Death Before Dawn

by Amelia Hutchins

  “You’re acting childish, Emma,” he snapped.

  “Maybe I am, but I would have at least asked them their names—you would have too.”

  The tick in his jaw hammered, and his eyes narrowed on me. “You’re jealous.”

  “I am not jealous. I’m worried about the children. I’m worried about my hurt friend, but I am not jealous.” I was. I’d seen the tender touch he’d used to reassure one of the women; I thought I’d heard them call her Jolene. I’d also watched her latch on to that hand, and her eyes filled with something I couldn’t place, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “I’m going out to try and find diapers,” I mumbled as I stood up, noting that Jolene was heading towards us.

  “You’re not leaving this building, Emma,” Jaeden ordered.

  “I am, because they need clean clothing and the little ones need diapers. So yes, Jaeden, I am. I survived a long time on my own before I met you; I’m not some feeble little damsel who needs help. I’ll be safe. Besides, Jolene needs you to calm her, I’m sure.”

  “Emma,” he warned, but Jolene’s hand touched his shoulder and I slipped out the door using the distraction to get away from him.

  It boggled my mind how women like her had lived this long, while mothers had given their lives to protect their children. I was biased, I knew it; I hated that my own mother was a psycho-bitch, while others died saving their children. Mine? She’d had me shot.

  Once I hit the main floor, I gazed out the window and crept towards the door slowly. The building was situated between two others, luckily with a door that opened into a well-covered alleyway.

  “Going somewhere?” Bjorn asked.

  “To get diapers and a few things for the children,” I replied, nodding as he grunted, but opened the door for me to slip through.

  “Be careful, Emma,” he rumbled.

  I nodded and remained in the shadows of the buildings, knowing the black outfit I wore would allow me to blend in easily. I could feel my heart hammering and knew my stalker was close; I just couldn’t pinpoint where he was. I made it three blocks from the small store we’d passed as we entered town, and was shoved back against a wall, with a gloved hand covering my mouth.

  I began to struggle, but voices stopped me cold. My eyes locked with cerulean blue ones, and the earth seemed to spin around us. He pulled his eyes away from mine as he slowly walked me towards one of the many open building entryways.

  Once inside, he carefully continued to push me back into the shadows as people passed the window. We were surrounded by empty boxes, but it gave us cover as one of the armed men entered the building, peering in as he did a sloppy sweep of it.

  The Sentinel was pressed against me, and I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I couldn’t tell what he really looked like, because he wore a mask that looked like it had part of a skull covering the lower half of his face and black armor covering the rest of his body. I looked to where the other man was searching through a few boxes and as I did, my hand touched his, which seemed to send a tremor through us both. I held my breath as I brought my eyes back to his.

  “Don’t move,” his voice whispered inside my head.

  I hadn’t planned on it; the heat and mixture of emotions his body created against mine was holding me locked into place. I didn’t even try to move or make a peep as I felt his hands wrapping around my hips as he slowly guided us further into the dark building. His movements were graceful, calculated. Together we made no sound as he walked us slowly to the opposite side of the room, where the intruder had already searched through the empty boxes.

  “Wade,” someone called from the doorway.

  “It’s empty,” Wade shouted back as he strode across the room.

  I remained still, not moving a muscle, not even after they had left the room, because the Sentinel was staring at me. His eyes were beautiful, captivating as the light from the midday sun hit them as we passed through a spot that allowed light into the building. He didn’t release me either; instead, he seemed to be taking me in as I examined him. It wasn’t until I caught the glint of a smile in his eyes, and his hands released my waist to capture my wrists and hold them above my head, that I worried. I didn’t fight him, but I struggled to get distance from him. He had me at a disadvantage; the men outside were too close for me to be vocal, and struggling would make noise.

  “You can’t fight it, Emma,” he whispered as the lower half of his mask seemed to melt away, exposing full lips that he used to kiss me.

  I stopped struggling. Time stood still, pieces inside of me fit into place, and I moaned loudly against his mouth as emotions swept through me. My body grew pliant, allowing him to push me against the wall as he released my wrists and continued deepening the kiss until my lungs burned for oxygen.

