Burn the Night

Five

Danaus walked over and entwined his fingers through both of my hands before pinning them gently behind my back. I looked up at the hunter, arching one questioning brow at him.

A seductive smile lifted his lips as he leaned in closer, pressing his chest against my stomach and breasts, while my thighs brushed against his. “You do realize that the kids are all taken care of now,” he purred.

“The kids?”

“James and Nicolai.”

“You mean my responsibilities.”

Danaus leaned down and ran his parted lips along my exposed throat so the edge of his teeth dragged across my flesh. There was no hiding my shiver of delight with our bodies pressed so close. “You’re not completely free of your responsibilities.”

“Really?” My voice was rough and breathless as I pressed closer.

Danaus released one of my hands and cupped one butt cheek, holding me tightly against him so there was no missing the rock hard erection in his pants. I wrapped my free arm around his shoulder while he bit down on some exposed flesh in the hollow of my neck. He was teasing me, pushing my hold on what little self-control I possessed when it came to him. It kept things infinitely more interesting as we danced on the edge of whether I could keep from biting him.

“I’d say that you still have a responsibility to me,” he said in a voice so low I could feel it rumbling between us in his chest. “You’ve been neglectful.”

My head fell back with a laugh. “Neglectful? That’s hardly true if you consider the two times just the other night.”

His hand squeezed my rear end, massaging it. “Yes, but it’s been a couple nights. We’re overdue.”

He was right. It did feel like we were overdue for a little quality time, but I didn’t want to just fall too eagerly into his arms. I craved him more than blood most nights and was more than a little frustrated when his job at the Dark Room intruded on our time together, but I kept the frustration to myself, as I knew the job was important to him.

“So you want to just have at it right here in some woods filled with shifters?” I asked.

Danaus’s smile widened as his grip tightened and he pulled me into the cover of a line of trees. Pressing my back against a particularly large tree, he grabbed both of my thighs and lifted them so my legs were wrapped tightly around his narrow hips. One hand resumed his massage of my ass while the other busied itself unbuttoning my blouse.

“The shifters are far from here and won’t be back for hours,” he said in a low, husky voice that sent a thrill through my body. “We’re alone.”

“We could always just go back to my place and do it,” I said, throwing up only a token argument.

“I supposed we will do both, but I want you now.”

Danaus captured my lips in a rough kiss that silenced the last of my weak protests. I thrust my tongue into his mouth while tightening my legs around his waist so that my body was pressed even more tightly against his cock. I wanted him just as badly right now, werewolves be damned. A low moan escaped him as his hand slipped inside my bra and cupped my breast. His thumb rubbed against the nipple, teasing it, hardening it into a sensitive little nub. The scent of him danced around me, driving me even wilder as we kissed. I needed him but there were too many clothes in the way. I wanted to run my hands over his warm skin and drag my tongue over his stomach down to his penis. I wanted him wild as well, sweating with need.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I dropped my legs from around his waist so I was standing before him. I pushed him away from me just a little bit as I dropped down to my knees, my nimble fingers dancing over the button and zipper of his pants. A growl escaped Danaus as his fingers slipped through my hair and he tightened his grip on my head. As I opened his pants, his cock sprang forward, pressing against the fabric of his boxer shorts. I ran my lips against it through the fabric, sending a shiver through his body.

“God, Mira,” he groaned, his head thrown back, his entire body clenched and still as he waited for me to finally take him in my mouth.

Shotgun blasts echoed through the silence of the woods then, shattering the calm and startling us both. Danaus and I froze, our eyes searching the area for danger.

“Naturi?” I asked as I extended my powers to sweep over the area while quickly rebuttoning my shirt.

“None. Only the shifters and some humans.”

Another set of shots rang out, and this time there was a distinct yelp of pain. My temper surged, sending my hands down to grasp the knives perpetually at my sides as I jumped to my feet. “A hunting party,” I snarled. “Stay here! I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Like hell I’m staying here,” Danaus snapped back at me, already heading toward the edge of the clearing while closing his pants up. A pained expression crossed his face as he moved, but he said nothing about the sudden interruption.

I grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to a sharp halt. “These bastards aren’t going to discriminate between wolf and human at this point. They see you in the woods at this hour and they’re going to fire on you as well. Stay here. I can sneak through the woods unseen.”

“James is out there along with the rest of the wolves. I’m not going to stand by.”

“Bastard,” I growled before pressing a quick kiss to his lips, knowing there was no way that he would hold back. He was the hunter, and I couldn’t stop him. “Be careful! Don’t kill anyone if you can help it. We need information.”

We headed in different directions in an attempt to circle around the group of humans who were slowly making their way through the woods. Cloaking myself, I rushed toward a knot of four hunters west of me. The men were trekking in groups of three and four, a total of more than twenty. It made it more difficult for the wolves to strike back when four different guns were trained on them at once.

After a couple of minutes I found four hunters standing over a wounded, naked male who was clasping his side and moaning as blood poured from his body. The wound appeared small enough that he could heal from it, but two of the humans had their guns trained on his head, ready to blow more holes in him if it looked like he was recovering.

“I think you gentlemen are a little in over your head,” I announced, leaning against a tree. Startled, the men jerked their guns in my direction. “You should never have come out into the woods tonight starting trouble that you can’t finish.”

“What the hell—” was as far as one of them got before the wolves attacked at once. No one managed to get off a single shot, and in a matter of a couple minutes, all four men were torn apart and dead.

I stood back with my arms folded over my chest. The pack had only needed a distraction so they could strike at the ones who had hurt their fellow pack member. Despite what I had told Danaus, I knew that these particular men were dead upon discovery. It was the rule of the forest.

One of the larger wolves stepped away from the group and slowly changed back to human form, naked and streaked with blood. Barrett’s copper eyes glowed and his handsome face was distorted with rage and confusion. Never had the local pack been hunted by humans, particularly in these numbers. There were stories of wolves being shot by farmers when they ventured too close to human territory, but men never went into the woods looking for wolves at night. It meant one thing—someone was hunting for werewolves.

“How many are there?” he demanded when he finally got hold of his emotions enough to speak.

“Less than twenty now. They seem to be hunting in groups of at least three or more, making it harder for your people to strike back.”

“They’re hunting us, Mira,” he growled, balling his fists at his sides. “They are hunting us!” The remaining wolves that had attacked the humans ventured over to Barrett’s side and were milling around, growling and snapping as they sensed his anger and frustration.

“We need to find out who these men are and how they found out about the shifters,” I calmly said, knowing that he was going to hate my suggestion. “We need to capture a few of these men alive.”

“They’re hunting us, Mira!” he repeated, and I knew what that meant. In his mind, it meant that every one of these gun-toting bastards needed to be shredded by the pack. But if we didn’t know how the information was leaked, it would never be safe for the pack to hit these woods again on a full moon.

“If we don’t get information, more will come. They will keep coming until they pick off every last member of your pack. Some have to be left alive.”

“Fine,” he bit out after a minute of tense silence. With every muscle tensed in his lean body, Barrett closed his eyes, seeming to block out the world around him. He then opened his eyes and looked down at the smaller wolf at his side. His sister gave a little yip before running off into the woods with a pair of other wolves flanking her.

“I’ve reached Nicolai,” Barrett explained. “He’s pulling back some of the pack to the clearing. He will guard my sister and some of the younger members that haven’t the strength to change back into human form just yet.”

“Do you want me to send Danaus back as well?”

“No, keep him hunting. That’s what he does best. Have the survivors brought unarmed to the clearing.” Barrett then bent over and turned back into wolf form. As a wolf, he could move through the woods with more stealth, sneaking up on his prey as he blended in with the darkness.

With a quick touch of my mind, I relayed Barrett’s instructions to Danaus before setting off myself into the dark woods in search of my own prey. There were only sixteen humans out in the woods with guns. We needed to keep at least some of them alive. I had a dark feeling I knew who was behind this attack. I just needed to know how.

