“You seem better,” Laney said.

  “I feel better.” He advanced on her in the tight space. She backed up to the cement wall, but stood straight, her head tilted back, staring at him defiantly. He couldn’t help himself. Leaning down, he slanted his mouth across hers, kissing her gently. She froze, not responding, but not pushing him away.

  Pulling back, he met her searching gaze. “Why?” she asked.

  “Because I wanted to.”

  “I’m your food. I thought there were rules about that.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “I don’t think of you as food.”

  “Well, you’ve probably nibbled on my liver before.”

  “I would never—” He felt his gorge rising. He couldn’t even think of her as food. She was too special, too unique to be dinner.

  She lifted her shirt, showing faint scars on the right side of her abdomen. “I’ve been harvested from.”

  He held out a shaking hand, as if to touch the scars, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. “We have to—”

  “I know.” She dropped the shirt.

  Running a hand over his hair, he cursed. “If only there was a way that weres didn’t have to feed from humans. Could get what we needed from any piece of meat …”

  A hand shot out, grabbing his bicep. He froze. It was wrong how much he enjoyed that touch. “You mean that?”

  He frowned. “Of course I do.”

  “Get me out of here, find me some test subjects, and I’ll do it.”

  Wolf laughed, a short bark. “Now that’s ambitious.”

  “I was working in a lab on this very problem with my sister before the last towns were turned to rubble. With her help, I can do this.”

  “But there aren’t any labs left.”

  “I have ways around it.”

  He wanted to believe her, he really did, but he just couldn’t pin his hopes on her finding a cure for him, or his people.

  Chapter 17

  I don’t think I could have kids. This isn’t a world for innocence.

  ~ Quin Kirkman, Journal

  Jane wasn’t meant to know where Laney went or who she went to see when she was taken away. But she had a fair idea. It was only logical, after all, that the vampires had some kind of medical issue they needed sorted, and they didn’t want the humans – or even some of the other vampires – to know about it. She hoped it revolved around their need to drink human blood, but she doubted it. There was probably some injured vampire in need of a stake removal or some such. Disappointing, but then, most of the genetically modified were.

  Walking to the door, Jane peered out the window and watched as the guard who normally took Laney down to the basement strode by, hauling a semi-conscious man over his shoulder. The man was emaciated, but seemed to focus on her studying him through the door’s small glass window. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, she thought he smiled. Which was odd.

  But there was no Laney.

  Frowning, Jane turned back to the room and took in the humans there. Laney seemed to somehow get along with most of them, and they liked her. Jane they tended to ignore and focus on only when Laney wasn’t there to provide medical advice. Throughout the years living at the settlement, the villagers had ‘tested’ her to see if she had any active Graced abilities. Small accidents to see if she’d use telekinesis to save herself, outpourings of emotion to see if she reacted, and scrunched faces which potentially indicated some very nasty thoughts. But she had no active powers, unless you counted an eidetic memory, and so she always passed their tests. It didn’t matter that Jane was more qualified than her sister, she didn’t have the requisite ‘people skills’ required for the actual practice of medicine, and so people overlooked her.

  While the door to the sleeping area was reinforced steel, the rest of the warehouse had concrete walls. They muffled a lot of sounds, but not all of them. Suddenly, the worn screams of someone echoed throughout the warehouse, even in the dormitory. The other women went silent at the cries of agony. Once the yells stopped, Jane went back to the door and watched the same guard emerge, dragging the unconscious vampire along with him.

  Jane had a fair idea that Laney would soon be attending to that vampire, if they wanted to keep him alive.

  Once the guard had disappeared down the hall, she realized that a new series of shouts was audible. But these sounded like they were coming from outside. The unmistakable sound of shearing metal penetrated the walls. Frowning, Jane pressed her ear to the glass on the door and listened. Through the shouting and gunfire, Jane thought she heard growls. Pulling away, she strode to the middle of the room and put two fingers in her mouth, emitting a piercing whistle. All the women stopped their movements and turned to stare at her. Some were glassy-eyed, still high from their latest vampire bite.

  “For those of you who wish to leave, I suggest you get in line. The weres are here.”

  Chapter 18

  They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Who the fuck would want to eat a cold dish of revenge? Serve it up hot and hard, that’s what I think.

  ~ Quin Kirkman, Journal

  Laney stared at John’s chest, rather than looking him in the eye. He’d kissed her. And she’d let him. There must be something wrong with her mentally for her to allow a predator to do that. The lamb and the lion, she thought. Probably the worst part was that she wanted to leap on him and keep going. But that was even more monumentally stupid.

  He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. His skin was so deliciously warm in the cold of the cells. “It makes me sick to think that your liver has been on someone’s dinner plate.”

  “It’s not just me, it’s everyone who lives at the settlements.”

  “There’s a reason why we don’t get to know the people who live there.”

  Laney nodded. What else could she do?

  He swooped in and pressed his lips again to hers, firmly, before sitting down on the floor of the cell, legs spread and a pained look on his face. Seconds later, SV1 came through the door carrying the limp vampire. Another stake jutted from the prisoner’s chest.

