by Janie Marie
He stopped thinking about her family and watched her throw her head back and laugh. She was breathtaking with her face all lit up and happy. He always wanted to see her this way.
Gawain succeeded in getting Gareth in a headlock and ordered his brother to surrender.
“Fine, I give!” Gareth yelled in defeat. “You can show her how to shoot.”
Gawain released Gareth, grinning back at Jane. She beamed at his closest friend as if she’d known him her whole life.
“You’ll never beat me, little brother.” Gawain picked up Jane’s rifle and handed it to her. “I do not know why you insist on challenging me.”
David was so entranced by her smiling face that he couldn’t look away. She had showered and changed. He hoped Gawain didn’t tell her he checked her sizes. He’d kept the fact she has one dimple at the top of her cute ass to himself.
As if sensing his gaze, she turned her twinkling eyes to him and gasped. Gawain chuckled and tossed her a wink, which only caused her to blush.
David shook himself out of his daze. There wasn’t time to stand there and admire her or ponder the fact his friends could be so relaxed with her. He needed to remember he shouldn’t let her get attached to him. He’d meant it when he said he’d push her away, but the danger Lance posed left him no choice but to remain close for now.
As David approached them, he kept his focus on Gawain rather than her. He could feel her stare, and despite his effort to be firm, he struggled to not look in her direction. But he was a disciplined soldier—he could ignore her like he did all other women.
A sudden breeze blew her sweet smell directly at him. This was going to be difficult. She wasn’t like other women—she was supposed to be his woman. And she was perfect for him.
“Gawain,” he said, keeping his voice tight and serious, ignoring her. “We have a problem. The wolves we were looking for are nearby, but there are also some that harbor the infection. I don’t know how that happened, but I smelled death in them.
“We also picked up Lance’s scent. It appears that he fought against them; I’m just not sure why he would attack his own, but that’s how it looked.” He wanted to groan because he could feel her staring at him. She was like a magnet—he needed to touch her.
“Well, that’s new,” said Gawain. “What will we do?”
“We have no choice but to hunt them. I don’t know what Lance has to do with this, but him being here isn’t good.” David finally lost his internal battle with himself and exhaled before turning to look at her.
He smiled as she straightened up. “Jane, you will need to come as well. It’s not safe for you to be alone. I want you to stay with me or Gawain always. Do you understand?”
“Of course,” she said quickly, but looked down, her posture tensing suddenly as she pressed her lips together and closed her eyes.
“Jane?” David scanned her face once she finally opened her eyes. The colors rapidly shifted between shades of green and brown. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Well, actually,” she continued nervously, “I was wondering how my family will be kept safe?”
He wanted to hug her. The pain in her eyes broke him, but he knew showing any lack of confidence would stress her out. “Yes. Dagonet and Lucan are already guarding your home. I’ll have Gareth stay with them, too. They will keep them safe for you.”
She stared up at him and had that slightly dazed look that amused him. He was glad he wasn’t the only one in awe.
David lifted his hand to push her hair back but stopped once he realized he had moved so close to her, and he stepped back.
“Thank you,” she said, frowning.
Arthur approached with Kay and Bed at his side. “Hello, Jane,” said Arthur. “You look terrific. I realize you must be overwhelmed with information and meeting everyone, but I’d like to introduce you to my personal team. They’ll be coming with us.” He turned and pointed to each male as he said their names. “This is Bedivere and my brother, Kay.”
She exchanged hellos with them before Arthur spoke again. “I’m afraid that we have to cut Jane’s training short. I trust that David has informed you all of the new situation.” Everyone gave a quick nod back. “Good, we need to head out immediately.”
Arthur addressed one of the knights. “Galahad, should it come to it, are you prepared to fight against him?”
David listened to Gawain whispering in Jane’s ear, “Lancelot is his father.”
Her mouth fell open as Galahad answered. “Yes, I will be fine.”
Arthur nodded back. “All right, gather your things. We leave in five minutes.”
The others all took off in different directions but David stood there watching her turn to his friends. She looked so at ease with them.
“You will keep them safe?” Jane asked Gareth.
Gareth grinned. “Of course, darling. You needn’t worry. Just take care of my brother.”
She giggled as Gawain took rifle from her and grabbed her hand to lead her away. “He says that as though I did not just best him.”
Before they could get too far, David stepped forward and grabbed her other hand.
Gawain let her go with a faint smirk and walked away.
“Jane,” David said, turning her palm up. He noticed her knees wobble but pretended he didn’t. “I want to give you something.” Keeping her hand in his, he removed a dagger that was attached to his waist and placed it in her hand. “It’s tipped in silver.” He took the holster from his belt and attached it to hers. “If anything gets too close to you, do not hesitate to stab this through their heart. I plan to keep anyone from getting within reach of you, but I do not know for sure what we are about to face.
“Werewolves are vicious and a lot quicker than you might think—not to mention, they are incredibly strong. If there are many, it will be very dangerous. Please stay close. Do not let yourself become separated.”