  When he finally pulled away from me, he looked as shocked as I was, but the lower half of his mask was back in place, and he turned his head before taking me to the floor hard. Voices exploded from the doorway, and he rolled us into the corner where boxes were scattered, making it a good hiding place.

  I didn’t make a peep, not even as he kissed me again, ignoring the fact that the room was being invaded by hostile forces. I could hear footsteps, could hear them discussing how best to approach a building. It didn’t matter, nothing did. Flesh met mine as he tugged on the vest I wore, but the moment I heard scuffling, my mind returned.

  I smelled blood, and I watched the man who hovered above me, his eyes smiling as if he knew some joke only he was privy to. Blearily, I wondered how he got that mask to do that partial melty-off-and-on thing, the way it did. He sat me up, and held up a finger, indicating to continue to be still for a moment. I sat on the floor, dazed by what I’d just allowed to happen. Then someone kicked the boxes, and I cried out as one sailed past my head.

  “Dammit, Emma,” Jaeden’s voice was angry, and as I stood up, I found myself in the room with him, Shamus, and Bjorn, along with dead bodies on the floor. I looked around for the man who’d kissed me, but found no sign of him. “I told you it wasn’t safe out here.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.

  My eyes skimmed the corner, finding the black-armored Sentinel watching me carefully from the shadows with something dangerous in his eyes. A warning not to give away his position? How would I even explain him?

  “Mine.” The single word tore through my mind, and I flushed without being able to prevent it. As if he held some cosmic connection over my body and mind.

  “Emma, what the fuck?” Jaeden demanded, moving his eyes to the corner, which was now empty. “Did you feel that?” he asked the others and then me; everyone shook their heads in reply. But I had felt it; it was the sensation my kind made when they disappeared. “Let’s go, before more people come. We need to get the fuck out of this town.”

  “We need diapers and salve for the little girl,” I argued.

  “She’ll be fine, but we won’t be for long unless we get out of this death trap.”

  “What about Lachlan?” I asked as I allowed Jaeden to pull me with him, as he turned and looked at me. His eyes narrowed and he sniffed me, which I knew was his way of telling what I’d been up to. Shit.

  “He’ll find us, they’re trackers,” he growled. He continued to look me over. “If you needed to get off, all you had to do was tell me.”

  “Excuse me?” I countered.

  “I know the smell your body makes when it needs to come, sweet girl. All you had to do was ask, and I would have scratched that itch. You didn’t need to lie about going out for fucking diapers.”

  I glared. “If I have an itch, I’ll scratch it myself,” I seethed. How dare he say something like that in front of them!

  “No, you won’t,” he smiled. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 4

  A few days had gone by since Lachlan had been shot. Not one moment had gone by where I did
n’t want to rush out into the woods and find him. I hadn’t felt the Sentinel again either. I’d spent a lot of time trying to connect with him again, even going as far as wandering around in the woods by myself, hoping he’d take the bait. I needed to know what he knew about us. He could use his powers; I couldn’t. There was also the strange reaction I’d felt when he kissed me.

  Where Jaeden’s kisses had tilted my world, mystery guy’s kiss had flipped it over and sent me spinning out of control. He hadn’t been rough, and maybe that was the difference. Maybe I was just imagining the reaction, trying to replace Jaeden in my world. I was such an idiot.

  On my third day of searching for Lachlan (and the Sentinel), I found clues left by his pack. Clues that told me he was still in the area, and it gave me a little bit of comfort that he was still alive. I was sure if he’d died, Cian would have come to deliver the news, and he hadn’t.

  I was sick of listening to the girls giggling and men acting like children, as if the world was all right. It was part of the reason I preferred being away from camp. I’d made it a point to be away from the camp during the times that Jaeden fed, and so far, I’d done great at missing out on it. During my trips, I tended to find enough time to listen to the iPod left in my pack by my stalker. One of the playlists was titled ‘mine,’ which I was sure wasn’t an accident. The second was titled ‘bad day,’ and the last was named ‘slow seduction,’ and all of them had songs that made me smile, or remember briefly how the world used to be. It was an escape from reality, and I enjoyed the brief respite it provided.

