Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series)

by Rivi Jacks

  “Be careful,” Bobbi cautions.

  Loose boards, vines, and brush cover the opening, but Quanah clears it away quickly. He gives me a hand as I step clear of the brush. It’s a moonless night and plenty dark. The only thing saving us from total darkness is the starlight reflecting off the snow.

  It’s also cold. I mean, unbelievably cold. We will all freeze, for real, if we’re out in the elements for long. We’re standing on a small ledge, and Quanah drops to the ground below.

  “About a six-foot drop,” he calls to me softly. I can do that. I leap and land close to him. “Do you know where we are?”

  “Not yet.” I walk in the direction with the least amount of brush and snow.

  “I hear water,” he announces.

  “Which way?”

  He leads, and I follow. I’m shaking, and my feet are already cold. We come out of the woods onto the riverbank. I’m certain we’re still on Lucas’ property, just down the hill from his house.

  “I believe the road is that way.” I point toward my right. I see Quanah’s expression. “The road is that way,” I revise.

  We turn to go back for the others.

  Look out, girl!

  I see a flash of movement, and Quanah knocks me aside. I stand, but all I can tell is that he is in a struggle with what I think is a large Kihn.

  I hear hissing and an inhuman growl, then gristle popping, a cracking noise, and a death cry. Don’t ask me how I know what that sound is, or how to describe it, but it is definitely someone or something’s last cry for life. I see a dark shape rising, and I scan my flashlight over it.

  Quanah stands with the dead Kihn at his feet. Blood drips down the front of Quanah’s jacket, his chin, and out of his mouth. It drips off his—fangs.

  All the air sucks out of my lungs, and I stumble back. I’ve known monsters were real for most of my life because of the Kihn. Although, I believed the Kihn were the only ones. In the last couple of months, I learned about werewolves, witches, and sorcerers. I learned of people doomed to relive their lives indefinitely. But in my wildest imaginings, I never considered that vampires roamed the earth.

  My eyes lock on Quanah’s black ones. “My shirt,” he says as he steps over the Kihn.

  I step back again. When what he asks registers, I hand him the slightly frozen shirt I’m still holding. He uses it to wipe his face and hands while I make myself breathe before I pass out.

  “We need to get the others and move.”

  I nod with my eyes still locked on his. He is the first to look away. He heads back up the hill toward the tunnel. I stand for a moment before hurrying after him. When we reach the entrance, the others are coming out.

  “They’re coming!” Jake calls to us. He is the last one out. He and Lars help the girls off the ledge.

  “This way,” Quanah urges. He turns to go back the way we came.

  “Wait!” Jake says. “Are we near the river?”

  I nod. “Yes, come on, Jake. We need to hurry. We were already attacked by one of them.” I quickly tell him Quanah killed the Kihn. I omit telling Jake how Quanah killed the Kihn.

  “We’re still on Lucas’ land. We’ll have to climb the fence to get to the road, and then what?” Jake asks. “I say we head back up the hill, check out what’s—”

  Jake doesn’t get to finish his suggestion because Bobbi and Teresa scream. From the tunnel emerge two Kihn. Jake doesn’t even hesitate. He takes aim with the crossbow, brings one of the Kihn down, and reloads. The second Kihn launches off the ledge. It looks as if it hangs in the air above Jake as I aim the shotgun and pull the trigger. Jake launches himself to his left to avoid the falling body. He looks at me as I stand perfectly still. I’m not sure I’m okay with killing a Kihn, even if it is a monster. I dreamed of killing them many times, but reality is different.

  “You need to shoot it,” Quanah states.

  Well, I guess technically I didn’t kill it.

  Jake steps over to the Kihn and shoots an arrow into the body. He takes my arm. “Let’s move. There will be more.”

  We head up the hill through the trees. Jake’s reasoning that staying within the compound is better makes sense to me. After sensing Lucas’ presence earlier, I’m sure we’re doing the right thing. He did say he wanted me to stay home.

  “Sofie, I think you need to load up those shells Sawyer got for you,” Jake suggests.

