29: The Lurking Foe

HARPER

My eyes fluttered open, the sound of steam hissing from our wrecked car filling my ears. Shattered glass was strewn around us, and the car’s roof was severely dented. We were hanging upside down, tilted slightly to one side.

My arms dangled toward my window, the side of the car that was tipped downward. A groan of pain escaped my lips, followed by a curse.

“Grace?” I called out.

She was still strapped in her seat, her body limp. Her hair and arms hung down toward me. My heart pounded in my chest.

A large tree branch had pierced her side of the car, and I was terrified that she might be dead. I forced myself to stay calm, taking a deep, painful breath.

“Grace? Can you hear me?” I reached up, pushing her hair aside to look at her face.

I heard her breathe and saw her stir slightly, but she didn’t wake up. Relief washed over me.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, bracing myself for the slight fall. A sharp pain shot through my left leg, causing me to curse. I glanced down, but it didn’t seem broken.

The pain was concentrated in my knee. I was still running on adrenaline, so I probably had more injuries than I was aware of.

~Harper? What happened?~ Sierra’s voice echoed in my mind, strong and clear. I was surprised at the strength of her telepathy over this distance.

Our bond and her lineage must have amplified her mental reach. She must have sensed something was wrong through our bond. I managed to twist around and started checking Grace, trying to free her from her seat. She moaned and began to stir.

~We were hit by a car. I’m not sure how far off the road we are. I think it was intentional, not an accident. But no one has approached the car yet. Grace is still unconscious. I don’t know the extent of our injuries yet.~ I relayed the information to Sierra, knowing she would share it with Axel.

~Axel is on his way with a few others. He’s also on the phone with Jasper, who will send help from his end.~ I could hear the worry in Sierra’s mental voice, and I could feel it too. I sent back a mental nod.

~Keep your mind open to me, Harper. I need to know what’s happening, okay?~ Sierra’s voice was filled with concern. I wasn’t going to argue. I needed her just as much as she needed me. She was my lifeline.

~I’ll do my best.~ I promised, struggling to free Grace. The seatbelt was jammed, so I used my claws to cut it. Grace slid toward me, groaning in pain.

“Harper?” Her voice was weak and confused. Her breathing became labored, and I could tell she was in pain.

I helped her get down and position herself so she wasn’t completely on top of me.

“Yeah, I’m here,” I reassured her, trying to keep my voice steady. She seemed disoriented at first.

I poked my head out of the shattered windshield, deciding it was the best way to climb out. My left knee throbbed with pain, but I managed to twist around as Grace moved to the back seat, allowing me to exit first.

“Did anyone follow us?” Grace asked. There was blood on her forehead, and a bruise was already forming.

The passenger side was crushed, and the tree branch made it difficult to squeeze out the front.

“Not yet. Their car must be totaled too after that hit. But I have a feeling there’s more than one car involved. No one drives like that without malicious intent. We both know that,” I said.

I was certain that as soon as we left our territory, whoever was watching alerted those lying in wait. It was opportunistic, no doubt about it. I was willing to bet that Kaven had men stationed out here, either waiting to invade our territory or seize an opportunity like this to kidnap some of us. That bastard was moving faster than we anticipated.

“Are you going to follow me this way, or come out the back window?” I asked Grace.

The back window would allow her to exit behind the car and closer to the ground. The driver’s side was angled downward, but the front was slightly higher than the back. Our car had come to rest against a sturdy tree, and the slope upward was steep. The drag marks from our car were clearly visible.

“I need a moment. I’m short of breath. I think I might have bruised or broken a rib. It’s hard to tell, but it hurts a lot. I’m also feeling a bit dizzy, so I probably have a concussion.” Grace assessed her injuries.

“Let me come around. I can help with some healing,” I offered.

We both had the ability to heal, but neither of us had the innate gift to heal our own bodies faster like Layla did. We could heal others, but had to rely on our natural healing ability as a lycan. We could heal each other, but the effectiveness of our healing gifts varied, and they came at a cost. But that wasn’t important right now.

“Yeah, start with the head wound. Where are you hurt?” Grace asked, moving fully into the back seat.

I climbed out the window, swinging my legs down to the ground. I winced as pain shot through my left leg.

“My left leg is pretty bad, and my head is throbbing. I think…” I was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

A sharp pain in my right shoulder sent me sprawling to the ground. I rolled as a second shot rang out, missing me but hitting a tree.

I felt a sharp sting and looked down to see a dart in my side. This wasn’t good. I had no idea what was in that dart. I pulled it out, but most of the drug was already in my system.

It seemed they were trying to incapacitate me rather than kill me. They wanted to capture me. The question was whether they knew who I was, or if this was purely opportunistic.