With blades gripped in my hands, I slunk through the woods, treading as silently as possible as I headed toward the closest group. A rumble of growling flowed around me as I drew closer to my prey. Wolves circled the group, keeping their bodies hunkered down close to the ground, hidden among the ferns and low-lying brush.

My knives winked in the light of the full moon as I wiped away the cloak that had hidden me from the view of the humans. I smiled, my pale skin seeming to glow in the light that broke through the trees. They raised their guns toward me but offered no warning as they each fired off a shot. My smile never wavered as I dodged the bullets and then returned to my relaxed stance, casually spinning one knife in my right hand. Humans were an easy target for me after so many centuries fighting nightwalkers, lycanthropes, warlocks, and naturi. Under most circumstances, I could easily let them go with a couple superficial wounds and a good scare. But this time I was struggling to follow my own advice. They had attacked my friends and comrades. They endangered James’s life and now they were shooting at me.

“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.” Lunging forward, I knocked the guns out of the hands of two of the four men before plunging my knives deep into their abdomens. As they bent forward in pain, I pulled my blades free and turned to the other men. One managed to get a point-blank shot to my stomach. I lurched backward a step as the bullet ripped through me and into a nearby tree with a thunk.

“My turn,” I snarled before stepping forward. I grabbed the end of the gun and yanked it out of his hands before slamming the stock against the side of the man’s head, the wood splintering as he crumpled to the ground. With only one man left, the wolves hovering on the fringe of the fight lunged forward, taking him down before he could get off a shot. The two men I had initially wounded with the knives were also shredded into pieces.

Frowning, I reached down and grabbed the collar of the man I had knocked unconscious. A couple of wolves growled at me for taking away their prey, but they quickly backed off. As much as I hated it, we needed to keep a few alive.

Are you all right? Danaus suddenly demanded. I could sense him drawing closer to me, his concern wrapping around me as his powers searched my body. He knew I was wounded.

Just a minor flesh wound. You? I replied, warmed by his concern. It helped to temporarily wash away the hatred seething inside of me, demanding a little more blood of my own.

Couple scratches. I’m having trouble keeping these bastards alive. The wolves . . .

I know, they want blood, and they deserve it.

I’ve got two that I’m taking back to the clearing, he said.

I’ve got one. When you get to the clearing, stay there and guard the attackers. We need them alive for at least a little while longer so we can find out what’s really going on.

I’m not leaving you out there alone, Danaus warned.

There are only a few left and this is my domain. I won’t be alone. The wolves will help me finish this.

When I reached the clearing, I found Nicolai circling a hunter who was seated on the ground clutching his bleeding arm to his chest. The other wolves were hovering close on the fringe, snapping and growling as well. I dropped the unconscious man next to the other man. The wolves’ anger and sense of betrayal was thick in the air.

“Danaus is bringing two more,” I told Nicolai. “Keep an eye on them. Keep them alive. We need information.”

Nicolai answered with a disgruntled snort, but I knew he would follow the orders—he was a good soldier and loyal to his pack, even if he was planning to leave it.

“I’ll be back with more,” I said, and then smiled as another human cry of pain and horror echoed through the woods. The wolves had struck another blow. Entering the woods, I scanned the area, discovering there were only a handful of scattered humans left. They had disbanded in terror and were now trying to run for safety. Launching myself forward, I flowed through the woods like water through a well-worn riverbed. With a few well-placed hits to the back of the head, I knocked out three more before they could reach their vehicles at the edge of the forest.

I sighed as I tossed the smallest of the three men over my shoulder and dragged the other two back toward the clearing. The wolves would take care of the remaining two. There was no use trying to save them. Barrett’s pack never hunted humans. In fact, they were careful to steer well clear of any human territory. The worst that ever happened on a full moon hunt was that they might bring down a buck or flush out a few hares. They ran together as a pack, enjoying the stretch of muscles and the feel of the wind through their fur. They reveled in their connection to the animal that existed within them. The humans had tried to destroy that, and there would be no quarter.

