He looked caught off-guard and chewed his lip nervously. “Yes, but I never got to tell her.”

I nodded. “What if I could give you the chance?”

“Aurora, what are you saying?”

I put my hands out. “Don’t tell Kai. Just hear me out.”

Max could send Kai a mental message and have the whole pack on my ass in minutes.

He nodded.

“Okay, Kai called from Arizona. Layla isn’t there and she isn’t going to show. She isn’t stupid. She wants me. Brett contacted me and they’re hurting Sadie.”

Fear flashed across Max’s face. “Did he say anything about Tara?”

I shook my head. “No, but Brett is a good tracker. He wants me to meet him right now. We can lure Layla out and she will take me. You guys follow and when you get the location, you call for backup.”

I could see him considering it.

“Kai’s my best friend,” he declared.

I nodded. “And he’s the love of my life but if we do it his way, then Tara and all of the females will be implanted with vampire spawn and I will be safe and cozy on my mountain. I need to end this. I’m the only one who can.”

Max met my eyes and was silent for a long time. Finally he exhaled deeply. “Okay, God help me when Kai finds out, but okay.”

“Okay.” I nodded. Holy shit, this was happening.

Alone

Putting the car into drive, I went to meet Brett. It was either the smartest or stupidest decision of my life. But it was better this way. Without Kai, I could focus on my life’s purpose, bring balance to the supernatural species and try not to die in the process. I could make a better world for Avery and this baby inside my belly to live in.

It was a silent drive downtown, both Max and I were lost in our thoughts. I pulled my car up to a meter in front of the coffee shop that I had been to dozens of times while studying for exams in college. Downtown was pretty dead; it was a weeknight. A few bars had their lights on but otherwise we were alone. Brett stepped out of the shadows of the coffee shop’s side building. When he saw Max, he recoiled.

“It’s okay, he’s in on the plan,” I told him quickly, trying to whisper. I wasn’t sure if we were being tracked by vampires or what.

Brett nodded. “Let’s split up. She will have had her trackers smell you by now. We shouldn’t be seen together. I won’t let you out of my sight. I promise,” he said.

Max nodded to him. “If Kai finds out we helped, you and I are dead men.”

Brett shrugged. “Better than our women being dead.”

Ouch. The man had a point. Brett walked fully out of the shadows and right past me as if he didn’t know me.

Looking up at the surrounding high tower buildings, I sighed. Okay. Here we go.

Max caught my arm. “I care about Tara and I want her back but I care about you, too. Don’t do anything stupid.”

I smiled. “Who me?” I said innocently and he grinned.

“I got your back,” he told me. I nodded and walked off, heading down towards the Willamette River. Downtown Portland kissed the Willamette, on the other side was Northeast Portland and the Columbia River, so close to Washington State you could cross a bridge and be there in five minutes. It was a beautiful city. I inhaled. The warm summer air was my favorite part of this time of year. I passed a few hippies playing hacky sack in the park and blasting reggae music. They threw me a peace sign when I met their gaze and went back to what they were doing. I had lost sight of Brett, but I assumed he could see me, so I took a left and walked up to Water Front Park trail, right on the river. Suddenly, I had the feeling I was being watched, and not by Brett or Max. It’s that icky feeling women get. We just know. Movement at my back caused me to turn quickly, just in time to see a vampire approach me lightning fast.

He was tall and lanky with a sinister look and dark ringed eyes.

“You can’t be this stupid,” he hissed.  I gripped the stake in my purse.

“Where’s Layla?” I ignored his jive and wasted no time getting to the point.

He smiled. “The queen isn’t close, but has requested your presence. Come with me.” He reached out and gripped my underarm.

“I want to make sure the female wolves are alive or I’m not going anywhere.” I stood firm.

He glared at me and pulled out a cell phone. After tapping it a few times, he then turned it to me, showing me a video. Tara was in some type of cage, lying on the ground. There were silver needle spikes one inch away from her skin. Anger flared inside of me. Tara was weeping.

The video then panned to a large room with the rest of the girls. A scientist was pinning down Sadie. Every time Sadie resisted, the needles poked Tara. They were using Tara as a pincushion to keep the girls from fighting back. Rage flooded my system and I pulled out the stake and rammed it into the chest of the vampire quicker than I had ever been.

He poofed to ash as the phone fell to the ground. “You bastards!” I screamed and kicked the cell phone out of the way as three vampires came out of a boat on the dock.

They zoomed into my vision, incredibly fast. “That was stupid,” one of them told me as they came up behind me and took both of my arms.

“Take me to my friends.” Oh, yes. I would go willingly and kill every bloodsucker involved in hurting Tara and the rest of them.

He slipped a black pillow case over my head. “Happily.”

Then I was being pushed super-fast onto the dock. My body was lifted up into a boat and I felt it sway. I had to flex my leg muscles to stay upright.