My father nodded once at my mate, appraising him. There was a glimmer of respect growing there, but I knew it would take time for them to get to know each other. I was exceptionally proud of my man for being respectful of my father and not fighting him for control. I would see that he got an extra special gift as soon as I could. My wolf yipped her agreement.
As they trotted around the house, I walked over to where Ray stood. “I can’t thank you enough, Ray. That was heroic and … bizarre, but you saved my dad’s life. If you hadn’t been a reaper all along, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
“Honestly, Hannon, I have no idea what a reaper is,” Ray retorted, spitting on the ground and easing himself upright. “All I know is that I’m attracted to dead stuff and my mind is telling me I can fix it. But with all the other vamp info clogging my brain up, it’s confusing as hell—a swirl of shit all getting stuck in the drain at the same time.”
“You’ve only been a supernatural for a few days,” I said. “It’s a lot to take in. It will likely all sort itself out soon.” I hoped. “And I think that’s exactly what a reaper is. I don’t know much about them, but they do fix dead stuff. And if you ask me, it kind of suits you. Did you ever talk to dead people as a kid?” I chuckled. “Or see your grandma floating around the house?”
“No,” he said gruffly. “I never paid attention to any of that kind of crap.”
“It all means you’re a very powerful supe—”
Simultaneous Orbs crashed into the walls all around us. There must have been ten. We hit the ground.
The sound was deafening. It was a concentrated effort. I was actually surprised it had taken them this long to ramp up an attack.
Ray and I stood from our crouched positions as wolf howls echoed in the night and a cloud of sulfur surrounded us. More Orbs crashed into the ward, but before I could react in any way, the Vampire Queen landed in front of me.
“See what you’ve done! My wards will not hold with this continued onslaught,” she snapped. “You have a lot to answer for—bringing war to my doorstep.” She stalked closer, challenging me. “There is no reason for me to protect you any longer.”
The next assault shook the foundation of the entire Coterie. The wards were indeed cracking. I faced her. This was between Eudoxia and me and no one else. “Bringing war to your doorstep was not my intention,” I said. “I came here for protection only.”
“I should break your neck and drink the spoils of your blood right now for putting my entire Coterie in danger,” she hissed.
“You can try,” I growled, taking a step toward her.
Her eyes glittered with a threat. “You come here with your newfound power and think you are stronger than I am.” A strange laugh, bordering on manic, escaped her throat. “You have no idea what I am, or what I’m capable of. Once again you tarry where you do not belong—a very dangerous place for a lone wolf to be. You are no match for me, Little Wolf Girl. It’s time for you to cut your losses and move on from here, and take your trouble with you.”
“Oh, but I do know what you’re capable of, Eudoxia,” I said, closing the gap between us. She stood a foot shorter than I, but she held her stature high. She was impressive, but I was stronger. “Alana and I had a nice little conversation a few minutes ago.” Her face stayed stony, but I saw a hint of surprise. “But none of that matters, because I know you won’t kill me. You can threaten me all you want, but in the end I live. So let’s end this charade. I think we’re both tired of it. You need what I have”—I pointed my finger at her chest—“and without it you lose.”
Her eyes narrowed, her power swirling around us. “Ah, but you need not be alive for me to take it,” she said. “I can just as easily drink my fill from your cold, dead body.”
“That’s not how this is going to work,” I answered, fisting my hands, my own power at the forefront, challenging hers equally. “You can fight me here and lose”—I bared my teeth—“because, make no mistake, you will not win. Or you can make one last deal with me and get what you so desire.”
She lunged at the same moment I lashed out.
We clashed in the middle, my hand landing around the throat, hard and fast. I was in my full Lycan form, my grip sure. I dragged her face within an inch of mine. “Do you feel that?” I snarled while she tried to throw more power at me, her fangs down, a savage sound issuing from her throat. But my shields were already in place, my magic kept her out. “That’s my power telling yours to f**k off. I’m not the newborn I was when we first met. It’s a funny thing harnessing power. It was in me all along. I just had to listen to my wolf and learn how to mold it.” My voice dropped so only she could hear me. I pulled her even closer. “Now, do you want to live, Eudoxia? Because I’m done playing these games with you. We make a deal here for the last time. My blood for your cooperation.”
Hate radiated from her. Both her hands tore at my grip and I let her go, tossing her back as I released her. She recovered instantly, her fangs down, eyes blazing. “You would give up your blood to me so easily,” she sneered, “for a mere favor?”
“No,” I retorted. “For an army.” Another large boom shook the walls. Stone crumbled inward, chunks of rock falling to the ground. She was no longer fueling the ward so it had only moments before it gave way. “The vampires align with the wolves indefinitely until this war runs its course. Our fights are your fights. Take it or leave it.”
“Never,” she raged, her hands fisted. “Nothing is worth aligning myself with you.”
I shrugged as more howls outside the walls rent the air. “Suit yourself, Eudoxia. But if you’re not willing to help me, stay out of my way.” Another shock wave hit just outside the yard and holes formed in the wall big enough for a human to crawl through. “No more games or I’ll kill you. I swear it.”
A sly smile crossed her lips and she took off into the sky without another word.
Well, that had gone well.
Rourke jogged toward me. “The ward is coming down. We need to gather everyone—”
My father flew around him, coming toward me in his wolf form incredibly fast. His eyes flashed a deep amethyst as his howl filled the air. He charged me without stopping and at the last moment leapt, sailing straight overhead, colliding with something coming through the wall behind me.