  Laney rushed to the bars, trying to assess the damage to her patient. “You’ll be lucky if he survives that one.”

  “No great loss,” the guard replied. Dumping the patient in the cell, SV1 left the door open before walking across and unlocking the one to the were’s cell. “Glad to see she’s still alive. Although, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Tatiana rip you apart.”

  Opening the cell, the vampire froze when his radio came to life. “Beta team to base camp. Intruders have been spotted outside the compound’s perimeter. The walls have just collapsed.” Even through the crackly static, she could hear the horror in the speaker’s voice.

  The guard gave Laney and John an angry look before turning to slam the door closed. Faster than she could blink, John leaped on the guard, the door clanging and rebounding off the other bars as they fought. She hadn’t even seen the were stand. A sharp cracking sound reverberated throughout the cell and SV1 toppled to the floor.

  Numbly, Laney stared at the fallen guard. “What did you do?”

  “Snapped his back. It won’t kill him, but will leave him out of action until he heals. Let’s go.”

  “We can’t leave him here.” Laney remained rooted to the spot.

  “The guard? Sure we can. We’ll just lock him inside the cell.”

  “No, him.” She pointed at the vampire lying prone on the bed.

  “We’re definitely leaving him.”

  “No, they’ll just keep torturing him.”

  Ducking around John, aware he could have stopped her at any time, she ran into the vampire’s cell. Quickly assessing the situation, she ripped the stake from the vampire’s side. She didn’t have time to bandage his wounds, not if the compound was under attack. She was going to have to feed him. Reluctantly, she began rolling the sleeve of her sweater up.

  A strong hand grasped her wrist. “What are you doing?”

  Looking into John’s bright yellow eyes, she sighed. “I need to feed him, or he won’t make it.”

  “You are not food.”

  “Unfortunately, yes I am.” Jerking her arm, she tried to pull it free.

  “You really won’t leave without this leech?”

  Laney shook her head. Useless Hippocratic Oath.

  Shoving her aside, John shoved his wrist in the vampire’s face. “Drink from me, or we leave you here to rot. Your choice.”

  Fast as a snake, the vampire struck. John winced and bared his teeth. She saw the vampire bite down over and over and couldn’t help but gasp. It must have hurt John so much …

  “Enough.”

  The vampire let go then hauled himself upright. Seeing how emaciated he was, it would have taken immense strength of will to stop feeding once given the taste of blood. A were’s blood was meant to be a poor substitute for human; the man was probably still starving. John swayed on his feet slightly, then righted himself.

  Still clutching the bloody stake, she strode from the cell and out into the area where the fallen guard lay. “Shall we drag him into the cell?”

  Before she could finish the sentence, the vampire prisoner ripped the stake from her hand and slammed it into the guard. She heard the sound of crunching bone and gagged.

  “We could have left him alive!” she screamed.

  But her former patient met her gaze, his expression eerily calm. “Trust me, this is better than what he deserves.”

  John sighed. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  Chapter 19

  Can I be Trace when I grow up? Man is a scary asshole.

  ~ Quin Kirkman, Journal

  A very large were was standing in the dormitory doorway. Screams and yells broke out behind him, and she heard the snarls of wolves and cats too close for comfort. So instead, Jane focused on the were who had smashed the reinforced steel door in as if it was paper. She estimated that he was six feet eight inches in height (give or take) and would weigh close to four hundred pounds; very little of it fat. Golden eyes swept over the villagers, and she tried to stand tall. He was very intimidating. Even she knew who this man was.

  “Only nine of them will come,” Jane said. “I have not been able to ask the male villagers.”

  Those yellow eyes met hers. “I’m only here for two of you.”

  Jane blinked. “But there are ten of us, plus my sister, who will go.”

  She swore that the man sighed. “As long as a Jane and Laney are among the number, fine.”

  Jane swallowed. “Laney was taken away by a guard.”

  The were turned and hit the wall. Concrete crumbled from the impact. “Motherfucker.”

  Why the weres were just after Laney and her … Maybe Quin had sent them? Trying to mollify the huge were, she said, “I’m Jane.”

  “Well, not a total loss. I still need to find a friend of mine. Go with Wes, who will get you out of here.” Trace stepped to the side and a skinny man stared at her. Jane nodded.

  “Let’s go.”

  *

  Trace raced through the halls, his stride eating up more distance than those of smaller weres. He’d searched almost the entire compound by the time he found Jane, and now he was getting worried. He still hadn’t located Wolf, or come across Tatiana, which could mean any number of bad things.

  Racing into a room he stopped short. There she was.

  Tatiana.

  She wore all black and was barking orders into her radio.

  Swinging around, she narrowed her eyes and hissed. “You.”

  Grinning, he leaned back against the doorjamb, acting nonchalant. “Hello my lovely, I’ve come back for my property.”

  “I am not your lovely.”

  Tatiana launched herself at him, and she was fast. Hands extended like claws, she almost succeeded in ripping out his throat. Ducking to the side, he grabbed her shoulder and swung around, using her own momentum against her. He slammed her into the concrete wall behind him. The sound of crunching bone and the smell of blood came to him. Hissing and spitting, she spun, her face smeared with crimson and her nose broken flat. Her nails scored long lines of pain across his chest before she drew her hand back to hit him. With her strength, she could probably punch a hole right through his chest.

