Page 57 of Taming His Vampire Mate

“They’re holed up at the high school,” one of the witches said, her back to me. “That makes the tactic here simple. First, we’ll have a team of three witches use a barrier spell so they don’t escape.”

I stopped in my tracks as I realized they were talking about destroying the vampires of Rookwood.

She continued, “And then we’ll split into teams of two vampires and two witches each. We’ll use multiple points of entry into the building, so we can dispatch them with minimal—”

“You’re not killing them,” I snarled. “Not a single one.”

It was hard to say who was more surprised, but everyone stared at me like I’d lost my mind—a shirtless wolf barging in to tell them not to do their job.

Thierry froze, then turned to stare at me with wide eyes. His mental voice was crystal clear, as though he’d spoken aloud:What is he doing?

“I’m fixing this,” I told him simply.

Thierry’s expression darkened, and I felt a surge of fresh horror from him at how easily I could hear his thoughts. Hedidn’t understand yet that I’d never hurt him. Besides, my wolf wouldn’t allow it—even if Iwantedto. And I didn’t want to.

“What is he talking about?” the witch asked, turning to face me. She was a middle-aged woman with a cap of dark hair. Her eyes narrowed as she took me in. “These creatures are soulless husks. Killers.”

“Not for long,” I told her, grinning like a madman. “Thierry and I are going to save them all.”

One of the vampires—a cold-eyed female in red leather—locked gazes with me. “What do you mean, you’re going to save them?”

“There’s a way,” I beamed at her.

“We don’t know that!” Thierry snapped. Then, to the leather-clad vampire: “Sadie, just ignore him. That’s what I do.”

“No,” I said. “Contain the vampires. We need to test a theory.”

Sadie’s brows slammed together, and she exchanged a look with the dark-haired witch. “What theory, exactly?”

What are you doing?Thierry’s voice crashed through my mind, though his lips didn’t move.Jeremy, stop! You can’t tell them!

I ignored him. “We’re just asking for a day or two. If we’re wrong, do what you’ve got to do.”

Sadie’s eyes widened as she looked from Thierry to me and back again. Then understanding dawned. “Isee. Well, I suppose that explains why you haven’t left his side for hours.”

Thierry rubbed his temples. “I’ve had nightmares just like this,” he muttered.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Sadie eyed me, gaze lingering on my bare chest. “He’d probably be pleasant enough for at least one evening—so long as he didn’t speak.”

I tried not to take offense. Oddly, my wolf didn’t peg her as particularly dangerous. It was wary of the vampires in this room,yes—but not hostile. Unlike its reaction to the feral ones from last night. It could somehow tell the difference.

“Would someone explain to me what he’s talking about?” another vampire, a dark-haired male, demanded.

“He means that Poppy’s spell worked,” Sadie said before anyone else could reply. “She succeeded in conjuring up a man for Thierry, after all. And perhaps now she can repeat the feat with one of these newborns. It’ll allow us to test the theory that a fated mate can help restore a vampire’s humanity.”

“That’s literallyallconfidential information!” Thierry hissed, scandalized.

Sadie smirked, her eyes glittering dangerously. “Hardly. You’d be surprised what I know.”

“We’re asking for twenty-four hours,” I said. I looked at the dark-haired witch, meeting her gaze. “Contain these vampires, but don’t kill them. I know you can.”

She frowned. “Well, of course, but—”

“Do it,” Sadie said. “If there’s even the smallest chance these people can be brought back, we must know.”

The witch swallowed. “But there’s no magic on earth that can bring back a vampire’s lost humanity. We’vetried.”

“If they fail, we’ll carry out the original mission,” Sadie said, giving Thierry a bemused look. “Thierry and his werewolf mate.”