The Witch Hunter by Nicole R. Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

jumped over the snapping jaws of the werewolves, intent on luring as many of them as he could away from the others. Bolting in the opposite direction, he bit open his wrist, dripping a trail of his blood for them to follow. He knew this land better than the back of his own hand. The vegetation had changed somewhat since he was human, but all the dips and rises were the same. Making a mental note of his location, he veered right, flanking the swamp. It had receded some, but was still there.
    One of the wolves was right on his heels, snapping at every opportunity looking for its mark. If it bit him, he was probably a goner. The river was directly ahead, along with a sharp drop that plummeted into the muddy bank below. If he was lucky, he would give this wolf a surprise.
    Breaking through the trees, he almost missed the edge, jumping at the last minute. Barely clearing the breadth of the river, he threw his weight forward, grasping a low branch. There was a sharp yelp behind him as the wolf desperately tried to slow itself, but the drop had appeared too suddenly. It fell in a shower of decaying leaves and earth, landing heavily into the thick mud below. Zac hauled himself up onto the high bank on the opposite side and glanced down one more time. The werewolf was well and truly stuck in the bank below, struggling to free itself from the sucking mud with no avail. If it changed back into human form, his hulking body would weigh him down more.
    Zac sneered at the pathetic sight and turned back towards the manor, where he knew Sam and Liz would be circling back to. Running as fast as he could through the trees, he caught the scent of another wolf ahead. As it lunged for him out of the shadows, he jumped, grasping a limb above him causing the wolf to sail past harmlessly. His feet had barely touched the ground before he'd turned, grasping a fallen branch like a baseball bat. The wolf had scrambled back around and faced him, its eyes reflecting in the moonlight. It advanced slowly on him, snarling. Incisors that had to be at least four inches long, dripped with saliva, ready to tear through his flesh.
    Suddenly, the wolf lunged, jaws widened to tear through his jugular. The branch swung and connected with the furry flesh of the wolf with a sickening thud, sending it crashing back through the trees, howling in rage as much as pain. The forest fell into silence as its limp body came to rest somewhere in the darkness. 
    Pausing only a second, Zac dumped the branch and continued on to the rendezvous point. 
    Coming up on the clearing he caught sight of Sam and Liz, surrounded by four wolves. As the lead wolf tensed to attack, Zac was on it, crushing its ribs in a vice grip around its gut. Tossing the wounded wolf aside, he put himself in between the vampires and their immediate danger.
    Crouching down so he could look the four wolves directly in the eye, he sneered, "Here puppy, puppy, puppy."
    Then there were five wolves, the one Zac had embedded in the mud, nowhere to be seen. Amber eyes flashed in the darkness as they fixated on their prey. Suddenly, one wolf feigned an attack from Zac's left, distracting him long enough so a large rusty colored wolf could launch itself at his jugular from the right.
    Knocked flat on his back, he roared in anger, grasping the neck of the werewolf, using all of his strength to keep its snapping jaws at a distance. He quite liked his face; it would be counterproductive if it were ripped off.
    Abruptly, the wolf was torn from him, a ear piercing yelp as bones crunched. Scrambling to his feet, he hissed as he laid eyes on an unfamiliar vampire standing over the twisted remains of the werewolf that had been an inch from his face moments before.
    The clearing had fallen silent, the wolves falling back to a safe distance, seemingly to regroup. The vampire silently assessed them before glancing back to the vampires behind him. 
    "This one has been marked," the vampire snarled at the assembled wolves,