more powerful than your witch.”
James leant down to where Emma sat crying. “Boo.”
William shoved the other man away. “Leave her alone.”
They circled each other in hunting stances. The sounds around them were of the mystery witch chanting and Emma whimpering.
“What are you doing here? You’re the leader of the wolves.” They could live among the humans, which meant that they were safe and could help vampires and witches to hide from the search parties.
The wolves were in hiding…weren’t they?
“Well, you see, here is my problem. I’m supposed to risk my neck, and those of my wolves…for what, exactly? For you and your vampires? You see, I suddenly had this idea.” William had a sick feeling in his gut as he listened to James talk. “This idea of what would happen if the witches and vampires who controlled me and told me what to do just disappeared…poof. Then I suddenly wondered what would happen if I screamed devil and witch in a room full of humans. You see, William Valentine, the mind is a dangerous thing. They went nuts.” James started to laugh, the sound hysterical.
He was mad—barking mad. William couldn’t grasp what he was telling him. He refused to believe it.
But looking into James’ eyes, he knew.
“You led the humans right to us.”
All this time their father had wondered how so many witches and so many of their own kind could have been hunted and killed within just months. Now it seemed obvious. Someone had to have known—someone from the inside.
The leader of the Beyer West Pack, one of the most powerful werewolves in the world, had destroyed hundreds of witches and vampires alike.
“Yes!” James jumped up and down with joy. A rather strange and child-like thing to do.
William felt like he was going to throw up. All this time, the person they had believed was helping them had been the one destroying their kind.
“But the one downside is that I have to have a witch of my own. Helps to weaken yours. You should be thankful—she’s the one sending the humans off in the other direction at the moment. We’re safe for now.” James patted the chanting witch on the shoulder. “You can stop now, my dear.”
“So how shall we spend our time together?” James asked William.
William saw the hundreds of dead faces. Remembered the reports of a vampire being burnt in the sunlight, of witches being hunted and killed. Months of agony, trying to protect his friends.
William was still a young vampire. He couldn’t control himself. He lashed out and dived for James, going for the other man’s throat. James swatted him down as if he were no more than a bug. William got up and went for him again, landed a punch that knocked James to the ground. He fought fiercely but there was no way he could win. James was the leader of an entire race; William, the younger son of the most powerful vampire. His older brother Robert might be able take James, but not him. He never stood a chance.
As William charged at him one final time, James had obviously already seen his opportunity. He grabbed William around the neck and pinned him to the ground, standing over him, his foot resting heavily on his chest.
William was stuck. He couldn’t move.
“You know, I came here to see if you’d join me. I’ve heard about you. You never do as you’re told. A free spirit. The one Daddy Vamp can’t control. Join me, William, and together we could own this world.”
William hated the power his family had and he’d never wanted to be part of that world. But as much as he pissed his father off, he still loved him—he was still his father.
“Never,” he growled, blood landing on James’s face.
James wiped the blood away with the material of his shirt. “Big mistake.”
James tightened his hold on William’s neck. The pressure felt as though James was going to rip his head from his body…which was one of the few things that would kill him.
William closed his eyes, praying for Emma.
“Big mistake, wolf.” A flash of light threw James off him. Emma was standing, pale and shaking, her hair dishevelled.
James collapsed in a heap across from William, but he wasn’t dead.
“The next time you get a little witch, get one who knows how to do a chant properly,” Emma panted. A burst of flames consumed the other witch as Emma was hit by the final blast from the other witch.
William could feel Emma’s pain, but the