On the distant horizon, a set of headlights soared over a small hill. They vanished into a dip in the road before reappearing. Killean stepped away from the wall as the vehicle neared. Despite the calm of the night, a looming sense of doom built in his chest. He had no reason to suspect being discovered, but the sooner they were away from this place, the happier he would be.
The car was almost to the gas station when Simone emerged from the bathroom. “Do you need to use it?” she inquired.
Killean didn’t look at her as the car swung into the gas station and parked near the door of the store; more headlights loomed on the horizon. They’d passed other vehicles on their way here, and for all he knew this was the only gas station around for miles, so it was a big draw for the locals, but he still didn’t like seeing so many vehicles on the road.
“Killean?”
“Shh,” he whispered, and clasping Simone’s arm, he slid further into the shadows of the building as the kid pumping the gas turned to look at the idling sedan.
A beat-up truck pulled in and parked next to the car. Three young guys jumped out, waved to the kid pumping gas, and sauntered into the store. A woman climbed out of the sedan with her baby and followed the guys inside.
Killean relaxed, and taking the spoon from Simone, he strode with her back to the store, put the spoon on the counter, and they returned to the truck. Opening the passenger door, he helped her into the truck before walking around to the other side and climbing behind the wheel. Killean closed the door and studied the quiet night.
“That will be seventy-five dollars,” the kid said as he returned to Killean’s window. “Would you like me to check your oil and wash your windshield too?”
“No,” Killean said as he took control of the kid’s mind. “And I already paid you.”
“You’re all set, sir,” the kid said and tapped the window frame. “Have a good night.”
The kid stepped away from the truck when Killean started it and pulled away from the pump.
Simone turned to stare out the back window as the gas station vanished from view. “Do you think Joseph and his followers could find us?” she asked, knowing that was the source behind Killean’s strange uneasiness at the gas station.
“I’m not taking any chances.”
Killean drove faster to put more distance between them and the gas station. The truck surged forward as it rose over hills before coasting down them. They were heading into a dip in the road when he spotted headlights coming toward them. The lights momentarily vanished from view before he spotted them again.
Simone’s fingers dug into the armrest of the door as the headlights approached. A sense of foreboding built in her stomach though she had no idea why. She suspected Killean’s agitation was catching as there was nothing unusual about this vehicle.
The car was almost to them when it suddenly swerved into their lane and came at them head-on. Simone gasped and slammed her feet into the floor as if that could somehow stop them from barreling toward the vehicle.
“Hold on!” Killean shouted and jerked the wheel to the left.
For a second, it seemed as if they were going to miss the car entirely, but the car outmaneuvered the truck and came back toward them. Simone could only sit and watch helplessly as the car homed in on them like a shark on a seal. It was so close, she could see the vicious grin of the driver as he hunched over the wheel.
Simone cried out when the front ends collided with a screech of metal. Golden sparks flew over the hood of the truck and peppered the windshield. Pushed away by the truck, the car turned and its dented bumper scraped along the passenger side as the car slid by her. Simone found herself looking down into the hate-filled, red eyes of a Savage as the car went past her.
Killean yanked the wheel to correct the truck before the impact sent it careening off the side of the road and into an embankment. The ass end of the truck fishtailed and the tires squealed when he stomped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, he watched as the car spun in the middle of the road and started after them.
“Are you okay?” he demanded of Simone.
“Ye-yes,” she stammered.
“Hold on.”
In the front, a rattling sound increased from the damaged bumper when he accelerated. If the bumper had been shoved into the tire, it was only a matter of time before the tire popped, but he didn’t dare slow down as the car steadily gained on them.
The speedometer climbed from sixty to seventy to eighty. They were at ninety when a piece of the bumper broke off; it smashed into the side of the truck before spiraling away and crashing into the middle of the road. The bumper broke apart when it bounced over the pavement. Forced to swerve around it, the car lost some of its momentum and fell back a little.
They were up to over a hundred when the rattling grew loud enough to drowned out the radio. “Put on your seat belt,” he said to Simone.
She fumbled for the belt and tugged it over her shoulder before clicking it into place as the car closed the distance between them to twenty feet. When the truck soared over the next hill, the wheels came off the ground, and for a second they flew over the earth until gravity won out. Simone’s teeth clacked together when they hit the ground, and the truck released an ominous groan.
Simone’s nails dug into the armrest as the truck made an awful noise she believed meant it was about to burst into a million pieces. Somehow all the nuts and bolts managed to stay in place, but the rattling grew louder.
Killean could no longer see the headlights of the car as it was nearly on their ass. With the damage to the truck and the fact the car was simply faster, they would never outrun it, and he couldn’t allow them to get the upper hand. He had to do whatever was necessary to keep Simone safe and free from Joseph.
“Brace yourself,” he said.
“For what?” Simone asked.
“Impact.”
