Sighing in defeat, she moved to get up but stopped abruptly when the air in front of her blurred. A second later, Cade stood in front of her.
She threw her book down. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”
Cade held up a finger over his mouth. Softly, he said, “I saw something on the cameras. Not really sure what. Could just be a coyote or something. I’m going to check it out. You should probably hang tight.”
“You’re not afraid I’m going to run if I’m left alone?”
Cade drew his brows together. “Since I’m making sure nothing that might want you dead is lurking in those woods, I’d recommend staying inside.”
Ella searched his face, looking for any sign he was kidding. Nothing.
She shook her head. Where could she go if she ran anyway? Lucian would find her. She could run to China and he would still be able to track her down and drag her back. “Isn’t it too light for vampires?”
“There are other beasts besides vampires. Besides, at this time of day, there are plenty of shadows to keep them from burning too bad.”
Ella turned to the window, arms crossed over her chest. “Whatever. Go. Try not to die.”
“I’ll do my best,” he muttered.
“Oh, wait,” she called as he started to disappear. “Can you turn the light on as you go?”
Lucian rapidly blinked his eyes as he maneuvered his car through the dark, winding roads that led up to his compound.
He’d planned to get back sooner, but after Dean dropped Reno off to have his little soldiers removed, Lucian took the car to do some discreet checking up on Ella’s father while Dean transported to New York to handle some business.
Things weren’t looking too good for the old man. He was locked down tight in the hospital, with a police guard posted outside his door. If they hadn’t charged him in Ella’s disappearance yet, they would soon.
Which meant he’d have to call in a favor with the vampires to get the police to think Ella’s disappearance was voluntary.
He shook his head as his nerves started to tingle. The sun had just disappeared behind the dense forests of Maine. It was deserted enough that he could probably change without scarring the minds of any innocents with his myotis form, but he decided not to chance it. He should be back to the safety of the compound in five minutes anyway.
He curved around the next corner as the blast hit. A sudden burst of light blinded him right before his car was thrown from the road as though it was nothing more than a toy.
The next few seconds seemed to tick by in slow motion. He reached out for something to brace himself with, but nothing was safe when being hurled through the air. Instead, he held his forearms over his face just as the metal of the truck’s body smashed into the trees.
The car tilted in the shockwave of the explosion and landed on its side with Lucian’s window resting against the forest floor.
He blinked his eyes a few times as he reached for his seat belt and tried to get his bearings. He could transport to the compound but needed to know what threat he was dealing with first.
The explosion could’ve been an accident caused by some sort of chemical truck, but Lucian had his doubts. A blast big enough to crash the pickup into a tree and flip it over seemed too forceful for an accident.
The damn seat belt wouldn’t unlatch. Groaning, he threw his head back, grimacing at the pain in his head he hadn’t noticed until that moment, and focused on a spot on the street to transport to.
A moment later, he felt himself reforming on the pavement across from his wrecked car. He heard a stick crunch behind him; a sharp sting shot through his neck just as he turned to investigate.
He ripped out the dart as his eyes scanned the dark trees surrounding him. Not a sound came from the forest. Whoever—whatever—it had done this, they were holding their ground.
Lucian tried to transport himself to Ella’s room, but nothing happened. Cold fear rippled through him, a most unfamiliar sensation.
He cleared his mind and focused all his concentration on getting to Ella. Once again, nothing. “Fuck.”
A branch being pushed aside sounded from behind him, and Lucian decided it was best to abandon his position. He slunk through the forest, careful not to step on any sticks that would betray his location. He wasn’t used to having to conceal his steps. Normally he would leapfrog through space to get to wherever he needed to go.
He’d been trained in the art of moving stealthily, but that was ages ago. He wasn’t a small man, and the forest floor was littered with dry needles and branches, all just waiting to give away his position.
It only took a few steps before something slammed into him. Lucian hit the nearest tree, feeling as though he’d just been run over by a semi-truck. He fell onto the dirt and pushed himself up. All he saw was darkness. Despite what his eyes told him, he knew he wasn’t alone.
He could feel the vampire stalking him.
Lucian closed his eyes, using his other senses to find the hunter. He didn’t hear a single footstep or indrawn breath, but he felt the subtle shift in the air as the vampire struck. Lucian was ready.
He rolled away at the last second. The vampire’s fist struck the ground with such force that there was a one-foot hole where Lucian’s head would’ve been.
In the split moment the vampire was distracted, Lucian wrapped his arms around his neck and twisted, the sudden snapping the only sound in the darkness.
The vampire twitched and writhed in Lucian’s arms. Breaking the neck wouldn’t kill him like it would a mortal, but it weakened them, making their movements uncoordinated and slower. Giving Lucian the advantage.
It would’ve been easier and faster to rip off the vampire’s head, but the blood would draw all of the vampire’s friends, and Lucian didn’t have time for any more fights. Even now, they were making their way to the house. He prayed Cade would hear the danger and transport Ella to safety before they dosed him with whatever was grounding Lucian.
