Eyes brimming with terror, the two children clutched each other and reluctantly moved toward me.
“I’m not gonna hurt you.” I gently touched the boy’s head. “I promise. Okay? It’s a little scary out there, but we’re here to save you from these bad guys.”
The girl nodded.
I bumped into Christian outside the door. “Jesus. I nearly stabbed you.”
He winked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I need to get these kids to Wyatt, but I don’t know where he is.”
“Worry not, lass. I can hear the little gobshite now.” Christian scooped up a child in each arm as if they weighed nothing. “Back in a jiffy.”
I sprinted to the far end of the building. When I glanced down at the lower level, I could have sworn I saw Matteo. Viktor’s wolf viciously attacked a much larger wolf, and the savage noises were enough to curdle blood. I looked up, and to my horror, a toddler was peering down at the chaos. The railing was only made up of three bars, and she easily fit through them as she leaned over the bottom one.
I flashed down the walkway and slowed at the curve. My heart wound up in my throat when she teetered too far from the edge. With lightning speed, I raced toward her, dove to the floor, and clutched her in my arms before rolling onto my back. She wailed and wriggled with all her might.
When I crawled to my feet with the child in my arms, I scanned the building. There wasn’t time to comfort her—only to save her. Just ahead, Blue emerged from a room, blood dripping from her axe and a look of murder on her face I’d never seen before.
“Can you take the baby?” I asked, the toddler kicking her feet. “Give her to Wyatt.”
Blue shook her head.
“Blue, I can’t. I’m charged up with energy, and I’m afraid I’ll shock her by accident. Please.”
Blue scooped up the little girl and propped her against her hip as if she’d done it a thousand times. With the axe in her other hand, she turned around and strutted away.
I spotted Christian below, slamming a wolf against a wall. We couldn’t leave one child behind, so I looped back to the rooms I’d passed. One was a bedroom, and though the light switch didn’t work, my Vampire eyes allowed me to verify it was empty. The second door revealed a stairwell. Ascending the steps, I put away my small dagger and took the larger one from its sheath. Once at the top, I pushed the long metal bar on the door and stepped outside.
A gust of wind whipped my hair around. The rooftop was an ideal spot to hide. Dark shadows, ventilation pipes, but likely no fire escape. I’d never seen them on old factory buildings. I branched away from the door. Without lights, it was difficult to see long distances.
And this was a big fucking rooftop.
I treaded carefully since there wasn’t a parapet to prevent me from stepping off the edge. I walked around, using my Mage ability to detect energy. Someone was definitely up here.
“You might as well come out and fight instead of cowering like a chicken,” I said, taunting him. “Are you sure you’re even a wolf?”
Two eyes gleamed at me from the shadows. A black wolf emerged, powerful and larger than most I’d seen. Viktor had cautioned me that wolves were clever enough to kill a Mage by chewing off their hands before going for the jugular. Usually it took more than one, but this guy was big.
I waved my dagger so he could see the weapon. Was the man conscious in there, or was I only dealing with the beast?
A growl rumbled in his chest before he lunged. I flashed around him and swiped the blade, but he turned and snapped at my wrist. When I recoiled, he went for my other hand. I windmilled my arms and quickly flashed away before he jumped at my throat.
The wolf didn’t stop. Unlike a human, who would assess the situation and develop a new strategy, he kept up the attack until I was on the defense. I sliced his back, but his fur was too thick and dark for me to see any blood.
Pipes became obstacles as I tried not to stumble over them in the dark. I gripped a tall pipe like a stripper on a pole and swung around, kicking him in the head. When I let go and landed, his fangs locked onto my left arm. Panic set in when he thrashed his head and tugged the leather, tearing it to shreds. I brought down my dagger, but he spotted it and dashed off.
I wound up cutting my own arm.
“Dammit!” As I stalked toward him, I noticed Christian perched like a vulture on the raised doorway. “Get your ass down here if you want a piece of this.”
“Oh, I’ll get a piece of that later, Precious.” He gave me a crooked smile, his trench coat splayed behind him, his knees drawn up and arms folded over them.
Damn if I didn’t want to impress him. It wasn’t just my lover watching me—it was a professional who had spent hours in the training room with me.
I sensed a dim energy from the other side of the roof. After sheathing my large blade, I gripped the two push daggers secured to my belt. The blades protruded between my fingers, the handles fitting snugly in my closed fists.
Toenails scraped against the asphalt as the beast sprinted toward me. I braced myself, and seconds before he leaped into the air, I fell onto my back. As he sailed over me, I drove my daggers into his sides, and the force of motion ripped the blades down his flank.
He yelped, and for a split second, I felt pity.
But then I remembered what these men had done, why we were here. When I flipped over, I stared at a naked man on the ground. He was a giant. By the time I sprang to my feet, he’d shifted back to a wolf. I flashed toward him, dropped to my knees, and drove the daggers through his skull.
The beast made one final lunge, but death came swiftly. He smothered me with his weight, groaned, and then his thundering heart finally came to a stop.
A slow applause sounded. “Well done, Raven. The daggers were a nice touch.”
I shoved the animal off and sat up. “You can’t shift with daggers in your skull—not unless you want brain damage.”
Christian extended his arm and helped me up. “That was the smart way to go about it. Torturing a man like that is a pleasure, but you have to know when you’re at a disadvantage.”
“Disadvantage? I had the upper hand.”
“He was twice your size. I saw you stumbling about in the dark. One misstep, and you would have tumbled off the roof.”
I frowned at my torn jacket. “Heights don’t bother me—I wouldn’t have fallen. But he wasn’t shifting to heal the little stuff, and look at him. He’s a moose. He probably could have shifted a dozen times before getting weak. That’s why I had to finish him off quick.”
“And tell me why you didn’t sizzle him up with your battery juice?”
“I’m already tired from flashing. It would have weakened me more.”
“Good girl. If I could give you a pointer—next time, go for the eyes. It’s far easier to gouge out an animal’s eyes than a man’s.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Aye. But this isn’t a competition where the winner gets a trophy. It’s a game of survival.” He folded his arms. “Your technique is improving.”
“I just wish I hadn’t sipped on that guy’s blood downstairs. I feel sick to my stomach.”
“We should go back down.”
I jerked my daggers out of the wolf. “Thanks for letting me fight alone.”