was made harder when the other side only wanted to see me dead. I held onto its neck as the blood filled my mouth, and when the wolf quieted, I stopped shaking it.

Keeping my paws firmly on the wolf, I looked up, blood dripping from my mouth, to find Sergi watching me. The wolf he’d been fighting lay at his feet, and the first one I’d fought had crawled over to it.

“You can release it.” He nodded at the wolf under my feet. “They’ve given up.”

I stared down at my prey and saw the defeat reflected in its gaze. I panted as my wolf calmed, then stepped back to release it. It got up, shook itself, then limped to where the other two lay.

I followed and stepped next to Sergi, who watched the wolves. My focus was on the fourth wolf, who was still out there but hadn’t joined the fight.

Sergi turned with me as the fourth wolf, the one who’d been approaching from the pond, stepped out from behind a tree. It never joined the battle but simply watched and waited. I didn’t think it was an Alpha, more likely the lead scout. It lifted its head and released one mournful howl.

Sergi dropped his daggers and spread out his arms as he faced it.

“We’re not here to bother you. We just want to go home. You won’t see us again.”

The wolf stared, and while it didn’t advance, it didn’t appear impressed by Sergi’s words of truce. Then Sergi spoke again in a language I didn’t understand but recognized as the local Romanian tongue.

The wolf bowed its head, followed it with a whine, then barked. The three wolves near us slowly slipped away into the forest. Small drips of blood trailed after them.

“We’ll continue so you can shift and heal your wounds. Don’t follow us.”

The wolf lifted its head and howled. Sergi glanced down at me, and I nodded. The fight was over, and while the wolves refused to take it as a loss, they wouldn’t bother us anymore.

I trotted over to the trail that led down the mountain and waited while Sergi collected our clothes and backpack.

Without a glance back, which told the wolves we trusted them to honor their word, we continued our journey. One naked vampire and one limping wolf.

How quickly my life changed once again.

Sergi followed the same trail for two miles, turning around every couple minutes to keep an eye on Alex. She remained in wolf form, and his first assumption was that she wanted to remain in her shifter form in case the wild ones decided revenge was better than prudence.

He didn’t miss the increasing limp in her front leg. Blood stained her coat, and like him, much of it came from their opponents, but the stain on her shoulder gleamed wet, reflecting an open wound. They’d passed several pools and one creek where he refilled their water bottles. Alex drank deeply but still refused to shift back. After a few hundred yards, he selected a narrower path that bordered the mountainside as he searched for an appropriate cave.

He settled on the third one he found, which was the same size as the cave from the previous night but had an upper shelf ten feet long and two feet off the cave floor. It was tall enough for Alex to stand, though he’d have to hunch over, and space for both of them to sleep warmly with a nearby fire.

Alex laid down, head on her paws, and was still in that position when Sergi returned with firewood. Once the fire licked at the wood, he leaned against the rock wall that formed the shelf and watched her sleep. After a couple of minutes, she rose and limped toward the exit.

The limp was worse.

“Where are you going?”

The wolf stopped and paused a moment before looking back. When she took another step, he doubted she’d make it more than a few steps outside before collapsing.

“You’re not leaving, and if you think you can outrun me with your injury, you’re mistaken. Don’t make me chase you.”

She whined, and he shook his head.

“We’re out of danger. Shift and heal your leg. You should have done that after the first mile.”

When she held her ground, he stood and strolled toward her, leaving as much distance as the cave would allow until he positioned himself between her and the exit. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down. Rather than shift, she slowly lowered to the ground, her eyes closing as she once again rested her head on her front legs. Her movements confirmed what he already knew. Her injury was worse than she wanted him to believe.

After giving it some thought, he strolled over and squatted next to her. When she didn’t appear bothered by his nearness, he sat. He wasn’t sure why he made the next move because he wasn’t an Alpha, and he was invading her space. Rather than worry if he was doing the right thing, he placed a hand on her back and stroked the surprisingly soft fur along her back. He stayed away from the matted blood that ran from midpoint on her neck, thickened in mass around her shoulder, then trailed down her leg.

They sat like that for several minutes. Her breathing turned to pants as he continued his gentle stroking. Then, without warning, she shifted back to human form.