  I’d found a few spots in the woods that were teaming with berries and herbs that kept me fairly busy, but after the fourth day of being stuck in the same camp while we waited for the men to heal, I had become increasingly impatient to get back on the road. Mostly because I was worried for Lachlan, but Shamus was also watching me like a hawk, and it was making me feel caged. Jaeden was keeping his distance, but he was never far from me, unless I left camp so he could feed.

  His new camp follower, Jolene, was never far from him. Astrid had become the ruler of the feeders, keeping them clean and choosing meals for them based off what the men preferred. Astrid hadn’t taken long to throw it in my face that Jaeden had lost interest in me, and while I could have been a bitch and pointed out that I’d ended it, I hadn’t. She’d grown bolder since the ambush, sensing the tension between myself and Jaeden. I wasn’t an idiot. I could sense a few things on my own, like Jolene’s lust for Jaeden; never mind her blatant lack of clothing, which, of course, was for his benefit. She was willing to do whatever it took to get him; I wasn’t.

  I was denying him the relief that I knew he preferred. He was a hot-blooded male, one who still wanted me. I remained strong in my stance, knowing that asking him to choose me over his elders’ orders could potentially get him killed. I loved him enough to let him go, to let him be who and what he was. I could do this. I was cold, yes, but I was alert. I listened to the men around me. I paid attention. I wasn’t stuck on stupid and batting my eyelashes like the others who wanted the pleasure the men could give.

  It was nearing dusk when I accidentally wandered into the area of the camp that was full of the women who supplied the vampires with blood. I paused, pulled the earbuds out of my ears, and slipped the iPod into my pocket. They looked normal, like women you’d find at a barter fair up north, doing each other’s hair, or helping to cook a meal. They had huge tents, ones that came down easily and went back up just the same. They were preparing for the night’s revelry that was sure to go down. The men had been having some fairly wild evening parties since we’d stopped for the wounded to heal. They’d drink, talk about shit that had no bearing on what we were doing, and then rut like wild animals until the early morning hours.

  “Lost?” Astrid called out, her cold blue eyes looking me over as if she wanted to suck the marrow from my bones, or kill me, probably both.

  “No,” I replied, already turning to leave. I didn’t get very far; Jolene stepped into my path, and I rolled my eyes. “Let me pass,” I ordered, but she shoved me hard. I righted myself and looked at her.

  “Bitch thinks she’s so much better than the rest of us,” she sneered and slapped me. I hadn’t thought she’d have the balls to, but with Astrid backing her up, I guess I should have expected it.

  I tried backing up, but Astrid was a brick wall, barring my path. I swallowed down the urge to slap Jolene, knowing if my Sentinel strength kicked in, I’d either kill or seriously hurt her.

  “You don’t want to do this,” I warned her, watching as her eyes darted to Astrid. Then, she balled her hands into fists and started hitting me before I could dodge her blows. As I started to defend myself, I caught Shamus watching the attack with a sly look on his face. Asshole.

  I brought my hand up and punched her, knowing the moment Astrid joined in, I’d be outnumbered. Astrid grabbed my braided hair and yanked me off balance with her inhuman strength as Jolene continued punching me, slamming her fist into the side of my face. Astrid snarled as I hit Jolene back, fighting to gain my balance, which wasn’t an easy feat with Astrid pulling on my braid like a handle and forcing me backwards.

  Astrid caught my arm, twisting it behind my back at an angle that made panic seize me. I went into fight-or-flight mode, with no way to get away from them. I fought. I punched Jolene hard with the one arm I had use of, listening as cartilage and bone snapped while Astrid continued to twist my arm painfully. I heard more cartilage tearing as I punched Jolene in the nose, landing a solid hit. I continued hitting her until she staggered and started to fall, and then I turned on the vampire who held me. Astrid started wailing for help, the sound reverberating in my ears as she screeched.

  My nose was shattered, my arm broken. I could feel it all; the blood that poured from my nose, my arm hanging at a weird angle, limp and useless. It burned with pain. Astrid had released me and stood beside Jolene and the other women who gathered to watch the fight. Jolene was on her feet, but she swayed from the blows I had landed.

