“Watching,” Brianna said sarcastically.
Beth ignored her friend and studied the black creatures. Her lip curled up. A snarl of frustration seeped through her voice as she stepped past the ring of mint, appearing agitated by the delay. “More than likely, they are waiting for back-up. They look like mites. That deception keeps most predators from attacking them, but watchers aren't aggressive. They'll run if we attack them.”
“Waiting for back-up?” Jared asked, latching on the single phrase that concerned Katie as well.
“Mites,” Brianna said snappishly, hurrying to catch up with Beth as the shorter girl walked toward the chattering watchers. “That many watchers could only mean hundreds of mites. Darn it Bethany Anne, come back here.”
No sooner had the words left the tall blonde's mouth than the top of the far left wall, high above the mirror smooth water, burst like a pink camera flash. Bright color rapidly spread outward as black bodies scrambled out of a dozen holes scattered across the top edge of the cavern. The mites raced down a nearly invisible ramp cut into the high wall.
Both girls jerked to an abrupt halt. Turning, they raced toward Katie and the thin ring of mint.
Katie angled her weapon, such as it was, toward the oncoming hoard of creatures. She didn't think there would be enough mint to go around.
The first mite jumped off the ledge, screaming a warning cry it dashed forward, reaching the leafy carpet in a burst of speed. Long spiky legs ran through the mint, blistering the black surface on contact. The mite shrieked and hopped up and down like a grasshopper, crashing backward it hopped again and tumbled with a huge splash into the clear water.
Another mite raced forward, hitting the mint. It reared backward on hind legs, shrieking in pain.
Jared stepped forward and shoved his stick against its smooth shell. The mite scurried out of the bed of mint, shoving past its cohorts. The black mite raced toward the watchers.
The nimble watchers scattered, running in a dozen different directions.
The remaining mites didn’t seem to learn from the first mite's painful lesson. They kept coming, but like stacked dominoes their movements became predictable. In waves of three or four they attacked, shrieked as they hit mint then jumped backward, scrambling beyond reach.
The four teenagers allowed the mint on the floor to do most of the hard work, repelling the creatures without getting too near the dangerous stingers. When that didn't work, they shoved mint wrapped sticks against smooth backs or legs.
The ranks of mites grew thinner and Katie grew bolder.
So did her current adversary, a big black mite with a dozen blisters along its legs and back. The mite lunged forward, stabbing at her with its sharp stinger. The dangerous weapon missed her by inches. Skipping backward, she caught the heel of her white tennis shoe in a strand of mint.
She fell backward, crying out in shock, more than pain. Fear crashed through her as the poisonous black tip stabbed at her. She scrambled backward, backpedaling on her hands and butt. The sharp black point stabbed again, missing her by a hair's width, smashing into the stone floor next to her spread fingers. She snatched her hand back, expecting the mite's second stinger to strike her any second.
Without warning, she found herself tackled by a big, warm body. Backward, she slid across the rough stone floor, shoved out of the way by Jared’s lean frame.
Her mate’s hot-pepper candy scent surrounded her. His body covered hers. For a split-instant, his frantic eyes met her eyes, a single moment before his face contorted in pain.
Jared's rescue happened so fast that the attack blurred in Katie's mind, wrapping blood, fear, and pain all in one terrible package.
Jared bellowed in pain.
Blood spilled across the stone floor.
Anger deepened his yell into a roar as the stinger slashed down his right arm, ripping a bloody furrow through thick muscles.
Bright red liquid, splattered across Katie's outstretched legs, feeling warm and wet. The intoxicating scent of Jared’s life blood shot through her vampire’s heart like a sniper’s bullet.
The sharp tip of the mite’s stinger slammed past Jared continuing downward toward Katie's bare thigh. In a flash of stark understanding and fear, she knew she had time to scuttle backward, but the movement would have upset Jared's precarious position on top of her, possibly throwing him under the legs of the mite.
She stiffened, eyes wide in horror, waiting for the horrible pain her twin suffered through.
