Just then, the most haunting howl cut through the night and I saw Devon smashing through a side window in his wolf form. Kai followed right behind him. The fight had begun. I crept around the side of the house where one of the Los Angeles pack wolves had smashed in the front door. I heard hissing and screaming. Two vampires fled the front door on fire. Before I could take a step towards the front door, a cold hand clamped around my neck.

“Aurora, dear, thank you for coming. I am Layla, queen of the North American vampire clan. You should be honored to be in my presence,” a female voice said behind me. I wasted no time in acting. I grabbed her palm while throwing myself forward and flipping her over my back. But just as quickly, two heaving hands held my arms down and shoved my face into the dirt. The female I had thrown was crouched now and peering at me with her head tilted to the side. Her hair was strawberry blonde and fell to her waist in waves. She was pale and her eyes were black. Her fangs stuck out pressing on her bottom lip. She inhaled deeply and smiled. “You know, people that fight back always taste better.”

My heart was hammering inside my chest. I wanted to call for help but I didn’t want to take any help away from Emma.

“This was always a trap, wasn’t it?” I asked her. She knew my name. She seemed ready for me.

She smiled as I was jerked to my feet and made to stand.

“You were always the prize, yes. Your blood can give all of the vampire women in my command the power of fertility.”

My stomach dropped. No. ‘Kai!’

The dark witch that I had seen in my mind’s eye walked around from behind me. She smelled like witch and smoke, like clove cigarettes. She ran a bony hand through her long black hair and cackled. “I have blocked you from communicating with your pack. It’s just us.” A fine mist covered the both of us and I knew she was right. Layla, the vampire queen, smiled at the dark witch.

A black van turned the corner just then and came to a screeching halt behind us. Men dressed in all black military gear suspended from nearby trees and repelled down to street level. The vampires hissed. I took in a deep breath. Humans?

The humans advanced with silver pointed cross bows. I swallowed hard. They wore all black with a white symbol embroidered on their chest. They looked like hunters. Seasoned supernatural hunters.

‘Kai, run! Human hunters.’ I pushed the thought out with a little bit of what I hoped was magic. I saw mist leaving my body. I hoped the message went through.

A few of the humans raised their crossbows, just as the witch threw her hands in the air and black smoke exploded into my vision. I took in a huge breath and started coughing. I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. There was black smoke everywhere and it was burning my eyes. Someone grabbed me from behind and started pulling me backwards. I rammed my heel into what I thought might be a groin and was rewarded with a moan. Then I was hit with a hard object at the base of my skull and blackness took me.

RAIDOS

I came to with a raging headache. My mouth was dry and I was starving. I squinted at the bright lights and took in my surroundings. I was chained to a chair with silver chains. I was in a large room with rows and rows of bench-type seating. About ten people were sitting on benches but they stood now and aimed their crossbows at me. I was in the center of the room on a dais. It took me a second to realize I was in a church. A crazy thought struck me then. Would I burn alive? I looked down at my body. I guess not.

A man stepped forward. “Aurora?”

I swallowed, trying to figure out how I wanted to play this. They looked scared but they also look like they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

“Yes, my name is Aurora. Who are you?”

He looked to a woman on his right and she nodded, seemingly giving him permission.

“We are from a special branch of the International Intelligence Community. Those who know of us, call us RAIDOS. Research And Intelligence Division On Supernaturals. Our mission has always been to gather intelligence on your kind. How much information you give us will determine if we let you live.”

I nodded and tried to keep my wolf from coming out. I could tell by the fact that they stepped back a few feet that I hadn’t succeeded. I knew my eyes were yellow. I took a deep breath. “Well, I have only been a supernatural for a few weeks. I was human for the first twenty-two years of my life.”

The woman placed a tape recorder in front of me. “If you answer all of our questions and we determine you are not a threat to the human race. We will let you go.”

I looked at her. I could tell from the way she was communicating with the other man that they were in a romantic relationship. “I feel it fair to warn you that the longer you keep me here, the more chance you have of encountering my mate. He will bring our entire werewolf pack and they will rip your fragile human bodies apart.”

She raised her crossbow and pointed it at me. “Don’t make threats.”

I leaned forward. “It was a warning. I cannot communicate with my mate because the witch did something to my pack bonds. But he WILL find me and he won’t ask questions. This church won’t keep them out.”

A few of the RAIDOS agents exchanged looks. A petite woman with short blonde hair stepped forward. “So you will answer our questions?”

My mother was human. I was human a month ago. Of course I wanted the human race to survive. But I also needed to protect my pack. I needed to give them information but not too much.

“Yes, unless I feel you shouldn’t be given certain information for the safety of my kind.”