Upon reaching the clearing, I dropped the ones I was carrying with the other survivors, bringing our grand total up to seven of the more than twenty who had gone out into the woods to hunt the shifters that night.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Barrett and the remaining members of his pack trotted out of the woods. A couple of the wolves were moving slowly, limping as they favored wounds. The man who had been shot in his wolf form managed to heal enough to change back into a wolf, though one side of him was covered in blood. His connection to the earth was stronger while in wolf form, and the earth magic had sped the healing process.

Turning slowly around the circle, I did a quick count and then sent my powers out into the surrounding woods. Everyone was alive and accounted for, to my relief. Barrett had lost enough already.

“You’re not one of them,” one of the captive men bravely said, breaking the silence of the group for the first time. “You’re one of them bloodsucking vampires.”

“That’s surprisingly astute.” I smiled wide enough to expose my fangs.

Reaching inside his shirt, he pulled out a large gold cross on a gold chain, dangling it in front of my face. “You’re not going to lay a hand on me!”

To my extreme surprise, Danaus stepped forward and wrapped his fist around the chain before jerking it from the man’s neck. He tossed it into the woods, putting it a good distance from the man.

“Traitor!” the man snarled, rubbing the back of his neck where the chain had temporarily bit into his flesh. “You’ve turned your back on the human race. Betrayed us! You’re worse than those monsters.”

Without a thought, I lunged toward the man who had insulted Danaus, aiming to bury my fangs deep into his throat and rip him apart, when Danaus stopped me. I growled at him as I tried to jerk free. He shook his head.

“I am one of you,” Danaus said gently, dousing my anger in an instant. “I want no claim to the human race if this is what they are to become.”

A surprised smile tweaked the corners of my mouth as I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close. The time when mankind discovered the existence of nightwalkers and lycanthropes was growing uncomfortably close, and deep down I had always wondered which side Danaus would fall on when the time came. Now I knew—he would remain at my side—and the knowledge was as sweet as the hunt.

“How did they know?” Barrett demanded from beside me, once again in human form.

I released Danaus and looked around to find that most of the wolves had returned to human form. Some of them had pulled on clothes, while others remained boldly naked, staring down the seven men who had hunted them.

There was only silence from the captives who sat at our feet, not that I actually expected any of them to speak up. Narrowing my eyes on them, I reached out with my powers and rifled through their minds, confirming my fear and guess. My stomach twisted and knotted.

“They’re all members of the Daylight Coalition,” I said after a couple of minutes. “They were sent out of the Atlanta branch to hunt your pack down. I can see an image of the man who planned the attack, but there’s no guarantee that he is the original source.”

“Fucking bitch!” snarled one of the men. He pushed up on his knees, and both Barrett and Danaus were there almost simultaneously. The man was dead before he hit the ground again.

I frowned. While I appreciated their overprotectiveness, we did need more information and thus had to keep some of the men alive.

Reaching out with my powers again, I plunged into the minds of the remaining six men who sat before us. With a less-than-gentle push, they all collapsed unconscious, so they could no longer hear our plans. I had a hard enough task ahead of me by convincing Barrett that we needed to release these remaining men alive.

“What are we going to do with them?” I demanded, propping my fists up on my hips as I stared down at the gathering of men on the ground.

“You mean besides kill them?” Barrett said in a low rumbling voice.

“We can’t kill any more of them. It’s going to attract more attention.”

“They attacked us!” shouted one of the werewolves, who stood on the periphery of the clearing. The entire pack agreed that none of these men be left alive.

“Mira is right,” Danaus said. “If twenty members of the Daylight Coalition go into the woods, armed to go hunting werewolves, and none of them come back, then it’s going to raise more questions. More members of the coalition are going to come looking for you here. Each full moon will grow more dangerous to your kind. They’ll start setting traps. They’ll send more hunters.”

“Then what’s your solution?” Barrett inquired, starting to sound calmer. Danaus had brought up a point that could not be easily argued away. While the alpha and the rest of his pack might want vengeance, it was also his responsibility to keep them safe.

“We alter their memories,” I offered. “We make them forget about going into the woods or ever hunting shifters.”

“And replace it with what other memory?” Nicolai asked as he approached our small gathering around the lump of unconscious men. “And what about the other men who have suddenly gone missing?”

