Lavos gripped Mitch’s shoulder and dug those claws into his skin.
Mitch screamed. Lavos jerked his hand back, wiping his bloodied claws on the back of the soldier’s shirt. He leaned down a little but spoke loud enough for her to hear.
“Every time you’re hurt, your body heals too fast. That’s the difference between a Vampire and a soldier. Your system is feeding off itself to repair any injures. It makes you go insane faster. Between the bullets she put in you and what I’ve done to you so far, you’ll be lucky to remember who you are by tomorrow night. Am I clear? I could keep going until you totally lose the ability to think anything at all, and then I’ll remove your head. You won’t come back from that.”
Mitch looked afraid. “None of that is true.”
“Oh, it is.” Kar nodded. “Have you noticed those tiny veins across your skin and the blood in your eyes? Vampires don’t have those. You’re like a hyped-up version of them, but you weren’t meant to survive as long.”
“Vampires fully heal from injuries but they do it more slowly,” Lavos explained. “You recover too fast to mend properly, causing a permanent breakdown of your body in the process. Your mind goes first.”
Mitch moaned. “Why would he do this to me?”
“Because Vampires are assholes.” Lavos jerked Mitch to his feet. “Take us to where this other group is or I’ll have no reason to keep you alive. Don’t you want me to go after the bastard who turned you? That means you need to remain sane long enough to tell me everything you know about this asshole, right after you take me to this camp.”
“North.” Mitch raised a hand, pointing toward a hill. “Right on the other side of that, next to the river. It’s probably a mile away.”
“Will the blond one you turned be there?”
“Probably. We’ve taken out everything else in this area. He’s got to be hungry.”
“Everyone,” Lavos corrected. “They were living beings.”
“They were food,” Mitch spat.
“What an idiot,” Kar muttered. “Shut up and walk, Mitch. You don’t want to piss off my friend. He likes humans.” He flashed a look at Jadee. “Obviously.”
Jadee hoped that was true. Her situation had become dire but it could still get worse. It was possible Lavos had lied to her. She wanted to survive until dawn and make it home at some point. That meant she needed him to keep his word. The guns with ammo still strapped to her didn’t make her feel safe.
“Let’s go,” Lavos said. He pushed Mitch forward.
Jadee wished for a flashlight but her eyes adjusted enough that she felt secure about not walking into a tree. The moon was out enough to show shapes. It also helped that she followed behind Lavos. His friend stayed at her back but she refused to glance over her shoulder. It took a bit for her to relax enough to stop expecting him to do something bad…like stab her in the back with his claws.
They reached the top of the hill and she made out a dark shape that looked like a river flowing into a valley. Kar stepped to her side and pointed. “I see the trailer.”
She followed the direction of his finger, squinting a little. It was the black shape of a box a few hundred yards from the water. “I see it too.”
“Take hold of this one,” Lavos ordered. “I’ll help her. The hillside looks steep.”
“I can carry her down,” Kar offered.
Jadee jerked away from him, not willing to let him touch her. Lavos made an aggravated sound.
“I said take hold of this one, Kar. Now. Keep a firm grip on him. He’s stupid and keeps trying to jerk away from me. He obviously hasn’t figured out that it would be easy for me to chase him down.”
Kar moved away from her, toward the other men. He grabbed Mitch by the back of his neck and the stockier shape of Lavos pulled away, advancing on her. He paused just feet away.
“I don’t want you to fall or trip.” Lavos spoke softly. “I’m guessing your vision isn’t very good right now. Mine is excellent. There’s lots of loose rocks and vegetation to trip over going down this hill. Will you allow me to get you down safely?”
“What do you have in mind?” She was still leery but taking a header down the hill didn’t sound appealing.
“I’ll carry you.”
It almost made her laugh but she had a feeling he was serious. “I think I’m a little big for that.”
“No you aren’t.”
“Take my hand and tell me if you see a tripping hazard.”
“That’s going to be too slow.” He stepped closer. “Let me carry you in front. Wrap around me. I can walk easily that way if you just tuck your face against my neck so I can see.”
