"Um, sure," I said, wondering how in the hell I could help them.
"Essie is a fabulous flirt," Dwayne told his girls. "She could hit on a dead man and he would get it up."
"Dwayne," Hank barked. "One more sentence about my mate and you won't have to worry about the Dragons."
"Roger that," Dwayne answered with a salute.
"Let’s go," Hank said. "Eyes open and squirt guns in front of you. It would be helpful if we kept at least one alive, but not necessary. Fight to kill because that is exactly what they will be doing."
Chapter 10
I imagined many different scenarios as we made our way to the back of the house. The one that greeted us stopped me dead in my tracks. On the near side of the pool twelve Dragons sat casually on cushions of hunter green and cream stripes that adorned the teak pool furniture. Behind them on the far side stood nine shifted wolves. Their scent was barely familiar as a shifter. The human side of the wolves was almost missing. Their eyes were an alarming shade of red that I'd never seen. All nine foamed at the mouth as they pawed the ground in agitation.
"What the hell?" I muttered as I froze and took in the horrifying scene.
Dwayne, Granny and his four Cows stood about a hundred feet to our left and gaped in confusion at the array of enemies before us.
"What's wrong with them?" I whispered to Hank.
"Don't know, but I'm sure we're about to find out," he muttered and stepped forward. "You're trespassing on private property," he said to the Dragons in a tone that belied the fury I felt building inside him.
"Is that so?" the Dragon in the front asked with a slick smile that made me uncomfortable, and my wolf claw at my insides for release.
They were a beautiful species—dark, mysterious and deadly. All of the Dragons I'd come upon thus far had black hair, sky-high cheekbones, full lips and gorgeous bodies. They stood over six feet tall and had eyes that appeared to switch from green to yellow with their moods. Right now they were a mixture of both.
"Yes, it is so," Hank shot back, equally as slick. "I'd suggest you leave on your own accord before you're forced. Violently."
"Now there's an irony," the Dragon said as he stood and casually stepped closer.
My body tensed and my fingers itched to wrap themselves around his very pretty neck. Hank, feeling my aggression, moved in front of me to stop me from throwing down the gauntlet first. He was correct. It was far wiser to let them make the initial move. I didn't for a second think we'd leave here without a battle, but stranger things had happened.
The other Dragons chuckled as the leader continued. It made me want to grind my teeth. Not helping matters—I could literally smell the fear from the Cows behind me.
"Yes, we were warned to leave by the staff. As you can see, that counsel fell on deaf ears," he purred and grinned, revealing a set of razor sharp fangs.
"And full stomachs," another added with a slimy smirk as he joined his comrade.
"I'm sorry," I said as I stepped out from behind Hank. "Could you clarify what you just implied?" I was fairly sure I understood, but desperately wanted to believe I was mistaken.
"You are quite daft for being so alluring," the Dragon said as he leered at me.
"Not daft at all," I shot back with a tight smile. "Just wanted to make sure you're as revolting as you seem before I remove your head."
He threw his head back and laughed. He patted his stomach and smacked his lips together. "They were delicious—screamed and fought the entire time we ate them. Quite a challenging meal."
Dwayne's cry of anguish was stupidly ignored by the Dragons as they kept their focus on Hank and me. I knew without looking the terrified Cows were backing away. Not good. It would be much easier for the Dragons to have them for dessert if they were far from us. Reaching down into the bag of Vampyre tricks I had no clue how to use, I willed the Cows to come closer. I felt them fight it, but it worked. They were now at our backs and shaking like leaves in a storm.
"You killed innocents," Hank ground out. "They had no part in your game."
"We were hungry," a third Dragon said sulkily as he and the rest rose and formed a semi-circle around their leader. "And they were rude."
The rabid looking wolves held their ground on the far side of the pool. staring with hatred at both the Dragons and us. Hell, were they in charge here?
"They were humans. They had no way to defend themselves," Dwayne hissed furiously. His skin was now iridescent and his eyes glowed. Granny held his arm as she struggled to keep from floating away. The Cows behind him looked close to fainting.
Again the Dragons ignored him as if he wasn't there. Were they stupid or did their arrogance make them careless?
"We've come for you," the Dragon said as he pointed at Hank and me. "There are some who wish to meet you before your untimely death. I really don't understand the curiosity about you two. You're just lowly wolves."
The laughter from the rest of the Dragons went all through me. My fangs dropped and my claws exploded from my fingertips. I held back the rest of my shift with great effort. I'd have a better chance in my Vampyre-laced human form than I would as a wolf.
"Actually, I'm in the mood for some steak," the one to the left of the talkative asshole added as he zeroed in on the Cows.
"Yes, that is very interesting. I thought we had eliminated the Were Cow species years ago. Looks like we missed a few," the head Dragon said with disgust. "Easily remedied."