  I don’t question him. I kick out the remaining shells and reload with Dragon’s Breath as we hurry through the woods. Lars holds on to Teresa and Bobbi. Jake takes the lead with me on his left flank. Quanah brings up the rear.

  I’m cold. I could barely load the shotgun and I wonder if the adrenaline racing through my body will keep me from freezing.

  I think I’m in shock, too. I can’t get the image of Quanah with blood dripping off his fangs out of my head. I need to, however, because we can hear something coming through the trees after us.

  Lars gets Bobbi and Teresa over by a fallen trunk, and they hunker down against it. Jake and I stand several feet apart, facing the direction in which we hear them coming. Quanah stands away from us, his body language intimidating. Since I am now aware of what he is—he is extra intimidating to me.

  Jake gets the first one that comes out of the darkness. I hold my shotgun ready while he reloads. Two more come at us. Quanah takes off toward one, and they battle hand to hand in the darkness. As I wait for the second one to get a little closer, I think my heart will pound out of my chest. The Kihn slows and watches us before advancing with amazing speed. I’ve kept the shotgun trained on him; all I have to do is pull the trigger. Fire shoots out of the barrel of the gun, and the Kihn ignites. It keeps coming for about three more steps before dropping. In no time flat, the flames consume it.

  Look out, girl!

  “Look out!” Jake yells.

  I throw myself to the ground and roll onto my back with the gun up, ready to pull the trigger. Jake fires an arrow into the advancing Kihn and drops it. Quanah is moving back toward us, but I see him veer away, running toward a dark shape moving through the trees.

  I’m not far from the Kihn I set on fire. I look over at the ash left behind, and it’s more than a little disturbing. Jake reaches down and pulls me up, and we follow Lars and the girls on up the hill. We reload as we hurry behind them.

  I think I hear a shout behind us in the distance, but Jake doesn’t act as if he hears, so I don’t say anything. At one point, we think another attack is imminent when we hear movement through the trees. Lars, Bobbi, and Teresa crouch down. Jake and I stand ready, but when nothing comes at us, we continue.

  More sounds come to us from the direction we’re headed, alerting us to the fighting going on closer to the house. We stop and listen before continuing with caution. The next attack catches us by surprise. They come silently. Our path is clear one moment, and the next, four Kihn stand in front of us, watching and—waiting.

  Jake and the others back up. I glance nervously behind us.

  “Jake,” I gasp.

  He doesn’t take his eyes from the threat in front of us, but he understands. “How many?”

  Two more Kihn stand about thirty feet behind us, waiting. Waiting for what, I’m not sure. Maybe for us to make the first move.

  “Two.” I think I can take them out with the shotgun, but that leaves the four in front of us. I don’t think they’ll just stand there while we kill their comrades.

  “Are you ready?” Jake speaks quietly.

  “What?” I’m afraid of what he means.

  “Lars, you and the girls hit the ground as soon as Sofie takes out the first one.”

  I guess he’s thinking the same way I am. But this won’t work. If Jake takes out one and I’m lucky enough to get the two behind us, what about the ones that are left? I’ll still have three shots, as long as I don’t miss. The problem is—they move so fast. But what choice do we have?

  “Any time, Sofe,” Jake says calmly.

  I want to look at him
to see if he looks that calm. I’m not sure when I would have taken the shot, but the decision is out of my hands when Teresa lets loose a blood-curdling scream. The Kihn I have my eyes trained on glance her way. I know the moment won’t get any better, so I pull the trigger and flame engulfs the Kihn on my right. He moves toward me, emitting a high-pitched screech. I hear Jake yell as I hear the snap-crack of the bowstring. The second Kihn advances on me at an alarming rate before I’ve even turned the shotgun toward him.

  When he hits me, his speed and strength knock me flat and the breath from me. I lie on the ground and panic even as I tell myself to relax. I keep waiting for the Kihn to yank me up and finish me off. I faintly hear gunshots and yelling, but I see nothing other than stars. My main concern is being able to catch a breath. I saw the same thing happen to Sawyer once. He was horse playing on the back of a hay wagon and fell off. He hit the corner of the trailer as he went down. He just laid on the ground, and I was terrified he was dead when I didn’t see his chest move. It was a little bit before he was okay. Well, as okay as he could be with a broken rib.

