“I’m going to find a hotel that’s remote enough we can take them into the woods and feed them there. I won’t risk other humans,” Blake said as we all got back into the truck after throwing both vampires into the back and covering them with a tarp Blake had behind the seat. “Elias was ready to attack us when he was first revived, I expect the same for them.”
“Should we restrain them?” Elias asked.
“Yes, although there may be nothing that will hold them. If they try to attack, I will tear their heads off. I won’t put either of you in danger,” I said, surprising myself that I would include Elias.
Blake searched for a place to hide from the sun while he drove. “There’s a hotel a few miles out of town that mostly caters to fishermen. They’ll be happy to have some business in the off-season,” he said as he turned off the main road and onto one of the narrower forest roads.
We had a few hours before sunrise, but I couldn’t help the need to know there was someplace safe. When he pulled onto a dirt road that led to a log cabin with a lighted vacancy sign, I breathed a sigh of relief. This was different from the other places we’d stayed. After checking in, Blake drove us down the narrow road to where small cabins were situated a distance away from each other in the woods. It was perfect.
“Are you sure you want to revive them?” I asked as Blake backed up to the cabin he said was ours.
“Yes, it’s the only chance we have to get some real answers and possibly put an end to them using vampires.”
“Some give willingly,” Elias said.
“Why? Why would a vampire willingly submit to them?” I asked.
“For a power that would make us even stronger,” Elias said. Leaving me to wonder if the old rumors were true.
Twenty-Nine
Blake
Only one other cabin was occupied, and it was nearer the office, so if shit went bad, at least we only had a few people to deal with. I hoped it didn’t come to that, and everything turned out better than I expected it to. I got out of the truck and stood there a moment. Marlon was on the other side of the truck with Elias, who looked a little better, but I knew he wasn’t completely healed yet.
“Help me carry them into the woods,” Marlon said. He took the unknown vampire, leaving me to carry Josiah. I hefted him over my shoulder and tried not to think about how easy it would be to end him in this state. But then we’d never find out how he was involved in this shit, or what the witches really wanted. “Everything okay?” Elias asked from where he walked next to me.
“Yeah, just having murderous thoughts,” I said.
“Love, you can do what you want with that one. We only need one of them to tell us what we need to know,” Marlon said as he crashed a path through the thick woods and ferns not even trying to be quiet or careful.
“I’ll wait,” I said. I didn’t really want to destroy Josiah; I just wanted to hurt him as badly as he’d hurt Marlon. What he did to me—well, it brought me Marlon.
“Let’s get this over with,” he said as he dropped the vampire to the ground without a care for how hard he landed. We checked the ropes we’d restrained them with and when Marlon thought it might not be enough, we tied both of them to a tree with extra rope from my truck.
“I like to be prepared,” I said.
“Good thing,” Marlon said, and the three of us stood back and looked at them. They appeared so weak and fragile, but after what I’d seen Marlon do with just a little blood I knew we needed to be careful. Once we were as certain as we could be that they wouldn’t be able to attack us, Elias stepped closer to the one we did not know and tore his wrist open, guiding just enough blood into the vampire’s mouth until he came awake the way Elias had.
“More, I need more,” he begged.
“You’ll get more when we get some information from you,” Marlon said and knelt closer to him while Elias sealed his wound and stepped back to my side. “What do the witches want and why were you with them?”
The vampire was young. If I had to guess I would say he was a few years younger than me, and barely old enough to be out of his teens. His eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back showing his fangs. “Why should I tellyou anything?” he sneered and reminded me of Josiah.
Marlon leaned in close enough to be a threat but not so close the vampire would have a chance of harming him. “Do you know what it feels like when your flesh burns in the sun?”
The vampire’s eyes widened and his head snapped back. “I don’t know anything. They used something to stop us when we were crossing to Canada. They kept talking about how our blood would keep them strong and young, and if we let them have some, they’d give us even more power than we had.”
“How would that work?” I asked.
“They didn’t explain it. But they said if we gave them as much as they needed for their spell then they’d make sure we were stronger than any other vampire.” His eyes darted between us until he realized Josiah was next to him and still hadn’t awakened. “Josiah. Is he dead?”
“No, he needs blood,” Marlon said.
“Give him mine. Without Josiah I’m nothing,” he blubbered and struggled with the ropes. “Please help him.”
“What is your name?” Marlon asked.
