“Drantos,” she whispered, wishing once more that he was at her side.

She turned more into the mossy tree. The smell of decaying wood was faint but the log blocked her from the worst of the chilly breeze. She only could hope that Bat fared better with Kraven. One of them needed to survive.

She decided to rest for a little while to regain her strength and then try to climb the tree again. Just a little break and I’ll be able to do it…

* * * * *

Drantos wanted to kick his own ass almost as much as the VampLycan he faced off against. He never should have touched Dusti until they’d reached the safety of the clan but she was just too damn tempting. They might have been across the river already if he hadn’t gotten distracted by his need to claim her body.

He snarled at the idiot who thought he could take her away from him.

“Don’t even think about running after her,” Drantos softly warned. “I’m going to shift and we’ll battle it out—unless you have no honor. Then I’ll just rip through my clothes. You know I’ll catch you if you get a few seconds’ head start, and the woman could get hurt if she gets between us. Decker doesn’t want that, does he?”

The VampLycan crouched, his intent to launch an attack again clear, but he hesitated. The enforcer’s side was already torn up from when he’d tried to dodge around Drantos to go after Dusti once already. It was possible he was buying minutes so he could recover from the wound a little. Either way, it gave Drantos the precious time he needed to strip.

He quickly did it in record time. He could shift in clothes but they would be torn up in the process. The enforcer eyed him, moving a little to the left, tearing his gaze away from Drantos to look toward where Dusti had gone.

Drantos shoved at his already open pants and they fell to his ankles. Good enough. At least the bastard has some regard for fair fighting. Apparently not all of Decker’s enforcers are totally like him.

He’d tried to get Dusti to believe everything he’d told her but to be attacked by a VampLycan enforcer wasn’t how he’d wanted her to realize his world truly existed. He snarled again to draw his enemy’s attention. The male crept forward, trying to skirt around him, clearly his patience at an end.

Drantos attacked, shifting as he slammed into the enforcer.

His claws tore into meaty flesh and the male screamed in agony. Blood sprayed his own body. The fight was on.

The male rolled when he hit the ground hard and tried to slash at Drantos’s throat. He ducked his head and savagely bit into the arm that had swung his way. Bone snapped under his powerful jaws. He was fighting for Dusti. It made him lethal and furious.

She is mine!

The taste of her on his tongue was replaced by rich, fresh blood. He viciously jerked his head, his fangs still embedded in the enforcer’s arm. The male roared in agony. Drantos released him and jumped back. He snarled a warning. Stop or die.

The male stood and his front limb hung uselessly as he backed up. He flashed fangs and snarled his own warning. He wasn’t willing to concede. He was willing to die following Decker’s orders.

The bastard glanced toward the river and quickly tried to take off that way, but with his injured leg, Drantos was on him before he could make it ten feet. He did glance at the water for a precious few seconds himself as his body landed on the enemy’s back. Dusti had gone into the river but she wasn’t within sight. He only prayed she had safely swum to the other side and hadn’t drowned. He’d been too occupied keeping the enforcer from getting past him to watch her progress.

He and his opponent rolled together on the ground. The enforcer roared in rage and twisted, trying to get Drantos onto his back. He made another attempt with his good arm to slash open his neck. Drantos jerked out of the way but it was close. He actually felt claws brush against his skin. He thrust one arm back before stabbing his own claws into the male’s chest.

His opponent’s eyes widened in disbelief as he realized it was a killing blow.

Drantos felt no sympathy. Any enforcer of Decker’s who would attack other VampLycans to steal a woman deserved death—especially one who had come to kidnap Dusti and Bat.

They knew why their clan leader wanted the women, and the outcome if Aveoth accepted a trade. They’d be helping the war begin. It would mean families fighting members from different clans. Cousins killing cousins. Brothers battling each other, in some cases, if they’d mated women from other clans and joined them to keep her with her family. Decker would probably have killed any of his enforcers who refused his orders but death would be preferable than starting a civil war.

This man under him bought into his clan leader’s craziness.

The male screamed when Drantos dug his claws in deeper, piercing his heart. It was a sickening feeling, finding the beating source of the male under him and tearing into it. He watched the enforcer’s eyes as death took him. It was fast in reality but time seemed to stand still until the tense body under his grew limp. The male exhaled his last breath and his head slightly turned. Sightless eyes peered up at the darkening sky.

Drantos yanked his claws out and slowly pushed himself off the male. Then he turned his head, frantically searching for Dusti in the water. The river turned out of sight a few hundred yards up. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He sniffed the wind but could only pick up the scent of blood from the enforcer he’d just killed. He studied the surrounding area and crept toward the woods. There could be more of them out there, and he’d kill them all to prevent them from following Dusti.

It alarmed him that Kraven hadn’t arrived on the scene. It was possible his brother had already crossed the river with Bat. The wide flow of water might muffle sounds of the attack from the other side.

The other alternative could be that they’d taken his brother by surprise.

Rage surfaced fast but then he calmed. Decker’s enforcer wouldn’t have attacked him if they already had what they wanted. Kraven also wasn’t one to allow anyone to sneak up on him. He was an excellent fighter.

He scanned the area again, still wondering if more enforcers would arrive. Long seconds passed. No one else came at him.

Drantos entered the woods to peer around but didn’t find any immediate threat. He returned to the clearing and stared down at the dead enforcer. He couldn’t leave him there. A hunter could come across the body. Not too many humans lived in the area but there were a few. It was also too close to the river. Some humans traveled along it. They might spot the downed man. It left him feeling torn between desire and duty. He wanted to go after Dusti but law demanded he take care of the evidence. Humans couldn’t learn of their existence.