Angela tucked the tranq gun Knox had given her into the back of her pants. She wasn't going to use it against her own tribe members. "This whole situation is incredibly stupid," she whispered.
Knox didn't respond. Instead his jaw clenched as he maintained his immobile stance by one of the giant oak trees on his expansive lawn.
"I should just walk right out there and show Titus that I'm okay." But when she started to move from her position, his hand snaked around her waist.
He tugged her close then pinned her back against the tree. "We don't know if these are even your coven members. It could be a bunch of rogues. You. Stay. Put." His words were barely above a whisper but still had a deadly edge.
She bit her bottom lip. That was possible but not likely. The odds of a bunch of rogues showing up on his doorstep the day after she'd stormed the place...she didn't buy it. Vamps and werewolves might not like each other but unless provoked, neither side wanted a war. She shook her head. "I really don't think - "
He placed a finger on her lips then touched his ear with his free hand. Keeping still, she listened, too.
There was a slight movement from the surrounding forest. One of Knox's men had seen more than a handful of vampires on their video cameras so she guessed the vampires were a lot closer now. Without any wind tonight it was hard to scent anyone, but Angela could. Just barely.
She could always sense her own kind, even when she didn't want to. And they were nearby. She could hear the faint rustle of their movements.
Instinctively her entire body tensed. Moving to the side, she crouched next to Knox. Whatever happened next, she just hoped there was no bloodshed. Vampires and werewolves had been living in relative peace for the past decade but before that...the wars between them had been vicious. Brutal. No sane being wanted a repeat of that. If anything happened tonight, it could fracture their already tentative alliance. And with a formal peace treaty about to take place in a couple months, it could ruin everything.
Taking a chance, she peered around the tree. She could see the faint outline of eight vampires moving to the edge of the trees. Thanks to being a day walker, she had the unique ability to read heat signatures of her own kind. Unfortunately it didn't extend to other beings.
"Eight of them. At least. Six males. Two females. There will be more waiting deeper in the forest, though." She knew her tribe well enough and since Knox's second-in-command had seen fifteen on their video feed, she had no doubt there were more in hiding.
"You're sure?" Knox murmured.
"I can see their heat signatures. They're about to breach the forest line." As she eyed them, she realized they weren't alone. One of the males was dragging someone. A female maybe. She could just make out the smaller, feminine outline but she couldn't read the signature. "I think they have a hostage."
"One of us?" he growled.
She knew that not all his wolves had been accounted for but that could mean nothing. If one of his pack got hurt because of her, she'd never forgive herself. "Maybe. Maybe human. I can't tell until I get closer." They were still about seventy yards away.
As they strode past the tree line and onto the lawn, Knox stood and over a dozen of his pack emerged from the inky darkness. Some came from the direction of the house, others from the trees but it was almost as if they appeared out of nowhere. Above them the moon and a few stars illuminated the land but that was it. He'd killed all the lights in the house and surrounding area. Not that it really mattered. They all had excellent night vision.
"Stay put," Knox murmured before heading out with the rest of his pack.
She bit back a snort and waited until he was a few yards in front of her then followed.
