Remy stopped abruptly and let out a low growl that set my hair on end and in front of us, Roland made a similar sound. Remy pushed me up against a tree with a finger to his lips and took up a protective stance in front of me as my two werewolf friends dashed off into the darkness. The night was suddenly filled with snarls and the sounds of violent fighting. My palms scraped against the rough bark of the tree as I imagined horrible things happening to my friends.

Remy’s head swung toward our left and he made a rumbling sound deep in his chest. Before I could speak, he disappeared in a blur, leaving me alone and trembling beside the tree. Somewhere in the darkness I heard hissing and more sounds of combat and my heart felt like it was about to explode from my chest.

“Thump, thump goes the little rabbit’s heart,” drawled a cold inhuman voice.

I let out a muffled scream when the vampire appeared in front of me. Tall with ebony skin and short spiky dreadlocks, his white fangs almost glowed when he smiled at me. “Hello, little rabbit.”

Before I could react, a breath of wind heralded the appearance of a second vampire with upswept blond hair and a hungry leer.

Vampires here, working with humans? Impossible.

Brandishing the knife, I shrank against the tree. “Stay back!”

The black vampire’s soft laugh was like ice water on my skin. “Such a big weapon for a little girl.”

“Haism did not tell us snacks would be provided,” said his companion, drifting closer.

The first one advanced. “Just remember, I saw her fir –”

There was a blur of grey followed by a horrible gurgling sound and I felt warmth spray across my face and into my eyes. Something hit my legs as the black vampire slumped to the ground. I stared in shock at the corpse and then at the severed head near my feet and felt my gorge rise.

My eyes met the blond vampire’s stare as his own shock turned to fear then rage. In my mind, a voice I’d thought dead, whispered, Move now. Fear blocked out all but the Mori’s instincts and I felt my body shift sideways with a speed that left me dizzy. The air beside me swirled as the vampire rushed at the spot when I had stood a split second ago.

Wield the blade, the demon said calmly and I raised the knife just as the vampire came at me again. We both gasped in surprise as the blade sank into his chest. It missed his heart but the silver burned and he shrieked in agony as smoke poured from the hole in his chest. His clawed hand reached for me. Desperately, I pulled the knife out and drew back to plunge it in again.

The vampire suddenly fell away from me, his snarling mouth going slack as he flailed against the pair of slender grey hands around his throat. My eyes found Remy’s and he nodded with grim intent. Moving forward, I grabbed the knife in both hands and shoved it into the unprotected area above the vampire’s heart.

There was no death scream, no bursting into flames. The vampire gasped and shuddered then folded to the ground like an empty suit. I stared at the knife in my hands, christened with the blood of my first vampire kill and felt a surge of exhilaration unlike anything I’d ever felt before. The Mori gave a sated sigh.

“Come,” Remy urged taking my hand and pulling me away from the two dead vampires.

“What about Roland and Peter?” I whispered hoarsely, trying to look behind me for them.

“Wolves strong. Little ones need us.”

I let him lead me toward the house, using my sleeve to wipe most of the vampire blood from my face. My friends were vampire hunters, trained for this; I had to trust they could take care of themselves. And I was as safe with Remy as with anyone else at this point. I still could not believe humans and vampires were working together in this. What could the humans have promised them in exchange for their help and risking a war with the trolls?

Remy did not speak and I followed him with something akin to awe. In all the time I’d known him, he had been the gentle friend who used his knowledge to help other creatures. I knew trolls were deadly fighters but I could never imagine him that way until now. He was my age and he’d taken out that vampire without blinking. I shuddered to imagine what an adult troll could do. It made it even more urgent to find his cousins and return them to the clan before the elders came looking for them.

We stopped at the pool area where there was no more cover. The pool deck was bathed in light and I saw that a glass door at the back of the house was open. I wondered if Nikolas and Chris had gone in this way. Or were they still out here on the grounds fighting vampires? Or maybe they didn’t make it. I shook off that horrible notion as soon as it popped into my head. I refused to believe that vampires would get the better of the two warriors, especially Nikolas.

No one tried to intercept us as we ran around the pool and I saw why when we came across three unconscious men. Through the door I saw two more crumpled shapes which turned out to be more dead vampires. Jesus the place was crawling with blood suckers! I shivered, never so happy to have Remy close by. A knife protruded from the chest of one of the vampires and I smiled in grim relief when I recognized the handle. Nikolas’s calling card no doubt. At least I knew they made it this far.

We passed through the door and emerged in a large entrance with marble tiles and the highest ceilings I’d ever seen hung with a row of glittering chandeliers. An elegant staircase curved up to a second floor landing where a large window overlooked the grounds. Past the staircase there was a hallway with several doors.

“Where to?” I asked Remy, relying on his unfailing senses to lead us to his cousins.