Jared's left hand shot forward, gripping the sharp appendage. He lurched sideways, dragging the struggling mite away from her. He dodged an attack from the second stinger and slipped in his own blood. He fell, yanking the mite off its feet at the same time.
Katie rolled to her knees, frantically searching for her mint stick. She didn't see it so she scooped up several handfuls of mint. She jumped up and slapped the strands of greenery against the mite's back, but the wretched thing wouldn't stop jabbing its stinger at Jared.
The monster wasn't slowing down, but Jared was. His movements grew sluggish. Slow enough the last spike nearly hit him through the calf.
The creature reared back, dragging Jared toward its chomping mouth.
Katie stepped back, throwing all her strength into a single snapping kick, she hit the creature's right rear leg, smack on the lower bulging joint. Her foot hit with a resounding crack. The joint broke and the creature shrieked and lurched away from them, toward the pool.
The mite took off at a hobbling run, racing after two other mites rushing up the ramp. The creature quickly disappeared into the largest black hole.
_____________
Jared's heart clenched in fear, terror gnawed at him in waves. He shuddered as reality hit him: He had nearly lost her, not once but twice in a single day. He struggled to his knees, desperate to reach his mate.
Katie’s back was toward him, standing with her legs spread ready for another attack. He knew she searched the area for more mites, but the crazy mite they fought must’ve been the last one.
He reached for her, aching to touch her. The tips of his fingers grazed her calf and she jumped away from his touch.
His heart crashed in his chest, shattering in a thousand pieces, knowing his attempt to protect her from the idiot people in Clan Valley had turned around and bit him in the ass. He'd lost the most important, the most precious thing, in his universe, not even his honor meant more to him than she did.
Tears flooded his eyes, blurring his vision. He loved her more than life. He swayed, wondering if he had any chance at salvaging the mess he'd made.
Something heavy smashed into his chest, toppling him over. He crashed to the floor.
“Jared,” Katie said, a warm stream of air tickled his ear as she whispered his name over again. The sound merged a sigh relief and a cry of worry. She clung to him as they lay in an untidy heap on the cold floor.
He blinked, trying to clear his eyes. A single tear slid down his cheek.
Katie kissed the falling drop, not stopping until her kisses reached his mouth. Her lips gently slid across his. She sighed, teasing his lips with her tongue. She seemed to be enjoying the kiss as much as he was. Shuddering, she tightened her hold on him and deepened her kiss. Her emotions slammed into him, whipping around him in a vortex of uncertainty, flashing and growing as her love hammered at him with the finesse of a bowling ball. Her fear and anxiety chomped at the edges.
He groaned, wondering if he would ever understand the dramatic highs and lows of his mate, not that it mattered. He didn't care if he never grew accustomed to her abruptly fluctuating emotions or not. As long as she didn't leave him, he'd accept anything she threw at him.
He wrapped his arms around her, uncaring of the pain tugging at him. He skimmed his hands along her back and legs, making sure that she remained unhurt.
She curled closer and a rumbling sound emerged from his chest as he purred his pleasure. He caressed her smooth thigh, wishing they were anywhere but a damp cave f
illed with Sídhí creatures.
Suddenly, she hissed and jerked away from him.
The pain of her rejection bloomed through him as he realized her worried reaction had only been an automatic response like that of a dog drooling when presented with a chunk of bloody liver.
_____________
Katie hissed, jerking away from Jared's embrace. What a complete idiot she was. How could she forget so quickly?
Her eyes scanned his face, but stopped there as a horrendous black feeling of rejection and grief slammed into her. The emotions hit her so hard she whimpered and clutched her chest. She lurched forward, cupping his face in her hands. She kissed him resoundingly on the lips.
“Stop that,” she said in a hiss, but somehow his grief turned blacker, sharper. A feeling of hatred surged around her, but this time she knew nasty feeling wasn't aimed at her. Briefly, she wondered if it ever had been. The harsh emotion was a cloud of self-hatred Jared aimed at himself.
