Page 24 of Trapped for Her Blood

“Back off!” Zuben says.

“Or what?” A vampire laughs. “You gonna take us all on, you stuck up Arab?”

“Egyptian,” Zuben mutters against my ear.

“Yeah.” Another one laughs. “What if you soil your fancy suit?”

Zuben’s arms tighten around me, and I can sense the pent up power inside his strong, lean body. As staid as Zuben seems, I have no doubt of his strength, or that he will fight to protect me, but even if Gracen helps him—and she’s backing away—Zuben’s badly outnumbered.

Claiming me as his mate worked before, but against this crowd, ravenous after watching others feed but denied themselves, Zuben has no chance.

Lifting me, he runs, making huge leaps across distances that leave my head spinning, but no matter which way he goes, we’re met by a pack of greedy-looking vampires, fangs out for my blood.

They’re teasing us. Barely trying to catch us like it’s some kind of sick foreplay, and Zuben’s efforts to get me away from them are only going to end with his being hurt too.

A huge roar fills the air, so loud I feel it in my bones.

Zuben stiffens, his arms gripping me even tighter.

Vampires scatter. One flies through the air, his throat ripped open and blood splattering everyone nearby.

Axel, in bear form, roars again, rising up onto his hind legs and swiping at a vampire who ducks under his sharp claws. But that vampire doesn’t escape. Axe slams him into the wall and the vampire slumps to the ground, like his spine was smashed into tiny pieces.

On his hind legs, Axe is more than ten feet tall, the top of his head bending forward as it scrapes the tunnel’s ceiling, and then he drops down and runs, barreling toward us.

Zuben turns to shield me with his body as Axe rushes past, and I hear shouts and the sounds of more bones crunching.

Axe sweeps his powerful arm, knocking out three vampires at once, their bodies smashing into the stone walls and bleeding from claw injuries. He turns to another and rips off his head with one swipe of his claws.

“Let’s go.” I push against Zuben’s hold.

“He will chase us,” Zuben whispers in my ear, his voice full of tension. “Let’s not draw the beast’s attention.”

I crane my neck around to look into Zuben’s eyes. “It’s okay. He won’t hurt me. I know where to go.”

I can almost see Zuben’s thoughts in his eyes as we hear the bear swatting away more vampires trying to run. Then Zuben lifts me, slinging me over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold, and he runs.

He runs so quickly the air rushes in my ears and I lose all track of where we’re going.

Behind us, Axe roars and Zuben stops. Shifting my position so I’m on his hip, he backs us into a shadow against the wall, as if he thinks he can hide us.

Axe gallops toward us, looking like he plans to take Zuben’s head off next, but I make eye contact with Axe, holding up my hands and shaking my head as I lean into Zuben. I try everything I can think of to convey to Axe that I’m safe, that the vampire holding me has no plans to hurt me.

Axe snorts, his upper body swaying side to side as he shifts his weight, and then he turns and heads the other direction. I feel Zuben relax, but after a few feet, Axe turns back toward us, his neck stretching.

“Follow him,” I tell Zuben.

Zuben shakes his head, alarm in his eyes.

Shouts arise from down the hall.

“This way!” someone yells.

“Kill the bear!”

“Find the human!”

Axe rises up on his hind legs and then falls back down again, gesturing with his head and shoulders.