Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter #18)(16)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

The others turned on him.

"Take a number," Vane snarled at them. "There’s plenty of this to go around."

The Daimon nearest him laughed. "Your powers are bound."

"Tell it to the undertaker," Vane said as he lunged for him. The Daimon jumped back, but not far enough. Used to fighting humans, the Daimon didn’t take into account that Vane was physically able to leap ten times as far.

Vane didn’t need his psychic powers. His animal strength was enough to finish this. He stabbed the Daimon and turned to face the others as the Daimon evaporated.

They rushed him at once, but it didn’t work. Half of a Daimon’s power was the ability to strike without warning and to cause their victim to panic.

That would work if, as a cousin to the Daimons, Vane hadn’t been taught that strategy from the cradle. There was nothing about them that made him panic.

All their tactic did was make him dispassionate and determined.

And in the end, that would make him victorious.

Vane ripped through two more with his stake while Fang remained unmoving in the water. His panic started to swell, but he forced it down.

Staying calm was the only way to win a fight.

One of the Daimons caught him with a blast that sent him spiraling through the water. Vane collided with a stump and groaned at the pain that exploded down his back.

Out of habit, he lashed back with his own powers only to feel the collar tighten and shock him. He cursed at the new pain, then ignored it.

Getting up, he charged at the two males who were heading for his brother.

"Give up already," one of the Daimons snarled.

"Why don’t you?"

The Daimon lunged. Vane ducked under the water and pulled the Daimon’s feet out from under him. They fought in the water until Vane caught him in the chest with his stake.

The rest ran off.

Vane stood in the darkness, listening to them splashing away from him. His heart pounded in his ears as he allowed his rage to consume him. Throwing his head back, he let out his wolf’s howl that echoed eerily through the misty bayou.

Inhuman and baleful, it was the kind of sound that would send even the voodoo mavens scurrying for cover.

Now certain the Daimons were gone, Vane raked his wet hair from his eyes as he made his way to Fang, who still hadn’t moved.

Vane choked on his grief as he stumbled blindly through the water with only one thought in his mind . . . don’t be dead.

Over and over in his mind, he saw his sister’s lifeless body. Felt her coldness against his skin. He couldn’t lose them both. He couldn’t.

It would kill him.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to hear one of Fang’s stupid-ass comments.

Anything.

Images flashed through his mind as he remembered his sister’s death. Unimaginable pain tore through him. Fang had to be alive. He had to.

"Please, gods, please," he breathed as he closed the distance between them. He couldn’t lose his brother.

Not like this . . .

Fang’s eyes were open, staring unseeingly up at the full moon that would have allowed them to time-jump out of this swamp had they not both been wearing the collars.

There were open bite wounds all over him.

A deep, profound grief tore through Vane, splintering his heart into pieces.

"C’mon, Fang, don’t be dead," he said, his voice breaking as he forced himself not to cry. Instead, he snarled out, "Don’t you die on me, you ass**le."

He pulled his brother to him and discovered that Fang wasn’t dead. He was still breathing and shaking uncontrollably. Shallow and raspy, the hollow sound of Fang’s breaths was a symphony to Vane’s ears.

His tears broke as relief pierced him. He cradled Fang gently in his arms.

"C’mon, Fang," he said in the stillness. "Say something stupid for me."

But Fang didn’t speak. He just lay there in complete shock as he shook in Vane’s arms.

At least he was alive.

For the moment.

Vane ground his teeth as anger consumed him. He had to get his brother out of here. Had to find someplace safe for both of them.

If there was such a place.

With his rage unleashed, he did the impossible, he tore Fang’s collar from his throat with his bare hands. Fang turned instantly into a wolf.

Still, Fang didn’t come around. He didn’t blink or speak.

Vane swallowed the painful lump in his throat and fought the tears that stung his eyes.

"It’s okay, little brother," he whispered to Fang as he picked him up from the foul water. The weight of the brown wolf was excruciating, but Vane didn’t care. He paid no attention to his body that protested carrying Fang.

So long as he had breath in his body, no one would ever hurt anyone Vane cared for again.

And he would bring death to anyone who ever tried.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Aimee dropped a plate as pain tore through her. Trying to breathe, she leaned against the sink.

"Something wrong?"

She looked at Tony, one of their cooks, and shook her head. "Just a weird twinge." Since he was human, it wouldn’t do any good to explain to him what was happening with her and her powers.

Fang was hurt.

She could feel it. And more than that, she had an overwhelming need to find him.

Now!

Don’t do it. . . .

He didn’t want her around him. He’d made that more than clear. And yet she couldn’t shake the feeling inside her that said it was imperative to get to him. He was too close to death. Closing her eyes, she zeroed in on him and saw Vane fighting Daimons while a group of them were feeding on Fang. She saw their collars vividly in the darkness and knew that made them helpless in the fight.

They’d be devoured.

Unable to stand it, she forgot about the plate and ran for Peltier House. Dev had gotten off duty about an hour ago. She flashed herself up to his door and knocked on it.

"Come in."

She opened it to find him sitting on his bed, watching TV while flipping through a motorcycle magazine. "The wolves who saved me are in serious trouble. I can’t leave them alone in this fight and I might need backup."

Dev didn’t hesitate. "I’ll grab Etienne and Colt. You get Alain."

Grateful for his understanding, she left him to go to the next room to knock on Alain’s door. Before she could even lift her hand, her cell phone rang. Aimee answered it to find the wolf Fury on the other end.

"Were you serious about offering protection to Vane and Fang?" His voice was deadly earnest.

"Yes, why?"

"Because their father has betrayed them and left them for dead. There was nothing I could do, but I’m hoping you guys are able to save them."

