He had to protect his pack.

She had to help him.

Jane ran after him. She spared one final glare for Lorcan.

“I’ll see you again!” he called out.

She chased her werewolf into the woods.

A bullet grazed her arm. I hope you feel that, Lorcan.

Then a man in black charged at her.

She grabbed the gun right out of his hands. With a quick twist, Jane broke those hands. Then she sank her teeth into the guy’s throat.

Alerac’s wolf was growling. Attacking. Taking down men left and right.

And they were just men—not vampires. Men. Mortal men who were in over their heads.

They’d chosen the wrong side in this fight.

Another bullet hit Jane in the back. She dropped her prey. He wasn’t a threat any longer. Not dead, but not about to fight back.

She spun on the new attacker. The bloodlust within her was rising as it never had before.

The man who’d just shot her was taking aim at Alerac now.

No.

She rushed toward him. Before he could fire, her teeth were in his neck.

***

The bastard called Lorcan was getting away. Zoe chased after him, trying to dodge the bullets that were still flying. Silver. She hated silver.

What werewolf didn’t?

Lorcan was rushing into a dilapidated storage building that was about thirty yards away from the remains of the burning house.

She heard the growl of an engine.

No.

When a truck burst from the side of that storage building moments later, Zoe jumped in its path. She had to stop him.

Lorcan was behind the wheel. Smiling at her. He reeved that engine and the vehicle zoomed right at her.

Wait for it. Wait for it. She could do this. She could—

Something slammed into Zoe. She went flying, and when she hit the ground again, she found herself staring up at—

A dead man.

Ryan glared down at her. Blisters covered his face and neck, and his skin seemed to be white-hot where it touched her. She could actually feel the scorch on her body.

“Got a death wish?” Ryan asked.

“No, that’s you.” She was stronger than she looked. So much stronger. She could have stopped that truck.

Maybe.

Now she pushed him aside. Her stomach was knotting. Her heart racing, and she was happy—no, couldn’t be happy, just relieved, for Jane’s sake—that Ryan was still alive.

Though she didn’t even know how the hell he was walking around. Vamps and fire were supposed to be a deadly combination.

Hell, with that much fire, it should have meant death for anyone.

Zoe jumped to her feet. The truck was vanishing down the road. She started to chase it.

“Don’t. We have something more valuable here.” Ryan grabbed her hands.

Again, his touch seemed to scorch her.

He pointed to the bloody, cowering witch. “Consider her our GPS device.”

The gunfire stopped. Wolves shifted into human form, then transformed almost instantly back into beasts. They were trying to push the silver from their bodies. Trying to heal.

She glanced around, frantic, but only counted one dead—the poor wolf that Lorcan had killed when the house exploded.

Her shoulders sagged. She’d buried too many of her pack mates over the years.

Too many.

Ryan marched toward the witch. He caught the blonde’s arm and jerked her upright.

Her blood soaked her shirt.

“Don’t!” The blonde cried. “I didn’t want to help him! I didn’t have a choice.”

“Bullshit,” Ryan tossed right back at her. “We all have choices. Right now, my choice is—do I let you talk or do I just pick a vein and find the real truth through your blood?”

The vampire was fierce. Zoe had always found tough guys to be a turn-on.

Except when they were about to drink blood. Then…not so much.

Before Ryan could make his choice, Jane appeared, bursting from the woods. She was covered in blood, sporting some rather vicious claws, and her fangs were most definitely out.

This didn’t look at all like the scared, lost woman that had first arrived at the werewolf compound with Alerac.

Jane looked like she could kick serious ass—and she just had.

A dark wolf walked at her side. His body was massive, and his shining green gaze promised hell.

Jane put her hand on his head, stroking him.

Then Jane saw Ryan. She stopped. Shook her head. “R-Ryan?” In the next instant, she was running toward the vampire. Jane through her body against his and held on, tight.

The witch didn’t move.

Lucky girl, she’d just been spared a drinking. For the moment, anyway.

But Zoe knew that reprieve wouldn’t last forever. In her experience, nothing lasted forever.

Not even vampires.

***

Alerac knew something was wrong the instant that he stepped back onto his land.

The scent of blood was too heavy. Too fresh.

He rushed toward the main house. “Finn!” He threw open the door. Ran into the great-room.

Finn’s body was on the floor. The human—with his neck twisted—hung in his binds. The human’s chest had been clawed open.

“No!” Zoe shoved past them and ran to Finn. She fell to her knees beside him. “No, Finn!”

Fuck. Finn and Zoe had come to Alerac’s pack together. Not linked by blood, but by friendship. A deep and abiding friendship formed as abandoned children tossed from home to home in a foster care system that sure as hell hadn’t been made for their kind.

No one had understood their rage. Their bloodlust. And when puberty hit and the beast surged for power—the humans had tossed both Finn and Zoe into a psych ward, convinced they were going mad.

Alerac had found them. He’d gotten them out.

“Finn, don’t leave me,” Zoe begged.

He was already gone.

Jane crossed toward Zoe. She hesitated, then put her hand on Zoe’s shoulder.

Ryan dragged the witch over the threshold. His gaze immediately found Zoe. Tears tracked endlessly down her cheeks. He swore and hauled the witch to Zoe’s side. “He…matters to you?”

Zoe glanced up, staring at him as if he were crazy.

“Hell, of course, he matters.” Ryan expelled a rough breath. Then he shook the witch. “Bring him back.”

Ryan was insane. Not surprising, really. Alerac had long suspected that he was.

“Ryan,” Jane began, voice uncertain, “this can’t—”