The Wolf Within (Purgatory 1)

She saw the flash of lights in the distance. Cars, rushing toward them. What in the hell was happening?

“Duncan?” She tried to reach for him again, but he backed away from her. “Duncan, change back.”

The wolf stared at her.

Her heart beat faster, and she became aware of her other wounds then, especially the bullet wound. Elias had shot her.

And Pate.

And Shane.

But at least Elias had been a crappy shot. If his bullet had gone into her heart—and it had been a wooden bullet—her body would have instantly shut down.

All the better for him to come and take her head.

Her heartbeat shook her chest. “What happened to them? Why are we outside?” Her brother had been so still. She’d tried to help him, but Elias had shot her. Then the air had started to smell funny.

Gas.

Duncan was still backing away from her. Still staying in animal form.

Goosebumps rose on her arms. She could hear the sound of footsteps now. Pounding toward them. Who was coming? What was happening? She looked straight up and saw that the moon was almost to the zenith point. Oh, no. Oh, hell, no, that wasn’t good.

“Get away from the woman!” A hard voice shouted.

Her gaze jerked to the left. She recognized the faces of a few of the guards who’d just run toward them. Where had the guards been when all hell broke loose inside the facility? And were these guys on their side…or had they been working with Elias?

Duncan growled at them.

“Werewolf,” she heard one of the men say. Wait, that was Brent, one of the newer agents in the unit. She’d patched him up after a particularly bloody mission a few weeks ago. “Dr. Young, don’t move!” He shouted. “We’ll take him out!” Brent lifted his gun.

He was going to fire at Duncan. “No!” She stumbled toward Duncan and wrapped her arms around the wolf. Duncan’s muscles were hard beneath her hands.

“Get away from him!” Brent shouted. “I got the call at home from Elias…I know he’s gone rogue. He’s killing—and we won’t let him kill you!”

Is that what Elias had done? Set Duncan up for murder? Why?

“It’s not like that,” Holly yelled, refusing to budge. Duncan’s throat was vibrating with a growl. With rage. That moon was so close to the zenith. “Just lower your weapons, and I can explain!” There were half a dozen men there and…

“They’re dead inside!” A man shouted, running toward them. His voice broke. “All of them…the other agents and guards are all dead. They’ve been ripped open!”

No. No, that wasn’t possible.

But I smelled the blood.

Brent stepped toward them. He still had his gun up. “Get away from him, doctor.”

“It’s Duncan!”

“Not right now, it isn’t. It’s a werewolf. One with blood on his claws and blood staining his fangs.”

Because their flashlights were centered on her and Duncan. She knew they both had to look like walking nightmares.

“Dr. Young…” Brent’s voice had tightened. “Are those…fangs in your mouth?”

No, it was freaking candy. She snapped her teeth together. “Get back.” Then she stood fully, trying to shield Duncan with her body. “Drop your guns!”

They all lifted the weapons.

Duncan snarled.

Six weapons. All pointed at her.

All ready to fire. Why? Because she had pointy teeth? Or maybe because she had a werewolf at her side? A werewolf who would not be smart and just stay behind her.

“I can explain all of this,” she said, and the words were mostly true. She could explain some of this, if she had the chance.

“Don’t…fuckin’…aim at my…sister!”

Pate’s voice. Pate’s wonderful, angry voice. Her shoulders slumped. He was alive. Yes. Pate would make everything right again.

“Shoot the…wolf…” Pate continued as he shuffled forward. “Not…her…”

What? “No!”

But Duncan had leapt away from her. So I wouldn’t be a target. And gunfire was erupting. The wolf dodged the bullets and raced away from the men.

She screamed, but the wolf didn’t stop. She didn’t blame him. Not with bullets chasing him.

Then the men were running after him. And he—he was vanishing into the night.

She wanted to chase after him, too, but her body felt cold and numb and when her knees gave way, she sank to the ground.

“Help her!” Pate barked.

But there was no help for her. Her body was so cold, and Duncan was gone. He’d vanished, and the gunfire was quiet now.

At least he’d gotten away.

But what would happen to him?

“Holly?” She forced her eyes to stay open as she looked up at Pate. Blood covered him. How was he there? She’d seen the bullet wounds to his chest. She knew the damage they’d done. Humans would die from injuries like those.

They wouldn’t be walking around minutes later.

“How…long…” Holly whispered.

Brent was there. Lifting her into his arms. “Is she supposed to be this cold?”

“No, she’s going to need blood. A lot of it.” Pate put his hand on her cheek. “It’s okay. I’ve got you now. You know your kind can’t afford this much blood loss.”

No, they couldn’t. To kill a vampire, you had to either cut off the vamp’s head or drain all of the vampire’s blood away.

The easy trick for getting the vampire in the position that you could do those things? Paralyze the vamp with a wooden bullet.

But in order to paralyze the vampire, the bullet had to go straight into the heart.

Elias had missed her heart, but he’d sure nicked vital organs and made the blood gush from her. She’d tried to stay strong for as long as she could.

But she was too weak now.

“I’ll take care of you,” Pate whispered.

She didn’t believe him. And, staring at him then, she didn’t trust him, either. She’d risked her life for Pate, died for him, and now, she could only ask, “How long…have you been a-a vampire?”

Because she could see the edge of his fangs.

All emotion drained away from his face. The man she’d known was gone. He stared down at her as a stranger. “Long enough.”

She realized that the world she’d known was a total lie.

Then she was being carried away. She couldn’t fight. Could barely even lift her hand. Behind her, she heard a wolf howl. But the howl was so far away.