"Will do." Phil hung up. He drummed his fingers on the table. It would be another hour or two before the sun set in western Wyoming.
As soon as night fell, Phil jumped into the cellar to see Vanda. He heard her first gasping breath as she came back to life. "Hey, sweetheart."
She sat up. "What's going on?"
"I have to leave soon. Phineas will come to get me."
She rose to her feet. "Then the battle is tonight?"
"Yes. I bought you some weapons today, just in case, and a cell phone so you can teleport. I want you to know you can stay here as long as you like. If anything happens to me—"
"No!" She dashed toward him at vampire speed and threw her arms around his neck. "Nothing's going to happen to you."
He held her tight. "I love you, Vanda."
"I feel the same way about you," she whispered. "I know you have a great future ahead of you."
He started to kiss her, but she jumped back.
"I need to eat." She levitated up to the ground floor.
He jumped through the opening and shut the trap door. Vanda was already pulling a bottle of synthetic blood from the ice chest. Brynley was standing by the kitchen table, where he'd left his weapons. He embraced her, then strapped on a shoulder holster and inserted his handgun.
He picked up his cell phone and called Phineas.
Within seconds the young Vamp was there. "Yo, wolf-bro." He shared a knuckle pound with Phil. Then he noticed Vanda and winced. "Oops, hope I didn't blow the big secret."
"She knows." Phil looked at Vanda and smiled. "She loves me the way I am."
Vanda smiled back. "Yes, I do."
"This is my sister, Brynley." Phil motioned to her.
"Whoa, a lady wolf. Dr. Phang at your service." Phineas shook her hand.
Phil noticed the boys on the front porch, peering through the windows. "And this is the young wolf pack. Future employees of MacKay S & I."
"Excellent." Phineas waved at the boys. "Looking good, dudes."
Vanda approached the kitchen table, sipping from her bottle of blood. "Phineas, how is Dougal?"
"He's okay. He's learning how to fence with his left hand." Phineas frowned. "He insisted on coming to the battle tonight, and Angus let him. Angus is worried about us being outnumbered, but we have more than seventy Vamps there now."
"Where?" Phil asked.
"A campground just south of Mount Rushmore," Phineas said. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Phil gave his sister a quick hug and Vanda a quick kiss. "Remember, I love you."
She nodded, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.
"Let's go." Phil grabbed onto Phineas, and everything went black.
They landed in a small clearing next to a stream. The moon shone overhead, still full. It glittered on the gurgling water and reflected off large gray boulders. The air was fresh with the scent of pine.
"The campground is farther down this stream," Phineas whispered. "Come on, let's get you a sword." He led Phil upstream to a pile of boulders. Dougal was standing guard by a stash of weapons.
Phil greeted him quietly and clapped him on the back.
Dougal gave him a wry smile. "They doona trust me to fight yet, so this is my job."
"It's a damned important job," Phineas muttered. He selected a sword.
Phil picked one that felt good in his hand.
"Angus sent Ian to scout the campground," Dougal whispered.
"Ian's back from his honeymoon?" Phil asked.
Dougal nodded. "He and Toni came back when they heard about Robby. In fact, about every MacKay employee I've ever met is here."
"Come on." Phineas led Phil to a nearby clearing where the Vamps had gathered.
It was true. Every male Vamp Phil had ever met was here, plus others whom he'd never met. Even Laszlo was here, nervously fidgeting with a sword. Emma was sticking close to him like a protective mother hen. Colbert GrandPied had come with four men. Phil recalled he'd had six men in New Orleans. Two must have died in the battle there.
Phil stopped next to the other shifters.
"If things get bad, I'm going to shift," Carlos said. "I'll be a lot more effective as a panther."
Phil nodded. He would stay in human form as long as possible, but draw on the power of the wolf for super strength and speed.
"Ian's back," Howard whispered.
Ian, dressed entirely in black, slipped noiselessly into the clearing. With his sword, he drew in the dirt. "The campground has a central open area with a fire that's been lit in the middle. The buildings surround the area like a square. The main lodge is on one side, and there are nine cabins on the other three sides."
"How many Malcontents did ye see?" Angus asked.
"I spotted fifteen Malcontents in the lodge," Ian continued. "They're holding a group of mortals prisoner—the original campers, I assume. Each cabin was occupied with another three or four Malcontents."
"So there are about fifty of them," Jean-Luc concluded.
"And we have seventy-four," Angus said. "Any sign of Robby?"
"Nay, but I did see three Malcontents leaving the campground, going east, so I followed them." Ian drew a line in the dirt. "They went into a cave. I think Robby could be in there."
"They probably use the cave for their death-sleep," Jean-Luc said.
Angus frowned. "There could be more Malcontents in there. We could still be outnumbered." He looked at everyone in the clearing. "I canna guarantee how safe this will be."
Jack waved a hand in dismissal. "Battles are never safe. I came here to rescue Robby. I'm not leaving without him."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Verra well, then," Angus said. "We'll divide into five groups, captained by Jean-Luc, Connor, Jack, Colbert, and myself. My group will attack the lodge. Jean-Luc, Connor, and Jack—your groups will take the other three sides of the square. Colbert, you'll take the fifth group and station yourself here." Angus marked an X in the dirt. "Halfway between the camp and the cave, so you can kill anyone coming or going. Let's go."
There was some quick shuffling while the five captains selected their groups. Jean-Luc asked Roman, Phil, Ian, and two other Vamps from Texas to join him.
All five groups moved stealthily through the woods and into position. Phil crouched behind some bushes between Roman and Ian. He heard Roman murmur a prayer, and he added a silent amen.
When Angus bellowed a war cry, they charged.
Phil rushed through the back door of a cabin. Four Malcontents jumped up from a card table. He skewered one. The other three were quick to grab their swords. Phil and Roman each engaged a Malcontent in battle. The other one ran out the front door, into the central open area.
Phil killed his second opponent. Roman's opponent, realizing he was alone with two swordsmen, teleported away.
"God's blood," Roman muttered.
Phil ran out the front door. Several Malcontents from each of the nine cabins had escaped out the front door when the Vamps had invaded through the back. The Malcontents formed a huddle close to the bonfire. More Malcontents dashed from the lodge, narrowly missing execution by Angus and his group.
Phil estimated about twenty-five Malcontents were left in the open area. They'd lost perhaps half their original number. As far as he could tell, all of the Vamps had survived the initial assault. Seventy-four to twenty-five. Victory was within their grasp.
The Vamps surrounded the Malcontents and closed in.
"En garde!" Colbert ran toward the open area with his three men. He was bleeding from a chest wound. "They're coming from the cave. There must be a hundred of them!"
Phil swallowed hard. He and his friends were in deep shit.
Vanda paced about the cabin. She had a bad feeling about this battle. If the Vamps fell, the war would be over. The Malcontents would win.
And how could she do nothing while Phil fought for his life? How could she live with herself if he died?