Page 40 of The Wayward Sons & The Vampires of Fortune (The Wayward Sons #4)
S ix Hellhounds.
Six hunters.
Four vampires.
Yeah, it was just as crazy as it fucking sounded.
But it was also crazy enough that it could work.
Six Hellhounds against four vampires more than evened the odds in our favor. There was a good chance we’d be walking—or flying—out of here with Ryder safe.
“We are so gettin’ a fuckin’ Hellhound after this,” I whispered. I didn’t have a clue how you ended up with a trained and weaponized Hellhound, but I wanted one. I’d have that thing following Ryder around like the best goddamn bodyguard one could find.
“ Stay back, and let the hounds fight, ” Sam ordered. “ Andrea, Nash, and Cole will stick with them. I’m coming to you, Gray. The only thing we’re focusing on is protecting Ryder. Once— ”
He abruptly shut up as one of the vampires suddenly vanished. I tensed and dragged Ryder behind me, making sure his back was firmly planted against the wall. I felt him shift behind me.
“Don’t you fuckin’ move,” I said gruffly.
“I’m not going anywhere, honey,” Ryder whispered. “I’m just making sure I can shoot without hitting you in the process.”
Fair . I’d rather not get shot.
One of the floodlights exploded in a shower of broken glass and sparks.
And then another.
And another.
And each one until we were blanketed in darkness.
I froze, my heart lodging in my throat. A hand touched my elbow, and I damn near lost my shit.
“Easy!” Sam exclaimed. “Easy, Gray. It’s just me.”
“You’re a goddamn idiot,” I said. “Sneakin’ up on me while there’s goddamn vampires…”
My voice trailed off as a horrible clicking sound filled the dark, bouncing off everything and growing in volume. That sound was the thing nightmares were made of.
“I hate that sound,” Ryder admitted.
“Yeah,” Sam agreed.
The Hellhounds matched the volume in kind with growls and snarls, loud enough to make the ground shake.
Wait… not them…
Cole’s body glowed green with his power, creating a beacon of light.
The wind picked up as Andrea dipped into hers, the white glow adding to his.
Not a bad plan…
I leaned into my power, feeling every molecule of the earth beneath our feet just enough to turn my adorable self into a goddamn nightlight.
Sam did the same. His gold glow clashed with mine, but as I glanced over my shoulder, I could easily see Ryder in the light. The fear etched on his face hit deep.
“Just a lil’ bit longer, baby,” I promised and hoped to hell I was right.
Winston howled once more, and the Hellhounds burst into a run.
What ensued was nothing short of chaos. Vampires scattered, sending the Hellhounds chasing after them. They flitted between shadows and stuck to the darkness.
Hellhounds had weight and power.
Vampires had speed and intelligence.
And then we had our powers and vampire-killing bullets.
Despite the numbers being in our favor, it didn’t feel so equal. The longer the vampires evaded the Hellhounds, who appeared to be trying their damnedest, the more it felt like the scales were tipping in their favor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught how the shadows changed near us. Shifting. Practically breathing.
“Move,” Sam ordered, grabbing Ryder by the arm. He let out a loud and sharp whistle before repeating, “Move now.”
A vampire rushed us, and I steeled myself for a fight, but it never came.
A Hellhound clad in blue armor came out of the darkness.
It caught the vampire around the waist and hoisted it off the ground.
Strong jaws clamped around the vampire’s torso.
No matter how hard it writhed, it couldn’t get free.
And like the dog it practically was, the Hellhound violently shook its head, flopping the thing around like a goddamn chew toy. The screech that filled the air was horrific—loud and piercing. I felt it down to my fucking bones.
Crouching, the Hellhound planted one paw on the vampire’s legs and yanked back. Tendons, muscles, and bones stretched, broke, and tore apart as the Hellhound ripped the vampire in half.
We scattered, and I pulled Ryder away from the carnage as body parts were strewn all over the place.
Blood.
Organs.
Bones.
Normally, I wasn’t squeamish, but my stomach bottomed out, and that pressure at the back of my throat built at the sight of the carnage. Next to me, Ryder audibly gagged. At least I wasn’t alone.
The Hellhound stalked up to Sam, its head dipping enough to headbutt him in the chest. It was strong enough to lift him slightly off the ground as it did. The damn near gentle affection was such a stark contrast to the violence we’d just witnessed.
“Good boy,” Sam praised and ran his hands through the Hellhound’s scruff. It chuffed once before galloping right back into the fight.
“I want a Hellhound,” I said to Ryder, never looking away.
“No,” Ryder replied. Typical. This was the baby hyena all over again.
“Let’s go.” Sam quickly ushered us in his direction. “Come on. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”
Pushing Ryder between us, I brought up the rear as we followed our way right back toward the rest of the group.
Snarling.
Screeching.
Growling.
My heart pounded wildly in my chest while my hunter senses buzzed violently against the back of my skull. My power waned, and so did Sam’s, our light dimming. Across the way, Cole and Andrea’s power dropped in intensity as well. We could only maintain it for so long.
And as the light dwindled, the vampires tightened their approach. We moved closer to one another with the Hellhounds taking up guard spots around and between us. Sam stuck close to Ryder and me, and I lost sight of the others.
“How many have they killed?” I asked.
“ One, ” Andrea snapped. One down, three to go. “ We need more light. Hellhounds can’t see great in the dark. Not the way vampires can. ”
“Fuck,” I swore. They were waiting us out—waiting for complete darkness. They’d have the advantage over us.
Unless we could trap them for the Hellhounds to take out…
It was a bad idea. I knew that. But we were out here fighting vampires with weaponized Hellhounds while people wore super suits. At this point, nothing was off the table.
“Make me a fuckin’ promise,” I snapped, grabbing Sam’s shoulder.
“What?” he frowned.
“Whatever happens next, you make sure Ryder gets out of this alive, you hear me?”
“Gray—”
“Promise me, Sam,” I cut him off. “Whatever happens, don’t let anythin’ happen to him. Not like your wife. Please.”
I was pushing a button by bringing her up, but I needed him to understand. Whatever happened next, I needed him to protect Ryder where I couldn’t. Emotions filled his expression as those vivid blue eyes searched my face, questioning and concerned.
“I promise,” he whispered.
Good.