Simone didn’t have a chance to respond before Killean threw his arm out and pressed it against her chest; he shoved her back in the seat. The truck tires squealed, and smoke plumed up around the windows as he stomped on the brakes. Another loud squeal came from behind him, but his stop was so sudden that the car didn’t have time to avoid plowing into the ass end of the truck.
Metal crunched as the tailgate bent in, and the bed of the truck bowed up from the force of the car being driven into it. The back window shattered, and glass rained down around them. When the airbags exploded, Killean released the wheel to tear away the one in front of him before ripping Simone’s out of the way.
The truck shifted to the side when the passenger side tires gave way; the rotors digging into the asphalt tore up chunks of pavement and sent more sparks over the hood. They were shoved another fifty feet forward before the hideous screeching and twisting of metal came to an end and the truck stopped sliding.
Lowering his arm, Killean turned to Simone as she slumped in the seat. The pallor of her face terrified him as he rested his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he demanded.
“Yes,” she said.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
She lifted her head to reveal her quivering lower lip. “I’m not hurt.”
Realizing it was fear and not pain that had her so rattled, Killean wanted to stay and comfort her, but lingering would only give those bastards a chance to close in on them.
“Stay here,” he commanded before flinging his door open and plunging into the night.
Steam poured from the crunched-in hood of the car as he ran toward it. The nose of the car was buried in the bed of the truck, but all the Savages had survived the crash. The driver beat at the steering wheel pinned against his chest as he tried to free himself, but the wheel was lodged in the Savage’s diaphragm, making his chest nearly concave. He wouldn’t get free anytime soon, but another Savage was already climbing out of the back seat.
Seizing the door the Savage had opened, Killean smashed it into the vampire and pinned the creature between the door and the car. The vamp grunt
ed, its hands flailed, and it beat at Killean when he put more of his weight against the door. When the door started cutting into its chest, the Savage changed tactics; instead of beating at Killean, the vampire gripped the edge of the door and attempted to push it away.
Lowering his shoulder, Killean pressed it against the door to keep the Savage trapped while freeing his hand. He delivered a series of three consecutive blows to the Savage’s face. Its nose and cheekbone gave way as the other back door and the passenger side door of the car opened. When two more vamps emerged, Killean realized he didn’t have time to mess around with this Savage anymore.
Jumping back, Killean leapt away from the door and jerked it open. He swung his hand forward as the Savage staggered toward him. The ribs Killean had crunched in the door gave way beneath the force of his fist as he plunged it into the Savage’s chest. The beat of the Savage’s heart tickled his fingertips before Killean clenched the organ in his hand and tore it free.
The vamp staggered forward before collapsing to his knees and falling face-first onto the road. Killean released the heart and looked over the car at the Savages on the other side. Red filled his vision when he saw one of them was Andre, and they were heading for Simone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Killean raced around the back of the car towards the bastards. Seizing Andre, Killean lifted him and threw him into the mangled bed of the truck. He didn’t stop to kill Andre as the other Savage neared the passenger side of the truck and Simone. The need to destroy coursed through him until every beat of his heart repeatedly hammered one word—kill.
Before the Savage could grab the door, Simone opened it and shoved it into the creature’s chest. The force of the blow caused the vampire to stumble back a few feet, and Killean dove at him. Wrapping his arms around the Savage’s waist, Killean tackled him.
The creature grunted when they hit the ground and tumbled across the asphalt; in an attempt to dislodge Killean, its hands flailed behind its head. Killean ignored the blows landing against the side of his head and sank his fangs into the Savage’s throat.
The creature howled as its blood burst into Killean’s mouth. Jerking backward, Killean tore the Savage’s throat out and spat away the chunk of flesh before twisting its head to the side. Sinew and bone gave way beneath his hands as Killean tore the head from the Savage’s shoulders.
When something crunched behind him, he gripped the Savage’s hair and turned to find Andre only ten feet away and sprinting toward him. A look of murderous rage blazed from Andre’s eyes, and a Joker-style grin twisted his features as he closed the distance between the two of them.
Killean threw the head at him, and though it caught Andre in the chest, it did nothing to deter the Savage. Before Killean could regain his feet, Andre crashed into him.
Simone gawked as the vampire barreled into Killean, and they both somersaulted into the middle of the road. Panic tore through her when they stopped rolling with the Savage on top of Killean.
No! The scream echoed in her head as the Savage pulled back his arm and battered Killean’s face. The scent of Killean’s blood filled her nostrils, her throat went dry, and helplessness filled her as she watched them fight.
She’d resented the self-defense classes Nathan decided the women in the stronghold should take. Those classes were breaking from their ways, and the first time she’d been reluctant to learn anything she was supposed to. Now, she wished she’d paid more attention as Killean’s fingers dug into the Savage’s throat while the beast continued to pummel him.
She may have no idea what to do, but she couldn’t sit here and watch Killean being beaten. Her legs wobbled when she leapt out of the truck, but she managed to steady them beneath her as the vamp pulled back his arm to punch Killean again. Simone forgot all about her hesitation and terror when she spotted Killean’s blood glistening on the Savage’s knuckles.
