Page 15

Or maybe it was just the reality check she needed.

“Yeah. Total badass males. Very dangerous. Ben, Alex, and Oliver are also assassins. They kill people. You know, bang, bang. Dead.”

Mack led her down to his Jeep.

Fuck it, the guys could teleport back to the castle.

“Oh wow. They all seem so nice.” Ella shrugged and walked alongside him.

Jesus.

A roaring noise had him suddenly spinning around, just as a large truck came flying down the road. At first glance, he noticed people standing on the back, one holding a horn, which he let off over and over as it slowed outside the bars.

Ella tucked in behind him as Mack held out his arm protectively the moment he saw the word vampire spray-painted along the side.

And kill .

The blaring sound went off again and again, painful against his powerful hearing. Mack put his hand to his ears, and the truck stopped in front of them.

Guns lifted in their direction and his wolf roared to life.

Protect Ella.

“You vampires?” One man yelled.

“We will fucking kill you!” Another drunk guy waved a rifle.

Callan. Logan. Need you out here.

Two men jumped off the side of the truck. One wore a flannel shirt, the other in a band T-shirt.

“Oh God.” Ella grabbed at his jacket, and he felt her face plant itself against his back.

He wrapped his arm behind him and pressed her firmly against his back.

“No, we’re on a date.” Mack widened his stance, ready to fight, but first tried to talk them down. “Don’t kill my buzz, dudes.”

A third guy stalked closer, his shotgun pointing down, but not low enough for his liking. Mack would put money on them all being high or drunk.

“Show us!” Band T-shirt Guy came closer.

“Mack.” Ella shook against his body and his wolf rumbled, wanting to get out.

Stop. I’ve got this.

Kill. Danger. Protect Ella.

“It’s okay.” Mack assured her, then louder said. “You’re scaring my girl. Back off, man. We are just out having a drink.”

The three humans began to make a semi-circle around him, and now things were getting dangerous. Cameras were everywhere these days and so were the people walking past with phones.

Aka more cameras.

Mack needed to get Ella in the Jeep, but the door was still locked. With vampire speed, he’d be able to get it open before they closed in on them physically, but he couldn’t outrun a bullet. Dodge it? Yes. Risk Ella? Not so much.

It was clear they meant business and were vampire hunters, as they called themselves online.

“We want proof that you aren’t vampires. Show us your teeth.”

What?

He almost laughed. His teeth looked just like theirs. Only if he chose to show them his vampire incisors, would they see them. And yeah, that wasn’t happening.

Next minute, one of them lifted a bottle and began spraying them.

“The fuck man.” Mack lifted his arm against the watery substance and let his enhanced scent do its job.

Water.

It was just fucking water.

“Teeth.” The gun got closer.

“Oh, God.” Ella shuddered, and his wolf let out a growl.

He could show them his teeth—it wasn’t like vampires walked around with their fangs hanging out, but these idiots clearly didn’t have half a brain. After all, if they all walked around with big fangs, did they not think someone might have noticed in the past few thousand years?

No?

Fucking idiots.

Unfortunately for them, they weren’t dealing with a vampire. They were facing a vampire wolf hybrid. If his beast became any more upset, they’d be greeted by a black and gray wolf and one of the biggest jaws they’d ever see.

God it was tempting.

Mack held a hand up, wondering where the hell the guys were. Callan. Get the fuck out here.

You two need to talk.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Well, there are five of us now. One appears to have a spray bottle filled with what I can only imagine is fake fucking holy water. Oh, and shotguns.

What!

Finally, he had their attention.

“Teeth. Now.” Flannel Shirt Guy said.

Mack was getting pissed off. Most of the people on the sidewalk had rushed away, inside buildings and vehicles. If he had to do a big clean-up job and kill a few humans, then he would. He had backup...when they got their asses outside.

“Ella, get in the car,” Mack said, reaching into his pocket and unlocking the car with the remote.

“Nope.” She squeezed tighter against him.

“We need to see her teeth.” Water Bottle Guy waved the plastic bottle at him.

“You need to step back. I’m losing my patience.” Mack growled, using all his strength to hold back his wolf.

“We’re the ones with the guns.” Flannel Shirt threatened.

And stupid water bottles.

Callan and Logan finally strode around the corner and, without missing a beat, walked up behind the humans and snapped their necks.

One.

Two.

Three.

“Really?” Logan grabbed the bottle as it began to roll away. He lifted it to his nose. “Blessed by the pope himself, I bet.”

Mack let out a snort and turned, wrapping Ella in his arms. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Are they dead?” she asked, her voice a high pitch as he opened the Jeep door.

Yeah, they were.

They weren’t in the business of killing humans. They’d never had the remit from the king to do it without cause. But they had it now. These humans were hunting vampires.

Unfortunately for the three idiots, they’d chosen a king’s warrior who had permission to eliminate any threats to the race. Three of them.

Everyday vampires didn’t necessarily have the fighting skills or the courage to defend themselves despite their strength.

Take Ella. She’d been terrified.

They were at war.

Humans against vampires.

Men like those would rally others and only grow their movement and be a risk to their kind if not stopped.

“We’ll clean up. Take Ella home.” Callan nodded at the Jeep.

“Thanks, man.”

The drive home was quiet, and it took all his effort not to reach out and take her hand. He parked out on the road and went around, opening her door.

Quietly, she got out and walked beside him up the path to the four-bedroom house he’d rented for her. He’d only looked at it once. It was five years old, tidy, and big enough to accommodate his family if they did want to come out.

“How is it?” Mack asked.

“It’s nice,” Ella replied, then turned. “You don’t have to come in.”

She looked pale, and he didn’t want to leave her. His wolf pressed to hold her and comfort her, to make sure she felt safe.

That’s a lie.

Mack wanted to scoop her up and bring her home. To his bed. To wake up with her underneath him and fill her with his needy, thick cock.

To feel her tighten around his shaft as the mating bond flared to life and connected them forever.

Then what?

Would she go through the change and become a wolf?

Would she reject him when she learned what he was now?

Or did they not have long before their world imploded and their race either vanished or went underground, no longer free to be who they were?

Nikolay had a serum which incapacitated vampires and hybrids. Sooner or later—his money was on sooner—he’d share that with the world and unless they killed him before he did that, they were all in very serious danger.

Craig was right.

They had to kill the Russian.

The prince had invited them all to volunteer for the team going to St. Petersburg to assassinate him. Mack had put his hand up. There was a strong chance, if he went, he wouldn’t return.

This might be the last time he saw his would-be mate. But it could save her life, in more than one way.

Suddenly, he was flooded with a million emotions. Leaving her alone. Knowing she would never mate and be alone in this world if he died.

“Ella.” Mack followed her in and shut the door behind them. “Are you okay?”

She let out a weird, almost hysterical laugh.

“Yes. Why? Because I was just threatened by humans and watched two enormous vampires snap their necks?” She tossed her bag on the counter and faced him.

“Not that enormous,” Mack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Which wasn’t the point...

She wasn’t okay, not at all.

Which meant he wasn’t leaving.