Sigma (8 page)

The lot was well lit, but the surrounding forest left plenty of places to hide for both assailants and them. He heard Clementine exit the car.

“Sam?” Her voice rose with her fear, as did her scent. She hurried to his side.

Others moved in the dark, those of the vampire persuasion, from their scents.

“Give us the female and you can leave.” The male pulled a wooden stake from his pocket. “This isn’t pack business. It’s best for you to stay out of this.”

A low growl rolled in his throat as he tracked the stake in the vampire’s hand. His beast joined his thoughts. How dare they threaten his mate? The question splashed over him like a cold wave. He glanced at Clementine with her delicate features and brown, short curls. It felt…right.

“Clementine,” the vampire blocking their way addressed her, “don’t make us hurt him. Come along.” He gestured for her to follow him.

She stared at the male, then back to him. Her fear scent surrounded them. “What guarantee can you give me, Luke?” She stayed by Sam. Her faith in his protection appeared absolute, and it touched him more than any words of affection could have.

“I’m dead no matter what he tells you,” he whispered low enough for only her ears. “Get ready to grab onto me.”

“On my honor, if you come peacefully, we will let him go.” Luke pressed a hand over his unbeating heart.

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Sam released his beast in a painful shift that exploded through his flesh in one swift shot. His borrowed clothes shredded around his larger size, fluttering to the ground.

Clementine jumped onto his back, wrapping her limbs around him as he raced into the dark and who knew what else.

The Pal Robi vampires were upon him before he cleared the light. The weight of Clementine on his back disappeared and he heard her distressed cry. He couldn’t see past the wall of vamps on him, but he snapped, bit, and clawed his way through their flesh while following the sounds of Clementine’s voice.

A gun fired.

The flesh on his thigh burned where the bullet grazed him, but the wound didn’t heal. The fuckers were using silver bullets and meant business. He howled, unable to speak and order Clementine to run.

“Sam!”

He caught a glimpse of her as her fellow vampires and co-workers chased her into the woods. Tearing the nearest vampire in half, he broke out of the melee and followed her scent. Fear made her smell sharp and easy to find. He bulldozed through bushes and over a couple of vampires before seeing Luke, the asshole who had tried making her empty promises, aim a rifle at her fleeing back.

With a roar, Sam leaped the distance and knocked the gun from the vampire’s grip. It went off by his head, the percussion ringing his ears. He grasped his skull and stumbled toward Clementine.

She appeared before him, her lips moving, but he couldn’t hear her. Shoving him aside with her vampire strength, he sensed more than heard another shot. Clementine picked up Luke’s rifle and returned fire.

His hearing was beginning to return, thanks to his fast shifter healing, but his leg still bled where it had been hit with silver. They couldn’t fight this many vampires and survive. He had to get her out of this park.

Folding his throbbing ears back, he shook his disorientation away and followed her lead back toward their car.

Chapter 9

Sam’s beast form was the most magnificent creature she’d ever seen as he fought at her side. He spent most of his time yanking her out of the way of being hit or shot while ignoring his own injuries. She couldn’t see his blood in the rush of action, but she could smell it.

Her shifter was hurt and she couldn’t do anything to help him, except try to keep him alive. She swung the rifle she’d taken from Luke’s unconscious form and used it like a bat, knocking one of their assailants across the head. She didn’t want to waste any bullets until absolutely necessary.

A sharp bark caught her attention. She spun to see Sam point at the car, then she raced toward it. As they drew closer, she saw someone had taken the time to slash all their tires. “Sam?” She turned to face him, knowing he couldn’t speak, yet needing some kind of guidance as to what to do next.

He scooped her onto his back without hesitation and took off on all fours, gaining speed over the flat parking lot.

She clung to his waist with her legs and gripped his fur with one hand, the other holding the rifle. Twisting, she tried to aim it, but Sam’s movement made it too hard.

Racing over the land bridge connecting the island to Chicago, he ran toward a populated area.

Her eyes widened. She could see the headlines now. Racing werewolf, ridden by rifle-toting vampire, rampages through the city. “Sam, what are you doing?” If the Pal Robi vampires didn’t kill them, the police would.

