Page 93 of Wedlock (Vampire Bachelor Games #3)

There’s no mistaking that I’d heard Revna’s whispered promise, but I have no time to react as shots ring out against the still night and all hell breaks loose.

“Fuuuuuck,” I squeak, ducking low and running for the treeline in the opposite direction to where I’d heard her voice.

I realise my mistake as a line of men burst out of the shadows and run towards me and, screeching, I spin and turn to make for the other direction, thankful I’m barefoot and my torn dress is no hindrance to my speed.

But I barely make it half a dozen strides when I’m shoved from behind and pinned to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The wind knocked momentarily out of me, I gasp for breath and try to wriggle free of the heavy weight upon me, but a low, deep voice tells me to “stay the fuck down,” as dozens of other booted feet run past me towards where I’d heard Revna.

I can’t raise my face to try and see what’s going on, but screams, shots, and hideous, maniacal laughter are all around, and I whimper as a dismembered arm hits the ground inches from my nose.

Revna is shouting orders, and Yin too. A third voice, one I recognise, a man, is cursing and shouting “have courage — death to the monsters,” at the top of his lungs.

It’s then that I realise that I was right. Yin had been organising protection through The Free Men over these past weeks. And knowing Yin, she’d also been organising the destruction of a certain royal vampire I’d just attempted to seduce in a helicopter.

‘Thank God he isn’t here. At least they can only kill Revna and her vampires.’

“Get off me,” I snap to the man still pinning me to the ground. “I can fight. Give me a gun.”

“I said, stay the fuck down,” he snarls, pressing me further into the dirt, “I’ve got…”

Whatever he’s about to say is cut off as a shot rings out so close I’m momentarily deafened.

An acrid tang stings the back of my throat as his brains splatter all over my hair.

Coughing and gagging, I squirm halfway out from under his corpse and roll over to stare through sticky eyelashes at an armed man striding into view, his steps faltering as he stares down at me, surprise written all over his face.

I recognise him immediately as the man I’d heard cursing earlier.

“Phil.”

Leaning down, he shouts into my face, “Are you alright, Angie?”

“Like you give a shit,” I groan.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Neither are you,” I snap.

More gunshots sound out all around us as, shaking his head, he turns to run.

I remain where I am for a second, my ears still ringing, and focus on who had pinned me down as I struggle to roll his body fully off me and wipe my face on his jacket.

I recognise the uniform immediately as one of Falcon’s men.

“Oh Jesus,” I moan, realising Falcon too must have organised guards for us, one of which had been trying to protect me. One of The Free Men, or maybe even Phil, had likely killed him because they kill everyone associated with vampires.

“Idiots!”

The fighting all around me continues as I reach for the gun in the holster of the dead guard. It contains silver bullets, which is a huge relief, but there’s no such relief in the new sound on the horizon. The sound of a helicopter.

“Good guys or bad guys?” I groan. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Wriggling, commando style, my bare legs getting scratched to hell against the hard ground, I make, once again, for the woods furthest from where I’d heard Revna.