Ursula suddenly was at his side. “I go too.”

Poncho spoke to his aunt as Moose bellowed, “Fuck! Why are we fuckin’ here and they’re fuckin’ there?”

“Time is wasting,” Gregor bit off.

Poncho looked to him. “Grab the swords.”

With their vampire speed, Gregor and Ursula had the swords and were standing in front of the witch.

“Do not go and do not send Delilah’s family,” he ordered. When Poncho looked ready to argue and he heard a gruff noise from Moose, Gregor swiftly carried on, “It will be too distracting. They need focus. And the compound needs to be defended at all costs, so do not send any immortals either. Josefa must look after The Three from here. Their minds are there, but their bodies are here and vulnerable.”

“Got it, man,” Poncho agreed.

“Hook,” Ursula called, and Hook must have looked to her because she kept going. “You gave me happiness. I vow to fall before your daughter does.”

“Babe,” Hook whispered and said no more.

The witch was reaching up toward their heads, muttering under her breath.

“Good luck,” Poncho said softly.

Gregor slid his eyes to the man and nodded.

The next instant, he was in hell.

* * * * *

Somewhere in a Café in Nevada

“Not good, not good, not good,” one man chanted.

“Get ’im! Fuck ’im up! Yes!” another one shouted.

“To your back!” Naomi screamed, then moaned, “Thank God.”

“No! Yes! No! Yes!” a woman cried.

“Get up, guy, get up, guy, get up,” a waitress whispered, eyes on the fallen Wei, his body lifeless amongst the carnage on-screen.

“Shit!” a man boomed. “They got that female wolf!”

* * * * *

Delilah

With a frightening yelp, Sonia as wolf slid on her side across the Tarmac, and every inch of my skin prickled to see her coat matted in blood, claw and teeth marks everywhere.

The next second, the wolf that pounced on her was grabbed by the throat and thrown through the air.

But he left something behind.

The gore of his gullet in Callum’s jowls.

Callum tossed it aside with a shake of his head and nosed her. She shook her head and got to her paws.

Then he nosed her firmly in our circle and turned toward an attacker.

I caught all this before I felt movement close beside me.

After thinking how I could ever see the whip of action to make my play, somehow, the action around me had come into focus.

Vivid focus.

Using it, I jumped on the back of a vampire who was all over Xun. He twisted to throw me off. With experience with Abel hauling me around, I held on with everything I had. Calling for more, I curved my hand around his jaw and yanked back.