She had no idea what she would do as she sprinted across the road toward them, but she had to stop this. There was no time to think as she launched herself onto the Savage’s back, gripped a handful of his hair, and ripped his head back.
She didn’t realize her fangs were extended until she sank them into the Savage’s throat and a wash of hot, rancid blood filled her mouth. Killean may be more Savage than anything else, but his blood didn’t taste rotten as this thing’s did.
She’d prefer to spit his blood out, but she didn’t release her hold on him. The monster reared back and battered the side of her skull with one, beefy hand. Stars burst against the back of Simone’s closed lids as a ringing erupted in her ears. Thick fingers entwined in her hair and though the vampire’s movements were growing sluggish, he yanked so cruelly she was sure he tore a handful of hair from her head.
Wrath unlike any Killean had ever known tore through him when Andre hit Simone. Blood pooled in his right eye from a cut above it as he lifted himself onto his elbows and drove his head forward. Andre howled when Killean bashed his forehead into the Savage’s nose, flattening it beneath the impact.
He wanted to shove the prick off him, but he didn’t dare risk doing so with Simone clinging to his back; Andre would injure her if he fell on her. Seeming to realize the same thing, Andre suddenly lunged backward and flipped himself toward the pavement.
Simone cried out when she realized the vampire’s intent and released him. She tried to leap off his back, but she wasn’t fast enough and found her arm pinned beneath him. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out.
Then Killean was rising over them. She’d never seen anything like the wrathful look on Killean’s face as his eyes burned hotter than the fires of Hell and his fangs slicing his bottom lip caused rivulets of blood to slide down his chin.
She almost felt sorry for the creature on top of her.
Grabbing Andre’s throat, Killean plucked him off her and dangled him over the ground with one hand. Andre’s feet kicked in the air as he issued strangled cries of terror. He tore at Killean’s hand when Killean dug his fingers into his throat. Blood poured down the sides of the wounds Killean inflicted on him and splashed onto the ground around his feet.
Through the thick muscle of Andre’s neck, Killean’s fingers touched, and he released an inhuman snarl before he tore Andre’s throat out. Andre’s head lulled back on his spine before Killean gripped the top of his head and pulled it free.
He stared into Andre’s unseeing eyes before he dropped the head and focused on Simone. Killean knelt at her side and started to reach for her, but the blood dripping from his hands stopped him before he could touch her. The sight of that blood brought him back to the motel room as he scrubbed the blood from his blistered hands. However, this time the blood was real, and he felt more in control of himself than he had in that moment.
Killing sates the beast. But then, for him, killing had always kept the demon part of him at bay. Yet, as he gazed at the bodies surrounding them, he felt as if something were missing as the demon part of him hungrily sought out something more than this death.
Then he realized that he wanted to do more than deliver death to his victims. Killing wasn’t enough for him anymore, he also wanted to experience the suffering of those he slaughtered, and he hadn’t done that with these three.
Killean lowered his hand and rested it on the ground before her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Are you?” she asked and stretched a shaky hand out to caress his battered face. His right eye was nearly swelled shut, and blood spilled from a nasty gash above it that revealed a gleaming piece of his skull.
“I’m fine,” Killean said and turned away from the gentle prodding of her fingers. “I’ll heal when I feed. I have to clean up this mess, and we have to get out of here before someone comes across us.”
Killean gazed at his hands before wiping them on the front of his shirt. Blood already splattered it; adding more didn’t matter. Taking the elbow of the arm Simone wasn’t cradling against her chest, he helped her rise before gripping the wrist of her injured arm.
“Do you think it’s broken?” he asked as he tenderly examined it.
“I think he just squished it.”
“It will heal fast.”
He released her arm and lifted his eyes to meet hers. Unable to resist, he clasped her chin and ran his thumb over her lips to wipe away the blood staining them. It bothered him she’d fed from another, he should be her primary source until they were separated, but the lethalness she’d exhibited excited him. There was far more to this little hunter than he’d ever realized.
“Stay here while I clean this mess up,” he said.
“I’ll help you.”
“No,” Killean said. “I don’t want you touching these things.”
“Killean–—”
“You’re injured, Simone. Just let me take care of it.”
Simone stepped back, and he turned to gather Andre’s head and body.
“How did they find us?” she asked as he worked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Do you think there were more of them at the campground, and they saw us leave?”
“No. I would have sensed them if there were, and they would have found us sooner if they knew what vehicle we were driving. They could be patrolling all the roads and simply got lucky.”
He didn’t believe that, but he didn’t know how else the Savages could have stumbled across them. There hadn’t been any other vampires at that campground; he was sure of that.
Killean carried the remains of Andre over to the car, opened the passenger door, and heaved him inside. The Savage pinned behind the wheel made a gurgled sound and jerked harder at the column keeping him in place. Killean leaned over to examine the Savage more closely and realized the wheel was fusing into the vampire’s skin as it healed.
Bound by Darkness: The Alliance Series, Book 3 Page 15