He dropped the vampire to the ground, pacing to the nearest tree and ripping off a branch. The vampire struggled to crawl away. He was still faster than a human, but not faster than Lucian. He easily caught up to the injured man and rolled him on his back. As soon as he had a clear shot, he rammed the makeshift stake into the vampire’s heart.
The vampire’s claws scraped at the branch, but it was too late. After ten seconds, the struggles stopped and the vampire lay motionless.
Lucian stared down at the dead body. The vampire was bald; various tattoos covered his neck and head. He knew hundreds of other markings in the same style would cover the vampire’s arms, legs, and torso. It was the most obvious way to spot one of the invading rebels.
Wherever they came from, tattoos were their status symbols and personal diaries. The most skilled fighters had little to no skin visible. The one at his feet had probably seen a few battles but wasn’t exceptionally experienced.
Lucian was.
He ripped the branch from the dead vampire and continued on toward the house.
Angry music blared in Ella’s ears. She closed her eyes and let the wails of Halestorm take her to that small place in her mind where she was allowed to scream and fight. She wished Reno was here. She would’ve liked to have something furry, cuddly, and completely nonthreatening around.
She hadn’t spoken to Cade since he left her alone over two hours ago. She expected him to pop in and let her know everything was good, but so far he was a no-show.
Could he be in danger? No. If he saw anything remotely threatening, he’d take her to safety. She was Lucian’s number-one priority, therefore Cade’s number-one priority. She’d kept herself in her bedroom for the most part, only leaving to go to the bathroom, but she hadn’t heard anyone moving around downstairs.
Shouldn’t Dean be back by now? He left with Reno hours ago. If Cade had been really worried, he would’ve called Dean and he could’ve transported to help out.
For all she knew, they were playing video games or som
ething strangely normal while in their creepy monster bodies right below her. What had Lucian called it? Myotis form.
The song switched, from an angry anthem to a softer ballad, and Ella grimaced. Screw the love songs. She wanted angry, vengeful women songs. Some Alanis maybe. Heck, at this point Katy or Taylor would probably work.
Ella skipped to the next track and heard a creak coming from the stairs in the few seconds of silence. She paused the MP3 player and listened, trying to hear whether Lucian was coming up to his room.
He didn’t use the stairs a lot, but it wasn’t impossible for him to get the urge to work his legs. Another creak sounded, and it sounded as if it came from the second story. Ella frowned and took off the headphones. The old house squeaked plenty when her three roommates/captors moved around, but the soft and subtle sounds coming from below her was different.
Someone was trying really hard to keep their movements disguised.
Now that all her attention was on the creaks, she realized there were at least four others in the house. No one was talking, but the house was very vocal. Ella had only been there a bit over a week, but she’d already memorized the normal moans and groans of the old Victorian.
How could they have gotten past Cade? Why wouldn’t he have called for help?
All she could think was that he was either incapacitated or dead, but she tried not to let her mind dwell on those thoughts. A cold chill snaked down her spine. She needed to get out of this house.
She stood and moved for the door but stopped mid-step. If she stepped on that board, they would hear her. She changed her direction and headed toward the vanity. There must be something she could use as a weapon.
What killed vampires? Destroy the heart, rip off the head, fire. Great. She was basically dead.
She winced at the negative thought. You can do this. You’re a survivor.
If she couldn’t fight, she could run. Except they could move faster than her and had a better sense of smell than Reno.
You can do this.
If she couldn’t run, she’d have to hide. She didn’t know how to mask her scent, though. Would rolling in mud be enough or would it just make her really dirty when she died? Was there any mud around her? When was the last time it rained?
Her eye caught on the glinting glass perfume bottles. Maybe she couldn’t mask her scent, but she could confuse their noses.
She grabbed a purple tear-shaped bottle and blue sphere. Sticking to the edges of the room, she tiptoed to the door, careful to avoid any possible noise.
When she reached the door, her heart felt as if it would beat out of her chest. They could’ve heard her. They could all be waiting on the other side of the door, ready to attack.
She shook her head. They probably weren’t waiting for her. If they truly wanted to attack, they wouldn’t wait. She wasn’t exactly threatening. Steeling her nerves, Ella turned the knob. She didn’t open it far. The hinges tended to squeak if they moved too much.
She peered through the few inches of hallway revealed. With the door opened, the sounds seemed even closer. Now or never.
She threw the two bottles, one right after the other; the old glass broke as it hit the hardwood floors. As quickly and silently as she could, she shut her door. She heard footsteps gather at the landing of the stairs, and she used the cover of the sound to make a run for it.
She grabbed her shoes with one hand and worked the window latch open with the other. She tried to hear whether anyone was at her door, but her heart made too much noise.
The bottles had hit right on target. Anyone who walked up those stairs to the third story would be covered in perfume vapors.
When the window finally opened, she didn’t have time to be afraid. She took one deep breath before she threw herself over the ledge.
The good news was that she wasn’t dead. Ella hit the grass on her shoulder and hip, rolling on the impact. She took a second to get her bearings. She was on the side of the house. The cover of the woods was at least a hundred yards away.
She shuffled to her left, pushing aside prickly branches to make just enough room to shimmy behind a shrub up against the house. The thorns didn’t make it ideal, but it was better than nothing.
