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The Valkyrie had bought protection from the House of Witches - their allies The spell kept lanced up "But, I, uh, I ht not have renewed the inscription spell with the witches"

Lucia said, "I thought ere on auto-renewal They charge our credit - "

"By Freya," Annika yelled, "I - in shot to her feet, lunging for her sword Lucia was right behind her, scra for her bow She&039;d just strapped on her quiver when the front door burst in

Chapter 8

As Garreth ran for Val Hall, he began to grow uneasy, his hackles rising Though Lykae loved to run - they&039;d traded tearing across the Highland hills and crags for tearing through the swamps and bayous - he took no co wasn&039;t right but couldn&039;t pinpoint his disquiet He frohen his sat-phone rang in his jeans pocket, then slowed to answer "What?"

Munro said, "Can you come back to the compound? There&039;s some news possibly"

"Have you told anyone about Lousha?"

"No, I have no&039;! Where are you?"

"On my way to Val Hall Concerned about my mate"

"Aye, Garreth, you need to know Va all over the city"

Bluidy hell "Which faction? Horde or Forbearer?" While the Horde was the Lykae&039;s oldest and most hated enemy, the Forbearers were relatively new players in the Accession ga the flesh, refusing to drink blood directly from others

Some in the Lore considered them noble vampires - as much an oxymoron for Garreth as cuddly snakes

"It&039;s the Horde," Munro said "Ivo and Lothaire, specifically"

Ivo was cowardly - Garreth had never considered him a threat Lothaire, the Eneether "What the fuck are they doing here?"

"The HordeValkyrie"

Lucia This hat he&039;d sensed Just as Garreth was about to hang up, Munro said, "Wait! There&039;s so else - "

"No&039; now!" Garreth yelled as he sprinted, sla the phone closed so hard, it lay crushed in his paler from the Horde, a filthy species responsible for the deaths of Garreth&039;s entire family If he lost his

Only a dozen e Never wanted her to see me like this

An i keenly at Regin and Lucia with eyes the color of blood

"What is that, Annika?" Regin drew one of her swords "A vampire turned demon?"

"Not possible," Lucia said "That&039;s supposed to be a true myth" Whatever it was, it had made Annika run like hell, and she was a notorious vampire killer

"Has to be" Annika panted "Never seen one so powerful"

"Is he one of Ivo&039;sorders to this one They&039;re still searching for someone"

Lucia nocked her arrows just as two o," Annika hissed to them "Both of you - "

Ivo the Cruelroo the scene

"Hello, Ivo," Annika said gravely

"Valkyrie," he responded with a bored sigh

When he sank onto their couch and carelessly kicked his boots up on their coffee table, Annika said, "You still have all the arrogance of a king Though you aren&039;t one" She shook her head "Can never be one"

"Just a wittle wapdog," Regin said with a snort "Demestriu&039;s wittle bitch in&039;s head

"What?" Regin stomped her foot "What&039;d I say?"

"Enjoy your taunts, Valkyries - they&039;ll be your last" Ivo turned to the demon vampire "She isn&039;t here"

"Who?" Annika demanded

"The one I seek," he answered cryptically Which Valkyrie had he been searching for all over the world?

Suddenly, Lucia spotted the faint outline of a figure wavering behind Ivo Lothaire? He&039;d traced into the roo in the shadows, as sinister as she re face

When Annika caught sight of hier to his lips Why would he be hiding from Ivo, his cohort?

Ivo rubbed the back of his neck, clearly sensing a presence behind hi; Lothaire had already disappeared Why wasn&039;t the Ene shoulder to shoulder with Ivo, poised for a fight? Or shoulder to head - Lothaire was as big as the de to dismiss his apprehension, Ivo ordered his minion, "Kill these three"

At once, the de speed The other two vaet a shot off Regin traded sword strikes with one, while Lucia kicked the other in the chest, sending him back so she could take a shot But he traced forward too quickly Lightning flashed with increasing furor

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucia spied Annika getting in so blood, Annika kicked hi

But when he landed, he grabbed her neck and hurled her across the entire great room into the fireplace forty feet away Annika hit headfirst, with so much force that the first layer of bricks turned to dust froods! Annika!"

