Page 14 of Hellfire
My veins filled with hellfire, burning with hatred toward everything The Hive represented. Venom was why my life was engulfed in so much sorrow and pain. A sneer pulled at his lips, revealing his fangs.
“The woman and child belong to the Hive. If you don’t leave now, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
I bristled at his words. “I won’t let you take them.”
His sneer turned into a malicious smile. “Fine, Tank. Then the girl will die, and once again, you will have no one to blame but yourself.”
A scream had the birds in the trees taking flight. My heart plummeted with realization. This was all a ploy, a distraction, while his bees took my girl. I sprinted through the trees as fast as I could, begging the universe to not let me be too late. Stepping into the clearing, the vampires, one by one, jumped over the swamp that separated our lands.
“Katrina,” I growled.
She was on the ground, holding Leona protectively. At my voice, she turned in my direction. The fear I saw there called to this primal side of me that was determined to protect her. I launched myself over her, landing on all fours as my Cerberus took over. Venom’s threat fueled my attack. The thought of them hurting Leona had me seeing red.
I swiped out at the closest vampire, sending him sailing into a nearby tree. Another jumped on my back, infuriating my beast. My teeth clenched down on his skull, demolishing him in one bite. I growled in satisfaction as copper coated my tongue.
Katrina’s screams distracted me from the next one’s attack, allowing him to land a blow to my face as he attempted to blind one of my beasts. But I quickly avoided the worst of his wrath.
Once the threat was eliminated, I stood triumphantly over the bodies. I was fast enough this time. I saved them.
As Leona rushed over to me, I watched her with a mix of curiosity and caution. She was so small and vulnerable. But there was also this strength in her, which reminded me of Rose as a child. As she scratched behind my ear, a low whimper rumbled in my throat at the reminder of her loss. It’s been eight years, and still, I missed her just as fiercely as the day they took her from us.
“Thank you,” Leona murmured, her gaze shifted to my nose. “Oh no! You poor baby,” she cried. “You got a boo boo.”
Leona reached up on her tiptoes and kissed my snout affectionately. Fresh-cut roses filled my nostrils, calming my beast in a way I never expected. This new bond was filling the void of Rose’s loss. My connection with this innocent soul was familial; she felt like kin to my beast. I couldn’t help but feel this tenderness toward her, and I vowed to myself that I’d protect her at all costs. I wouldn’t fail this time. And I’d make Rose proud.
“Leona, baby,” Katrina said. “Why don’t you come over here with me?”
Leona looked over at her mother. Her chin lifted in defiance.
“He won’t hurt us,” she said. Pride swelled in my chest at how certain she was.
“But how do you know?” Katrina asked.
I knew I should shift back and explain for myself, but my beast kept our form hostage. He insisted Katrina needed to come to terms with us in this form. Distracted by the feelings that rushed through the bond, I hadn’t heard Leona’s response.
“Come meet him, mama, trust me,” she said.
“This is crazy,” Katrina murmured.
When she gently touched my beast for the first time, a jolt of electricity ran through me. My body tensed at this new sensation. As I looked into those crystal blue eyes, my heart constricted with adoration. One that set my body on fire in a way I’d never felt before. I let out a breath of contentment. “Thank you for saving us. I don’t know what I would have done without you, Tank.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and I had this raw need to hold her. To soothe away the pain I saw in her broken eyes. Finally, my beast released his hold, allowing me to shift. I reluctantly broke apart from our touch and stepped back. Never once breaking eye contact. She swallowed roughly as she stared at me in awe.
Taking slow, measured steps toward her, I reached for her face, giving her a chance to deny my touch. A rush of breath released from my chest as my hand engulfed her cheek. She leaned into it and closed her eyes.
“Why did you run?” I asked her gently.
She licked her lips, her eyes settling on mine again.
“I was afraid,” she whispered. My brows furrowed in confusion.
“Afraid of what?” I needed to understand.
Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to answer. Her eyes darted left and right as her vanilla scent soured with fear.
“I have to keep Leona safe, Tank.” Her eyes pleaded with me to understand. “If he found us–”
My shoulders sagged in relief when I realized it wasn’t me she feared. “Shh. It’s okay baby, you’re safe with me.”