I can talk them down, let me forward.

“Piss off,” he snarled and leapt into the fray, tearing supernaturals away as if they were children’s toys. Limbs and necks snapped under his hands and it was only when he reached Rylee at the center of the mass that he realized everyone else had stopped fighting. The supernaturals cringed away from him, their eyes wide, bodies shaking.

“Liam?” Rylee asked, but didn’t lower her blades.

A nod. “Time to go.”

“Agreed. Griffin, thank you.” She leaned to kiss Griffin on the cheek. The bastard twisted his head and caught her on the lips.

“Lovely. I see why you bound her, yeah?” He gave Liam a wink, which only made him snarl.

Berget shifted into view, placing herself between Rylee and the vampires on the right. “Where are the Harpies?”

Shit, he hadn’t even noticed they weren’t on the ground. Alex pointed up with one long claw. “They flew.”

Liam didn’t take his eyes from the vampires, and neither did Rylee. Everyone else looked up to the sky. It was then the vampires came at them.

One slammed Berget hard enough that bones cracked, Griffin was thrown high into the air, toward the treetops. Liam put his back to Rylee’s.

“Just like old times.”

“Except you look better now.” She laughed, and his jaw dropped as the first vampire reached him. Alex darted out and grabbed the vampire’s pants leg, jerking him off balance. Liam caught him around the neck with one hand, long greasy hair tangled around the other and pulled.

Except the expected didn’t happen. The vampire laughed. “Keep trying, I like to see you sweat, Faris.”

A grunt behind him and the sound of something hitting the ground. A head most likely.

“I’ve got one fucker dealt with, Liam,” Rylee confirmed for him what was going on. Holding his captive, he spun to face the final vampire with her. Side by side. Where he should have been all along.

I told you so. You are an idiot to think sacrificing yourself was a good idea.

Faris’s tone was relaxed. Far too relaxed for his liking.

He ignored the vampire for the moment. “I can’t pull his head off. Take it, would you?”

He held out the greasy haired bloodsucker so his neck was presented to Rylee. It was then he saw the thing around the vamp’s neck. It was corded with something, and when Rylee’s sword hit it, sparks flew.

“His neck is wrapped in metal.”

They raised their heads to see the last vampire standing quietly in front of them. But they were no longer alone. Berget had gotten up, and Griffin was back in full wolf form.

A whoosh of wings and Eve and Marco were back on the ground.

“Thanks for the heads up.” Rylee took her second sword and drove it into Metal Neck’s chest, slicing him open and removing his heart. Not quite surgeon precise, but close. “That’ll slow him down.”

She wiped her blade and looked at the last vampire.

“You’re outnumbered pretty fucking bad. Perhaps you’d like to take your dumbass and get out of here?”

The vampire, Faris called him Adam, smiled at them. “Outnumbered is not the same thing as outmatched. Surely you must know that, Tracker?”

Liam didn’t like the way the confrontation was going. He grabbed Rylee and all but threw her onto Eve’s back. “Everyone up. Now.”

Alex and Berget scrambled to obey. Griffin gave him a nod and leapt onto Marco’s back. “Take them up.”

“Liam, no!” Rylee yelled as Eve launched into the air, Marco right behind them.

“Come back when we’re done.”

Adam tipped his head. “Have you gone soft, Faris? You always were the piece of shit on the empire’s shoes. But I never thought I’d see you put someone else first.”

Liam pulled hard on his old abilities and the wolf tied to his spirit rushed through his blood stream.

Adam must have sensed something because there was no warning, he was suddenly rushing Liam. Faris took that moment to steal control of his body again, dropping to one knee and rolling so both fists were thrust up into Adam’s belly.

The vampire was shoved high into the air, eyes wide. Faris pulled his cutlass and as Adam fell, took his head in a single slice.

“I never liked him anyway.”

Why did you take control? I had that.

“I know his moves. He used to spar with me.” Faris slid the cutlass home and gave a wave to Eve and Marco. The two Harpies circled low and landed.

Liam shoved his way forward and Faris all but howled as his spirit was stuffed backward. Again.

“I want to talk to my grandfather. Give me that, at least.” He didn’t want to ask permission, yet . . . he was softening toward the vampire. How could he not? He’d seen how horrific Faris’s life had been. What Faris had shared with Rylee had been a drop in the ocean in terms of the horrors he’d faced.

No wonder he was such an asshole.

Thanks.

“I give credit where it’s due.”

Griffin strode toward him.

This was the chance Liam had been waiting for. One last moment. “Before I go. Why didn’t you ever come to help me?”

Griffin swung those disturbingly dark eyes to Faris. “You didn’t need it. You still don’t. You got more of me in you than you have of your own father.”

He stared hard at Griffin. “You were the voice I heard in my head all those times, the Great Wolf, weren’t you?”