Just as another layer of bricks dropped onto her lihting to guard their fallen sister Lucia dashed to Regin&039;s side, finally garnering enough rooin said between breaths "As many arrows as you can I&039;ll pry his head off"

She added two arrows to the pair she&039;d already nocked, pulling the bowstring so tight, intending a kill shot She released her volley

The deid He brushed three arrows aside like they were gnats He caught the fourth

Incohter echoed as the pain assailed her She dropped to the floor froht

Too ht

Her body twisted and her fingers clenched as a shriek was ripped froht in the lass, leaving them in darkness

Over the pain, she di in the distance

Annika unconscious Regin fighting off two Want to tell her to run Ivo and the de Can&039;t move

Another roar, even closer MacRieve? He&039;d heard her Was he coh the chaos, she caught sight of s and pale blue eyes stood out against the blackness, but she could barely see hih the dust and haze of her tears

Then lightning illu Can&039;t be him can&039;t be

He was s and dark claws longer and sharper A shadow of a ferocious beast flickered over his body

MacRieve A end

As he crept over to where she shook on the floor, she gritted her teeth but couldn&039;tover her, he reached for her face with his huge hands When his claws glinted like onyx, she flinched What would he do?

He&039;s trying to pat my tears? "Shh, female" He scooped her into his arms while she stared up with dread "Do no&039; fearwith possession

In an instant, she cos: why immortals feared the Lykae

And that she was this one&039;s mate

"Protect you"

Yes, he could never hurt her, would believe he&039;d been born to safeguard her life "And azed at the door, clearly wanting to reht these vampires"

Finally, a jerk of his chin He carried her out of the way, gently tucking her behind a table In that beastly voice, he grated, "I&039;ll give you their throats" He gazed at her with such longing, but she was horrified to see him completely turned He knew it, could see - she was in too ust

He twisted froainst the vain teaainst a va an enthralled-looking Ivo

There was no contest against MacRieve With dizzying speed, he lunged forward before the va his jaws closed on his opponent&039;s neck Bones cracked and arteries spurted as he ripped the vaore, MacRieve spit it into the h the rest of the vampire&039;s neck cleanly Head and body dropped to the criin&039;s vampire next She&039;d stabbed it several ti and vanishing, delivering blows She couldn&039;t land a killing strike

See to predict where thefor the va hied that one&039;s neck as well

In mere moments, the two enemies were decapitated

Confronted by a fully-turned, battle-

As soon as the threat was gone, MacRieve sped to Lucia&039;s side, crouching with blood dripping fros She stared up with revulsion "No, no" Just like before, a handsome face concealed a , suddenly she was back in Cruach&039;s lair The Broken Bloody One was above her, blood pouring fro into her eyes Criive you rated, rousing her back to the present "You&039;re safe" He tenderly ski her cheek

"No, get away get away from me"

Brows drawn as if in pain, he rose and loped out into the night

The deadly shadow that was Garreth MacRieve disappeared

But she knew he&039;d be back

Chapter 9

He hadn&039;t been back

But unfortunately for MacRieve, for hts over the last week, he hadn&039;t strayed far from Lucia

"Celts&039; pelts! Celts&039; pelts!" N&iu party of over two dozen Valkyrie gathered in a rein, Annika, Nïx, and several others were stationed in a carefully selected clearing, while even hout the s from distant vistas or trees

All this effort was to trap Garreth And Lucia was the bait

"Helloooo" Regin snapped her fingers "Lore to Lucia!"

"Huh? Yeah"

"You&039;re spacing again" Regin&039;s look of irritation immediately shifted to one of concern "It&039;s too soon I told Annika it was too soon"

Though Lucia had just missed a shot so recently, the coven had asked her to shank onethe first tiood," Lucia said She&039;d had to delay theth - and nerve - back She paid for eachsince the last tiin alone co this would be

"I can handle it," she insisted, even as she nervously plucked her bowstring

"All right They wouldn&039;t have asked, but"

But aggression against any of the Valkyrie was always met with a show of force - swift, vicious force And a Lykae had seriously aggressed them

Garreth&039;s older brother, Lachlain MacRieve, had returned as if from the dead to reclai little Ehter

King Lachlain had been the "hottie" Emma had mistakenly trusted in Paris And now he had her trapped at the Lykae castle in Scotland

After Annika had gone aneuris until car alarms blared in three parishes, she&039;d hatched this plan: trap Lachlain&039;s only living iet Emma back