He held his vampire cloak secure and drifted yet again into the dreamglide. He circled through the rooms of Roche’s home, then dipped down into the factory.
When he returned to real-time, he spoke telepathically to Fergus. I’ve done another run of the house. You have three dead in the hall to the left and one to the right, so stay with it.
Let me tell my men.
Brannick waited while Fergus communicated with the wolves. He and Fergus had already decided not to use group telepathy, which could get confusing in a gun fight.
Fergus took up his position once more, one knee on the floor as he held his AR-15 to his shoulder. He spoke to Brannick. Did you check out the factory? Will we be able to get in there tonight?
Negative. Roche has brought in about two dozen of his men. They’re crawling through the place, all armed, all prepared to die to protect dark flame.
Fergus’s nostrils flared. His nose elongated slightly then returned to normal, evidence of how quickly the shifters could transform. He made a chuffing sound, like a snort but held at the back of the throat. Not sure I can hold my men back. Do you know how many dead shifter females have been found in the Graveyard, each lit up with flame markings on their bodies? Countless over the years and all because of men like Roche.
Brannick felt Fergus’s frustration. The alpha was a careful leader but passionate, like most wolves, including in battle. He wouldn’t want to back down from a chance to destroy Roche’s factory. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do to prevent him, but he’d think of something. Forming a resistance was the way to go. He felt it in his vampire bones.
He started to address Fergus, but the air around him changed. He blinked because he could see the edges of a dreamglide but from the position of real-time.
What the hell?
And something more.
A dark, familiar chemical odor.
Like witch smoke.
Shit.
Roche was making his move.
He felt his vampire shield disintegrate.
The wolves began another round of automatic gunfire, aiming at both sides of the room. He had to lead Roche away from Fergus and his men. He levitated out of the foyer and into the living room, but was suddenly knocked flat from behind.
He lay on the carpet near the couch, struggling to get up.
Fergus called out. “Brannick, what the fuck are you doing?”
He started to answer, but was suddenly swept into a dreamglide, and not his own. In real-time, he could tell he’d passed out. A dense black smoke with a chemical stench like the one at the cottage surrounded him. With difficulty, he rolled onto his back. He found it hard to breathe.
The smoke began to peel away until Roche was visible, with his red hair and small, feral eyes.
“Having fun, Brannick?”
“Sure. And you?” Brannick tried to sit up, but the spell pinned him to the floor. “I see you’re in thick with the dark witches.”
Roche crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you really think you had the fae chops to take me on? You’re a vampire and what brute strength you possess isn’t any good in my domain.” He spread his arm through the air, indicating the space around him. His smile was cruel.
Brannick looked around as best he could. He took stock of the situation, but it wasn’t good. He was definitely in Roche’s dreamglide.
“The moment you and Juliet stole Mary from me, I headed over to Elegance and paid a lot of money for both spells.
“The first one worked brilliantly until you got involved. Fortunately, I had this one as a back-up and it’ll keep you right where I want you. There’s no escape now, Officer Brannick, and yes, I intend to kill you in the dreamglide and you will be dead in real-time. It doesn’t always work that way, but it will by my hands.”
The dreamglide began to move.
~ ~ ~
Before Juliet even entered Roche’s home, she knew something was wrong. She could feel it.