He stepped closer, unable to fight the urge to be close to her, and lifted his hand to hold the back of her neck. He closed his eyes, hoping this would calm him down. All he wanted to do was kiss her and take her somewhere where nothing could hurt her.
She grasped his wrist, and he sighed. She was so warm and soft.
David bent low and pressed his forehead against hers. “I can’t lose you.”
She squeezed his wrist as if comforting him. “You won’t.”
His heart pounded. He knew she didn’t mean anything more, but hearing her say that made him almost believe she was accepting him. He shouldn’t have, but he lightly kissed her forehead before stepping back.
She looked conflicted, and he knew it was time to put his walls back up.
He forced a smile on his lips and turned away, not looking back as he entered the house.
As soon as he was inside, the situation sunk in for him.
I’m taking her to hunt werewolves.
EERIE SILENCE BLANKETED the deserted streets as Jane ran with the knights. The horror of what her world had become hardly registered when she’d gone outside by herself. Now that she wasn’t running for her life, she could take in the devastation. The world was dying.
Bodies in various states of decay lay all around her. She wanted to cry for them, but the nauseating scent of death poisoned her lungs and distracted her from her sorrow.
Jane frequently encountered horrible smells. She especially grew accustomed to the scent of blood, feces, and urine. It wasn’t something she was going to brag about, but when most people ran away from awful stenches, Jane rolled up her sleeves and cleaned it. Still, the smell of a rotting human corpse hit her newly sensitive nose and made her stomach turn.
She didn’t want to whine, though. The knights had seen and smelt it all, no doubt, and she didn’t want to hold them back by whining. While she tried to quietly breathe without gagging, a sudden thumping caught her attention. Humans. There were humans hiding, and their heartbeats were calling to her.
Her stomach tensed from hunger,
but she forced herself to acknowledge these were people. People she could easily hurt or kill now. She squeezed her eyes shut but kept running, not even surprised that she could still follow the others with the aid of her other senses now.
Her stomach ached, and she licked her lips from thirst.
They’re people, she repeatedly chanted in her head. They’re people.
The pang in her stomach eased, and she opened her eyes. Perhaps having David nearby helped, or maybe the sizable meal had something to do with her relief. She didn’t feel as out of control as she’d been earlier, but she wasn’t ready to put confidence in her ability to overrule the craving.
Jane glanced at David. Everything about him helped distract her from wanting to do something horrible, and his strong pulse tempted her more than any of the numerous beating hearts around her. He tasted so sweet…
Stop thinking of this, she mentally screamed at herself. It was all kinds of wrong. She needed to keep her head together.
She looked away from David and scanned her other companions. It was still hard to believe King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were her saviors. What they were was even more incredible. They were immortals—vampires—and now she was one of them. Well, she was going to try to be.
She watched them as they ran. They were swift—alert. Their predatory gazes continuously scanned their surroundings while they communicated with each other in hushed whispers. They weren’t wearing the masks she’d first encountered them in. It seemed they weren’t going to bother hiding their identities while they hunted. Hunted Werewolves.
It was insane to think about what she was actually doing, yet Jane found her body humming with anticipation as soon as a pungent scent blew their way. It drew the attention of her comrades as well, and they all turned their heads in the same direction before changing their course. They were running toward it.
Jane could tell the knights were worried about having her with them. They would close in around her when the smell grew more intense and then spread back out when it dissipated. Their protective behavior weakened the anticipation she’d felt just moments ago.
In fact, it drowned her itch to fight. What was she thinking? She wasn’t a warrior.
Jane pressed her lips together. This wasn’t the time to start panicking. Surely they would’ve left her behind if they thought she’d be hurt. She glanced at David’s back and realized he kept tilting his head to the side, watching her. Actually, Arthur was doing the same as he and David led the team.
Jane tried to regain her thoughts and settle her nerves; she was thinking too much, and she needed to be in control. There shouldn’t be a reason to panic. They were Heaven’s chosen warriors to fight against these monsters, and she had fared well by herself. The werewolves should be a piece of cake.
Again, Jane found her eyes glued to David. He was supposedly the best of them. She trusted that to be true, and he looked every bit the part with all the power and strength he radiated. After all, he’d been created by Michael, the most famous archangel of all time. At least, that’s what her whimsical thoughts of angels always told her.
Something stirred in her chest as the thought of Michael being the greatest warrior angel flitted through her mind. It was as if a part of her subconscious yelled: FALSE! Whatever it was, an abyss opened in the deep recesses of her mind. She almost felt something had been hidden from her.
“Jane?” David called.
“Hm?” She broke out of her musings and glanced at him.
“Do you know how we were able to find you?” he asked.
Jane continued to run but didn’t respond. No one had told her anything about that. She’d assumed they’d stumbled across her by accident.
“No, Jane,” said Arthur. “We felt you before we even landed. David felt drawn to you most, but that is why we found you.”
“Drawn to me?” She glanced between them.
