The Witch's Desire by Elle James

his arms, bracing against the force of the wind. “Are you okay?”
    She huddled against him, staring across at the tree visible when the lightning strikes lit up the otherwise dark and murky sky.
    Katya lifted her face to the rain. “I smell demons and vampires.”

Chapter Six
    Blaise cupped her elbow to steady her. “Which way?”
    She nodded toward Central Park. “In there.”
    â€œIt’s too dangerous,” Demi yelled. “The lightning is intensifying and the trees are like lightning rods. Even if we could get in there, it would be impossible to find them.”
    â€œI’m going in.” Cal kissed Demi. “I’d rather you stay here.”
    â€œNo way.” She shook her head, rain running down her face like tears. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
    He smiled and chucked her beneath her chin. “It goes both ways. But if I’m looking out for you, I might miss the bad guys.”
    â€œA chance we’ll have to take.”
    â€œCome on, the storm’s not going to get better.” Katya hunched her shoulders against the driving rain and trudged through the runoff into the park, Blaise at her back, giving her the added oomph her little body needed.
    Demi followed, Cal bringing up the rear. He snatched up splintered boards from one of the broken benches and handed them to Demi and Katya.
    Smaller branches blew past them, hitting them in the face as they worked their way down a path, Katya leading the way with her super sense of smell.
    Cal wondered if the four of them would be enough against the vampires Alexei would have sent to dispose of Ursula.
    A flash of lightning exposed a small clearing ahead where a dozen shadows circled a couple huddled together in the rain.
    When one would close in on them, he’d be thrown back and another would replace him. If they all rushed in at once, they’d easily overpower the pair, but they seemed to be enjoying playing with their prey.
    â€œLet’s get them.” Blaise forged ahead of Katya and plowed into the middle of the swarm.
    Cal followed. He might be no match for demons, but vampires? He had this.
    Blaise and Cal converged on the vampires at the same time, surprising them in their game of cat and mouse.
    Brandishing his wooden stake, Cal jabbed it into the first vampire he came to. The vampire screamed and turned to dust, washed away by the rain. The second vampire flew at him, knocking him to the ground.
    Demi whipped out a vine and hung him from the nearest tree branch.
    Blaise held off three vampires, flinging them back with a wave of his hand. He couldn’t rip their heads off with too many trying to kill him first.
    Katya stabbed one in the heart and turned to kick another as he attacked from the rear.
    Cal didn’t have time to worry about the others—he had his hands full of one vampire after another. One caught his arms from behind, shaking his stake loose, while another came at him from the front. Cal rolled over, hitting the one in front with his buddy as he flipped him over his shoulder.
    Cal dove for the wooden stake. He rolled onto his back and jammed the butt of the stake into the ground as a vampire lunged at him. The attacker’s eyes widened and he tried to stop his fall, but it was too late. “Damn you,” he said as the stake hit him in the heart.
    The other vampire cried out and threw himself at Cal, baring his fangs as he landed on Cal’s chest, knocking the stake to the side.
    He sank his teeth into Cal’s neck.
    He fought with all his strength as he felt the blood being drawn from his body.
    Demi screamed beside him and the vampire jerked up in the air, ripping the flesh at the base of Cal’s throat.
    Cal pressed a hand to his neck, warm blood oozing around his fingers. He couldn’t stop. Blaise was under attack by six vampires and Katya was fending off three. Demi’s vines flung the vampire away from them. He was