She yanked open the door and the scent of h.e.l.l hit her. "He already is." And he"s mine.
Morgan strode into the sunlight. The big, black wolf stood in the middle of the carnage. When he saw her step out of the compound, his body tensed.
But the battle was over. His men were already shifting back to their human forms.
He began to shift as well.
And that was when the other two demons dropped from the sky behind him.
Demons...so tricky. So deceptive. They"d waited until he was weak. His attention divided.
Because of me.
"No!" She screamed even as they slashed at Jace. Their claws sank into his back.
She moved faster than she"d ever moved in her life. She grabbed the first demon and twisted his head. The snap barely slowed her down. She turned for the other h.e.l.lsp.a.w.n- But Jace"s men had already ripped him apart.
She spun back around. Jace stood before her, naked, body heaving, blood pouring from him. Fear tightened her throat. "Jace?"
His eyes were blind, not seeming to see her at all. She stared down at his chest. The demon"s fist and claws had ripped right through him, back to front, and, oh, no, please...
The demon had cut through his heart.
Chapter Five.
Morgan caught Jace before he fell. A scream ripped from her as she held him as tightly as she could.
And she knew what she had to do.
She"d found Paul like this. He"d been beaten, bleeding out, dying in a dirty alley all alone. He hadn"t been able to speak because a knife had been stuck in his throat. His lips had trembled and he"d mouthed, Help me.
She had. A stranger, and she"d given him forever.
She"d d.a.m.n well save the man she"d taken as husband.
She lowered Jace gently to the ground. The pack closed in around her, nearly blocking the light. Louis stood right beside her. She grabbed his hand before he could stop her. His claws were still out, and she sliced them down the length of her throat.
"Cher, no, what-"
Blood dripped down her neck and wet her shirt. She leaned over Jace. His eyes were open. On her. "Drink from me."
A slight flare of his pupils. She put her throat against his mouth. "Drink."
His lips parted. His tongue licked her skin. The edge of his teeth sc.r.a.ped over her neck.
Then he drank. Slowly at first. So slow.
After a tense moment, his hands rose and wrapped around her. He pulled her closer, held her tighter.
Tighter.
She felt his canines expand and push into her skin. Morgan held her body still. He needs this. His mouth worked on her flesh. Lips. Tongue. Teeth.
He took.
"Stop!"
Devon"s scream. Over Jace"s shoulder, she saw the Council leader trying to shove his way through the pack.
They shoved him back.
"Morgan, no! He"ll destroy you! All of us!"
But Jace had saved them today. She closed her eyes. She"d begun to feel the heavy pull of the sunlight, like a weight upon her skin. Pressing against her.
Devon stopped screaming.
Her fast heartbeat slowed. Her breath sighed out of her.
Still Jace held her. So very tight.
He...he should have enough blood now. She brought her hands up and pushed against his chest.
He didn"t stop. Fear tightened her stomach.
Then Jace swiped his tongue over her throat and his growled whisper reached her ears, "More."
She wondered just how much more he would take.
Devon stumbled away from the wolves. f.u.c.king animals. Any minute now, they might rip into him.
He hadn"t forgotten the alpha"s order. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had ordered his death as carelessly as he"d order dinner. Kill them.
When the alpha"s strength came back, Devon had no doubt that he"d give the same order once more.
The way the alpha was gulping Morganna"s blood, his strength would be back in seconds.
Should have realized...so blind...
He rushed through the compound, winding down deep into its hidden tunnels. Escape tunnels-because the vampires always had to be prepared.
He snaked through the tunnels, moving perfectly in the pitch blackness. To the left, to the right...
He punched in the combination to the door in front of him. The heavy lock opened with a hiss, and he hurried inside.
There wouldn"t be time to waste. Kill or be killed.
Once Jace finished off all the demons, there would be no stopping that alpha. He"d want total control of the area.
And Devon wasn"t about to bow down to an animal.
"Let me the f.u.c.k go!" The shout from his captive echoed in the lab.
His lab. His playroom.
Devon grabbed a scalpel from the table. Its edge gleamed so perfectly in the light. When he"d first started his experiments, Devon had always used his hands.
Then he"d realized the others thought he enjoyed the work too much.
Because I do.
So now he used the surgical instruments to make it look more...clinical.
Still the same. They bleed. I smile.
No one was in the lab but his latest specimen. If Morganna knew that he hadn"t stopped the experiments...
Oh, well, the b.i.t.c.h couldn"t stop him now. No one could.
He crossed to stand in front of the wolf. "You"re going to be very useful to me, Mike." If Morganna"s strength had increased with a few swallows of wolf"s blood, just how strong would he become if he drained a whole wolf?
Strong enough to fight off the alpha. Strong enough to rule.
The wolf glared at Devon. "Go f.u.c.k yourself."
Devon sliced across the wolf"s throat with his scalpel. Then he caught the flowing blood in a cup.
He wouldn"t dirty his teeth on the wolf"s flesh.
The wolf strained against his chains as his blood poured from his body.
Devon smiled.
Jace"s men carried in the demon that Morgan had attacked as the wolves pushed inside the vampire stronghold. The guy"s head was twisted and hung at a sagging angle. Not for long, though. A broken neck wouldn"t kill a demon.
But when I take that neck from his body...
Dead demon.
Jace had never been inside the vampire mansion before. He"d stalked outside plenty of times. Come killing close, but never actually walked the hallowed halls. But, yeah, it was as high-priced as he"d figured. Fancy furniture. Marble tiles. Big, glittering chandeliers.
Money.
Cla.s.s.
And...a blood fountain.
He turned away from the fountain and found Morgan staring at him. Even paler than before, but she still met his gaze. Her lips weren"t red now. Instead, they were the lightest shade of pink, and the gold had faded from her eyes.
Took too much.
Her blood and the rush of power that came with it were addictive. He"d have to be more careful with her. Far more careful.
"How long?" Jace asked Louis.
Vampires lined one side of the room. Wolves the other. Jace stood in the middle. Morgan...she waited next to the vamp he"d been itching to slay. The one who touched her far too much. Paul.
"Ten minutes. Maybe five." Louis shrugged. "Could be sooner. You know they never stay out long."
Not much time, but... He strode forward and took Morgan"s hand. When he touched her, he caught the deepening of her scent. Not with arousal.
Fear.
Took too much.
Louis had needed to pry her out of Jace"s arms. He clenched his teeth as pain ripped through him.
If Louis hadn"t stopped me...His breath rushed out.
Another debt I owe that wolf.
"We need to be alone." The blood had dried on her throat. Her wounds were closed already, but dark shadows lined her eyes.
"No, wolf," this came from the fool who would be her protector. "That"s the last thing you need."
The wolves shifted, inching forward, and he could feel their aggression level spiking in the room.
Because his aggression level was d.a.m.n well spiking. "Don"t get between us again."
But the vampire stepped forward. "I"m not afraid of-"
"Death?" Jace finished silkily. "You sure about that? Because one fine dark night, in an alley that smelled of blood and vomit, you sure seemed afraid to me." Jace wasn"t exactly sure how it had happened. Vampires were the only ones who were supposed to be able to drink memories.
But when he"d taken Morgan"s blood moments before, he"d seen her life.
Seen her transform this one-Paul-even as she cried and whispered her apologies.