He ran onto the main street. Even at this time of the night, there was still quite a bit of traffic. Cars screeched to a halt when he crossed without slowing. He bound over one moving vehicle, his claws scraping over the roof and leaving scratches in the paint, and then maneuvered around another that had stopped in their way.

She glanced over her shoulder and didn’t see anyone pursuing them. Where had they gone? Sam’s plan had worked. By heading into a populated area, they’d gotten their assailants to back off. For now. She leaned her body against his back, giving him a one-armed hug. “You did it. You saved me again.” His silken fur rubbed her cheek and she imagined how delicious it would feel against her bare body.

Sirens grew louder in the distance. Someone had already reported them. Their species weren’t illegal anymore, they’d been declared citizens years ago but, God forbid, they didn’t act like humans. The police wouldn’t be happy about Sam being in beast form in public. It was frowned upon. Who knows, some mortal could have a nightmare or something equally idiotic. The rifle wouldn’t help, but she wasn’t willing to let it go yet. Those Pal Robi jerks might still be around. Growing up on a small farm had taught her a few useful skills. Shooting was one of them.

Sam ran behind an abandoned store and set her by the Dumpster. He shifted back to his man form and she spotted the bleeding wound on his thigh.

She knelt in front of him and assessed the injury, controlling her base instinct to lick at the blood. “I thought shifters healed when they changed forms?” It would need stitches if not.

“We do unless it’s caused by fucking silver.” He grimaced and limped to the wall where he slid to the ground. “Fuck, that stings.” He offered her a little smile, but sweat beaded on his forehead and the color drained from his face.

* * * *

Sam’s heart drummed in his chest. The bullet graze hurt, but the silver poisoning in his blood caused him the most pain. If it got worse, he wouldn’t be able to shift. “Call Daedalus again. See what the fuck is going on.” He closed his eyes and caught his breath while she dialed.

Clementine gasped and glanced at her phone before responding. “Luke?”

That name had his eyes flying open. The vampire at the park had Daedalus’s phone. Ah, shit. And a pile of it. That explained everything.

“What did you do to Daedalus?” Clementine’s voice grew quiet. “I don’t believe you. It would take an army to kill him.” A tear trickled from the corner of her eye.

Sam grabbed the phone and shut down the connection. “He’s lying, babe.” He held his arms open for her. She fit so perfectly within them. She’d been amazing in the park, fighting at his side like a she-demon.

“I’ll call Spice. She might have heard from them by now.” He dialed and listened to the ring. And ring.
Wake up, already
. Spice’s voicemail answered. He hung up and dialed again. She always answered. She was the pack alpha female and with Eric gone on a mission, she ran the pack. The phone kept ringing. “Something’s wrong at the safe house, Clementine. Spice sleeps with one eye open. She wouldn’t miss a call. She’d have pounced on the first ring, waiting on Eric.”

“How can something be wrong? It’s a safe house. No one is supposed to know about it but us and Daedalus…” Her fingers fluttered to her mouth. “You don’t think they could have really captured him, do you?”

“Fuck no, he’d never betray Sugar. I’m not his biggest fan, but when it comes to loyalty, I know she’s his highest priority.” He scratched his head. “Luke has D’s phone and texted us–” Gaping at the device in his hand, he wanted to smash his head against the brick wall for being so stupid. “They traced the fucking text to the apartment. Oh, shit.”

He stood, his hurt leg almost giving out. “I have to get back. They’re my responsibility. Fuck, Sugar can’t even run and Spice is pregnant.” Could shifters die from heart attacks? Because he was having one right now. He smashed the phone against the ground, shattering it into pieces. “We need to get away from here. Luke could have traced that last call.”

Reaching for his beast, he tried to shift, but it wouldn’t rise to his call. His knees gave out and he landed hard on the asphalt.

“What’s wrong?” Clementine clasped her hands around his face.

“The silver from the bullet is in my blood stream. It doesn’t take much to weaken a werewolf and I can’t shift.”

Cold claws of fear gripped Sam’s heart. Spice had told them about her experience when she couldn’t shift when Chen had poisoned her with silver. He’d shrugged it off, but now he knew his alpha female had balls of steel for keeping her head together through that ordeal.

