Yet it was also so far away it seemed unattainable. She closed her eyes against the tears burning them. She’d made it this far; she wouldnotgive up hope. She would have that life if she had to slaughter every single Savage to make sure it happened.
Keeping Declan’s hand in hers, she placed her hands beneath her and pushed herself onto all fours before rising with him. Shouts came from the main road; without saying a word, they turned and ran back behind the buildings. She was starting to feel like a cornered animal with a trap hovering over her head, waiting to spring.
As they neared the other end of the main street, the stench of rot filling the air alerted them that Savages were on the intersecting road ahead. Declan skidded to a halt, and Willow stopped beside him.
The demon clawed at his insides as it sought to break free and unleash Hell on anything posing a threat to Willow. His fangs throbbed as he searched the woods. These trees wouldn’t keep them hidden all night, and if they kept running back and forth like rats in a maze, it would only get them killed.
Turning his attention back to the main street, he studied the guards there. If they were fast enough, they might make it across the road and into the woods on the other side before being shot or attacked. There was no way to avoid being spotted, but they would have a better chance of losing the Savages in the woods over there than they had of continuing to avoid them where they were now.
“We don’t have a choice,” Willow said.
“No, we don’t,” he agreed. “But we should go back so we’re in between this road and the one on the other end. That way, it will take longer for the Savages on both streets to come to the aid of the ones on this road.”
“Okay.”
Staying close to his side, she focused on his scent as she tried not to think about what lay ahead of them. Theywouldget out of here, and they would live the beautiful life she could see for them. They’d get to know each other better, lie beside each other every day, and one day hear the laughter of their children.
When they were at the halfway point of the intersecting streets, they stopped between two small, squat brick buildings. A small alley ran between the buildings, and across the street, another row of brick buildings faced them. And beyond that lay more woods.
Willow wasn’t looking forward to running through more woods for miles upon miles again, but the promise of those trees was brighter than the sun at noon. She rested Declan’s hand against her belly as she lifted her head to take in the red in his eyes.
“We’re going to get through this,” she whispered.
“We are, and the first chance we get, we’re going on vacation.”
Willow snorted with laughter. “As long as that vacation doesn’t involve the woods, I’m there.”
“I’m thinking white sandy beaches for miles and drinks that come in coconuts.”
“I love the way you think.”
Declan bent to kiss her temple and closed his eyes as he inhaled her heady scent. He’d just found her, and he couldn’t lose her. She made it so he remembered what it was like to be a man, instead of a monster on edge all the time. She’d brought love and happiness to a life devoid of it for too many years.
And now he was on the verge of losing her, and that verge was making the demon inside him more ravenous than ever before.
When Declan pulled away from her, his eyes were completely red. More than that, black and red color was seeping out from the corners of his eyes. The fine lines made it seem like the fire in his eyes was spreading through his flesh.
She’d heard what happened to a purebred vampire when pushed to the edge, and especially when someone threatened their mate, but she’d never seen the effects of it before. Willow rested her hand on his arm in the hope of calming him, but it didn’t work.
“Stay close to me,” Declan said.
“I will.”
“Let’s go.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice; she stayed at his side as they bolted out of the woods and between the two buildings. She didn’t look toward the guards when her feet hit the sidewalk, and she never checked to make sure no one was coming before plunging into the road.
A shout sounded from somewhere to Declan’s left, a car horn blared, and lights from a nearby truck flared to life as a key turned in the ignition. The increasing stench of rot told him the Savages were closing in, but he didn’t see them yet.
When they reached the opposite side of the street, his and Willow’s feet hit the sidewalk at the same time. He didn’t look back when tires squealed on the pavement, and the revving engine sounded like a dragon bearing down on its prey.
When Willow craned her neck to see over her shoulder, Declan clutched her arm and pulled her in front of him as gunfire split the night. Chunks of concrete and pieces of brick flew up from the sidewalk and broke off the building as the bullets zinged off them. Shards pelted his legs and face as another bullet struck him in the arm; he grunted from the impact but didn’t slow.
“Declan?” Willow gasped.
“I’m fine; keep going.”
She knew he wasn’t fine as the scent of his blood permeated the air, but she didn’t try to look back as the bullets whizzing past her head struck the buildings. A large chunk of a brick cut her in the cheek, a trickle of warmth tickled her flesh as it ran down her cheek. Over the booms of the guns firing, shouts sounded in the distance as the Savages alerted their brethren to their presence.
