Aurum''s golden figure streaks through the wolves defending us, in an unerring line straight for the closest vampire.@@@@
Seconds later, there''s a blood-curdling roar.
Stop standing around staring, Grimoire says, unaffected by the fear crawling through my skin. They need your help.
Tearing my eyes from Aurum/Lucas, I dash forward, my magic-crafted blade cool against my sweaty palm.
"What''s next?" I ask, squeezing through a mass of fur and hot bodies. The noise is too loud to hear my own voice, but Grimoire picks up my words straight from my head.
Get closer. You''ll hurt an innocent if you try to do anything here. You don''t have the control yet.
Ducking under a wildly swinging arm, I come face to face with a stranger. Pale skin. Lips glistening red, cracking at the corners, where you can see pale flesh peeking out beneath the blood.
Fangs. Long fangs, far longer than I ever thought a vampire could have, and red eyes that lock onto mine with unerring accuracy.
Don''t go straight for the head, Grimoire warns as I do just that.
My blade whistles through the air. It''s a clumsy strike, born of fear and adrenaline rather than skill, and I''m too far in to abort.
A vice-like grip closes around my forearm. The vampire''s strength is inhuman, and I''m yanked forward, losing my balance.
But my body moves before my brain can catch up. Instinct takes over, even if it''s a little sluggish and unrefined. With a twist of my body I''d never be able to replicate again, I manage to wrench my arm free of the vampire''s grasp. Moving with the momentum, I throw myself into an awkward roll. My shoulder hits the ground hard, but I manage to scrabble back to my feet, now behind the vampire.
He''s turning, trying to get to me, but he''s too slow, dragged in various directions. Everyone''s grabbing, snapping, clawing at him, even as he fights back. He has too many enemies.
I don''t hesitate. With both hands, I drive my blade into his back, angling upward.
Add fire to the blade. Grimoire''s command rings clear in the chaos.
Too many bodies litter the floor. And yet no vampires remain standing.
Aurum catches my gaze. Gorgeous. Massive, towering over all the other wolves, some of whom cower at his feet. There''s blood all over his face and muzzle, dripping to the ground. Despite the gore, he looks majestic—a true alpha, his presence blanketing the area.
In the time it took for me to fight one vampire, he took down three.
As our eyes meet, something shifts. The world seems to tilt on its axis, and suddenly, I''m not just looking at Aurum. I''m seeing Lucas—my Lucas. His voice, so achingly familiar, whispers in my mind.
Mate.
The word reverberates through me, igniting a warmth that spreads from my core to my fingertips. It''s him. It''s really him. After all this time, all the uncertainty and fear, Lucas is back.
His golden gaze sweeps over the pack, breaking that brief connection between us, and he gives a long, low howl. I watch in awe as every wolf around us drops to the ground, bellies pressed against the earth. The sheer power radiating from him is greater even than what I felt from Selene when we became Luna.
This is Lucas, my Lucas, but he''s also so much more. The alpha energy emanating from him is something I can even sense with my magic. It''s as though that core of energy within me yearns to reach out and touch Lucas'' power.
A strange sensation creeps into my mind. It''s like a tickle, a whisper just beyond my comprehension. I strain to hear it, but the harder I focus, the more it slips away.
Around us, the remaining wolves begin to shift back into their human forms.
They move with purpose, gathering the wounded and carrying them towards the hospital.
Grim faces. Pained eyes.
Everything happens in silence as I stand, rooted to the spot, a dead vampire at my feet.
Then, my gaze falls on the bodies being laid carefully side by side. My pack. My people.
Their loss aches in my soul. The pack bond I can feel is a little weaker than before.