Vane put the drinks down and leaped over the bar. He ran across the room to the wolf.
"Easy," Carson was saying as he laid the injured wolf against the concrete floor. "Can you stay in your base form?"
"Warn Vane."
Vane grabbed Stefan and used his powers to keep him human. "Warn me about what?"
Stefan was a bloodied mess. Someone had beaten him one step away from death. It was amazing the wolf was still alive. "Your mother" "Don't talk," he told Stefan. "Think it."
Stefan leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
"She and her Sentinels killed Petra and Aloysius," Stefan said in Vane's head.
"I didn't want to die. I made a pact with her that if she let me live, I would bring her here to kill you and Fang."
Vane ground his teeth at that, but didn't do anything to interrupt.
"She was supposed to let me go. Instead when she learned Fang was in Sanctuary, she turned on me. She's coming, Vane. She may already be here."
"Whoa!" Kyle's voice rang out from the doorway that led to Peltier House.
"Everyone, come quick. Vane's little human mate is having a major smack down with some wolf chick upstairs. And she's winning!"
Bride was terrified. Her heart hammered, but even so she wasn't about to just stand there and let Bryani kill Fang.
She probably should have called Vane, but she wanted this over.
And she knew how to end it.
She hoped.
Bride threw open the door to Fang's room.
Bryani turned on her with a snarl. "Stay out of this. It's not your concern."
"Yes it is. You hurt my mate, you hurt me, and I'm not going to let you do it."
"I don't want to hurt you, Bride."
"Then leave."
Bryani threw her hand out and slammed her back into the wall. Bride's back throbbed at the impact, but it did nothing to loosen her resolve.
Bryani turned back to Fang and reached for him.
Bride grabbed the ladder-back chair and brought it down across the other woman's back. Bryani fell to her knees, then tried to blast her with her hand again.
Before she could, Bride shot her with a tranquilizer that she had grabbed in the examination room.
Bryani screamed and rushed her. They went slamming into the dresser.
"I'm really too old to fight," Bride said between clenched teeth. "And so are you!"
Bryani staggered back as the drug began to take effect. She used her powers to hit Bride with the lamp, but it fell to the floor before it could reach her.
"What did you do to me?"
"I drugged you."