“What about the pup?” the vampire with a death wish asked.
“Wrong question,” Sally whispered as her mate moved with his wolf’s speed. From one breath to the next, the vampire’s head was gone from its shoulders. Costin held the bloody mass for a second before dropping it on the ground. There was a moment of thrashing and splurting before the body fell next to it.
“Do you want to die, too?” Costin asked the leader.
The last vampire sighed. “I hate werewolves.” He turned and opened the door. “Get in here and get this cleaned up,” he said to two more vamps, or Sally assumed they were vamps, who were standing in the hall.
Fifteen minutes later, the bodies and blood were gone. And Sally was sitting in the farthest corner with Titus on the floor, drawing pictures on the paper while Costin stood between them and the door, waiting on the elf king.
“Mommy,” Titus said, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Yes, little man?”
“You can stop worrying. I’m not tramatatized,” he said gently.
“You mean traumatized?” Sally asked.
“Yes. That. Daddy just did what needed to be done. Uncle Gavril said werewolves are the good guys. So those men were bad guys.”
“We just want to protect you, sweetie. You’ve been through so much already,” Sally explained, hoping he would understand that she would worry about him no matter how necessary the violence.
“But bad things make us stronger.” As usual her son’s wisdom at his young age astounded her.
“You’re not wrong.” She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “You’re going to be the strongest wolf around one of these days.”
Titus smiled and then went back to drawing. She looked up at Costin, whose eyes she could feel on her. “He’s going to be fine,” Costin assured her.
“I know. I just wish he could be a kid and do kid things instead of watching vampires die. Do you think he’s in shock because he’s around the vampires again?” she asked, realizing that this whole thing had to be a whole lot more terrifying than Titus was letting on.
“No. I think our son has a unique ability to compartmentalize his emotions and see things from a very unique and mature view. I think he’s going to be fine, and if he isn’t, we will do whatever we need to in order to make that happen.”
Sally appreciated Costin’s conviction because, at the moment, she wasn’t sure of anything. She felt so out of control, and it reminded her of how she felt when she’d first been rescued. She wasn’t going to allow herself to sink into that dark place. Drawing on the confidence she felt through the mate bond, Sally took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Things looked like an absolute mess right now, but it wouldn’t be that way forever. They would defeat their enemy and keep humans and supernaturals safe. They would survive to fight another battle when it showed up at their door. They would not give in, give up, or give evil what it wanted.
Feeling better, she focused on Titus, enjoying her time with him despite the circumstances, and waited for the elf king to come while her mate continued his vigilant watch of the door. Jen had been quiet on her side of the wall ever since Sally had declared they were going to come up with a plan to escape. She imagined her friend was going over every military movie she’d ever watched, searching for inspiration or seeking some impossible feat that would free them.
She looked up at Costin and saw his calm demeanor but wasn’t fooled by it. He was poised to move at a moment's notice. Sally had no doubt that her mate would stand there keeping them safe until he collapsed from exhaustion. She’d have to force him to sleep.
“I can hear you,” Costin rumbled.
“Good, then we won’t have to have a conversation about it.” Sally winked at him.
“Minx,” he said through their bond and then turned his attention back to the door.
Titus let out a tired sigh and curled up in her lap. Sally leaned her back against the wall and held him tight. She closed her eyes, letting herself drift to sleep because she might as well get some much-needed rest, too.
“I will watch over you both,” her mate said.
“I know. I’ve never doubted you and never will.”
Chapter 14
“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a