poured that all into his strength. His arms trembled, and he saw them begin to move.
“You’ll never have her,” he whispered, seeing a light flicker deep in the vampire’s eyes. “She’s mine.”
This time he wasn’t talking about Karen. He was talking about Gayle. About his mate.
“I love her,” he rumbled, and then he inhaled deeply.
The vampire’s eyes shot open.
Rann smiled and opened his mouth wide.
Flames burst from his mouth in a howling stream. The bright blue-white flames bit deep into the vampire’s chest. Clothing vanished in a burst of ash, and still Rann poured fire into his foe.
The creature shrieked and howled in pain. Rann flicked his wrists and abruptly reversed the grip. Now it was him holding the vampire’s arms out wide. Getting one leg under him, he rose to his feet while simultaneously driving the vampire back and down.
Flames still billowed forth—until they burnt right through the vampire’s tough skin and burst through the far side. Rann closed his mouth and stumbled away.
Breathing fire that hot was exhausting, and he gasped for air, sucking down huge lungfuls of it as fast as he could.
“Gayle!” he bellowed as soon as he had the lung capacity for it. His voice was so loud, it shook dust down from the rafters. “Gayle!”
He stumbled for the exit, leaving the smoking corpses of three vampires in his wake. There might still be one more. Until he could verify for himself that she was safe, Rann couldn’t stop. Couldn’t let his guard down.
“Gayle!” he shouted, reaching the front doors and flinging them open, uncaring about what might be on the other side.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Gayle
She waited fearfully in the parking lot, listening to the sounds of fighting within the church.
Most of the guests had made it outside, many of them opting to get in their cars and flee. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of police sirens, but they would get there far too late.
If they can even do any good.
Gayle tried to steady her shaking hands. Rann was still in there with those creatures. She assumed they were vampires, but she’d not had time to stop and confirm. The instant Rann had told her to get out, she’d run for the exit. It felt cowardly, but what was she as a simple human supposed to do against creatures that could take on a dragon?
“You had better be okay in there, mister,” she whispered to herself.
She hated the waiting. It was like the night he’d gone out hunting them, but worse. This time he’d found them, and he was alone. It was just Rann against however many had shown up.
The front doors burst open.
“Gayle!” a figure shouted.
“Rann?” she half-shrieked, hating the panicked sound of her voice.
Green eyes oriented on her, and she leapt from the cover of the sports car and raced across the parking lot even as Rann came down the stairs.
“Are you okay?” he asked as she leapt into his arms. He caught and held her like she was nothing but a football.
“Fine, I’m fine,” she said, struggling out of his grip. “What about you? Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Do you need any help?”
“I’ll be okay,” he said, then looked down at himself. “Though the same can’t be said for this suit. That’s twice now I’ve ruined them. You’d think I would learn.”
She giggled. “Maybe it’s a sign that you just aren’t meant to wear suits.”
“If I only I could be that lucky,” he rumbled, his chest rising and falling with swift breaths.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m okay. The vampires are dead. The groom is going to need medical attention, but he’s alive. The bride will probably need therapy, but she’s physically unharmed. They didn’t get anyone.”
“Oh thank god,” Gayle breathed, pressing her head against his chest, feeling the thundering of his heart. “You got them all?”
Rann was silent.
“Rann? You got them, right? They’re gone?”
“I killed all the ones that showed up tonight,” he said quietly. “Including one of the originals.”
Gayle tensed. “But?”
“But there are still two out there that weren’t here,” he said. “And something weird happened with the original. He was turning feral. Like he hadn’t fed.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, confused.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I don’t like it. We should go.”
“Okay,” she said, clutching him tight. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so worried when you were in there. I…I didn’t want to lose you.”
Rann grabbed both her hands. “You didn’t lose me,” he said softly. “You’ll never lose me.