I scrambled behind a large tree and glanced back at the car. I could see Grace. She was smart enough not to cry out. She made eye contact with me.

We were close enough to communicate mind-to-mind. Grace had stronger telepathy than I did. But Sierra was already in my head, asking what was happening.

~They’re approaching from the front of the car, at an angle to us,~ I relayed to both Grace and Sierra.

Grace nodded. We didn’t want to talk too much and give away our position if they could sense our mental chatter. Sierra responded to me.

~Sierra, I can hold a bridge. It’ll be quieter with my distance and gift. Can you check on Grace for me? I want to see her through you, so we can connect without either of us having to hold a bridge.~

Sierra’s request left me in awe. I didn’t have time to marvel at her mental prowess over long distances, though. The danger was too imminent.

I’d have to save my admiration for later.

~We’re on our way, Harper. We’re still a good distance away, even at our speed. Maybe thirty minutes out. Jasper and his crew should get there before us. Can you hold on until then?~

Axel’s voice filled my mind, and I exhaled in relief. The gunfire had stopped.

~I’ll do my best.~ I responded, knowing I had no other choice. I turned my attention to Grace.

~Can you shift? Can you run?~ I asked her, noticing she was ready to leave the car.

~I’m not leaving you, Harper.~ Grace’s mental retort was sharp. I tried to stand, but my movements were sluggish.

Damn, the drug was starting to affect me. If they were trying to tranquilize me, they probably wanted to extract information before killing us. They’d want us weakened, easier to break.

“Hey, Beta Harper! We know you’re down there. That drug will have you out cold in ten minutes. Why not make this easy and come out willingly? We don’t care about your friend, if they’re even still alive,” a male vampire called out.

The trees cast long shadows, and the sun was hidden behind dark clouds. Rain was imminent. What a perfect setting for a showdown. And they knew who I was. Shit.

Realizing these men were specifically after me, I glanced at Grace. We had no idea how many of them were out there. But if I had ten minutes, I had to make a move.

I wasn’t sure if the dosage was meant for a lycan or a werewolf. I assumed lycan, as they’d want to be prepared for the worst. But lycans tend to metabolize drugs faster.

~Okay, if I attack from the left, it’ll give you a chance to run. They’ll kill you if you stay, Grace. We know vampires can’t be trusted. We’ve been through this before.~ I relayed my plan to her mentally.

I knew Sierra and the others were listening in, but they remained silent.

~No! I won’t leave you.~ Grace’s mental response was sharp.

~Damn it, Grace, this isn’t up for debate. I’ve been drugged and you’re injured. We don’t know how badly. This is the best plan, and you know it.~ I snapped back.

I couldn’t bear the thought of watching vampires drain my sister dry and kill her.

~Both of you should retreat if you can. Give us time to get there.~ Axel’s voice growled in our minds.

Running would only give the vampires a better shot at our backs. They were closing in.

~On the count of three, Grace, run. They’re almost at the car,~ I told her, my eyes turning black.

Hers did too. She nodded in agreement, and I mentally counted down. When I reached three, she pulled herself from the car, shifted into her lycan form, and ran.

Her movement distracted them, and I used that moment to shift and attack the closest one. He didn’t see it coming. I was ruthless.

My jaws clamped down on his neck as I slammed him into the hood of the car. Blood splattered everywhere as I let my animal instincts take over.

This was how we were going to survive against these men. These vampires were trained, so we had to be careful. Kaven wouldn’t have sent amateurs. That meant we had to hold nothing back.

I jumped back, feeling pain in my body. Being in my animal form didn’t erase my thoughts. It just made them more dangerous. Morality took a backseat to survival.

A couple of shots rang out, but they missed. I lunged at the next one, who clearly didn’t expect the distance I could cover. I hit him like a freight train, reminding these bastards why lycans were feared. Why we were called demonic animals.

I dragged him back and tore him apart. No one was healing from that. The others backed up, clearly rethinking their approach. It seemed they hadn’t faced a lycan before.

When I stumbled, feeling the effects of the drug, one vampire charged at me, weapon raised. He didn’t make it to me. A blur shot over me and slammed into him. It was Grace.

She snapped her jaws around his face and neck. He was dead before he hit the ground. Gunfire erupted. Grace had to run, and I tried to, but the drug hit me hard as my blood pumped faster.

I collapsed, nearly blacking out, and shifted back to human. I felt someone grab me, dragging me uphill. Maybe there were two of them, their arms under my armpits.

My head fell back as I lost control. I felt the pavement beneath me, heard the gunfire and shouting. In my head, I could hear Sierra and a few others. Mostly Sierra.

She was calmly talking to me, urging me to stay conscious. I tried. I really did. But between the drug and the trauma from the car crash, everything went black.

I thought I heard a car before I passed out, but I couldn’t be sure as my eyes closed.