Page 98 of Burn for Her

Around them, moans, howls, and laughter filled the air. He could hear the rushing sounds of the river about a quarter mile away. Smelled wood burning. Heard metal lids twist off mason jars filled with moonshine. Scents of fear, lust, and anger mixed in the air.

The word vampire kept getting thrown around. The moans behind them grew louder. Someone said, Shhhh. Twigs snapped as boots pounded along the forest floor. Wolves growled, completely out of sight. More Lycan were shifting.

His hackles raised. Dorian clenched his jaw and scanned the woods.

A hiss slipped from between his teeth.

Dorian suddenly second-guessed the safety of all this. He was out-numbered here. The most Lycan he ever fought at one time was seven. There were nearly ten times that many here tonight. Not that he wanted to fight but aggression pulsed in his veins again. Loud and fierce.

Something was wrong.

Really wrong.

Growls resonated in his ears. His senses were heightened somehow. Pop, snap, crack! The fire spat out embers. A female Lycan laughed. Bane and Bowen were talking in hushed voices. Footsteps dashed across the forest ground.

A branch snapped.

Dorian yanked Lena’s jeans back over her ass. “Come with me.” He ducked down and guided her closer to the house.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t feel right.”

Dorian’s grip tightened on Lena. He pulled her along, the instinct to get her back to the house driving him over the edge of paranoia and straight into panic territory. Get her safe. Get her safe. Get her safe. They were in danger. It made no sense, but Dorian knew it with every fiber of his being.

Howls erupted from all angles, and someone screamed.

Dread hit Dorian like a battering ram to the gut. “Emily!”

Chapter 31

Animals dashed through the woods, running far faster than Dorian could with Lena in tow. She yanked out of his hold, “Lead and I’ll follow.”

Damnit, if she was really going to be part of his world, threats weren’t something she could run from. He couldn’t hide her forever either. Taking her to the house wouldn’t save her. Whatever was in these woods could easily break into the house next.

Dorian absolutely hated this with every fiber of his doomed being.

He wanted Lena to understand what she was getting into? Well, here was his chance.

“Stay behind me,” he said and took off.

At the top of a hill, his curse kicked him in the balls. Vertigo flipped his ass upside down and he stumbled forward, tripping on a root and pinwheeling his arms to balance himself. Sucking in a harsh breath, he cursed. This was his own damn fault. His speed and fine-tuned senses were deteriorating because he hadn’t turned Lena yet.

And here she was, right by his side, running into danger instead of away from it.

All because she was willing, didn’t mean she should. He hated how his heart was cut in half right now—part of it scared shitless for Emily, and part of it thumped with relief to have Lena with him.

How sick was that?

Was it possible to fall in love with someone in a moment like this? Yup. Sure was.

“I can’t smell anything but you,” he admitted. Dorian’s gaze darted all over the woods. “I can’t see anything clearly.”

Lena tried to scan the area, but she didn’t know what to look for.

Lycan zipped past them—stealthy and swift. Someone hollered. An animal yipped. Dorian’s head jerked in the direction of those sounds and he took off again with Lena hot on his heels. The scent of freshly spilled blood hit his nose and Dorian’s fangs grew a fucking pulse.

He followed it, crashing through thorn bushes, small trees, and brush.