The Mate Challenge(46)

“You want to get married?” She asked. There was a slight tremble to her tone.

“It doesn’t have to be now,” he said, hoping he hadn’t scared her. “But yes, I do.”

She turned to glance out of the window, not saying anything else. He waited, worried he’d somehow messed up the path their relationship was on, but she said nothing.

When they got near enough to the rundown shack they were supposed to meet the others, he turned to her. “Emma.”

She glanced at him, her eyes filled with insecurity. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Okay. But we will talk about it.”

She nodded, rushing out of the car to join with the others arriving. She strapped on her guns and knife at her back. Trevan and his friends were parked by the shack. They divided into groups. Closed in on the shack in a circle. He, Emma and Aria headed up through the trees, the van easily visible in the distance.

A group of six people left the shack. A woman and five men.

“You have the slaves?” The woman asked.

Mason glanced at Aria who gasped. Her features turned dark with fury. Aria zoomed into the scene, jumping over the shifters and landing in front of the woman, her heels thumping on the wood of the shack’s steps.

“Chantal,” she hissed, lifting the woman up by the throat and flinging her back to hit the door of the shack, breaking it with a crack.

All hell broke loose at that point. Everyone ran for the shack. The vamps flung themselves at Trevan and his friends. Ellie and Nic shifted, hurdling themselves into the fray.

Emma pulled her guns out and started shooting. Mason helped the wolves. He didn’t shift, not yet. The vampires tried to move fast around them, but Ellie and Nic bit down on legs and arms, holding them in place.

Then Aria flew out of the shack, holding the other woman by the neck and slamming her back against a giant tree. Chantal shoved at Aria, hissing and baring her fangs.

“You did this to me,” Chantal screeched. “No human blood,” she spat. “It goes against our nature.”

Aria swung, punching Chantal across the face. Blood oozed out of Chantal’s nose. Her eyes widened. Chantal flung herself at Aria, crashing against the side of the shack, bringing down a weak wall.

“I didn’t make the rules! You agreed to them centuries ago.” Aria screamed and swung again.

“What vampire doesn’t want blood?” Chantal lifted her hand and wiped her nose then lifted her fingers to her lips and licked. “Who doesn’t crave the taste?”

“I don’t!” Aria kicked Chantal in the stomach, the move sending Chantal into the fighting zone.

“You will one day, princess.” Chantal laughed diabolically. “One day you won’t be able to stop the thirst.”

Mason had his arms wrapped around one of the vampires, holding the bloodsucker down when Emma started shooting at Chantal. He wanted to tell her to stop. To not call attention to herself, but the vampire wiggled and elbowed him in the gut. Mason’s grasp loosened. Ellie and Nic tore one of the guys’ arms’ off and moved on to another.

Trevan fought one of the vampires while his friends had two others in their grasps. Mason flipped the vamp, slamming him down on the ground and flinging him over his head to do it again.

The ground shook as Aria tossed Chantal across the shack again. Another wall came down, leaving the thing precariously standing on a few beams.

“I’m older than you, Aria,” Chantal hissed, tearing a tree and flinging it at Aria.

“You’re a turned, Chantal. You’ll never have my strength.” Aria jumped straight for Chantal, but the other woman moved lightning fast.

Mason slammed the vampire on the ground again, and tossed him at Nic and Ellie who had disposed of yet another between the two.

Mason searched out Emma and watched in horror as Chantal continued moving too fast for Emma to shoot. To his horror, Chantal stopped behind Emma, curled a hand around her throat and another on her chest.

“You can’t protect everyone, Aria,” Chantal grinned, showing her extended fangs. “Not this time. I made a deal with Rahound. We get blood and he gets our help to fight the shifters he wants out of the way.”

“My clan is not yours to run, Chantal!”

Mason ran, but he wasn’t fast enough. Chantal jumped with a struggling Emma, her nails turning into long claws dug into Emma’s chest. Chantal did a quick long tear and the sound of Emma’s scream froze his heart in his chest.





SEVENTEEN





“It doesn’t matter anymore. I got blood. You can’t beat me.” Chantal dropped Emma seconds before Aria reached them. Aria grabbed Chantal by the neck and squeezed.