  Ducking low, he swept a leg out, knocking her off her feet. Then, leaping forward, he grabbed her head in both hands and turned. She resisted, but he was strong for a second generation were. A sharp sound echoed through the now still chamber and her body fell still.

  The radio crackled to life and he didn’t think he’d ever been happier to hear Wolf’s voice. “Trace, you had better be here. I’m on my way out.”

  Reaching a hand down her side, he unclipped the radio from her belt. He spoke into the receiver. “Trace here. Just tidying up some loose ends.”

  Trace really should kill her. She was nothing but trouble, would keep coming after them, especially now that they’d stolen some of the humans back …

  “Hurry the fuck up,” Wolf barked.

  Regretfully, Trace flicked a handful of Tatiana’s thick auburn hair. Those oversize violet eyes stared up at him, fury and something else emanating from their depths. He chucked Tatiana under her pixie chin. “Until next time.”

  Chapter 20

  I think the Raven Clan need a reminder they aren’t the most powerful group alive.

  ~ Quin Kirkman, Journal

  Wolf emerged with Laney and Marcus into the central courtyard. Laney hurried in front, while Wolf half-carried the vampire with him. A line of humans stood waiting in the area, surrounded by weres and the scattered remains of half a dozen or so vampires. At the head of the humans stood a tall and painfully thin woman who had a facial resemblance to Laney. She was talking to Wes, a were-panther.

  “Who is that?”

  Wolf looked down at Marcus and frowned. “Who is who?”

  “The woman at the front.” Marcus sniffed the air. “She smells even better than your doctor.”

  Laney spun around, and pointed a sharp finger at Marcus’ face. Her expression was almost murderous. “Touch her, and I’ll make those stake wounds seem like a walk in the park. Got it?”

  He hadn’t thought he could be any more impressed by the human. He was wrong. A grin spread across his face.

  Marcus smirked, then turned to Wolf. Their faces were far too close, since Wolf was keeping the vampire upright. “If you get a hard-on while holding me, I’ll get worried about our relationship.”

  Wolf dropped the vampire.

  “Ow.”

  Laney nodded and strode away, toward her sister. Jane smiled when she spotted the doctor.

  “A little help?” Marcus held up a hand.

  “I should leave you here to die.”

  “But your human doesn’t want that.”

  Wolf helped Marcus up, then handed him over to a were guard, Todd. “Don’t kill him.”

  Todd grimaced and held the vampire as if he was diseased. Wolf ignored the quips that were already emerging from the half-dead leech. Two vans came to a stop beside the line of humans, and Wes herded them into the vehicles. Wolf wanted Laney to ride with him, but she went with her sister without a backward glance. Grunting, he followed and climbed into the van’s front seat. There was no partition into the back, so he could see her huddled with her sister, talking quietly, looking up every few seconds out the windows.

  “Where are you, Trace?” Wolf muttered.

  Over twenty black-clad vampires began to approach in the distance at a dead run, which didn’t leave them much time. And Wolf didn’t even have a gun to shoot the fuckers. Then Trace was there, bolting from one of the warehouse buildings and leaping into the open van door. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Bullets began roaring through the air, but none seemed to touch the vans. Good thing the vampires were bad shots.

  Trace slammed the door shut, eyes seeming to follow the paths of the misaimed bullets. “What’s going on? Is Quin here? I told that fucker to stay back after he got us inside.”

  “Go, go, go!” Wolf shouted. Once the van engines were roaring, he turned back to Trace, who had blood running down his chest through a shredded shirt.

  Looking into the back of the van, he saw Laney pressed close to the glass window, her eyes locked on the scene they were leaving behind. She was pale and shaking, her eyes focused. A chill began to spread over him.

  Suddenly, Trace’s question made sense. Wolf had a sinking feeling he’d just discovered the color of Laney’s other eye.

  “Laney, stop!” Jane began shaking her sister, but the doctor’s eyes were focused on the scene outside the window. Blood was seeping out of Laney’s nose.

  Leaping over the seats, Wolf dove into the back of the van, squatting next to Laney and Jane. Jane turned to him, her Hazel eyes wild. “Stop her, she’ll hurt herself. She can’t do this much!”

  “Have to get out of here,” Laney muttered, a frown marring her brow. Blood began to pour from her nose, and he could see it start to drip from her ears.

  Wolf grabbed her, but Laney ignored him, focusing on the bullets they were speeding farther and farther from. About to shake her, he watched as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed.

  “Laney!”

  Cradling her to his chest, Wolf felt panic gnaw at him. Her body was limp in his arms, all her vitality gone. Raising a trembling hand, he felt for her pulse. It was there, thready, but there. Relief surged through him.

  Then the sound of crumbling concrete and shearing metal reached his ears, and Wolf looked up to see warehouses fall to the earth in the background. The earth itself groaned, tremors making the van shake. Wolf felt the blood drain from his head. Quin had obviously decided to stop waiting.

 

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