She listened as he filled her in on more details than her vision had provided. Best of all, he gave her their exact location. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I owe them, but I can’t do anything more. Save them, Aimee, please."

"I’ll do my best."

"Thanks and I’ll try to keep the pack away. Also, whatever you do, don’t tell anyone about this call, especially not Vane or Fang." He hung up before she could respond.

She frowned at his parting words. What a weird request.

Shaking her head, she put her phone away, knocked on Alain’s door, and told him what was happening. Like Dev, he shot to his feet to join her.

Once they were gathered together, she took them to where she’d seen Vane and Fang in her vision and to the location Fury had given her. The Daimons were already in flight as they came in.

To her left, Vane held Fang, who was now in wolf form. She ran to them with her brothers right behind her.

"Vane?"

He looked up with an angry snarl until he realized they weren’t Daimons. His anger melted under a stern frown of confusion. "What are you doing here?"

She hesitated at telling him the truth. No one needed to know the extent of her powers or of her ability to hone in on other beings’ whereabouts with an unerring accuracy. And most of all she didn’t want to betray Fury.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to turn his attention from her to them.

Vane shook his head as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. "We were attacked. . . ."

"Look," Alain said, stepping forward. "I don’t mean to be rude, but the Daimons are out in force tonight and while most of them are cowards, there’s enough Spathi running around that we don’t want to be caught out here undermanned. Let’s get everyone back to Sanctuary and then talk."

Aimee couldn’t agree more.

Vane eyed them suspiciously.

Dev put his hand on Vane’s shoulder. "You saved Aimee and my father told you we would welcome you in anytime. We meant that. Now come on. Let’s get you both cleaned up and tended to."

Aimee didn’t move until they’d all vanished. She looked around the area as the events of the night played through her mind. Vane’s and Fang’s combined agony lingered here like a phantom wraith that haunted her.

Anya was dead and their pack had turned on them. She winced in pain as she felt for Fang. This wouldn’t be easy on him.

Wanting to help, she flashed herself back to Sanctuary. Her brothers had taken Fang to Carson’s examining room while they and Vane, who had dressed himself in a fresh pair of jeans and a T-shirt, stood in Carson’s office, relaying the events to her brothers.

Carson was inside the other room alone with Fang.

She stood to the side of Dev and waited silently while they talked. It amazed her how much of the horror she’d seen in her visions that Vane left out. But then maybe not. Admitting your father was out to kill you and your brother for no reason had to be hard on him. Who would want to tell that to complete strangers?

While they talked, she went to get food for Vane. She brought it back upstairs and set it down on Carson’s desk.

Vane smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

She inclined her head to him. "Do you need anything else?"

He looked wistfully at the closed door that led to the room where Carson was treating Fang. "Guess not."

Aimee touched his shoulder in sympathy, knowing that the one thing he needed was for Fang to be normal and whole. For him to live through this attack.

And for some reason she couldn’t name, she needed it too.

Carson came out of the examining room a little time later, after Vane had finished eating and she’d taken the dishes back to the kitchen.

Vane stood up immediately.

She could tell by the sadness in Carson’s eyes that it wasn’t good news.

"Well?" Vane tapped his hand against his thigh in nervous agitation.

Carson looked at him and sighed. "He’s completely unresponsive."

Vane frowned. "What does that mean?"

"He’s withdrawn into himself, probably from shock, and isn’t reacting to anything I do."

That news didn’t seem to please Vane any more than it pleased Aimee. "What about his wounds?"

"They’ll heal, but I’m not sure about his mental state. Bones and scrapes, I can fix. What’s wrong with him . . . you might need a psychologist."

Vane pushed past him. "Bullshit." He threw open the door to see Fang lying on the table in his wolf’s form. But for the subtle rise and fall of his ribs, it would be easy to mistake him for a corpse. He didn’t even twitch.

Aimee moved forward to watch as Vane embraced him.

"Fang? C’mon, buddy. Get up."

Fang ignored him completely.

Vane curled his fists in his brother’s coat and tugged hard enough to make Aimee cringe. "Damn you. Get up!"

Fang didn’t respond at all. He just lay there, unmoving, unblinking. It was as if he’d left this world and gone somewhere else completely.

Carson went to the opposite side of the table. Gently, he pulled Vane’s hands away from Fang’s fur. "He’s not really here with us. It’s like his mind can’t handle whatever happened to the two of you and he’s retreated deep inside himself."

Vane shook his head in denial. "He’s stronger than this. He’s always been stronger. . . ."

"Even the mightiest oak can be felled by a whisper of a wind if it comes on the heels of a powerful enough storm."

She swallowed the lump in her throat that burned from the sympathetic emotions choking her. Over and over, she saw Fang as he’d been that day she took the steak to him and he’d waited outside for his pack. There had been no weakness to him. He was raw power and integrity. How could this have happened to him?

She agreed with Vane. It didn’t make any sense.

"Is there anything we can do?" she asked.

Carson sighed. "I have no idea. I’d say to call Grace Alexander and see if she can help."

Vane scowled. "Who is she?"

Carson smoothed Fang’s fur down from where Vane had tugged at it. "She’s married to a Greek demigod and is a licensed psychologist. She’s the only one I know who might reach him."

Vane grabbed Fang’s head and angled it so that Fang was staring blankly at him. "Look at me, Fang! Damn it, don’t do this. I need you lucid. We can’t stay here. Do you hear me? You have to wake up so that we can fight."

Carson pulled his hands away again. "I don’t think more violence is the answer. Let him rest tonight. Maybe he’ll be better by the morning."

Dev and Alain came forward. "You want us to move him?"

Carson shook his head. "I think it best if he stays where he is for the time being. But I’m sure Vane would like a more comfortable place to spend the night."