His eyes closed, wrinkles creased his forehead and he very formally said, “Forgive me, Mia... Katie. If I could keep my pain from you I would, but the thought of losing you is killing me. When you pulled away...”
“I was checking you for injuries,” she said in exasperation, “not rejecting you. You are mine. I couldn't reject you if I tried.”
A huge surge of joy filled hope crashed through the lifeBond.
Her head snapped up, clicking her teeth together. She struggled to comprehend the extent of his feelings, but couldn't keep up as his joy and love and hope pulsed through her, merging as they came together completely destroying his despair.
“Most of the time your emotions are so off the charts they drive me nuts,” Katie said, unable to stop the words. She ground to a halt, praying she hadn't hurt him anymore.
“They do?” he said, surprised flickered through his dark blue eyes.
“Has mine been doing the same to you?” she asked, tilting her head to one side watching his smile grow into a relieved grimace.
He nodded, gently curling his fingers around her hand. As if she was spun glass, he carefully rubbed his cheek against the palm of her hand. He looked into her eyes, holding her captive with his intense gaze.
His surface thoughts trickled toward her head, requesting entrance.
She shivered and opened her thoughts.
She didn’t have time to blink, before he wrapped a strong mental shield around the both of them, linking them deeply together.
His thoughts blended together with hers in a soft murmur, something she could listen to or put aside. A constant stream of possible ways to convince her how much he loved her rained through her mind. Worry over McClint house and how to convince her it was for the best, as did a constant stream of worry for her safety against the mites and condemning Alexander for dumping them as bait.
She smiled at him, her heart filling her face with blinding joy.
At her smile, he looked a bit dazed.
She chuckled at his reaction. His response never ceased to amaze her. That he thought she was beautiful was a blessing.
“Of course you're beautiful,” he said with twitching lips, “along with stubborn and headstrong and completely wrong about why I want you at McClint House. Ugh! If we'd shared our deeper thoughts sooner all this wouldn't have happened.”
“I don't understand,” Katie said, swallowing a lump fear as the tightly held worry lodged in her throat. Just because they had their thoughts open to each other didn't mean she caught every single thought, especially Jared's. His mind had too many twists and turns. She simply couldn't keep up with his rapid internal monologue.
He pulled her into the crook of his arms, where he could still look into her face.
She snuggled against his warmth then stopped. She reached for his blood covered arm. “How bad is it?”
“Not too bad, the stinger went through the top layer of flesh and some muscle. It bled worse than anything.”
She grunted. “Skin, muscle and no fat?”
Jared's humor flashed across her mind. He kissed her forehead with a gentle touch of his lips. “Leave it to my mate to knock my ego back a few notches.”
Katie chuckled, snuggling closer to him. The day had been filled with enough ups and downs to last several years, if not a life-time. She wouldn't stay at McClint Institution, but she accepted the fact that, as long as Jared was with her, she was willing to live in the mundane world away from his friends and family. She wouldn't like being shoved into a corner and she refused to curtail her life, but she would never leave him.
Jared growled. “I would never put you into an institution, not ever. You're more precious to me than everything else combined. God gave you to me and I’ll never let you go.” He gently shook her. “McClint House is one of my Uncle Warren’s houses. He has dozens scattered across the mundane world. I don't like McClint House, because it reminds me of a giant mausoleum.”
“Oh,” she said not-so brilliantly, her pain-filled eyes looked into his. “It’s not a Sídhí Safe House for unwanted mates?”
“No! Katie, never!”
At his rumbling growl and swiftly spoken denial, she softly admitted, “I really screwed-up.”
“No, I did,” he said adamantly. “I should've trusted you more and explained why I wanted to move away from Clan Valley, instead of getting freaked over the double whammy of emotions and fearing you'd refuse to see reason. I just want to keep you safe.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don't care where we live, but Clan Valley won't be safe for you. You know how much full blooded vampires hate halflings. Anyway, when you talked about living in the Tulsa area you sounded like you really enjoyed it. You also mentioned attending TCC.”