He curled over his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground, and called to his beast. The twins needed him and so did Clementine. What kind of sigma was he?

Cool fingers slipped into his. “What do you need? I’ll get it for you, no matter what it is.” She crouched close to him and spoke by his ear.

“Food might help. All this shifting and fighting takes energy. I’ve had only one meal in the past two days.” That might be why he couldn’t shift. It required stamina to shift twice in one day. He’d never had trouble before, but then he hadn’t fought vampires and been shot.

The sharp scent of blood surrounded him, but it wasn’t his own. He glanced at Clementine.

She was cutting her wrist deep with a piece of broken glass that surrounded the Dumpster.

“Stop.” He flinched as she dug deeper.

“If it’s too shallow, it will close fast.” She brought her wound to his mouth. “Drink. My blood should heal you and give you the energy you need.”

His stomach curled. “Babe.”

“Do it. The twins need you.” She touched his cheek. “I need you.”

He pressed his mouth around the wound and drank. She tasted of fine salt and velvety cream. Her blood trickled down his throat and awoke a more savage instinct within his beast. Gripping her arm, he sucked harder.

She hissed, but didn’t deny him.

Power pulsed from his stomach. It flooded his veins and pounded in his heart. His beast roared at his summons. He wrenched his mouth off Clementine. “Hot fucking damn.” He staggered to his feet and glanced at the healing wound on his legs. “Daedalus never healed us like that.”

“His kind can’t. His blood would kill you. Nosferatu are a different class of vampire. More creature than human.”

Sam wanted to lean back and howl at the moon. He wanted to tear Clementine’s clothes off and fuck her against the brick wall. Shit, he swung his head back and forth. He had something to do first. “My thoughts are all…” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m all instincts right now. My beast, it’s got more control over me than usual.” Sweat ran over his limbs. Clementine’s blood was like crack for shifters. “Was I supposed to be doing something?”

“The twins, we need to help them.”

“Yes, the twins. I can’t drive like this.”

“We don’t have a car. Shift and I’ll ride you like I did before.”

He snarled and yanked her close, his cock hard and ready. “I want to ride you.” The seam of her dress sleeve tore.

She gasped. “Later, Sam.” Then slapped him across the face hard. “You have to take control. Sugar’s in danger. You’re her sigma.”

He blinked. The human female, the one who smelled nice and who was always kind to him, made him feel wanted. With a shudder, he shifted to his beast form as Clementine suggested and allowed her onto his back. It was time to hunt.

Chapter 10

The race across the city left Sam breathless upon arriving at the apartment building. They kept to the alleys and less traveled roads, trying to avoid humans and Pal Robi vampires.

If those bloodsuckers hurt Daedalus and his pack mates, there would be hell to pay. First, he needed to make sure the twins were safe.
Please let them be sleeping
. They could have been so tired that the phone didn’t wake them. On
both
calls he’d made.

His heart dragged like a lead anchor. At least the run had helped to wear off his blood high. What an aphrodisiac. He could have drilled a hole through granite with the hard-on it had given him.

All the windows of the building were dark, which was normal for this time of night. They crouched across the street, hiding behind a parked car.

He shifted back to human form so they could talk. “Stay here. I’ll go inside and check things out, then come back for you.”

She set the butt of the rifle between them. “And if the vampires who want me dead show up? Do you mind if I shoot them out here on the street or should I ask them to wait for you to come back first?”

Raising an eyebrow, he stared hard at her. “You’re going to start being a smartass now?”

“Sweetie, you’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to knowing me.”

He sighed. They didn’t have time for this.“Fine, follow me. Stay close and don’t make any noises, but if we’re attacked, run.”

“Don’t get hurt. I understand.”

His stomach clenched at all the horrible possibilities. He pulled her into his embrace, crushing his lips to hers, tasting her as if it could be his last time. If they survived the night, he’d make things more permanent with Clementine. He was done with one-night-stands and heartless flings. He appreciated her delicate strength and courage.

She moaned into his mouth and clutched at his flesh before pulling away. “Let’s finish this. I have other things I’d rather be doing with you than hunt assholes.”