To Jadee, that seemed too intimate.
“Can we get a move on?” Kar sounded irritated. “Decide on something. I’d like to get this over with before someone else dies.”
He made a good point. Mark, Peggy, and Brent needed help. There was still one of those things running around. She stepped closer to Lavos. “Are you sure I’m not too heavy?”
Kar snorted. “He’s not human, sweetheart. He could toss you about twenty feet without breaking a sweat or pulling a muscle. Carrying you down a hill is nothing.”
“Enough,” Lavos grumbled. “Don’t scare her, Kar.” He reached out and touched her arm.
She startled and he pulled his hand away.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Jadee. I am a man of honor.”
Is he a man? Are Werewolves human? At least the blood on him will be dried by now, I hope. But does it matter?
Nope.
She reached up and carefully placed her hands on his shoulders. They were wide and solidly packed with muscle. He was also like a furnace, putting off a lot of heat. She cleared her throat, nervous. “Okay.”
He gripped her hips and lifted. She felt incredibly awkward as she spread her legs and her chest hit his. She did as he’d asked her to do, wrapping her thighs around his waist. He was so warm and firm. Big too. He released her hip to wrap an arm around her middle and adjusted her a little higher. There was no denying his strength.
“Tuck your head,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”
She turned her head and tossed her hair so it wasn’t in his face as she pressed closer, until her nose touched his warm throat. She hated that she noticed the soft traces of his cologne. It wasn’t one she identified but he smelled good. He shifted his other hand and braced his forearm under her ass. Jadee clenched her teeth, not protesting.
He started to walk and it rubbed their bodies together. She closed her eyes and hoped he could see as well as he’d implied. To fall and have him land on top of her would suck. He was a large man and everything about him seemed hard. She didn’t feel any flab on him—and she would know, being this close.
“Can I take a picture of you with her? I doubt anyone will believe me when I tell them about this.” Kar laughed.
“Shut up,” Lavos ordered. “Keep your phone in your pocket and don’t let go of that asshole.”
“You’re no fun.”
“Stop giving her a bad impression of us.” Lavos gave her a gentle squeeze around her middle. “We really are law enforcement. It’s just that we joke around to handle the stress.”
“It’s okay.” She understood.
“Good.”
Rocks slid, the sound of them falling a bit scary. Jadee wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. She didn’t want to choke him but the sound of them smashing into other rocks far below frightened her. To die from falling would be a horrible way to go, but better than having her throat torn out by Mitch. She needed a distraction.
“Why does your friend want to take a picture?”
Kar answered first. “Lavos holding a human in his arms is priceless. I’d win so many bets.” He laughed. “He was always a little too understanding of his brother and Kira.”
“Who’s Kira?” she asked, curious.
Lavos sighed. “Enough. Hold on. I need my arms.”
He reached up for something and his entir
e body tensed. He jumped—to Jadee’s terror—and she felt as if they were swinging for a second, before they fell. He landed with a jarring impact but his arms wrapped tight around her so she wasn’t torn away from him.
“Are you okay?”
“What was that?” She was afraid to look to see for herself.
“A five-foot drop. I had to jump out and grab a branch to avoid landing on a boulder below.”
“Never mind.” She didn’t want to know.
A male shriek started but it cut off abruptly when a heavy weight smashed into something next to them. Jadee gasped, lifting her head and opening her eyes. She couldn’t see when she tried to make out what had been the cause.
Lavos sighed again. “You had to throw him? Come on, Kar.”
“I’m jumping down.” Something else landed next to them and it sounded heavy. “I wasn’t going to carry him in my arms.” Kar chuckled. “He’s not cute. Get up, fang boy. Next time, try to land on your feet instead of your head.”
“You son of a bitch,” Mitch whined. “That hurt.”
“Aw,” Kar muttered. “What happened to the badass attitude I heard when you were threatening a woman? You’re not so tough now when you’re dealing with us, are you? Move.”