At first, she yelped, but when it turned into a human cry, he knew it was bad. Her eyes were unfocused, and when he placed his hand on her forehead, he cursed under his breath.

He rolled her over. A bite on her shoulder, less than two hours old, was red, angry, and likely infected. Her shifter magic should have healed her, but it sometimes required more than one shift. He hadn’t heard of shifters succumbing to infections after a fight, but these had been wild shifters. All the time he’d spent in the Carpathians, he’d never run across them before, and other than the warnings of how dangerous they were, he knew little else.

“Shift.” He threw as much weight as he could into the command, but she didn’t stir. If her wolf was awake, it didn’t have any more luck in rousing her.

Her breathing became ragged, similar to her wolf’s pants. He scanned the rest of her body but didn’t find any other noticeable injuries until he pushed her hair up and found a second bite on her neck. This one wasn’t as deep, but it also appeared infected.

An infection working as rapidly as it was could be deadly. He ran a hand over her hair, then left her side to pull the package of vials from her lab coat. He found what he wanted in the first package—the vials of the BP-X. The Blood Poppy had worked wonders for him, and it was vital to dreamwalkers, but what would it do to a shifter? Would it cure an infection? He could carry her the rest of the way, but they were a long way from a clinic, and when they reached it, it might be too late to save her, assuming she made it that far.

The vial was warm in his hand. Based on his experience with Blood Poppy, and what he’d seen from Remus’s lab tests, she should only require a few drops, certainly no more than half the vial. He closed his eyes. It might not help, but would it hurt her? He stared at the flames, felt the warmth flush his face, and made a decision.

He lifted the top off the vial, opened her mouth, and dribbled a few drops on her tongue. One fell on her lips, and she instinctively licked it off. When she licked her lips again as if searching for more, he obliged her. He emptied a quarter of the vial before resealing it.

After a minute, and with no apparent change in her, he decided on plan B. He left her long enough to put the vial back with the others and strip off his clothes, piling them next to the fire.

Alex didn’t struggle when he lifted her into his arms. She was so cold. Not a good sign. She surprised him before he exited the cave when she curled into him, seeking his warmth.

He strode quickly through the dark forest, using his shoulder to push through the bushes and low-hanging limbs to protect her body. When he crossed the creek where they’d refreshed their water bottles, he turned right down a well-used trail that led to a small pool bordered by rocks and a small grassy area.

Without pausing, he waded into the warm water, a slight mineral scent tickling his nose. She startled when the water flowed over her but didn’t attempt to leave his arms. The pool wasn’t any deeper than a bathtub, and he sat in the middle, keeping her head above the water that reached his chest. Once he settled into a comfortable position, he held her tight as he lowered her deeper into the water, ensuring the water covered the injuries on her shoulder and the back of her neck.

The minerals in the water should clean out the wound, but he didn’t think they would be enough to kill the infection. He rocked back and forth in a slow rhythm, keeping his senses alert for any other trouble, but he soon relaxed. They were safe for now.

After some time had passed, he sat her up so he could check her wounds. He pulled her wet hair aside and breathed a sigh of relief when the area around the bite was clean and the redness had faded to a dark pink. The most grievous wound on her shoulder had improved as well.

He remained in the water and carefully washed the blood off both their bodies. After checking the wounds once more, he was pleased enough to leave the pool. She was still unresponsive, but with any luck, her shifter blood, and perhaps the Blood Poppy, was healing her.

He stood and repositioned her in his arms once more before striding for the path. If nothing else, her heart pounded strong against his chest. When he reached the cave, he settled in front of the fire with her still in his arms. He reached over and tossed two logs onto the fire. Once the flames burned brightly, he moved Alex so the heat would dry her skin.

The heat of the flames dried them quickly, and he gently dressed her and laid her on the shelf, where she curled into a fetal position. He didn’t want to block her from the fire, but he refused to leave her the closest to the entrance, and as he expected, the air was warmer on the shelf. He stretched next to her and closed his eyes, allowing a hand to settle on her arm. Satisfied her skin radiated warmth, he relaxed into a satisfied sleep.