Page 37 of Forced Bonds

I nodded, “and the witches who did get close all died, so…”

Benji’s tired eyes met mine. “Can we just get this over with? I’m so tired of fighting.” His tone was so low and sad it broke something in me. Chris looked like he too felt his heart breaking over our mate’s words.

“We will find the source today and have them eliminated,” I vowed, determined to fight whoever I had to, to make my Benji happy again.

Chapter Twenty-One

Christopher

Sal drove us around, letting me sniff out any scents of magic as we made our way through the city. I had the window rolled down a little, letting in the air and scents. I was in my wolf form, allowing me to pick up scents I wouldn’t be able to in my human form. Benji sat next to me in the back, holding out his phone with the map already open in case I spotted something. We drove around for an hour before I got the tiniest hint of wrongness. It usually meant rogues, so we followed the scent, Benji guiding Sal through the streets as I focused on the scent.

We stopped in front of a rundown hotel, clearly waiting on some kind of reconstruction or demolition from the warning signs outside.

I shifted back and got dressed quickly as I recalled the scents. “I think there’s a few rogues in there and I smell a bit of vampire as well.”

“Witches?” Sal asked from the front seat.

I shook my head. “Not even a lingering scent of one.”

“This is fucking weird,” Benji muttered, pocketing his phone.

“I’ll go out first, then both of you,” Sal ordered and we nodded. It was best to follow Sal’s lead since he’d been alive the longest. Besides, I trusted him to protect us from any harm.

We followed Sal as he made his way around the hotel, clearly looking for another way in. There wasn’t much activity around this area, mostly warehouses and other buildings looking like they needed some work done, but it would be the safest way inside. We moved closely together, each of us on the lookout for danger. It didn’t seem like there were any traps or surveillance out here, even with the smell getting more potent. I could even smell it in my human form. Benji was the only one of us who couldn’t sniff out rogues, but even he seemed to notice the changes as we found the back exit.

Sal pressed his fingers in a shush motion and pointed behind us. There was a scrap yard of sorts, looking abandoned like the other buildings. Right behind it was what looked to be a vast forest. He then pointed to the wired fence and it was clear where the rogues had moved through to get to my town. There was even fabric sticking to the fence, obvious enough to spot from a distance. We’d found the source. I was sure of it.

Benji’s soft hand found mine briefly and squeezed. I saw him do the same to Sal before we quietly opened the door. It was endearing to see his thoughts of us had changed for the better. He obviously cared for us now and I wondered if it was my werewolf’s doing or simply Benji being tired of denying something good in his life. Sal and I would be good, perfect even. We would be everything Benji needed. I had no doubts about that. Sal and Benji were everything I’d ever wanted for myself.

Before Sal could open the door completely, the smell of rain came and thunder boomed in the distance. It was like a warning from the gods to either get inside or run away. No matter what they wished for, we went in. We entered into a hallway that smelled dusty and damp. The burgundy carpet underneath us was mostly black in color from the many years of service and it was so worn down it didn’t even feel like carpet but more like floorboards as we moved further inside. Benji had his gun out, something I hadn’t even realized he’d taken with him, but was glad he did. Sal moved silently as we neared a partly open door, his eyes glowing red for a second. Just that, one second they glowed and the next they didn’t.

He snarled and, to our surprise, kicked the door in. So much for subtlety.

“Gabriella,” he growled, and we hurried in after him. A vampire sat on a run-down couch, her clothes were filthy and it was obvious she was drained and needed some blood soon. She was alone and clearly knew Sal from the way her eyes lit up with recognition.

“Salizar,” she breathed, then smiled at our man like she had every right too. “And you brought me dinner,” she purred.

I blinked and she was in front of Benji, her fangs out and ready to tear into him. I blinked again and she was across the room, her face a bloodied mess. Sal looked fucking hot with her blood splattered against his skin, his fangs out and snarling at her.

“Mine,” he growled, then flew over to her just to kick her while she was already down. I held Benji in my arms, feeling him shake. He hadn’t expected to be so up close to a vampire today, and I mentally slapped myself for even allowing her to get close in the first place.

“S-sorry,” she mumbled, clearly too drained of blood to properly heal herself.

“What are you doing here?” Sal demanded, ignoring her apology.

“I’m trying to save Tom,” she sobbed, finally sensing Sal wasn’t her friend.

“Tom?” Sal tilted his head. “I don’t understand, are you not the one making all the rogues?” If she wasn’t we were doomed. Sal had made a lot of noise and if any other vampires were here, they wouldn’t be happy. Rogues we could deal with, seeing as they were sluggish in the daylight hours and just one open curtain would kill them.

“I am,” she confessed. “To get that damn book!”

So, she knew of the book, great. At least she didn’t seem like a mastermind, being here all alone and filthy.

“For Tom?” Sal questioned, clearly trying to piece this together for all of us.

“He’s a rogue,” she sobbed. “He wished for me to turn him and we thought since he was my bonded, he would survive it.”

Ah, so she needed the book to save her lover.