Alliances (Guardians of White Light, #1) by F.J. Gale

Blood soaked her hand, trickling down her fingers. Damn, there’s too much blood. She looked around to see that all eyes were suddenly on her. Predatory eyes. Every remaining vampire in the room snarled and had their attention riveted on her and the heady smell of her blood. Oh my God. She caught Mathias’ eye and saw that he wasn’t above it either. He was salivating just like the rest of them.
    The distraction of her wound and its accompanying nausea and light-headedness compromised her focus. She was blindsided by a fist to the temple. She stumbled into a pillar, groaning as her back jarred painfully against it. The assailant socked her again and she went down, collapsing to the floor. As he approached, she eyed Mathias wearily. Their eyes met and she watched as he fought against his handlers with a renewed ferocity in an effort to get to her.
    “This is how I like Slayers. Helpless and beaten,” a voice above her said.
    She looked up at the looming predatory figure of Arthur.
    “Stay back,” she rasped.
    He knelt down in front of her. “Or what? You’ll bleed on me?” His hand brushed the leather choker around her neck. His nostrils flared and he groaned as he savored the smell of her blood. He could almost taste it already, because it was so incredibly potent, more so than any other human’s.
    She flinched and jerked away.
    He gripped the sides of her face and forced her to look at him.
    “Humans are so fragile,” he whispered in her ear.
    She braced herself as he leaned towards her throat.
    “Back!” a voice roared from behind them.
    Arthur pulled back abruptly. Jax stood a few feet away, armed with a flamethrower.
    “Jax,” Arthur greeted as he abandoned Jenna and raised his hands in surrender.
    “Bastard child of Silas. Leave here or there will be nothing left of you and your so-called army but ashes.”
    Arthur nodded to one of his men discretely. Mathias caught it. He saw the dagger in the soldier’s hand.
    “Fire!” he roared to Jax.
    Jax didn’t hesitate. He fired. Mathias hurled himself out of the line of flame. It licked at the boots of the soldiers. They screamed as the flames encircled their legs, snaking higher and higher. In a matter of seconds their screams ceased as their convulsing bodies became ash. Dust . Jax released the trigger and eyed Arthur.
    Eyes wide, he paled with shock. And then…he ran. Jax fired. Mathias threw a stake. But Arthur was gone before any damage could be inflicted. Mathias cursed. His instinct was to go after him, but then his eyes fell to Jenna immobile on the ground a few feet away. There will be another day. He shook off the compulsion and rushed to her, skidding to his knees beside her. Big mistake. He almost choked from the shock of being so close to her open wound and the blood pooling around her. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement.
    He forced himself to look at her; to look her in the eyes. Establishing and maintaining a connection would prevent the demon from taking over and envisioning Jenna as nothing more than a meal.
    She eyed him wearily. He offered her a comforting smile. “It’s okay.”
    “I had them.”
    “I know. You were…amazing,” he told her, stroking her arm gently. “Just stay still now, okay?”
    She nodded and leaned her head back against the pillar. Her light-headedness was making it difficult to hold her increasingly-heavy head steady. He reached for the dagger in her side. His fingers tightened around the handle preparing to pull it out.
    “Stop!” Jax bellowed, hurrying over after putting out a few fires that had erupted from the flamethrower.
    “I know how to treat a battle wound, Jax.”
    Jax gripped his shoulders. “She’s mortal.”
    Of course! Why had his capacity for logic and common sense suddenly left him? Was it because she was wounded? Was his concern for her wellbeing affecting his judgment? Stop it! Now is not the time! Pull yourself together!
    Jax ushered him out of the way. “I need to