“Don’t squeeze so hard. You’re going to break my neck,” Mitch protested.
“I don’t trust you to be smart enough not to run and I’m done chasing shitheads tonight,” Kar responded. “We’re almost to her people.”
Jadee twisted her head and peered toward the water. She saw the dark shape of the trailer. They were farther down the hill than she thought they should be.
She looked up over Lavos’s shoulder, seeing the shape of the hill. There was only one tree she could spot above. He lied to her. He had to have jumped more than five feet. It was more like twenty. It gave her chills that anyone could do something like that so easily. It wasn’t supposed to be possible but they weren’t human.
Lavos walked and she buried her face in his neck, easing her hold around his shoulders. She wanted to freak out but she would do that later. The danger wasn’t over and she didn’t have the luxury of being able to freak until she was back in her rental and on her way to the airport.
Lavos admitted to being impressed that Jadee was dealing with everything so well. He had expected absolute terror and crying from a human. He kept walking until they reached the back doors of the trailer and he bent a little, relaxing his hold on her.
“We’re here,” he whispered. “You can get down now.”
Jadee released his hips with her thighs and slid down him until she stood. Her arms were slower to let go. She backed away and turned, almost walking right into the back of the trailer. He reacted fast and hooked her around the waist to stop her.
“Easy. It’s right in front of you.”
“I can’t see all that well.”
“I can.” He felt bad for her. It must be tough to be human.
Jadee cleared her throat. “Mark? Peggy? Brent?” Her chin lifted to stare up at the top of the doors. She lifted one hand, waving it. “Can you see me? Will you please turn on the outside lights if you have them?”
Floodlights lit up from the top of the trailer. Lavos closed his eyes, temporarily blinded. He let go of Jadee’s waist and retreated a few steps, blinking to adjust to the brightness. Kar uttered a curse but said nothing more. Lavos glanced at him and saw he gripped Mitch by the back of his neck, keeping him far enough away from Jadee to prevent the soldier from reaching her.
Jadee adjusted her raised arm to shield her eyes from the direct light. “Thank you. I couldn’t see anything. I know you’re probably worried that I’ve been made into a Vampire but I’m not.” She turned, glancing at him. “They’ll be afraid that happened to me.”
A soft click sounded and a man’s voice with an accent came out of a speaker from somewhere on the underside of the trailer. “Who’s with you?”
“The cavalry.” She faced the trailer, looking up again. “They saved me and captured the Vampire. Is this tall freaky guy one the Vampires that escaped from you a few days ago?”
“Yes. Where is your father?” It was a woman who spoke.
“Dead.” Jadee pointed at Mitch. “That asshole turned him. I let my dad into the trailer but he wasn’t the man we knew. I was locked in the cage but then these two showed up. This is Lavos and Kar. They’re real Vampire hunters.”
That stunned Lavos. He couldn’t believe she’d just said that. He schooled his features though. It was obvious there were more cameras. Jadee knew about them, and the location of at least one, since she stared up at something. He couldn’t see past the lights to get a clear enough view of the top of the trailer.
“Did you say Vampire hunters?” It was the man with the southern accent.
Jadee nodded. “Yeah. They saved me.” She reached up and pulled her hair back, showing off her neck. “See? No bites. I’m still me. It’s safe to come out. They won’t let the Vampires hurt you. You can open up.”
“This is weird,” Kar muttered.
“We’re not going to do that,” the man announced.
“Son of a bitch.” Jadee lowered her arms. “Come on, Mark. Stop being such an asshole. What is it going to take to get you to believe me? You’re rescued! I’m half tempted to get in my rental and just leave your ass locked inside that container until you starve. Be thankful I like Peggy and Brent. I would never do that to them.” Jadee glanced at Lavos over her shoulder. “Can you think of a way we can prove to them we’re not Vampires?”
Lavos glanced at Kar. His friend looked as grim as he felt. Lavos bent and yanked up his pant leg, grabbed hold of the dagger strapped to his ankle and straightened. His brother would have a fit if he ever found out what he was about to do in front of cameras, but he needed to get inside that reinforced box to destroy the evidence.
