He ran through the woods, the blood trail a dark stain over the ground. It didn’t take long to find where the incident had taken place. He crouched and sniffed the area. Two bloodsuckers had invaded their territory. Kira’s badge lay on the ground.

Lorn followed another trail of blood and came to a halt when he saw an area where the grass had been trampled He wavered on his legs as Kira’s blood filled his senses.

A handgun rested near a pool of smeared blood. Something shiny caught his attention and he spotted a bloodied blade a few feet away. The handle of it was the one Kira had shown him hours before.

He threw back his head and howled in rage. Crouching again, he took a few deep breaths. The stronger blood smell was from the Vampire. It gave him hope that she might still be alive as he straightened, on alert.

Lavos walked up behind him and gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

His head snapped in his direction and he growled. “It’s not certain. She hurt it, but she’s not here.”

“Neither is the Vamp. We’d know it if she dusted one of them. We’d see ash scattered over the blood.”

It spurned Lorn into action. He jerked out of his brother’s hold and rushed forward, tempted to shift. But he wanted to save his strength if he needed it and too many transformations in a short span would weaken him.

“Davis killed the fucked-up Vamp and is going for reinforcements. They never should have screwed with us by coming here.” His brother kept up.

He ignored the information, too intent on following the trail. He jerked to a halt and sniffed the trunk of a tree where he found a dark smudge. “She was alive. This blood is hers.”

“So was the Vampire. I’ve got blood drops over here. The question is, who’s hunting who? I doubt they were traveling in the same direction for any other reason.”

“Fuck.” Lorn surged forward and followed the trail to the edge of the river. He bent, examining the soft mud. Two small footprints were planted together side by side and the imprint was deeper near the toes. His head snapped up, staring at the briskly flowing water. “She went in here.”

“The suckhead didn’t.” Lavos stood about twenty feet down the river. “There’s no more blood but I’ve got footprints. I’d say a size eleven in men’s, and the stupid bastard isn’t wearing boots. I’d guess they’re some kind of dress shoe. Male or a big-footed female. By the looks of it, he kept going along this side of the embankment.”

“You follow the Vampire.” He needed to find Kira. He took a deep breath and dove in where she had.

She’d cross the river to reach deeper into clan territory. He was sure of that. If she didn’t drown.

He tried to push that thought back as he made it to the other side. She’s a shitty swimmer. His memory flashed to the day he’d had to fish her out of the water when they were teenagers. It wasn’t exactly something he’d ever forgotten. It was the last time he’d trusted himself to be too near her.

He shook off the water when he climbed out of the river and searched the embankment for any signs of her. He ran downriver, his gaze constantly moving. The only movement was from the dark mass he’d just swum through and Lavos on the other side of the river.

It was taking too much time to search every foot of the bank. Where is the night guard? His rage built. Probably at that damn mating ceremony instead of doing his job. Part of that anger was directed inward. He should have predicted that some would forget their duties without a leader present to enforce what needed to be done. I should have acted sooner, taken control when Decker and his closest enforcers fled the territory.

Kira was out there, hurt and alone. Lavos had been kind by even implying the one being hunted was the Vampire. Lorn was certain that wasn’t the case. It hunted Kira. Her human blood made her the weaker of the two. He paused and closed his eyes, thinking. Where would she go? There are no homes nearby to seek shelter.

Memories of their childhood flashed through his mind. They’d played a lot of games, including hide and seek. A hint of smile played at the corner of his lips. She’d always been the rabbit he’d chased. It had been important to him that she knew how to outsmart the others because she sure couldn’t outrun or overpower a VampLycan. He’d wanted her to be safe if he wasn’t around to protect her. The clan members could be cruel.

His eyes snapped open as he surveyed the terrain to identify exactly where he stood. This had been their playground once. She’d know it as well as he did. The south sector wasn’t a place most went, and that’s why they’d picked it.

He turned and rushed away from the river, opening his mouth to howl. He did it for two reasons. The Vampire would know reinforcements had arrived, possibly frightening him from his prey, and to let Kira know help was close.

She’d hide her heat signature from the Vampire. The falls were ahead and she’d know that as well. The place where the river flowed to another, lower section was at least a fifty-foot drop. The rocks below would break her bones if she allowed the water to carry her that far downstream. The damage would be devastating to her, even if she was in prime condition, fatal if she was already hurt. Kira was smart enough to get out. That meant she’d search for a place to hide, perhaps underground.

The old den.

He ran at full speed, leaping over downed trees and large rocks. The Vamp would have to follow any signs she’d left behind to track her but Lorn had the advantage of knowing the precise location. Please be there, he prayed. Be alive.

All VampLycans built hidden underground lairs in the woods in case of an attack. Constructed homes were too easy to find but they afforded more comfortable living in times of peace. The lair he’d created as an adult was a mile from the cabin he owned, but as kids, he and Kira had used a tiny cave.

It had taken them days to dig deep enough to make their childhood den roomy and comfortable. It afforded them a cooler place to avoid hot days. They’d spent hours talking and laughing in that deep hole, and they were some of his fondest memories. An ache began in his chest that had nothing to do with how rapidly his heart beat as he pressed his body for more speed. Kira might be dead.

He howled his fury again, wishing he could find the Vampire to seek vengeance, but that was secondary to hoping his howls would send the bastard into a panic. He could always hunt the son of a bitch later if he fled. Kira was his priority.