David answered. “When we were still on the plane arriving in Texas, we felt what I’d describe as a tug at our chests. I was affected more than the others, but I did not know what it was. Still, we searched for you. The night we first came across you was the night we landed. My team immediately sought out the source of the pull we felt. It led us straight to you.”
“Oh,” she murmured, unsure what to make of this information.
“The area surrounding your home seems to have a significant amount of activity compared to other sites,” David continued. “Do you have any idea why?”
She thought over the past three months. Jane had nothing to compare her experience to, but she knew they had never stopped coming. No matter how many times she had run out to draw them away, the undead would return.
“How many times did you run out there?” Arthur asked.
Jane stared at Arthur and struggled to answer as she quickly realized something: Arthur can read minds. His kind smile of understanding urged her to open her mouth and reply. She wondered if anyone else had these amazing gifts and desperately hoped David didn’t.
“Y-yes,” she said, stuttering. David gave her a concerned look, so she tried to shake away her shock. “Several times, actually. I don’t know where I got the guts to do it, but a couple days after the plague broke, I took the chance to get some weapons. I couldn’t let them get in my home. But no matter how many times I lured them away—or how many I destroyed—they always came back.”
David let out an angry growl, clearly unhappy with her.
As if he sensed her discomfort, Gawain spoke up. “Where did you learn to shoot, Jane? That was quite a shot you took before.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, relaxing under Gawain’s grin. “The first time I went out was because I’d seen a military truck under attack. One of the soldiers had dropped a bag, and I knew I needed to get it. When I picked up the first gun, shooting just came easy to me.” She shrugged quickly, not understanding her ability to handle a gun. “It’s funny because I’ve never been able to play video games where you have to shoot, but, apparently, I can do the real thing.” She giggled at the end as she suddenly remembered her attempts to play video games with Jason. Somehow her man on screen always ended up staring at the ceiling, spinning in circles as Jason barked out instructions that she couldn’t follow to save the virtual life of her poor character.
Oh, Jason, she thought. It was dangerous to think of him, but she couldn’t stop herself. She missed him and worried about him and their children.
Thankfully, Gawain’s laugh yanked her thoughts from drifting to her family. “I will teach you how to play. We play a lot of video games when we are home. Except David, of course—he’s no fun. He’s far too serious.”
“I do not waste my time,” David muttered.
Gawain rolled his eyes. “I promise we will play one day, Jane, but I think we should make sure you know how to shoot your rifle.”
The others all came to a sudden halt, and David snarled as he turned away from her.
Jane watched Arthur place a hand on David’s shoulder as he whispered something to him. Whatever they were saying, they spoke low enough so she couldn’t understand. It was clear David was angry, though.
He nodded to Arthur as he let out a breath, but his jaw was tight as he turned back to face her. “I’m sorry, Jane.” He stepped closer, and his expression relaxed. “I should have made sure you knew how to use your weapons before we left. I hope you can forgive my carelessness.” He smiled, and she almost swooned.
“Don’t worry.” She knew she was blushing and felt embarrassed when his gaze moved to her cheeks before returning to her eyes. “If you would just show me how to unlock the safety, I think I can figure it out.”
David’s lip twitched as he looked at her cheeks again, but he quickly went about showing her how to hold her rifle.
He placed his hands over hers and guided them as he slid her fingers to flick the safety off. “You will get a six-hundred-yard range.” He positioned her grip which sent her body into flames. “Each magazine holds thirty roun
ds. There’s a silencer to keep from drawing unwanted attention, but you will still hear the shot. Silencers only dampen the sound but don’t kill the noise. For us, it will appear louder because of our heightened senses.”
She nodded and forced herself to stare down at her rifle while he carried on. “If you run out of magazines, call one of us. We carry a lot. While you wait, do not hesitate to pull your M9. I believe you require no instruction for that one.”
He wore a proud smile that made her whole body heat up even more.
“No, I think I’ve got that one covered.”
Tristan ran up to them. “There are around thirty zombies ahead. Want some practice, Jane?”
His excitement over her chance to show them what she could do caused adrenaline to rush through her veins, and once again she felt the urge to fight rise.
She beamed at him in response.
Arthur chuckled and motioned for Tristan to lead the way. “Let’s see what you can do, Jane.”
Jane grimaced at the sight in front of her. Tristan had taken them on a short detour a few blocks from where they’d been, and he was right, there were roughly thirty zombies huddled together, completely unaware of them.
She thought that was a bit unfair. They always noticed her when she was alone, but the time she has the ultimate killers around her, they stumble around oblivious. Figures. Jane shook her head. These monsters had ruined the world. They’d taken too many lives to count, including hers. Because they didn’t have to succeed in killing her; they still stole her life from her.
Pursing her lips, she recalled her encounters with people infected with the Zev virus. Up until her last run in with them, the time David’s team saved her, she’d been able to get away from them. She’d shot at several but not like the knights. She’d not been able to stand relaxed and destroy them without the risk of being harmed. Her gaze hardened, and she tightened her grip on her rifle. They would pay from now on.
A sudden change in wind direction hit her hard. She held her breath and cursed her heightened senses as she fought the urge to throw up.