  I hope I haven’t broken anything. I do have a powerful pain in my chest. About the time I’m able to draw in a little breath, I hear more shotgun blasts. I can’t do anything but lie flat, slowly learning how to breathe again.

  Sawyer’s face pops into my line of vision. “What are you doing down there, Sofie?”

  Smart-ass. “Lyin’... here,” I gasp.

  “Got the shit knocked out of ya, huh?” He grins.

  I’m not sure why he thinks me getting the shit knocked out of me is something to grin about. I am immediately relieved that Sawyer’s here. Jake must be safe since Sawyer is all smiles.

  “Do you want me to help you up?”

  I’m getting a little irritated at his continued amusement at this tense time. “No... Sawyer,” I gasp. It’s getting a little easier to breathe. “I like... lying down here while... people die... around me!”

  I hear Jake yell, “Sawyer! Is she okay?” I can tell he’s moving toward us.

  “Yeah. She just had the wind knocked out of her.” Sawyer gets down beside me. “That’s all, right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? I saw that big-ass Kihn nail you.”

  I gasp, “My chest hurts.”

  “That’s normal when you get the wind knocked,” Jake says as he squats beside us. “But we need to get you up and move on.”

  They help me to my feet. I get my bearings as I stand and look around. Four Kihn lay dead. Lars is still with Bobbi and Teresa, who are quiet. I think they’ve both had the crap scared out of them. Quanah is back with us again. Andy and Fletcher are here now too. They, along with Sawyer, have been looking for our group. They have orders to stay with us.

  “Where did you come from?” I ask Sawyer as we move briskly up the hill.

  “I came back after we secured things at the Zelts’.”

  “Are they okay?”

  “They are.”

  “Where’s Lucas?”

  “He took off with Christian and Dominic right after we left. They were headed back here. He said he’d catch up with you as soon as possible. Come on, he’s probably at the house.”

  I suspect hours have passed since we left the tunnel and set out through the woods. At one point, we cross paths with a group of the Guard that includes Stevie and Fisher. They haven’t seen Lucas since earlier that evening. They suggest we continue to the house. Where is Lucas? I sensed him while we were still in the tunnel, and I’m afraid to think of the reason he hasn’t come for me already. We move carefully until the guardhouse comes into view.

  We wait while Quanah moves from cover to cover toward the building. I almost call out a warning when I see a dark shape cross the driveway moving toward him. When neither attacks, I surmise it must be one of the Guard.

  Quanah returns and informs us that from this point to the house is clear. The Guard is still searching the rest of the compound for any remaining Kihn. They have men going through the tunnel, too.

  We are a bedraggled-looking group as we walk up that driveway. The bright security lights are turned on, brightening the whole area up as if it were daytime.

  “Where’s Lucas?” I ask Quanah.

  “Everyone is here,” he answers, “except for Lucas.”

  I stop. “What do you mean ‘except for Lucas’?”

  Jake and the others stop too. Then Lars continues, with Bobbi and Teresa, to the house.

  “Sofie?” Jake questions.

  “He was here,” I state firmly, trying to keep the alarm from my voice.

  Quanah steps close. “He was. He came back after making the Kihn think he had left.” My body breaks out in a cold sweat, which is amazing since I’m half frozen. “Ezra… came too. There was fighting and—”

  “Lucas fought with Ezra?” I ask with dread.

  Quanah looks off in the distance for a moment. “You do not need to fear for Lucas.” His gaze delves into mine.

  “Lucas told me... Ezra is... dangerous,” I say in a choked whisper. There’s only one reason Lucas wouldn’t be here for me. I can’t bear that idea.

  “Woman—you need to get warm. Lucas told me not to let anything happen to you. I think you freezing… would be something he would not like.” Quanah turns to continue to the house, but I don’t budge.

  Jake lays his arm across my shoulders. “Sofie, I’m sure Lucas is okay. His men wouldn’t be standing around if he were in any danger.”

  He has a good point. I’m thinking about what I should do when I hear Lucas call to me. He’s coming through the woods. I shuck off Jake’s arm and take off running toward the dark shape I see through the trees.

