Ward
Ward peered from around the corner and spied the vampire. Damn, he'd forgotten how big he was. He clutched the gun to his chest suddenly reconsidering his plans. He should have guessed the vampire would have no problem splintering his men.
He had hoped their guns would slow the bloodsucker down; from the looks of it, the bullets no more than scraped him.
They were supposed to weaken him, damn them, pathetic waste.
He had relied solely on Lily's blood. He had thought once the vampire smelled her blood, he'd be unable to resist the hunger-vampires were vampires, he had banked on it.
He needed only one shot, one opportunity, and immortality would be his permanently.
"I can smell you, Scientist." The vampire growled ominously, "Have you finished hiding behind your pawns?"
Ward chuckled, "I thought you would have enjoyed the entertainment?"
A deep laugh greeted his remark. "They weren't game enough; you however may prove a little more interesting. Stop hiding behind your hired pawns and face me."
His fingers tightened around the gun, the vampire was inching closer. "And bring our countless centuries of chasing to an end? I think not, vampire. You know what I want, just give it up."
A hiss resonated down the hall. "Bravely spoken from a coward-I plan to kill you, Scientist, ten-times over."
Grinning, Ward stepped into the hall, bringing him face-to-face with the vampire he had hunted for centuries-the vampire whose blood he thrived from.
With a firm grip, he raised his gun. "I implore you to try, vampire."
"You thought garlic would work?" he caught the distinct undertone of sarcasm, but his dark eyes lacked any trace of it.
Ward shrugged, "Of course not, you would think after centuries of stalking you, I've learned a thing or two-the garlic was merely a tactic to convince my men that no harm would come to them." He raised his gun and leveled it precisely on the vampire's chest. "However, silver seems to have a daunting effect."
Varian
Varian had little time to react; the second the bullet was fired he couldn't move fast enough to dodge the silver that pierced his chest.
He released a violent breath as the blow knocked him clear off his feet.
He growled something nasty as he rolled to his side, pressing a fist against the blood that streamed pass the bullet lodged there.
His eyes blazed painfully as his body cringed from the spasms shooting through him. The Scientist inched forward, training the gun on him. "You should be feeling the effects now-" Ward chimed triumphantly, "-silver is not exactly your downfall, I'm well informed on the supernatural, however it has an interesting paralysis effect."
The silver burned a path through his chest, working its way through his entire body, like an electrical stream, seizing his muscles and tendons, forcing them to go numb.
His senses picked up on rampant footsteps coming from the stairway.
Damn, reinforcements.
He closed his eyes and tried to pick up on Lily's thoughts but received an emptiness that alarmed him. A fleeting panic tapped his senses but he quickly dismissed it. He took a breath and channeled his energy but struggled against the silver invading his body. He knew materializing was not an option. His body was disconnected and he didn't have the strength to carry himself and Lily from the building and worse yet, he possibly was dealing with a wolf underway.
Remembering the peculiar smell he'd caught earlier, he should have known then what he was dealing with.
Damn wolves!
If there was a wolf prowling the building, he was in some deep stuff. He had to get Lily out of here before the dogs realized what she was. If the pack found out about her, the Scientist would be the least of his problems.
Talon...
No response.
Damn.
Suddenly, a prickling of unease snaked up his spine. McDermott stilled as if aware of the sudden uncanny air.
Varian stifled a growl as he leveled a cold, meaningful glare on the beast making its way toward them.
Ward
Ward stiffened the second a guttural snarl surfaced from the vampire. When his eyes settled on something behind him, he turned, and paled.
The silhouette of a man was moving toward him.
Ward accessed the stranger quickly-sensing lethalness as equally impressive as the predator at his back.
The moment the man stepped into the dim, hallway light-Ward froze, lying in his arms was Lily and not only that, the man was huge and appeared human-but the unnatural, green eyes portrayed his inner beast. Lily appeared like a child in the massive arms that surprisingly held her close. Hair as pale as the moon, pulled tight at the nape of his neck, framed a cutting, chiseled face.
Ward glanced briefly at Lily and strangely, his heart flipped at how slack her body laid unconscious-dead?
He averted his eyes from Lily to the stranger. Something told him the man was not to be trifled with. He could see no indication of fangs, no considerable paleness that would portray his nocturnal nature. He was dealing with something entirely different and wondered at what sort of supernatural he was facing?
A threatening growl answered his thoughts-the man's upper lip twisted, baring teeth that could only belong to a vicious dog-or yet?
Ward's chest swelled with elation-was it possible he's encountered a werewolf? He couldn't be for certain, he relied strictly on his instincts, but he knew this stranger was no human.
Lucid, green eyes narrowed suspiciously as if aware of his thoughts. "Leave now while I am lenient to spare your life." The man's voice was thick and had a hint of an accent.
