He couldn’t imagine anything more horrible than being locked beneath the earth with a bunch of Savages who weren’t allowed to kill their limited food supply.
Walking around the fridge, Killean discovered the room went another twenty feet back. He strolled past the appliances and to the back wall where he opened the door of a pantry to reveal thousands of canned goods stashed inside. He had no idea how much people ate, but there seemed to be enough here to keep them going for months, maybe years.
He closed the pantry door and strolled over to the walk-in freezer taking up most of the back wall. Not only did the freezer contain enough blood to keep a hundred vampires alive for at least a year, but it also held plenty of meat and perishables for humans.
He tried to process everything he was seeing, but his gaze kept returning to the bags of frozen blood. Saliva filled his mouth as he licked his lips; what he wouldn’t give to sink his fangs into someone’s throat, rip it out, and bathe in their blood. Memories of last night’s kill danced across his mind as his body thrummed with excitement.
What he was becoming should repulse him; instead, he found himself pondering when he’d be able to hunt again. He craved the rush of blood filling his mouth, the life slipping into him, and the power it brought. All he wanted—
Stop!
Killean rubbed at his temples as the demon part of him clamored for more death.Must control it.
But he felt as if he were spiraling farther away.Simone! You’re here for Simone!
Drawing on that reminder, Killean gathered the tattered remains of his self-control and finally lifted his head again. He kept his gaze away from the blood as the chilly air flowing over his skin further helped to clear his mind.
If the freezer was fully functional, then they had to be powering it somehow. The same could be said for the lights and the hot water in the showers, but until seeing this freezer, he’d never really thought about a power source for this place. Either they had a self-contained electric grid here, or they were hooked into a natural gas line that wouldn’t be affected by a disaster.
But then, if the world went to shit, he doubted anyone would choose to be plugged into combustible gas… so, their own power source fueled this place.
“What are you doing back here?”
Killean almost jumped at the sudden intrusion, but he kept himself from doing so as he turned toward the Savage standing behind him. How had he not heard the man approach?
Because you’re losing it.
And that was true.
“Exploring,” he replied as he closed the freezer door. “What areyoudoing back here?”
The man crossed his arms over his chest. “Joseph sent me for you; he says you’re to go to him now.”
Killean bit back the retort of,I don’t give a fuck what he says,but such a reply wouldn’t go over too well, and he had a role to play. Never had he chafed against the responsibilities placed on him by being one of Ronan’s men, but Ronan never treated him like a dog meant to jump when he commanded.
“Now!” the man barked.
Before Killean could think, he lashed out and seized the man’s throat. Lifting the Savage off the ground, Killean smashed him into the concrete. The impact shattered the wall and created a perfect, man-sized indent. He bared his fangs as he thrust his face into the man’s.
“Don’t youevertalk to me like that again,” Killean snarled.
Chapter Seven
Killean’s fingersdug into the man’s flesh, cutting off his air supply and spilling blood. The man’s feet kicked against the concrete as Killean’s gaze latched onto the red trails streaking his pale flesh. The man choked, and his face turned florid as Killean resisted sinking his fangs into the Savage’s throat and draining him dry.
He hadn’t been able to stop himself from attacking one of Joseph’s men, but he could stop himself from killing one of them. Killean shoved the man’s head off the wall and released him. The Savage slid to the ground and nearly collapsed, before locking his legs underneath him.
“Joseph will kill you for this!” the Savage spat at him as he grasped his throat.
Killean grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and hauled him forward. The Savage was only an inch or two shorter than him, yet he couldn’t break free of Killean’s grasp as Killean dragged him across the kitchen and out into the hall again. While he was here, he had to play nice and go along with Joseph, but he wouldn’t tolerate some little pissant thinking they could order him around.
A couple of startled Savages stepped out of their way when Killean stalked into the hallway where he slept, but no one tried to stop him. Killean kept the man’s head down and his body hunched over while he propelled him into the hall with the hunters. His gaze flicked to Simone who didn’t look at him, but neither did any of the other hunters as they huddled into themselves.
Killean tore his attention away from Simone’s increasingly gaunt face as he dragged the man up to Joseph’s door and used the Savage’s head to knock on it.
“Come in!” Joseph called.
Killean opened the door and shoved Joseph’s lackey inside. The Savage stumbled and nearly crashed into Joseph’s desk before righting himself.
