Hell broke loose as I brought my hand up, snagged Carter’s arm, and forced his palm to my mouth. I bit down into the fleshy meat behind his thumb, breaking the skin.
The shifted werewolves met the vampires that attacked them head on. I’d never seen anything like it. Where vampires were faster, the wolves were stronger and, I was terrified to admit, deadlier. Blood soared through the air when one vampire lost an arm. Another beside him went down as jaws clamped down on his throat and crushed the bones in his neck.
As I took in the scene surrounding me, I struggled to compute what my eyes clearly witnessed. The werewolves were outnumbered five-to-one, but the vampires hadn’t even caused a dent. The only bodies littering the street were those accompanying Paine. Most had their throats torn out, but a few were still alive with limbs missing.
“Let her go.” Paine advanced, unfazed by the carnage taking place around him.
“You want her?” Carter laughed, taunting him. “Come and get her.”
Carter thrust me to the ground. He and Paine came face to face. They collided as they delivered blows to each other’s noses. Paine was knocked back several feet, and Carter used the distance to his advantage as he started to shift.
The ground felt as if it were shaking as I rose, and I watched in horror as more werewolves approached from the city. They moved fast, covering the distance. There were dozens of them, outnumbering the vampires.
If it was a blood bath before, it would become a massacre now.
Paine grasped Carter by the throat before Carter finished shifting. Paine brought his knee up and smashed it into Carter’s jaw. A roar of outrage came from Carter, and Paine moved out of the range of sweeping, clawed hands when Carter struck out. Behind them, werewolves leapt over cars and joined the fray, taking the vampires down one by one.
A sudden, unexpected blinding flash of red made my eyes burn. Then an explosion sent me on my ass. I was knocked back several feet and landed on the curb of the road. A dull stab tore through my side, stealing my breath away. Paine and Carter separated. Paine landed close to me while Carter went in the opposite direction. Another explosion boomed in my ears and vibrated along the concrete.
I watched, stunned, as I saw the cause of the disturbance.
A missile of some kind made contact with a werewolf and, click-click-boom, he detonated. Just like that. There one second and gone the next.
Turning and peering over my shoulder, I noticed the cars coming from Brooklyn Heights. The human slaves had obviously gotten word of the shit downwind and had come to lend a hand. Several held what appeared to be bazookas on their shoulders, riding in the back of moving vehicles like they were straight out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
We don’t need another hero? Fuck you, Tina. I’ll stick with Bonnie Tyler.
Who needs immortal strength when you’ve got weapons of mass destruction?
Gunshots carried through the night, more explosions followed, and exquisite red stains marred the streets, vehicles and just about everything else in close proximity. Vicious and outraged cries mingled with throaty snarls. The wolves divided, and I watched Carter stagger to his feet, his very furry and massive chest heaving. His furious silver gaze froze me in place. I knew the look, even through the eyes of a beast.
Betrayal.
He threw his head back, released a deep, heartbreaking howl. The sound gave me chills. The wolf-men stopped and pulled back, surrounding Carter. He stared at me long and hard before he took off in a dead run toward the cars blocking his path home. None of the vampires offered resistance, and the gunfire ceased. The silence was out of place and strange considering what had just happened.