Bending, Rurik rammed his clawed hands through Pavel’s chest and then dragged them down the length of the man’s torso, slicing him open fully.
With a gargled grunt, Pavel stopped moving. His eyes glassed over.
“Holy fuck, the Russian has gone full-on Russian Psycho on us.” Duke’s voice cut through the madness. “And has he bathed in blood?”
Rurik turned at the same second Liberty and Bill did. Duke was there, at the base of the porch stairs, looking up at the scene.
Liberty gasped and the next thing Rurik knew, Duke was propelled backward.
Bill bent, laughing hard.
Rurik rushed to Liberty. “Little Paw, no! He’s a friend.”
Liberty tensed. “Erm, sorry.”
Rurik wanted to hold her but held back since he was covered in blood.
She eased closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, seemingly unconcerned with the fact it looked as though someone had dipped him in a pool of blood. She hugged him tight. He kissed the top of her head and looked out to see Auberi helping Duke off the front lawn.
Duke rubbed his chest. “I know that power! The little girl from under your desk is your mate?”
Liberty tipped her head back, staring up at Rurik. “Huh?”
He laughed softly and kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes, Duke. She’s my mate.”
Auberi grinned. “She’s all right then?”
“She is,” said Rurik.
Auberi stared at him. “How about you? You’ve looked better.”
“I’m fine,” returned Rurik.
“Your arm,” said Liberty, coming just shy of touching where Pavel had clawed him.
“It’s fine. Just a scratch,” said Rurik.
She cast a disapproving look at him before pulling back fast. “Isobel! Daisy! Gus said they’re in danger.”
Gus had talked to her?
Garth stepped out from behind the telecommunications van with Blaise at his side. They were still in the street, both glancing at the dead hybrid bodies. It was then Rurik noticed the black SUV parked partially in the yard. Clearly the operatives had been taking driving lessons from Bill.
Bill cleared his throat. “Gus had me call Frenchie when I got home with the baked goods.”
Auberi nodded. “Garth put calls into trusted assets in the area. They should be to the hotel of the woman at the conference as we speak.”
Rurik eyed Bill. “How do you know where Daisy is staying?”
Bill pointed toward the safe house.
Gus was on the porch holding Mona’s head under his arm.
“I didn’t,” said Bill. “Gus told me. I just passed the info on to Frenchie.”
“I just got a call back from the team I dispatched to the university here, for, um, Is-it-a-belt,” said Garth as he dragged his attention to Rurik. The expression on his face said the news wasn’t good.
Is she dead? asked Rurik on their mental pathway.
There is no sign of her there, returned Garth. But there are signs of a struggle. Something went down there.
Headlights splashed over the area as a big black vintage convertible car came speeding at Garth and Blaise. The men froze, watching the oncoming vehicle with surprise.
Auberi moved with lightning-fast speed, knocking the Viking from the car’s path.
Blaise wasn’t quick enough. The car struck him full on. He was launched into the air and then came down hard on the pavement. He lay there, face down, unmoving.
The car came to a screeching halt and Isobel was out of it in seconds. She lifted her hands and flames appeared in each as she glared at the gathered group of men.
Liberty darted down the stairs. “Stop! They’re the good guys. Don’t light them on fire!”
The flames died out as Isobel ran for Liberty, drawing her into a hug.
Duke wasn’t far from Blaise, who was still face first on the street. He hurried over to the vampire and bent. “Uh, how do I tell if he’s deader than normal?”
Liberty tensed, still clinging to Isobel. “Oh God, you hit a good guy!”
Isobel’s gaze was slightly wild as she focused fully on Liberty. “Are you hurt? You’re bleeding!”
“I’m okay,” said Liberty. “But you hit that man.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Garth, pushing off the ground. “He started out dead.”
Auberi smoothed his dress shirt down, adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, and then strolled toward Blaise. “Blaise is fine. Stunned, but alive.”
“That’s kind of debatable,” said Duke before grinning at Garth. “Your father-in-law just saved your life.”
Garth flipped him off.
Auberi rolled his eyes. “Again with the hand gestures, Viking. Try using words.”
“Fuck. Off,” said Garth, putting emphasis on both words.
“That’s more like it,” supplied Auberi before glancing at Duke. “Tell my daughter I saved her mate’s life.”
“Trying to win some brownie points before you kill him?” asked Duke.
Auberi nodded demurely.
Duke laughed as he pointed to Blaise, who was still on the street. “Uh, what about your Fang Gang buddy?”
“Someone will need to either donate blood or get him some bagged blood,” said Auberi. “He’s alive but has internal injuries.”
Duke lifted a hand. “I call not it.”
Isobel clung to Liberty and then jerked back, appearing to come out of her haze of concern for her friend. “Shit. I ran over one of the hot Russian’s buddies.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Bill with a wave of his hand. “The Viking is right. The vampire did start out dead tonight.”
“Vampire?” asked Isobel.
Bill nodded. “Yeah. He’s a vampire. The blond with girl hair is a wolf-shifter. The other asshole here is one too.”
Duke grunted.
“Well, you are one,” said Bill. “And my boy up there is a bear-shifter.”
“Your boy?” asked Garth.
Liberty eyed him. “His son. Rurik.”
Garth cocked his head to the side. “Rurik is not Bill’s son. Rurik is hundreds of years older than Bill.”
Liberty eyed Rurik. “Come again?”
Rurik cringed. “About that.”
“Hundreds of years? Not his father? You people have some explaining to do.” Isobel drew Liberty back from the others a tad. “I’m sorry but shifters and vampires? I’m kind of stuck on that.”
“Hey, you shoot fire out of your hands,” said Bill. “Don’t go throwing stones there, young lady. You’re liable to hit a supernatural.”
Garth motioned to the bodies of the hybrids. “Uh, what happened out here?”
Bill nodded at Rurik’s mate. “Liberty Bell used her power and threw their sorry