Ward turned and was surprised to see the stairwell empty and cursed under his breath. His men had abandoned him! Damn cowards! He cast a curious glare on the vampire but he no longer seemed to be of interest for the vampire glared solely at the stranger, his expression tightly drawn and grim.
Damn but his efforts had finally paid off only to have the table of events turn against him? He had fought all this way; he wouldn't leave without the vampire.
And than, the air altered and suddenly a third man appeared-instantly baring a full-set of fangs. "Try it." The newcomer warned.
Ward cursed inwardly-another vampire he hadn't anticipated and this one was fully intact and prepared to bite.
For a moment, he weighed his chances. His plan had nearly worked. He wasn't quite eager to let the vampire slip through his fingers, but not knowing what sort of monster he was up against and exhilarated by this discovery, he wanted to live another day and decided the odds were against him.
He glanced intensely at Lily and then left.
Varian
Once McDermott fled, Varian focused all his rage on the man-no, werewolf, holding his woman.
The silver in his body prevented him from moving, so gaining his feet was not open to him-instead, his mouth pulled away from his fangs and he hissed.
"Easy, fangs." The wolf growled.
He stepped toward them and Varian felt Talon tense, readying his body for fight if need-be. "Even if I wanted to kill you, I have no liking for the after-taste of silver-unlike you it would have a fatal effect on me."
Varian's gaze connected sharply with the heated green eyes narrowing intensely. "I know what you are, but I don't know who you are."
Green eyes wavered from Talon to Varian, "And it shall remain as so-I came merely to confirm claims of a human seeking immortality."
Varian's brows drew together with suspicion. "Wolves are a concealed pack; even the threat of being discovered wouldn't draw you dogs out. If McDermott doesn't know what you are now, he'll eventually find out, and then, he'll be hunting you along with me."
Green eyes hardened, "You misunderstand, Fangs. I came not only to assert certain rumors, but to warn you as well." He paused, glancing from Talon back to Varian. "You have broken our one law, the only string of peace among us species-we had a mutual understanding- 'do not betray the enemy to the humans'. We cannot co-exist peacefully now that you have betrayed our kind to mortals."
"Vampires and werewolves have never lived among one another peacefully." Talon intervened. "This changes nothing."
Green eyes leveled coolly on Talon, "Nonetheless, you were aware of the law."
Talon flexed his hands, "I find it difficult to believe that a dog didn't come for a brawl."
The wolf raised his chin, his eyes taking on an intriguing gleam. "As ideal as that sounds-I didn't come to fight."
"Why did you come?" Varian snapped, "You showing up here have made matters worse. You claim I'm responsible for betraying immortals to humans, what do you think you've done tonight? McDermott is not a fool."
The wolf grinned, "If I recall, you were in a shitty predicament when I showed up." His head tilted and Varian stiffened as the wolf's eyes settled curiously on Lily. "I picked up her scent miles from here-if not for her-" he met Varian's heated glare, "-you'd be in a containment cell about now."
The wolf inhaled deeply through his nose, "The female has an interesting scent to her."
Varian tensed, feeling every fiber in his being burn as he fought against the silver to gain some control of his mobility. The sight of Lily nestled in the wolf's arms was enough to drive him stark mad.
Stay calm, V. Talon's voice drifted through his thoughts.
The wolf studied Varian with slight awareness, "She is of value to you?"
Varian gritted his fangs-he couldn't risk exposing Lily to the wolves. If they knew about her, they'd kill her.
Talon, take her. He demanded of his friend but Talon remained firm.
The wolf peered sternly at Varian, "Heed my warning, vampire, expel the human threat, or you will be the one hunted."
He stepped forward and handed Lily to Talon. Varian watched closely as the wolf's eyes lingered on her. Did he know? If he did, he gave no trace of it.
Lucan
Lucan Kirov shed his human form once the night air struck his face. He tilted his snout and inhaled deeply, detecting no human scent nearby.
Unlike others in his pack, he had the ability to shift into his wolf-form without the effect of a full moon. Only a selected few had mastered it, he being one of the few.
He took to the shadows and embraced the run but even the thrill of it could not chase away his thoughts.
His pack had known nothing about the supposed human threat. He had come alone, seeking to lay his suspicions to rest.
A human indeed threatened to expose the vampires-his pack would be in frenzy once word got out, for if the humans knew of vampires, they would begin to suspect the possibility of other supernatural beings.
Should he tell them? They had managed to stay hidden successfully for centuries, but if they knew of the potential threat, they would seek it out and eliminate it-and if they held the vampire solely responsible, then his pack would not hesitate to attack-not to mention, the female whose scent had carried him to the building.
She wasn't like other humans, of that much he knew, her blood had a scent unfamiliar that he couldn't decipher, it could be due to the amount of drugs laced in her veins that impaired it to his senses, but he had caught it.
Whoever, or whatever she may be, to the vampires, she was of some importance.
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