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He shifted his stance, and his irises took on a preternatural glow Her hackles rose She spun around before she heard the rustle behind her, kicking herself inwardly for being caught unawares, another sign that Elijah had knocked her off her ga Dressed in a simple sleeveless floral dress with buttons down the front, she looked fresh and innocent except for her eyes, which were narrowed and hot with hatred
Rachel The mate of the lycan Vash had tortured in an effort to find Elijah, whose blood had been left at the scene of Nikki’s abduction
"Back off, Rachel," Elijah warned
"She’sher stance and preparing to unsheathe the blades on her back She coree with the lycan’s right to chal enge her--after al , revenge for a o down for anyone without fight
"No, Rachel," he growled softly "She’syou"
"He didn’t givein front of Vash, acting as a shield "But Micah set me up in the first place He planted my blood, and that lured Vash to hunt me"
Rachel’s mouth curved, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes "Hoould he do that? Only Sentinels have access to the cryogenic storage facilities"
"The saels’ Point?"
If Vash hadn’t been watching so closely, she ht’ve missed the shiver of fear that raised the hairs on Rachel’s ar adether a picture of double-crosses and fractured loyalties
Rachel ripped open the front of her dress and shifted, and Vash whipped out her blades Elijah darted forward in hu she-wolf in the air and deflecting her
If Vash had harbored any doubts that he was an Alpha, they would have been completely dispel ed She’d never heard of a lycan able to resist a shift while under attack Never thought she’d see it
"Stop it," Elijah barked, his words cracking like a whip
But Rachel was beyond caring She hunkered low and caain the high ground and prepared to slice back, but Elijah pivoted with a roar, grabbing Rachel and crushing her spine to his chest Standing on her hind legs in lupine forer than he was She clawed at the air with her forepaws, her jaws snapping over her shoulder
"Cut it out" His bare feet skidded on the ground as he wrestled her writhing body "Don’t make me hurt you, Rach Don’t-- Da a bel ow of pain and fresh gushing of blood as his injury from the day before rent anew The potent scent of his blood fil ed Vash’s nostrils Her fangs descended; her body tightened with hunger She crouched, her gaze shooting to the mouth of the cave A witness would be helpful, but she saw none forthcoain and tore open his button fly In a split second, he’d shifted into a pony-sized ith rich chocolate fur and a lupine face as eous He howled, the sound echoing off the red rock and rol ing like thunder through the canyon
Rachel slinked across the dusty ground, her lips pul ed back in a snarling display of wickedly sharp teeth Elijah stalked her, growling low and deep with un quickened She smel ed the third lycan before she saw him
In human form, Stephan leaped onto the rooftop beside her and landed nimbly on his feet "Jesus," the Beta hissed "This is the last thing we need"
"You’reoff the SUV with her blades leading the charge, her body stretched to its ful length
The she-wolf pounced with a bark,her halfway Her katanas were a mere inch from fur-covered flesh andher out of the way Vash’s blades sank into the ground where the she-wolf had been a e, she held the hilts and flipped, her legs arcing over her head and landing on the other side She hit the ground in a crouch, her boots pounding into the dirt The sickening crunch of broken bone sounded behind her
"Fuckin’ A," she cursed, knowing death when she heard it
Elijah shifted for into that of a hu with tears He stared down at the lycan lying at his feet, watching fur melt into flesh as life flowed out of Rachel’s body fro heavily to his knees, he threw his head back and howled his grief
"Damn it," Vash snapped at his back "You should’ve let me do it It would have been self-defense The others would’ve accepted that easier than they wil you kil ing a lycan while protecting a varowl at his back alerted hiony of a bite he wouldn’t defend hiainst, he was startled when the expected attack didn’t co to hit him while he’s down, Beta," she said drily "You don’t have to protect him fro in when I can protecthi theet to each other after I ordered Rachel aould only prove that , he swiped his tears away and fought down the rising bile in his throat An icy luh him like acid He’d kil ed the woman he had promised to protect from harm, theof his closest friend While her death had been certain fro after the loss of theirthe hand that dealt the fatal blow
Stephan shifted, but kept a defensive position between Elijah and Vash
"Alpha" His voice was calm and control ed "How do you want to handle this?"
Elijah faced him "I’l inform the others Take whoever you need and see Rachel buried as wel as possible Then take these ca circles If you need help setting up the feed, Vashti wil assist you"
"I’l take care of it"