He’d never really given a damn for anyone outside his friends and family, but these assholes had pushed him into a state of pissed off he’d never experienced before. Never one for justice, he was more of a “not my business” type of guy, but these asswipes deserved a good beating.
Looking around him, he discovered a sturdy stick and hefted it into his hands. It was perfect for stabbing someone or bashing in their heads. Determined to destroy them, he started out of the woods to save the woman, but before he made it two steps, three more vamps emerged from the woods and ran toward the others.
Jack didn’t have a chance to go after them before the woman’s screams abruptly cut off. It seemed the first two vamps preferred not to share their kill with the new arrivals.
Jack stood at the edge of the woods, trying to decide what to do. As much as he wanted to destroy every last one of them, he couldn’t take on five by himself. Two he could have handled, especially with the element of surprise on his side, but he had no chance against five of them while injured.
He needed to get away before someone discovered him standing there. Jack slipped into the woods and headed away from the ocean. He listened for any hint of something else nearby, but the creaking of the trees in the breeze and the scuttle of late-night forest animals was all he heard. The scent of pine, earth, and decaying leaves filled his nose.
The sky was lightening to the gray of dawn when he paused to lean against a massive pine. Sleep dragged at his eyes, and his side throbbed like a son of a bitch; he needed rest to heal faster. He doubted much sunlight pierced through the thickness of the forest, but the Savages pursuing him would be reluctant to move about in the day; it could be a death sentence if they were caught in the sun’s rays. If he was going to get any rest, now was the time to do it.
A squirrel poked its head out of a hole in the tree over his head before ducking back inside. Hunger caused Jack’s fangs to prick, but he didn’t bother going after the squirrel; he required bigger prey to sate his thirst.
If he couldn’t find larger prey, Jack would turn to the squirrels, but with his appetite, he’d drain a squirrel before he could stop himself. He’d killed animals before, but he hated doing it. Pushing himself away from the tree, he started through the woods again. The birds were beginning to sing, and their claws scratched against the bark of the tree as they flitted through the branches.
The woods were mostly in shadow, but patches of sunlight filtered through to dance across the forest floor. The feral scent of a larger animal caught his attention, and saliva filled his mouth. A cracking branch on his right caused him to stop with his foot in the air. Tilting his head to the side, he listened for more as the birds went silent.
That’s not good.
Jack spotted a thick cluster of evergreens to his right, and without making any sound, he jogged over to the trees. Carefully pulling aside some of the branches, he slid between the trees. In the center of the copse of trees was a small, open section.
He settled the branches into place as two vampires emerged from behind a pair of boulders. The vamps wore black coats with gold patches reading “Security” on them. He’d seen the same coats on the vamps who held them captive in the barn.
Security for what?
Jack didn’t know what he and his friends were mixed up in here, but if whatever it was required security, that meant there were more vamps somewhere nearby, vamps who were in charge, because these vamps would not be security for a bunch of humans. But where were they and how many Savages were involved in this mess?
He briefly contemplated going out there and killing them, but though he was healing, his side felt like someone had taken a hammer to it and he was starving. Risking possible recapture or death wasn’t worth it.
A branch snapping outside his hiding spot alerted him that the vamps were still out there. Clutching his stick, he followed the sounds of their footsteps as they moved around the trees. The pine trees masked their odor from him and his from them.
Then, the footsteps moved away. Jack’s shoulders relaxed as he lowered his branch and gazed around his surroundings. With the sun unable to penetrate the center of the trees, the interior limbs had died off to create a five-foot-wide hollow in the center. Pine needles, sticks, and pine cones littered the ground, and the branches offered a foot of clearing over his head.
When he took another step back, the ground gave way. Jack bit back a startled shout as he plunged downward.
Chapter Two
He fellabout ten feet before he landed on his ass. His broken rib protested the abrupt stop, but it had healed enough that he didn’t feel it shifting around inside there. The rich aroma of the earth filled his nostrils as broken sticks, pine needles, and dirt rained down on him from above. Launching himself back to his feet, he started to turn to take in his new surroundings when the cool tip of metal touched his throat, and he froze.
“Don’t move,” a low voice commanded in his ear.
Shit!Charlie thought as she gazed at the back of the man before her. She’d never considered that she would encounter this mess today. Sure, if the hunt was going on, there was a greater chance of someone finding their way into the tunnels, but the hunt wasn’t for another week.
So that meant the man before her was most likely an enemy, except he wasn’t wearing one of the security coats, and he didn’t have any of the weapons the Savages usually carried with them. Instead, unlike the pristine hunters and security, dirt covered his clothes and streaked his face, but he had fallen into the pit, so she couldn’t expect him to be spotless.
Still, something didn’t feel right about this. She glanced at the opening of the pit, but she didn’t see anyone else up there. Security and a lot of the hunters moved together in groups, but this guy was alone. She knew he was a vampire, like her, but she couldn’t tell if he smelled off like Mal—the vampire who saved her—said the Savages did.
Pitching her voice low, she commanded the vamp to “Drop the stick.”
When the knife bit deeper into his skin, Jack’s hand tightened on the stick. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but neither was a knife against a vampire. Sure, having his throat slit didn’t sound like a great time, but he wasn’t going down without a fight.
He stared at the dirt wall across from him as he tried to take in as many details about the pit as he could. Unable to see all of it, Jack guessed the space was about ten-by-ten feet wide. Tree roots dangled over his head, and rocks protruded from the dirt wall across from him.
“Drop it,” the voice hissed, and warm blood trickled down his throat when the knife bit into his skin.
Instead of releasing the stick, and careful not to make much noise, Jack swung his arm back and hit his attacker in the side. With his other hand, he knocked the knife away from his throat, but not before more of his blood spilled.
His attacker grunted when Jack hit him in the side but made no other sound as Jack spun on him and launched a punch. The man—or at least Jack assumed it was a man due to the tone of his voice—ducked to avoid the fist Jack launched at him.