  “Sofie!” Jake yells, but I pay him no heed.

  I’ve only gotten a few yards from the driveway when Lucas is suddenly in front of me. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off my feet. My arms go around his neck, and I bury my face against his neck.

  “My sweet.” His voice is dark and holds a note of something I can’t describe.

  I raise my head and look into his beautiful eyes gleaming silver in the starlight. “I was so worried when you didn’t come for me.”

  “I was trying to get to you, Sofie,” he says gently.

  My fingers tangle in his hair, and I pull his face close to mine. “Please don’t worry me that way ever again.”

  “I’ll try,” he says as his mouth comes down on mine. His hand cups my face as his kiss deepens.

  “You two can come up for air now,” Sawyer calls.

  Lucas scoops me up. Quanah watches solemnly while the others regard us with wide grins.

  “Is everyone all right?” Lucas asks.

  Quanah says, “Yes,” with a quick look at me.

  Lucas looks into my face. “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” Damn it! Can’t this wait until later?

  “A Kihn attacked her and knocked her down,” Quanah explains.

  “I’m okay!” I say hurriedly, seeing his expression. “I just got the breath knocked out of me.”

  “Just!” he growls.

  I snuggle my face against his warm skin. “Please don’t be mad. I was so scared when you weren’t here,” I whisper in a choked voice.

  “Shhh.” Lucas squeezes me tight and kisses my forehead. I can tell he’s not happy, but he lets it go, and we proceed to the house. Lucas looks at Sawyer. “Everything taken care of over at the Zelts’?”

  “Yes. They will all be here for the meeting,” Sawyer says. “Sofie?” I look over at him. “Once again, I’m finding out you were where all the fun was tonight.”

  The house is full of people, but the meeting will have to wait until those of us who went through the tunnel change into dry clothes. I’m significantly shorter than Bobbi and Teresa, so some of the Guard pull items for them to change into from their own clothing. They want to stay for the meeting, but I can tell Lucas and Max want them gone, so Sam drives them home.

  I sit at the island counter with a cup of coffee. Ma
x has prepared a platter of sandwiches, and I nibble on one while I sip my coffee and sit beside Sawyer. Jake pours a shot of whiskey into my cup. I shake my head and try to cover the cup with my hand, but it’s too late.

  He grins. “It will help you warm up, and it’ll be good.”

  I watch the others talking about the night’s happenings. There are enough of us that some of the Guard spill over into the family room. Lars and Quanah sit at the kitchen table. The back door opens, and Taylor walks in. Behind him are Lucian and Estella Zelt. I sit up straighter. Brit comes in behind them with an unknown man and woman.

  The woman looks about fifty and has short gray hair. Grandmotherly looking. The man seems younger, maybe in his forties, with black hair down to his shoulders. When he glances in my direction, I see he has the most unusual eyes. They are almost yellow, similar to a canary diamond. I tear my eyes from his gaze and see Christian and Nick come in right behind them.

  Christian goes directly to Lucas to confer with him. Taylor settles the Zelts and their company at the kitchen table with Lars. Quanah moves to stand near the back door, and a look passes between us. I give him a little smile, and I see Nick look between us, catching our exchange.

  I say hello to the Zelts. Brit comes to give me a quick hug. Then she gives Sawyer a huge smile and a giggle as if they have a private joke going on. I tell her I’m glad they’re all okay.

  “Oh honey don’t ever worry about us we have no problem taking care of ourselves but we did worry about you the whole time and when we found out the whole attack on us was a ruse to lure Lucas away from you and the compound well you can imagine our concern!” She gives me another hug, and she honest-to-goodness blushes when Sawyer tells her to behave herself.

  As Brit returns to her family, I give Sawyer a questioning look and he winks. Jake chuckles. Taylor sits by me, giving my shoulder a nudge as he pulls out a stool.

  I take a sip of my coffee. “Mmmm.”

  “Mmmm told ya,” Jake says.

  As I set my cup down, Taylor asks, “Any more of those sandwiches?” I point to them and he scarfs one down while holding a coffee mug.