  “Fucking whore,” Jolene screamed, her arm moving to wipe at the blood pouring from her nose. Vampires converged on us, alerted by the sounds of Astrid’s screeching for help.

  “Emma?” Jaeden’s voice was dangerously soft, and I turned to look at him, knowing my face was a bruised, swollen mess from the blows I’d taken to it. “What the fuck?” he snapped, his eyes moving accusingly to Astrid.

  “Emma started it,” Shamus announced, and my eyes bugged out. “She attacked them. Astrid protected the women as I instructed her to do, should Emma become jealous of the new feeders. She made her feelings for Jolene apparent the other day, Jaeden, you heard it the same as I.” He shook his head sadly as Jaeden looked at each of us with a slightly confused expression on his face. Almost as if he was torn as to whom he should believe. He knew Astrid was a liar, but Shamus?

  “The fuck you say?” I snapped, wondering what the fuck was going on. I hadn’t started this! I’d wandered into their camp, but I was trying to leave.

  “Do not argue with me,” Shamus growled, his eyes changing to red as his fangs slipped from his gums.

  I watched as Astrid sidled to Jaeden, along with Jolene, who threw herself into his arms, uncaring that he didn’t hug her back.

  “She attacked them; I had to protect them.” Astrid sounded so convincing, I almost believed her.

  “She just started hitting me for no reason; she’s jealous of what we share, this just proves it!” Jolene gushed.

  “That’s not what happened,” I argued, apparently to deaf ears. I laughed as I put it together. They’d set me up, and it had all been to turn Jaeden against me. Why? I’d already ended the relationship. What was Shamus gaining from this?

  “Go to the other side of camp, Emma, now,” Jaeden ordered as he watched me with something cold in his eyes.

  “I didn’t do…”

 
“Go to the fucking camp now!” he shouted, and I straightened, hearing the anger in his tone. Directed at me. “I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

  “Fuck you, you don’t deal with me. I’m gone,” I snapped back, flipping him off as I turned to retrieve my things. Screw them.

  I made it five steps before Jaeden jerked on the arm that Astrid had twisted and broken. I spun around and glared at him. Tears burned my eyes; pain shot through me, almost sending me to my knees.

  “You had no right to attack them,” he growled.

  “I didn’t!” I shot back.

  “Shamus has no reason to lie about it, Emma, and you’ve been brooding around the camp for days. We’ve all seen and noticed it. You are not above the others, and you have to follow the rules that have been set out, just like the rest of us. You don’t get to attack someone just because you’re jealous!” he shouted, and I lost it.

  I threw a wild punch with my broken arm, crying out as the bone snapped more. I kicked out, fighting him as the crowd watched him dodge every jab and kick. He was backing me into the other side of the camp, away from the women. He grabbed my arm as I threw another punch, twisting my broken arm and shattering the bone of my wrist. I threw myself backwards, away from him, away from the pain and the gathering vampires. Normally, what he’d done wouldn’t have hurt the wrist, but it was already weakened and cracked from his ex-wife twisting it.

  I hit one of the trees hard as Astrid and Jolene cheered Jaeden on. I expelled a breath as tears welled in my eyes and I lifted my hands. The entire area went silent. I looked down at my hands and found a sharp tree limb protruding from my stomach.

  “Emma,” Jaeden whispered as he rushed forward to help me.

  “Don’t,” I hissed coldly. “Don’t touch me,” I coughed, spattering him with blood as it began to dribble from my mouth and nose. I bent over, snapping the branch and falling to the ground. I crawled in silence to my bag, which lay beneath the hammock. I grabbed the bag, tore at my shirt until it gave, and ripped it from my body. I felt Jaeden’s pain at what had happened, and I knew it hadn’t been fully his fault. I’d thrown the punches, and he’d dodged them. I’d also thrown myself backwards because of the intensity of the pain, and I’d just happened to do it against a tree that had many of its lower branches sharpened. They were used to impale a fresh kill so that it could be skinned and gutted.