“Yes.” He shot another look at Kar. “Hold him tight. He’s about to get agitated.” He motioned for Jadee to move farther away from Mitch. “You shot him a few times and he hasn’t fed.” He looked up to the top of the trailer, wondering about the humans inside. “Watch.”
He cut his left palm, making sure they could see the exaggerated grimace on his face since a human would probably burst into tears. He wasn’t about to go that far but it did hurt to draw a thin, three-inch line across his palm. He opened it, showing everyone the blood.
Mitch sniffed and his eyes widened. He hissed a second later, mouth open and fangs showing. He struggled in Kar’s hold, frantic from the smell. The noises he made were animalistic and loud. His hunger had to be causing him agonizing pains.
“Switch your hold on him and give me his arm,” Lavos ordered Kar.
His friend jerked Mitch back and got him in a choke hold, making sure his fangs weren’t close enough to his skin to bite. Kar twisted his captive and exposed his left side.
Lavos advanced and ripped Mitch’s sleeve at his shoulder, shoving it down, then used the dagger to slice open a good six-inch cut above his elbow. The soldier shrieked. It was probably more from hunger and frustration than actual pain. Lavos was glad he’d handcuffed the soldier or he would take any blood source, even cannibalize himself. It sometimes happened with soldiers when they were starved. They’d bite themselves to get blood. He also wanted the humans to have a clear view.
“Watch how fast he heals.”
The cut sealed within seconds.
Lavos looked up, trying to gauge where the camera was. “See?”
He backed up, showing his injured palm again. It had stopped bleeding but the cut remained. Nothing could heal as fast as a soldier unless fresh blood and feeding were involved. “I’m not what he is. Kar isn’t either. We hunt these things down and stop them. This one is going to lead us to his master so we can take him out.” Lavos put away his dagger.
“Happy, Mark? Legend and paranormal hunters, meet actual Vampire hunters.” Jadee glared up at the top of the trailer. “Open the damn door. Otherwise I swear I’m going to have
them escort me to my rental and I’ll just leave you here. There’s one more still on the loose. The blond guy hasn’t been caught. How long can you stay in there without starving or going crazy?”
Long seconds ticked by, and it irritated Lavos. He didn’t have time for bullshit. They did need to find the blond and take him out. They also needed to hunt down the master. He didn’t want to babysit the soldier during the day and have to find a safe place to store him so he didn’t burn to death. His brother would be worried if they didn’t make contact soon. Lorn would send reinforcements. The last thing he wanted at that moment was more of his clan to show up. He liked Jadee but he couldn’t guarantee others would be willing to trust her word that she’d never say anything about what she’d seen. And her mind was too strong to wipe…
A bolt slid from inside, then another. Metal scraped as one side of the door opened an inch. He backed up and jerked his head at Kar to do the same with the soldier. Jadee wasn’t so cautious. She advanced and curled her fingers around the edge of the door, pulling it back.
Jadee paused. “Are you shitting me?” Then she shoved the door wide open so he could see inside.
Two men and one woman stood inside holding twelve-inch crosses in front of them. Two were made of wood and one looked metal.
Jadee brushed her hands on her pants and gripped her hips. “Wow. I would have packed crossbows and arrows if I’d been you. My eyes aren’t burning, guys. I told you, I’m not a Vampire.”
Mitch tried to twist out of Kar’s hold and avoid looking inside the container. Lavos wanted to roll his eyes. The idiot probably thought crosses would work on him. They wouldn’t, nor would they work on pure-blooded Vampires. He kept his mouth shut.
Jadee released her hips and started to climb inside the trailer. He was tempted to stop her but didn’t want to frighten the humans. He spotted a few guns on a desk near one of the men. They could shoot Jadee if they panicked.
“I’m going to walk right up to you and touch that thing,” Jadee announced. “So you’re sure.”
“Let me see your teeth,” the man with the accent demanded.