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The reeve hovered over Derek’s prone form. Her hair bound his throat. At least forty feet separated us.
I would not make it in time.
The Shepherd’s whisper emanated from the reeve’s mouth. “Surrender or it dies.”
I dropped the gauze and slid my hand up my thigh to the throwing dagger on my belt.
“It dies!” the Shepherd hissed.
I hurled the dagger. The blade bit into the reeve’s head, popping her eye like a ripe grape. The impact knocked her back and I threw the shark teeth at her, one after another. The short triangular blades punctured her throat and cheeks. She rocked forward, stared at me with the gaping hole of her eye socket, and broke into water.
I ran to Derek, and I put my head on his chest. Heartbeat. Strong, solid heartbeat.
The vamp’s blood smeared his whole head. I couldn’t tell if he was hurt.
“Derek! Derek!”God, whoever you are, I’ll do anything, please don’t let him die.
His eyelids trembled. Monstrous mouth opened. He sat up slowly.
“Where does it hurt?” I nearly slapped myself. Only the most accomplished of the shapeshifters could speak in half-form. Derek wasn’t one of them.
“Everrrryear.” The word came out mangled but recognizable.
“Everywhere?”
He nodded. “Okray.”
“You’re okay?”
He nodded again.
I wanted to cry with relief. My chest felt heavy like it was full of lead. “You can speak in half-form.”
“Yeahhh. Veen praaasing.”
“Been practicing. That’s good.” I laughed a little. “That’s real good.”
He grinned. Bloody shreds of vampiric meat stretched from between his crooked fangs, wet with drool, and I nearly lost my lunch. “Come on, pretty boy, before this place swarms with People, or we’ll never get out of here.”
I found my gauze, grabbed the horses, and we took off down the street just as the first smear of necromantic magic announced the arrival of the vampiric scouts.
CHAPTER 18