“You freeze!” I shouted at Prudence and took a deep breath, unleashing a cloud of white mist to chase away her black. My legs were tingly but I could move, I ran at Prudence with the speed of a vampire and slammed her against the wall, screaming my biggest battle cry. She looked shocked as I quickly transformed my face into my werewolf form and attacked her neck, going for the kill. But the second I bit down, my snout was shocked with electricity. I yelped as she threw me off, smiling. Ow! What the …? I was shaking, my breath ragged as I shifted my face back to human.

Suddenly, the sounds of shattering glass all around the house flooded my ears as vampires descended into my mother’s home. They were flying into every window, completely surrounding us. Prudence grabbed one of my arms but I threw her off and pulled the stake from behind my back and rammed it through the nearest vamp’s chest, making it rain ash. These bastards were everywhere! We were so screwed!

“Need some help?” Max’s voice boomed from the front door.

“Get my mother out!” I yelled at him. A series of gun shots rang outside and I breathed a sigh of relief. Max had brought the militia. God bless paranoid human beings with large gun collections. They just saved our ass. The bullets wouldn’t kill the vamps but it would slow them down so they could be staked. I turned to deal with Prudence, but she was gone.

Glancing at the kitchen, I saw my mother with a nine-inch blade in her hand, standing behind Kai who was wrestling with Layla. Whoa. When did my mom become a badass? Max side stepped around Kai and Layla’s fight and took my mom out the back door to safety. Earl, Trent, Jai, and others poured in through the front door, stakes and guns drawn. Layla quickly stood, taking Kai in her arms, and stepped back, getting her footing. She squatted and then jumped up throwing him out the open back door. Jesus! Kai sailed through the air and landed with a thud and didn’t get up.

“Kai!” I screamed and began to run into the kitchen.

“Aurora, down!” Earl shouted and I hit the floor without question. A silver stake flew past me and just missed Layla. She glared at Earl with red-hued eyes and then ran out the back door as bullets flew all around me. Hissing and grunting filled my ears.

‘Kai!’ I screamed again. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t dead or I would feel it but he was out cold. Oh God. I army crawled across the broken glass, cutting up my elbows and forearms. Once I made it outside. I jumped up and ran to Kai, placing his wolf head in my lap. After a moment, he jerked suddenly, then whined. He took a few gasps of air through his snout then shifted to his human form, groaning.

“Jesus, Kai. You scared me.” I shook his shoulders, barely keeping my shit together. Seeing a strong-ass vampire queen chuck your mate out the window like a newspaper really tested your sanity.

He rubbed his head, opening and closing his jaw. “Now you know how I feel every time you get hurt,” he commented.

I huffed and pulled him close to let his warm body press against me. My wolf was rattling my skin like a cage, ready to break free.

I inhaled deeply. I couldn’t smell Layla. Of course not. So we couldn’t follow her! I kicked the ground. “She got away, again! I could have killed her but then we wouldn’t find Sadie and Tara. Ahh! This is maddening,” I roared.

Earl came out of the house and threw a towel at Kai who was gloriously naked. Kai wrapped it around his waist, nodding to Earl.

“They were too fast to track,” Earl told us.

I glared at Kai. “If I didn’t have to come out here and check on your unconscious ass, I could have gone after her! If I didn’t have a mother, she wouldn’t have been able to use my emotions to lure me here.” I swear to God I was five seconds away from going insane.

Kai frowned. “What do you mean?”

I sighed. “She’s playing me. Maybe I need to go after her alone.” I stalked off and headed to the front of the house.

‘Don’t say that. I’m sorry for controlling you before,’ he said as I walked away.

‘That’s not what I’m talking about, Kai. Layla knows I care about all of you. She uses you guys to keep me weak. Prudence made me hear Emma’s fake scream last time. This time they used my mother and then Layla knocked you out.’

‘It’s good that you care about us,’ he told me and I turned to see that concern lined his face.

“I’m not so sure. If I wasn’t mated, and so attached to the pack, I would run off and take her on myself. The Devi and I could do it together.” I knew my eyes were fierce.

“Don’t say that,” he said with fear. He sensed the certainty through our bond.

I got in my car. “I’m saying it.”

Kai slid in the passenger seat beside me. “We’ll find her and the female wolves she has taken. Together,” he declared.

I looked out at the trees, letting my hands rest on the steering wheel, but I didn’t respond. Kai grabbed my face and forced me to look at him.

“Look what we learned today. She must be staying within the area. Tara was taken yesterday so she is still in the area.”

“That’s what she wants you to think! She could have a private jet taking her to New York. You know nothing about her! She’s winning!” I slammed my palm on the steering wheel. I was having a hard time figuring out if I was so angry or if it was the Devi. It scared me not to know if I was myself or not. Tears lined my eyes.

Kai took my hand in his and kissed the top of it. “Let me make some calls. We haven’t exhausted all options. Your mother is safe, you are safe. That’s all that matters right now.”