“You remember me talking about the community college in Tulsa? I only mentioned it in passing.”
“Mia... Katie, I remember every...” he stopped, eyes wide as her fingers covered his lips.
Her low growl churned through the quiet air of the cave. “I would like nothing more if you kept calling me Mia Cara. I want to be Your Beloved. I was just so very hurt over your anger.”
He nuzzled her fingers, kissing them one by one. “I'm sorry. I was angry at you and at me. I couldn't believe you were willing to throw your life away for mine. Then I was furious at myself for being angry with you.”
“Vicious cycle,” she said, understanding colored her voice and their bond.
“He's not hurt that bad,” Beth said snappishly, stomping toward Katie and Jared. “Now, let's go.”
“Beth, he is hurt. You know those mites pack a powerful punch. A few minutes sitting around while he heals isn't going to matter,” Brianna said, frustration darkened her voice as she waved her hand around in a helpless manner.
“Mitch could die while we're standing here chit-chatting,” Beth said, anger turning her golden face dark red. “With or without the three of you, I'm leaving now.”
“Let's get the blood washed off,” Katie said, motioning to the water.
Jared held up his hand, stopping the argument Beth obviously wanted to give. “Blood will make us easier to track.”
After Jared made his point, he pulled Katie up and they went to the pool. A few minutes later, they finished rinsing off as much blood as possible. It was the best they could do without having a bar of soap handy.
Since the slice along Jared's arm was shallow, it had stopped bleeding. Thanks to the dragon’s silver bracelet, the injury was healing much slower than it should have.
He grunted, no doubt hearing Katie's unspoken words, he answered her, “I'd guess the silver is slowing up the healing process. No big deal. At first, the poison hurt like Hades, but now it's just a dull throb.”
“Not that I’m complaining, but why didn't you drop into a coma like the others?” Katie asked, gently knotting a strip of material around the flesh wound to keep it from breaking back open.
Not knowing the answer, he shrugged.
“The stinger releases a painful poison, but the coma inducing properties only eme
rge once the stinger embeds in flesh and snaps off the mite’s body,” Beth said. Her words sounded a bit rushed, but she seemed calmer even though she kept glancing toward the caves where the mites disappeared.
Once again, Katie followed Jared. This time she remained within an arm’s length of his back.
The ramp curved along the wall, leading up to the cave entrances. The path was wide and smooth. It didn't take a lot of thought to know the artificial ramp, carved out of the cavern wall, was not made by the mites. Who or what made the ramp wasn't apparent, but the smooth structure gave her the creeps.
Walking up the long ramp, Brianna voiced her opinion. When the girl decided to talk, she was loud and over bearing. Obviously believing everyone should trust her claims without question. She insisted the ramps were built by the mites. She said it took years for mites to create a defendable nest. The girl went on and on.
Katie silently admitted Brianna was more of an expert on the mites than she was, but Katie's gut was insisting the bossy girl was wrong. The ramps were not built by mites. In fact, when she looked closely, she noticed decorative patterns carved here and there along the base of the wall.
Katie didn’t know who – or what – had built the ramps, but it hadn’t been mites. She mentally marked off trolls, chimera and giant bats as well. The three cave dwelling animals were violent and extremely smart, but they weren’t gifted with human thoughts.
Goblins or perhaps gnomes were a very good possibility. Either race of people had the ability to carve out a ramp or a smooth tunnel. From what she’d heard, neither race was very picky about their eating habits. A bit of fresh meat – as in elf or vampire – would be a welcome change to their diet.
She shuddered at the thought, immediately feeling Jared's rush of concern, quickly followed by understanding and a touch of humor as he glimpsed her thoughts. She poked him in the back and his humor increased making her chuckle at her own worries.
Cautiously, they entered the mouth of the largest tunnel, carefully following the faint scent of blood that Mitch and the others had left behind. She hadn't noticed the smell until the thought flickered through Jared's mind, but now the coppery scent was like a blazing beacon showing the way.
Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) Page 8