I shoved one hand through my hair and stared down at the men, trying to imagine their evening as they prepared to take on a group of supposedly mythical creatures. They had to have been terrified in the event that they might be right. At the same time, I searched through their minds, sifting for any shred of information I might be able to use to my advantage.

“They stopped at a biker bar,” I said slowly as the idea started to form. “Before coming into the area, they all stopped at a biker bar for a drink. The idea was to finalize their plan of attack and get a drink for courage. The only problem was that they got into an argument. Most of them drove off, swearing it was all nonsense and that they were going to leave the Daylight Coalition. The others continued to drink and then left the bar, where the two cars later crashed, which will explain their wounds.”

Nicolai shook his head. “It all sounds a little thin, Mira.”

“It works off a partial truth. They did stop in a bar before coming to Savannah and they did have a drink to work up their courage. I will just create the image of the fight, and those who died will be remembered as leaving the bar belligerent and determined to leave. It’s the best we have to work with at the moment.”

“Yes, but who is to say that these six won’t return on another full moon with the intent of killing my people?” Barrett interjected. “I still do not support leaving them alive only to fight them again at a later date.”

“I understand. I will insert a command deep in their subconscious. At different times during the next month, each one of them will become disillusioned with the coalition and leave it, claiming that it’s all nonsense. You will not have to fight these six men again.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw James slowly approaching. He had pulled his pants back on, but both his feet and his chest remained bare. His usually neat brown hair was ruffled and askew, while his ever-present gold-rimmed glasses remained missing. “Can you get any more information about their workings of their group out of them?” James asked.

“I’ll see what I can get,” I said with a smile.

“That still leaves us with a bigger problem of how they found out about the Savannah pack, how they knew where to attack, and are they planning attacks on other shifter packs around the country,” Barrett said, his frown growing deeper.

“We have to take care of one problem at a time,” I said with a sigh.

Danaus laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “And right now, we have a very large mess to clean up. I say that we take care of the dead and set up the crash scene with this group. Tomorrow, Barrett and Mira can meet to plan how they are going to strike back at the coalition.”

Looking over my shoulder, I raised one of my eyebrows at Danaus. While his plan for the evening was sound, I couldn’t even begin to guess at how to handle the Daylight Coalition, though I had to admit that it had been building for some time. Until recently we were content to let the coalition fumble in the dark while making fools of themselves in front of the rest of humanity, which didn’t believe in vampires and werewolves. Now they were beginning to act, and if we weren’t careful, would take the lead when the Great Awakening finally arrived. Then they would be the ones to offer answers when mankind discovered that nightwalkers were real, and I didn’t want to worry about an overzealous, scared human trying to stake me on the street because of the Daylight Coalition.

“Agreed,” Barrett reluctantly said, his hands falling limp at his sides in defeat. It was the best he could do tonight. For now, he had to be content that none of his people had been killed and that the attackers were going to be dealt with so they no longer endangered his people.

“Regardless of what we discussed earlier,” Nicolai began, laying his right hand on Barrett’s shoulder, “I will remain behind if you request it. If the pack needs me . . .”

“No,” Barrett replied with a shake of his head. “I am honored by your offer, but you have a new calling that is taking you away from us. You must go. With Mira’s help and the plans we set into motion, we will be safe. Just remember that you are always welcome in Savannah. This can always be your home.”

“Thank you,” Nicolai said, releasing Barrett.

I settled on the ground before the group of six men. We still had several hours before sunrise, but it would take a while to adjust the memories of all six and implant the kind of details needed so they believed what came to mind. In addition, the latent command for them to leave the coalition was even more difficult to accomplish. I was in for a very long night.

Danaus knelt beside me, one hand resting against my back. “Do you need me for anything?”

“No, you can’t help me. Could you please assist the pack with disposing of bodies? This is going to take me a while.”

He gave a little snort as he pushed to his feet again. “Leave me with the dirty work,” he muttered.

Dirty work, my ass. Digging around in the twisted minds of these six men was not how I was hoping to spend my evening, and it certainly wasn’t going to be enjoyable either.