The wolves, big, ugly bastards whose tongues and teeth dripped with saliva, snarled and backed Harry and Mac even farther against the hard columns.
The man stopped inches away from him. Lifted his hand to Harry's chest. "What you've got, my friend," he murmured, and Harry noticed his ear then. It looked as if it had been partially bitten off.
"Is more than trouble. You've got hell at your door." His fingers lengthened into claws.
Harry tasted fear on his tongue. A voice in his ear was screaming, demanding to know what was happening, but Harry couldn't speak.
"You've got something I want inside," The man-no, he wasn't a man– the monster snarled. "And I'm going to f**king rip this place apart! "
Harry knew he was looking into the face of the devil.
Company was waiting for Maya at the bottom of the stairs-company in the form of three of the biggest, ugliest vampires she'd ever seen in her life.
She literally stumbled off the stairs and landed in front of them. She hadn't caught their scent-the scents of vamps were everywhere. Too hard to distinguish amid all the blood.
Hell. She'd always had piss-poor luck.
But a pretty passable ability to act. She flashed a smile. "Hi, guys, wanna party?"
The guy in the middle-probably the ugliest-stepped forward and the dim overhead lighting winked off the piercings that began at both earlobes and looped to the tip of his ears. He was bald, with a shining scalp and a face that looked like it had been beaten in more than once during his mortal life. His fangs flashed-and they were sharp.
Maya didn't step back. Just kept smiling.
His gaze raked over her. A growl rumbled in his throat.
There was a door just behind him. A thick, steel door.
These guys were in the basement for a reason-guarding that special door. So what waited on the other side? She couldn't wait to find out.
But first, she'd have to get rid of her company.
The vampire in front of her reached out a hand and trailed his thick fingers over her arm. "A horny little vampiress wants to party, huh?"
Not likely.
The two vamps in the background stepped closer, eyes beginning to shift black.
"I wanna go first," the guy on the right said, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips. "I haven't drunk from a vamp bitch in years."
And it would be years before he did again.
The bald leader snarled at the other vamp's words and hit him with a barrel-like fist to the face.
Oh, nice.
The guy slammed back against the wall.
One down, and she hadn't even worked up a sweat.
The clang of a metal door slammed from above her. Shit. No more time for games or partying.
Maya stepped closer to the pierced vamp. Stood on her toes and whispered in his ear, "This is gonna hurt." Then she grabbed his head and pushed him back, slamming his skull straight into the steel door. He fell with a whimper.
She had her gun drawn and aimed at the third vamp's heart before he could even move. "Open the door." The other two weren't dead. Just stunned. And someone had entered the stairwell. Two flights separated them. "Now."
His lip lifted in a sneer. "Bullets won't kill me-"
"These will." Her finger tightened on the trigger. "Wanna find out?"
His black gaze dropped to the barrel of the gun.
"Tick-tock, ass**le," she snapped. No time for this.
A scream tore from upstairs. Another. Roars. Growls.
What the hell? The vamp bent down, fumbling inside Baldy's pocket. Maya heard the jingle of keys. The guy lifted up the key ring, holding out one silver key-
Maya rammed the butt of the gun against the side of his head.
Three down.
Footsteps thudded on the stairs. Whoever had been up there had decided to join the game.
The muffled sound of screams still teased her ears.
Focus.
All hell seemed to be breaking loose above her, but she had to finish her mission.
Find the girl .
Maya pushed the key into the lock, shoved open the door-
A low, rumbling growl came from the dark depths of the room.
Shit.
Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting instantly.
A wolf was chained to the far wall. A snarling, spitting, furious, black beast that stared at her with pure hate in its glowing eyes.
Maya stepped forward.
The wolf lunged for her, only to be jerked back by the chain. The beast howled in fury.
The scent of blood was heavy in the room and her eyes caught sight of the glistening red drops matted in the wolf's fur. He'd been fighting the chain until he bled.
A thick metal collar circled the wolf's throat. Blood stained the edges of the metal.
Maya judged that the length of chain was about fifteen feet. If she moved two steps closer, she'd be savaged.
She pointed her gun-
"Help!" A child's voice. A girl's. A hollow thud followed the cry, as if the child had banged her fist against-
The wall.
Another door was behind the wolf. A second steel door.
"Please, get me out! It's dark." Muffled sobs. "I'm s-scared. I don't wanna be alone."
Cammie .
"It's all right, sweetheart!" She pitched her voice high, trying to cut across the rapid growls. "I'm going to get you out of there." Once she got past the guard dog.
Her fingers were locked tight around the butt of the gun. The wolf was snarling, pacing in quick lines in front of the second door. "Nice dog," she whispered, stepping forward. She didn't want to hurt him unless she had to. The beast obviously hadn't chosen to be locked in the basement and chained up by the vamps.
His lips peeled back, exposing teeth far, far sharper than her own.
No, she didn't want to hurt him, but she would get that girl out.
The wolf stopped pacing and planted its body solidly before the door.
The girl wasn't talking anymore. She was still crying, Maya could hear the faint whimpers, but the pleas had stopped.
A whisper of breath behind Maya, she turned-
Too late.
The tall, blond vampire stared down at her. Too damn close. The wolf's growls and snarls had enabled him to clear the stairs and sneak up on her.
Hell, this was really not turning out to be her night. Maya's gaze swept over him. "Tell me, your name wouldn't by any chance be Torrence, now would it?"
He smiled.
"A friend of mine is looking for you," she murmured. "If I were you, I'd probably try to get the hell out of Sin City before you get burned."
"Don't worry about me, bitch. Worry about yourself."
Okay. Adam had wanted to take down the vamp leader, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Maya aimed her gun and felt a smile curl her own lips.