His dark eyes narrowed and he looked nothing like a young gang leader and very much like a dangerously old being that could rip them apart in seconds. “Don’t provoke me, Caia. I am not in the mood.”
Caia stared back stonily. “Neither am I. So let’s move.”
7
Ambushed
Birds twittered and squawked in the trees, insects buzzed around her ears, and the wind rustled every piece of foliage its fingers brushed against. Her pounding heart provided the back drumbeat to their musical surroundings, and as her pale hair got caught gently in the breeze, Caia was sure the guards surrounding Lucien’s must be able to hear and see them hiding in the sullen cover of the woods. She glanced back at Laila and Vil who had refused to be left alone at Ryder’s apartment. Caia had given into their wishes because she was sure she would need Vil at some point. For now, however, she had them hiding behind a couple of trees, farther back from herself and Jaeden.
“Where is he?” Jae hissed, her hands clenched into fists.
Caia raised a finger to her lips, her eyes telling her to be patient.
“It’s done.”
They both jumped, startled, and turned to find Reuben inches from Caia. She stepped back, uncomfortable with his nearness. He was possibly the most unnerving person she’d ever met. By “it’s done,” they both knew Reuben meant he had successfully manipulated each of the five guards’ trace, so that if Marita tapped in to see if everything was all right, she would find nothing but a mixture of bored thoughts and loyal determination to do a good job. Moreover, he was masking the trace of the entire pack so Marita would think they were still under guard. Caia almost shuddered in apprehension at the thought of the vampyre’s seemingly unlimited abilities.
“OK.” Caia nodded, drawing a breath. “Are we ready?”
After a successful attack on Midnight magiks in similar surroundings a few weeks ago, Caia had assumed her nerves over going into battle again would be few, but it seemed she still had enough butterflies in her to open a riotous farm. Jae nodded militantly and quickly stripped, Reuben watching avidly. Rolling her eyes, Caia reached up and grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look away. He grinned unabashed and turned his attention to her face. She tried not to squirm under his penetrating gaze, but she would give anything to know what was going on in the vampyre’s mind.
At the cracking of bones, Caia felt a rush of unexpected envy. She used to love the feel of the change, the burning, the breaking and bending. Now she changed so fast, all she ever felt was a quick flush of hot energy. It left her with that irritating feeling of when your back aches and you know if you could just crack it, you’d be satisfied.
Something wet touched her hand, and she looked down to see Jae nuzzling her nose into her open palm. Caia smiled reassuringly down at her and gave her the nod. Wolf Jae turned in an instant and rushed through the woods in a blur. They heard the distant cry of two guards, and they were off.
She wasn’t as fast on two legs as she was on four, but Caia was faster than the average human. Reuben … was a streak of movement. Caia knew he was heading for the magik guarding the back porch. As she raced around the edge of the house, she saw he had a hold of the magik by the neck. A loud sickening crack reached her ears. Oh my.
She squeezed her eyes shut briefly and then forced her flight to the driveway to confront the two magiks Jaeden was momentarily distracting. Their cries had alerted the other two guards, and they were heading toward them from opposite ends of the grounds. Pushing away any gentle feelings, Caia pressed her magik into the approaching guards’ lungs and they both collapsed, clutching their chests as water filled their airways. Seeing the downing of their comrades, the other magiks turned on Caia. Jaeden took that moment of distraction to lunge at the one closest to her.
Flooring him, she swiped at his face with her claws, eliciting a piercing scream of agony that was quietly culled by her jaws as they clamped onto his throat. The other warlock seemed to hesitate, deciding whether to save his friend or deal with Caia. His decision was made in seconds, and he turned on Caia. She threw up a shield to stop whatever energy he was pushing her way. His face mottled red with determination, his black eyes blazing with fury.
A blur shot past the two magiks she’d suffocated and came to an abrupt stop behind the one trying to get past her shield with what she was sure was air magik. The blur cleared into Reuben, and his large hands gripped the warlock’s head before giving a forceful tug that removed it from his body. Caia watched in horror as his body fell away from the vampyre in a loud thump across the gravel. Reuben sneered and let the head roll from his hands to land in the bloody pool that oozed from his victim’s decapitated corpse.