"Harrison's still out from his broken leg. James and Scott broke bones, but they'll live. Lucas is touch and go." Dale paused to clear his throat. "That's it. That's all that's left of our team. Two thirds of us are gone. Brandon's team has six still alive. Combined, we might make a whole team if we bring in some of the guys fresh out of training."
"Shit," Thane breathed. "And we're all limping."
Dale waved him down. "Austin's sending up twenty hunters for us to use until we're back at full strength. They should be here first thing in the morning. The priests are handling the cleanup, so all that's left is for us to head back. I'm going to guess that neither of you are in good enough shape to drive."
"I have a goose egg the size of a softball on the back of my head," Thane told him. "Brice didn't notice he was standing beside the Cardinal. How are you?"
"I was told to stay at the fucking back with the priests," Dale grumbled. "So get in. Let's get you both a shower and a bed at least. And when the priests are done with everything else, we'll have them look at your heads."
"And the demons?" Thane asked.
"We might not catch them tonight, but it sounds like the Cardinal's planning something. He didn't believe us when we said this pair was dangerous. He said they were just a couple of vamps, so we clearly needed to work on our training methods. Can you believe that shit?"
"And we lost at least twenty men to prove him wrong," Thane said as he made his way around to the passenger seat. "You can lie down in the back, Brice."
"So who's changing their schedule?" Brice asked. "If we're merging what's left of the team, are we working straight through, or will Austin take the other team's hours?"
"I'm pushing for Austin," Dale told him. "Both teams were here tonight, which would mean that none of you got time off otherwise. All of you deserve a little time to grieve the friends you've lost."
He slid behind the driver's seat, closed the door, and started the SUV. Checking to make sure both of his passengers were settled, Dale eased the truck out of the dirt lot and onto the access road. Only when the old stadium site was hidden behind a curve did he speak again.
"And I hope that if Austin goes up against those two, the Cardinal will figure out that it's not us that's weak. It's those two women, who are a lot stronger than anyone could've guessed. Fucking vampires my ass! And they expect us hunters to pay the price for their mistakes. I'm not sending any more of you out there without a priest for each man I have left standing."
"Here's hoping that's enough," Thane said.
Dale just nodded. "Yeah, because I have a bad feeling it won't be. They said she was a thrall, but that blonde is clearly the one in charge. I just want to know how she didn't kill you the first time, Thane?"
"Me too," he assured him. "Me fucking too."
Chapter Twenty-Five
DAHLIA
The Uber driver dropped them off at a rather decent hotel. The pair crashed hard, then woke up late to Mei's phone buzzing with notifications. Dahlia groaned when her lover rolled away to grab the thing, then shifted to hug up against her back. Mei giggled, reaching back to rub Dahlia's leg briefly, and then her attention was locked on the phone.
Dahlia could hear the clicks of a message being typed, but she wasn't ready to open her eyes yet. Instead, she let her hands slide down Mei's side, following the curves of her body. Her lips found the back of Mei's shoulder, moving toward her spine. Mei murmured at the contact, but the clicks kept going, so Dahlia nipped at the back of her neck.
"You have to wait two minutes," Mei told her. "The client for tonight is getting excited. He's got us a room at the Anatole hotel in Dallas. Said he has to be home by midnight, before his wife gets off her shift - she's a doctor - but he wants it to be nice."
"Don't make him fall in love with you," Dahlia teased.
Mei tapped at her phone one last time, then tossed it back on the nightstand and rolled over. "I figure one man is enough to complicate our lives. Two? Can you imagine the hell they'd put us through? Although Thane's brother's hot too."
"Yeah, he is," Dahlia agreed. "I kinda feel bad about kissing him, though. He said it was his first kiss."
"Fucking priests!" Mei groaned. "That sexy-ass man is a virgin?"
"Sounds like it." Dahlia tugged Mei a little closer. "Thane isn't. And if you could touch him, you'd see what I'm talking about."
Mei snuggled up against Dahlia's body, tangling their legs together. "I think touching the cross is the sort of thing that would get easier with time. Although..." She bit her lip and looked up to meet Dahlia's eyes. "I was going to kill him. I was so sure he was about to put that stake in you, and I would've torn him apart for that."
"I know," Dahlia breathed. "And he was. We agreed that if there's no other option, we'd make the kill fast. Me if I have to kill him, or him if he has to kill me."
"He doesn't have to kill you, though!" Mei insisted.
"His brother is a priest. If Thane is accused of helping us, someone will put a stake in Laird."
"Oh, the man has a name," Mei purred, sliding her body against Dahlia's playfully. "I'll even take the virgin boy and teach him how to do things right. Then you can get yourself pinned between both of them."