Hacked softly. Disgust. Beast strong. Beast kill blood-servants.
But Jane rose, showed memory of stakes and knives, cutting into vampires. We can fight together. I/we of Beast.
Panted approval. Padded back into forest. Back to tree and all Jane's gear. Did not want to change. Did not want to shift and give up alpha. But Jane and Beast together were best killer. Leaped to tree. Hunched. And thought of Jane. Of snake in her bones. Gray place reached out and took me in fist with claws. Cut Beast with sharp claws, with knives. Pain. Pain, pain, pain . . .
I fell from the tree and landed hard on the bare earth, grunting. Gasped a shuddering breath that hurt on my bruised ribs. "Ohhhh," I moaned, keeping my misery quiet when I wanted to cry out. Crap. That hurt. Still lying on the ground, I pulled the unneeded bag from my neck and opened it with shaking fingers. Tore into the plastic bag of Snickers candy bars and bit into the sticky sweetness. I ate four before the shakes stopped. Then I dressed fast, but not in the lightweight clothes I had expected to use. In my fighting gear, moving fast. Molly and Evan and Evangelina would be in the soccer field soon, and I didn't want to be caught naked. I wanted time to direct them away from the magic site. That many vamps working together would be a danger even three witches working together probably couldn't overcome. The vamps would mind-steal them in a heartbeat and then what good would their spells be?
Dressed, I hit Derek's GPS device and I called Molly's cell, reporting in, telling her what I had seen. "You can't get to the site, Molly. That many vamps would know you were there and take you out before you knew what was happening. You can't come."
"How many?" Her voice was strained, tight with the need to do something, anything, to save her babies.
"Renee, Tristan, and their nameless brother; the three of them are weak vamp-witches. Adrianna of St. Martin, Rafael Torrez of Mearkanis are here, and I'm pretty sure they've secretly made him clan master. He smells like a blood-master, full of mixed vamp smells. I think Sabina was wrong about the timing. I think the coup d'etat will start from here, tonight, with vamps who plan to reign over humans like they did on Haiti."
"What?"
I hadn't told her about the challenge against Leo. There hadn't been time. "I also saw Bettina of Rousseau, but she smelled weak. I think they've bled her nearly dry. Adora and Donatien, the young-rogue teens who are bound, gagged, and fighting like mad things. Bliss and the kits. Bliss has been bled so much she's nearly dead. I don't think she'll survive tonight." My fault. The thought thudded through my veins with my blood. My fault. I tucked the cell under my chin and finished adjusting my boots, pulled the shotgun harness over my shoulders, and clipped it in place. Shoved the vamp-killers back into their loops on my leather pants. I stomped my new boots, settling my feet in them.
"We're coming," she grated.
"Molly, you can't get to me in time. You just find their limo on Harrison Avenue and make sure it won't run. And kill any vamp who comes out of the forest." She was crying with frustration. Her strangled sobs made my hands sweat. I wiped them down my leathers, but they didn't absorb sweat from either side. "Molly!"
"Okay." She hiccupped and swallowed hard, fighting for control. "But if you need a shield, just hold the rune again. We're putting something together that can find the amulet and give you protection."
"A 'find me' charm that works as a relay?"
"Yeah. Exactly." She sounded miserable, barely holding it together.
I breathed out, relief making me tremble. "Hang in there. And thank you, Molly." Then, "Make it ten feet in diameter? The shield? No more? And can you let bullets move out but no magics or bullets move in?"
"I don't--"
"Will do," Evan said from a distance. "Ten feet."
"Good. Stay safe and out of the way." I clicked off and hit the speed dial for Derek.
He answered with the words "We're two klicks out."
"Meet me. And, Lee? We got five sane vamps in charge, two insane ones in shackles that need to stay that way, one bled-out and starving clan master who'll drain us dry if she gets half the chance, and three hostage witches."
"Girl, you do know how to throw a party." He disconnected.