The sudden, powerful rush of fear-induced adrenaline had me immediately shedding my human skin and shifting into my wolf’s fur. It was the fastest change I had probably ever made, and a small part of my brain was proud of that fact.

What it was not proud of, however, was how I got tripped up in my clothes.

I tried taking several steps back, but ended up getting tangled in my jeans. I let loose a frustrated snarl as the pack bonds settled over me, disturbingly empty. I’d have to reflect on that later when my life wasn’t in immediate danger.

The vampire slowly strode towards me as he watched me struggle. I managed to use my teeth to rip the jeans enough to get out of them and clawed off the loose t-shirt, leaving me in my underwear.

“What a sight to see,” the vampire cooed in a deep and smooth voice, nodding to where I struggled to get my bra off. “I had no idea that you would be so entertaining in so many ways. Here, let me help.”

He jumped towards me, clearing a solid three yards in a single bound, and landed just shy of my nose. I wanted to reach forward and bite him, but resisted the impulse. It wouldn’t have the effect I wanted, even if it would be satisfying. Instead, I let loose a snarling bark as I backed up. I needed to make noise, to alert the other wolves to the danger.

He reached out with fast hands and smacked my muzzle, causing me to bite my tongue. My eyes watered as he chided, “Ah ah ah, none of that nonsense, now. No need to make such a fuss. We don’t need my friends to hurt anyone else unnecessarily.”

I tried to discern if he was bluffing or not but had no way to tell. It was probably best if I played along, at least for now. If this one had broken in to the second floor, if was likely others had as well. There was also the distinct lack of communication in my head from the pack bonds; whichever wolves had been on duty were either back in their skin or unconscious. I refused to even consider a third option.

The vampire grinned, fangs gleaming white in the darkness. Ew.

“I have a need of your assistance, wolf,” he informed me. “But to do so, I think it prudent if you removed the rest of those clothes you’re stuck in. Would you like my assistance?”

I bared my own fangs at him in answer, and he raised his hands in supplication. “That’s fine; I’ll wait until you’ve managed it.”

It took a little creativity, but I managed to get the bra off using my hind claws to rip it to shreds. Thankfully, it was my oldest one, and I didn’t feel bad about ruining it. The ones I liked were expensive.

My gaze drifted back to the vampire, who waited with hands in his pockets. He looked well put-together in khakis and a button-down with rolled sleeves. It was different from the image I had in my head. I’d assumed vampires were like savages, without any trace of humanity. While the verdict of the latter was still out, I had to admit that this vampire was not what I expected and not like the other vampire I had fought before.

“Lovely.” He his hands together once, loudly. It echoed slightly in the quiet. “I’m searching for a particular wolf, who I believe is somewhere in this…complex,” he said, the disdain and disapproval in his voice palpable. “He’s the one who murdered my friend in his own home.”

Noah. He was looking for Noah.

“He’s part of your pack, so you can find him.”

I shook my head at the vampire. He raised an eyebrow.

“Now, which part do you disagree with? Can you find him?” He waited for my response. I shrugged a shoulder in a maybe. “Is he a part of your pack?” I shook my head again.

The vampire’s eyes widened as a huge grin split across his pale face. “Ah, a visiting pack, then? Interesting. Well, wolf, lead me to where he is staying, and perhaps I’ll let you on your way.”

I turned and strutted down the hall, slowly. There was no need to rush while my mind raced with options, trying to determine the best one.

First option: I lead the vampire to Noah’s room and hope that he keeps his word and lets me go.

Second option: I take him to Maddock’s, Tobias’s, or my father’s room in hopes that they can handle the leech.

Third option: I leave the complex and head towards a motel or something to hopefully give the other wolves time to realize what’s going on.

I looked back to be sure the vampire was still following. He was. He took in the surroundings like he was on a personal tour of the White House, his gaze drifting around leisurely. He noticed me looking at him and offered another fang-baring smile. I curled my lip and turned back around.

I weighed the odds. It was impossible to say if he had any of his friends with him, or if they were holding other wolves hostage, or if anyone was dead. If I went with either of the last two options, I risked the lives of others. That wasn’t something I could live with. When given time and all the details, I could generally find a solution to a problem. But with so many unknown variables, the only thing I was sure of was that I had no idea what to do.

So I led the vampire to the guest wing, hating myself every step of the way.

Plopping my butt down on the ground outside Noah and Jonah’s room, I stared up at the creature. He grinned and started sniffing the air around the door, searching for something. Could he actually scent us? I thought I had been told they could scent blood; were we wrong? I hoped not. That would be a huge problem.

The vampire noticed my staring and decided to oblige what he probably thought was curiosity but was really dread. “While I cannot track over long distances without blood, I can match a scent if I am near enough. That’s how I located you, wolf. I remembered your scent from when you attacked my Benjamin.”

My first thought was that he was an idiot for telling me his plans. The second thought was that I was probably going to die, even if he said he’d let me go.

A wave of calm acceptance washed over me. There was likely little I could do to change his mind, but I would do what I could to protect the others and make it difficult for him. I wouldn’t just roll over and let him win without a fight.

“I’d like you to knock on the door,” he instructed, stepping off to the side to not be seen. I huffed a sigh and stood. I brought up a paw and scratched at the door three times.

We waited.

It was quiet inside. My ears strained forward to hear any movement, any indication that either Noah or Jonah was there. I wasn’t sure how well a vampire’s hearing was compared to a wolf’s.

But the vampire grinned, tilting forward onto the balls of his feet. He clearly believed someone was inside.

A disturbing thought crossed my mind; could he hear a heartbeat?

A few second later, I heard the scuffle of feet.

I was both relieved and stressed when Noah opened the door. From his position, he couldn’t see the vampire, and vice versa. But Noah put a finger to his lips and grinned as he calmly said, “Eliza. Come in.” He stepped back, keeping one finger over his lips and ushering me toward him with the other.

I walked in.

As soon as I cleared the door frame, I could feel the vampire shift behind me and a dark blur raced toward me. I flattened, hitting the floor so fast and hard that I bit my tongue. The gray wolf soared over me with ease. I scrambled to get out of the way of any more surprises as a savage growl ripped from the throat of the big wolf.

“Stay back here,” Noah instructed as he started stripping off his clothes. “Don’t engage if you can help it. But if you do, just try to remember your training.”

Condescending asshole.

I ducked down and crawled up to the doorway once Noah shifted and left. I had a front-row seat to watch the wolves take on the smooth-talking vampire. Maybe I’d learn something that I could. Noah, now in his

Out of seemingly nowhere, another two vampires joined the fray. What had been an easy two-on-one fight was now looking more even.

My money was on the wolves.

They fought with fluid and grace, darting in and out of each other’s space to keep the vampires from herding them or predicting their next moves. Jonah reached out with a paw and swiped the front of the light-haired vampire. He jumped back, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid a glancing blow that shredded his shirt and a thin layer of flesh underneath.

Noah grabbed one of the vampires by her long fake-red ponytail and tossed her aside like a rag doll. She rolled several feet away, closer to where Jonah squared off with blondie boy. She moaned piteously. Noah put his full attention to the nicely-dressed vampire that had ambushed me, the one who wanted to kill him.

A movement or sound or instinct had me turning my head and looking right.

There was a new player to the game.