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Steve took the front with the three women between us and Tom and CJ were at my back. The formation moved as one toward the woods. Each step left a crunching sound as we padded across the snow. Darkness surrounded us but the moon shone brightly enough to make out shadows on the white landscape. Steve led us quickly onto a narrow path in the woods. The close proximity of the trees made my imagination flare. This was the type pathway I used to like to trap my victims on. With such little room for maneuvering, the victim wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.
“Give me some credit,” Steve said and glanced over his shoulder.
“It’s the perfect place for an ambush,” I replied, glancing around at the deep wooded boundaries. Muscles in my back tightened in response to the warning bells in my stomach.
Steve picked up the pace and I glanced behind me, making sure Tom and CJ were still with us.
“We’re good,” CJ said, his voice soft, falling with the wind surrounding us.
When I turned forward, I could see the woods opening up and my paranoia dropped a notch. We made it to the glen without incident and Steve threw me a canister.
“Make yourself useful,” he said and I raised an eyebrow.
“Salt?”
“Yes, make a barrier at the wood line.”
“I’m not sure this is going to work,” I said, but stepped to the path we just crossed over and poured a thick line across the snow-covered ground, continuing to the frozen water line of the small inlet. I crossed and did the same around the remainder of the perimeter until I shook the last grains of salt out of the container at the opposite shoreline and turned to the group.
“Now what?” I asked.
Steve traded a glance with Jennifer and then started clearing a space with his feet. “Now we make a fire and wait,” Steve said. CJ and Tom started to help clear the snow off with their feet, revealing a deep green moss that seemed to cover the entire opening.
“You know, for such a brilliant investigator, you can be a complete idiot,” I said and Steve looked up at me. “Step aside.” I crossed to a spot just inside the salt line and pushed with my mind, clearing all the snow from the ground and the water, leaving a pile at the far edge of the icy cove.
Steve crossed his arms, glaring at me like I just did a major faux pas.
“What? You’ve got the power to do this, why the hell would you do it manually?” I said and moved my gaze to Naomi. Her eyes were wide with awe. I guess she really didn’t understand the powers this family harbored. I offered her a smile and a shrug.
“Because, it reminds me that I’m human, and not some all powerful god,” Steve answered, his tone as sharp as his gaze.
I huffed and took a step forward but something gripped the collar of my jacket, pulling my legs out from under me and I was yanked backwards into the woods. Naomi’s warning followed me into the darkness and I had a moment to flash to a bad horror movie I once saw. It snapped out of my head the moment I hit a tree, knocking the wind out of my chest. Dazed, I stared at a set of fangs dipping toward my neck.
I blocked the bite with my arm, but the beast’s teeth sank into my flesh. I roared at the sting, but it was nothing compared to the vampire’s scream. I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing what the cure did to a vampire before, like Naomi had and the frothing blood bubbling from his throat was enough of a view. She hadn’t been kidding when she said the cure ate vampires from the inside out. Horrified, I backed away a few steps, then turned and bolted toward the clearing, silently announcing to CJ and Steve that I was okay before breaking through the wood barrier. The burn of the bite faded as my blood flowed, cleaning the puncture wounds, but I was left with a dull throbbing ache.
Naomi stood on all fours blocking the rest of the group, her growl sending a warning through the woods. I stopped a few steps inside the line and looked down at my arm. Blood dripped from my hand and Naomi’s expression changed. Even on a tiger, I saw the concern.
“I’m fine,” I said to her, although my heart still hammered from the adrenaline rush that fear afforded me. “I can’t say the same for the vampire.”
I looked up at the huddled group, Naomi in front and then the three men, guns drawn and pointing in three different directions. Jennifer and Raven stood behind them with the lake at their heels. Even Ty made an appearance, standing in the center of the ice, raining light on the dark alcove.
I crossed to Naomi and she licked my hand, cleaning off the dark drips before nuzzling her head against my leg.
“It’s probably a good idea that you stay in tiger form,” I said and crouched down. “I think you can protect yourself better like this.” Her tongue swathed my face and I gave her a hug before pulling back. I stripped the coat and inspected my punctured arm. The bastard’s teeth had gone into the meaty flesh of my forearm but at least he hadn’t torn a chunk out.
“Jesus,” Steve muttered and I looked up.
His gaze scanned the woods behind me and I turned, pulling the jacket back on and digging the revolver out of the pocket. At least a dozen vampires stepped into view, brought forward by the smell of my blood. While Naomi and I were immune to the virus, the others weren’t and a bite meant a highly unpleasant death.
They stopped, collectively smiling.
“The great Damian Andreas,” one of them growled and I focused on him. The face looked familiar, like someone I’d met in passing, but it didn’t matter when or where. I had to rid the earth of these monsters, otherwise they’d find a way to keep multiplying.
“I’ll give you to the count of three to leave, otherwise, you’ll be burning in hell before you can blink.” I raised the gun, pointing it at a spot on the bastard’s forehead. Naomi growled at my side and I heard the click of the safety on all the guns behind me.
Burn them. Torch their asses when I get to three, understand? I sent the thought out to Steve and CJ and got a resounding Got it from both of them.
“One,” I said and paused when the vampires laughed.
“You’re going to shoot us?” the lead asshole said and chuckled. “You should know better.”
I smiled, looking over the gun. “Two, and yes, I know better,” I said and his cocky stance waned.
“Platinum?” he gasped and took a step back, fear transitioning his features from shadow back to the pale white of Lilith’s brood.
“And we’re all expert shots,” I said and didn’t wait for them to attack or retreat. Instead, I yelled, “Three!”
A wave of heat passed by me, joining with the power that leapt from my core, fanning out to encompass the mass of vampires. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air along with the dust of the decimated vampires.