“We’ll give them a warning first,” Justice told them.
Mac translated Justice’s thoughts for the vampires. Ramon stood in front of twenty of Wick’s guards who had stayed on the compound.
A WARNING! Wolf sneered. We shouldn’t warn them. Don’t even think of allowing anyone close to Bell. We should just kill them all. Wrath, send out your waves.
Wolf, calm down. Justice has to be fair; you know that. If some of the rebels are acting against their will then I’m sure Wick wants to give them a chance to surrender, Alek explained the best he could. Wolf’s battle strategy was always to protect first, show mercy never.
Justice and Wick approached the edge of their compound, facing the uninvited intruder charging towards them. Even Alek could hear the rapid footsteps now, but he couldn’t smell a thing, only the usual scents of his home and his mate beside him. Whoever this was had perfected the art of disguise. Alek shifted uneasily and Bell leaned closer to him.
Wick and Justice moved in sync. His brother’s massive beast stalked forward, with his ears low and his tail straight out, ready to push his energy that could bring many to their knees at once. But, when he was with his mate, his force was maximized.
Wick arched forward with his big head raised to the sky, and roared with all his might, the sound almost deafening to their sensitive ears. It was a roar that was powerful enough to paralyze, and Justice followed Wick’s warning by shooting a blast into the woods that should’ve stopped any and all. But their intruder pushed through, his shield still intact, and kept advancing. Justice and Wick came back and shifted in front of them. “That should’ve worked,” Justice said, sounding winded.
“It’s the vampire,” Wick said. “I think it’s only one.”
“Let him move in,” Justice said, glaring at the trees. “No one attacks unless I give the command.”
It took another forty to fifty seconds before a short figure cloaked in black came into view. He crossed the boundaries onto their compound, and Alek took note that his brother, Mac, was the first to growl his disapproval. No one could get a good look at the trespasser’s features as he wore a midnight-black scarf draped over his head and covering half of his face. He wore loose-fitting clothes, so Alek was unsure of his build, but it clearly wasn’t Alessandro, who’d stood at least six feet.
“He doesn’t smell right.” Mac snarled.
“He’s blocking most of his scent,” Ramon frowned.
“Easy. Let’s see what he wants,” Justice said.
Alek could see the man had a backpack on with a couple of long rods sticking up over his shoulder.
Swords, Wrath confirmed.
Wolf became enraged. NO CLOSER, Aleksei!
Shit, Alek had to console his animal. Over the past month he’d been doing extensive training with Wrath and Wolf, practicing on working together as one. Like they had in the Dales. They all needed to think the same thoughts at the same time, and it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Wolf was relying on Alek not to ignore his concerns while he had the surface.
“Justice, that’s close enough. He needs to state his business,” Alek told his AZ. He was first beta. His counsel mattered.
“Agreed,” Justice said. “Stop him there.”
When the devious vampire began to move, Alek took a couple of steps forward and extended his hand in front of him. He immediately felt the heat surge through his body and project from his fingertips. The heatwaves were so hot and wide, Alek struggled to contain them.
Stay with me, Aleksei, Wrath said, sharing the surface with him.
I’m good, Alek grunted as more power surged through him. The wave was tall and wide, and Alek was moving it closer to the intruder. With his pack safely behind him, Alek trusted Wrath to do this.
The vampire was close enough to be heard. His voice was low, raspy, and held a no-nonsense tone. “I’m not here to fight.”
“We don’t know why you’re here. Drop your shields,” Wick commanded. “If you mean no harm.”
Alek kept his hand extended, gaining more control by the second. Bell’s steady presence at his back kept him grounded and composed.
“The shield is there for protection. I only wanted a chance to explain my appearance here.” The vampire held his hand out towards the rippling lines sizzling a few inches away from him. When he made contact, he yanked his hand back, shaking it vigorously. He gasped, his black eyes wide with disbelief. “It’s true. You have returned. These are the waves of Wrath. It’s really you.”
Alek waited on his other half to tell him what to do. Wolf?
I don’t like this. Let him in with a strict warning, Wolf instructed Wrath, and the demigod followed the command without question. Alek’s hand trembled as the waves began to glow a warm, orange hue that illuminated the vampire’s keen eyes. Wrath turned up the heat, showing their visitor what he was up against. Alek’s voice was deep and intimidating as Wrath spoke, “If you attack. You’ll die slowly.”