She knew the days had been getting cooler, but she hadn’t realized the nights had turned so cold. She hadn’t been allowed outside past dark since before Lucian.
Even with the shrub and house protecting her from the wind, the cold cut right through her T-shirt and pajama pants; her neck still throbbed from her vampire bite. She wasn’t looking to add to the number of holes in her neck.
She moved slowly and methodically as she put her tennis shoes on, trying not to rustle the bush at all. Once they were on, she sat back and listened, waiting for her window.
Just a few seconds. That’s all she would need to make it to the woods. The farther away she got, the harder she would be to find.
She tried her hardest but couldn’t hear anything except the crickets and the soft rushing of the water flowing under the bridge. She counted in her head as she tried to calm her frayed nerves. One, two, three, four, five, four, three, two, one...
She bolted out from under the bush, trying to ignore the thorns that scraped her bare arm. She ran through the clearing, aiming straight for the bridge that led to the woods.
She didn’t even get halfway before something grabbed her arm. The momentum of her sprint caused her to flip painfully on her back.
She opened her eyes and stared up at the thing who grabbed her. Her breath caught at the sight and she started to inch away. Faster than she could see, he was on top of her. One claw-tipped hand wrapped around her throat, holding her in place but not squeezing, and one knee sat on each side of her waist.
The thing was probably two hundred fifty pounds of muscle. Every inch of skin exposed by his black Henley and dark cargo pants was covered in tattoos, some sort of detailed and intricate design she couldn’t make out in the dark. Judging from the smell of him, he’d gotten the brunt of her perfume attack.
“You leaving the party early?” he sneered.
“Not my scene,” she croaked out, wincing at her words. Why couldn’t she just play nice and beg for her life like a normal person? She’d begged Lucian in these same woods just days ago.
The man lifted a claw and stroked it down the side of her face. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I think this is exactly the kind of party for a girl like you.”
The claw stroked over his own fingers wrapped around her neck until it reached the delicate valley between her collarbones. “Why are you so important to the myotis?”
Ella frowned. How did he know she was valuable but not know how? Lucian said if they knew she could help them reproduce, they’d kill her on sight. Sometimes honesty wasn’t the best policy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. These men kidnapped me. They said they’d kill my family if I didn’t stay with them. Please, just let me go home!”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I saw video of you at the hospital with their leader. You didn’t look that helpless to me.”
Ella tried to keep her face blank. “I was playing along! These things are monsters! I’ve seen what they become after dark,” she added in a whisper.
His claw abruptly left her neck and in less than a second, he grabbed her wrist and lifted her arm to his mouth.
Ella thrashed her head back and forth. “Please don’t do this!”
He smiled at her fear, and she felt the sickening feel of his arousal on her stomach. The bastard was getting off on this.
“In a second, all my guys will be out here feeding on you. Do you think we should take turns or rip you apart at once?”
Ella didn’t know whether the fear had finally gotten to her or whether she was too drained. She couldn’t say anything. Her eyes stared down this new enemy, but she refused to let her fear show. Tamping down her shaking, she tightened her lips.
“Your friend tried to be brave too. Didn’t help him when I crushed
his throat.”
Cade. Ella felt as though her heart fell out of her chest. If Cade couldn’t fight off these things, she didn’t stand a chance. There was no myotis about to rescue her. Her only hope was gone.
His smile disappeared as she kept her face emotionless, refusing to let him see her pain. “Be that way. Let’s see if the taste of your blood will tell me if you’re human.”
He rubbed his face along her scratches, his tongue lapping up the small amounts of blood. He threw his head back as though savoring the taste. “That is different,” he whispered.
When he looked down again, his fangs were out. Ella closed her eyes and braced herself for the stinging pain. It never came.
The vampire thudded to the ground ten yards away from her, and Ella opened her eyes just in time to see the vampire rake his claws at this new opponent. The man ducked out of the way with only millimeters to spare. He grabbed the vampire’s arm and twisted upward in a quick jerking motion, the snapping sound clear even over the sounds of the forest.
The man moved, and moonlight shone on his face. Lucian. Ella frowned at the revelation. Why would he be in human form?
The vampire ran at Lucian, but Lucian was ready. He held out a large branch and threw it at the vampire. The stake headed straight for the vampire’s heart, but he ducked aside at the last minute. The branch embedded in the vampire’s throat, causing him to instantly fall to the dirt. Blood bubbled up from the wound.
Ella pushed herself up as Lucian walked toward the incapacitated vampire. From behind them, Ella spotted three dark forms emerging from the front of the house. “Lucian,” she whispered.
His head whipped around to face her.
“They’re coming!”
He ran to her side, his speed making him look like a blur. “We need to get into the water.”
If the water was half as cold as the air was, she was about to enter her own personal hell. “Are you crazy?” she whispered even as she tried to keep pace with his super speed.
“Trust me,” he pleaded as he pulled her into the river.
She heard shouts in the distance right as the current pulled her under the surface. The cold was numbing and painful all at the same time. She felt as if she were being stabbed by needles on every square inch of skin while losing the ability to work her limbs.
Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) Page 9