Shiver

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “No!” Knox yelled.

  Hogan clamped a hand over his shoulder before he could give chase. “You can’t walk into the sun again. Do you want to end up like an overdone eel, like Moe over there?”

  He didn’t care. Lian was pinned beneath the man, squirming against his grip as he rammed her body into the snowy ground. The man hung his head back and hissed, flashing fangs heading toward her pale neck.

  Knox recognized him. He wasn’t wearing a thick coat and now resembled a wild animal, but this was the guard he’d bitten after the crash. He smelled like Hogan—familiar, like kin.

  “Moe, stop!” Hogan yelled.

  “He’s not going to listen,” Knox said, though he wondered if he could compel him as he’d seemingly done with Hogan earlier. “How the fuck did he survive?”

  “After you attacked him we tried to contain him, but he ran off before we could. Must be why he’s all burned up,” Hogan answered.

  Knox couldn’t stand here and watch this asshole butcher Lian, so he jerked his arm out of Hogan’s grip. As soon as he stepped clear of the overhang, the first patch of sunlight broke through the clouds, burning him. But he didn’t stop. He had to get the feral vampire. The asshole’s fangs were already closing in on her throat, but she struggled against him, keeping him at bay.

  “Get away from her, you son of a bitch!” Knox screamed.

  “No.” Moe hissed. “She has your mark. I’m going to take her!”

  So much for compelling him!

  Knox reached them in no time and wrapped his fingers around Moe’s neck, trying to yank him off Lian. He wouldn’t budge and thrashed against Knox, still gripping the hem of her ruined dress like a rabid animal.

  When Moe flaunted his bloody teeth, every fight instinct Knox had gained in the arena poured back into him. His muscles tensed. Countless brutal clashes flashed through his mind as he relived the barbaric violence he was forced to partake in to survive another day. All of it culminating with the blond-haired vampire. Amon had done to him exactly what Moe was about to do to Lian, and he would not stand for it.

  The audience here wasn’t cheering and bloodthirsty, but terrified and screaming. He was still determined to win this fight.

  Knox knew this was his fault. If he hadn’t attacked this man, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Now he had to face this mistake—born of hunger and weakness—and correct it.

  Lian punched Moe in the face, hard enough to make his head whip back.

  Moe’s mouth spread into a smile. “You’re mine.”

  “Over my dead body,” said Knox, baring his own fangs. The sun might be baking his skin but the snowflakes soothed some of the sting.

  “Gladly.” Moe threw himself against Knox barreling into his shoulder, and sending them both flying several meters into the air. They landed with a hard thump, Knox on the bottom. A flurry of ash-covered snow flew up around them like icy dust and the crowd scattered.

  Moe landed a punch to Knox’s jaw. “I’m gonna tear your throat out.” He leaned closer. “Then I’m gonna eat her. And fuck her!”

  The words pushed Knox into a rage so thick the anger threatened to consume him. He kicked his legs up and catapulted Moe right off his body, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

  He sprang to his feet, enjoying the rush of speed he now had at his disposal. This newly-turned vampire was going to be sorry he dared challenge Knox. He’d faced crazed and beastly Recasts, huge Thropods with spiked limbs and poisonous pincers, four-armed blue warriors from an amphibious world. He’d fought more terrors than this asshole could even begin to fathom. This miniscule speck of a would-be vampire wasn’t going to get the better of him.

  Before Moe could rise to his feet, Knox straddled the bastard and pounded one hammer fist after another into his face, until Moe’s features twisted into a bloody pulp of shattered bone and gore. He was about to punch the long fangs out of the rabid vamp’s mouth when Moe caught the underside of his wrist and closed his fangs tight around Knox’s blackened skin. Moe shifted his hips, causing Knox to lose his balance and fall over. He landed on his face—just what the asshole needed to gain the upper hand. Moe hopped onto Knox’s back, trapping his arms while wrapping a forearm underneath his chin, and pulling back.

  Knox felt a surge of strength flow within him, almost as if every fight he’d ever faced had led to this. His right hand, though torn and bloody, wasn’t useless. Besides, Moe was taking the brunt of the UV rays and expelling far more energy.

  “Die, you fucking asshole,” Moe screeched. “Die already.”

  Knox wanted to laugh. He’d been in worst situations in the arena. With one last tug, he freed his hand and elbowed Moe in the ribs. He pummeled him with so many elbow strikes Moe’s grip began to loosen.

  Knox pressed both hands against the snow and pushed hard enough to make his muscles burn. His arms quaked but he managed to lift himself off the ground with the asshole still on his back. When he got to his knees, one shrug was all it took to shake Moe’s weight off.

  Still on his knees, he closed the gap between them and smashed his fists into Moe’s face, chest, wherever he could. Until the shine of the half cuff caught his eye and he stopped punching long enough to yank the silver from his wrist. He rammed it into Moe’s mouth—smashed past his teeth and shoved it down his throat. The former guard was now a gurgling, ruined husk.

  The sun disappeared behind a cloud and that was enough for Knox’s body to begin to heal. He watched the singed and scalded skin repair itself before his eyes. It felt like tiny ants were scuttling beneath his skin. He had never felt more alive.

  This time, he had really won his survival.

  “Knox.”

  When he heard Lian’s voice, he stood and spun around. She limped into his open arms and he held her close. He wanted to sweep her away from this horrid place, away from everything. Now that they’d both endured such odds, he knew the only way he planned to spend his life was getting to know her.

  “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, after kissing his cheek.

  “What for?”

  “For trying to save me, even when you couldn’t.”

  He kissed her with a lot more vigor, almost forgetting they weren’t alone.

  “Watch out!” Hogan’s warning echoed loud enough to start an avalanche somewhere.

  The weak blow struck Knox in the back, but he kept his grip on Lian and remained upright while turning to face his would-be attacker.

  “Get your filthy hands off her!” Meiling looked a mess. Her formerly pristine outfit had melted onto her slim frame and half of her face was burnt so badly it had become a drooping muddle. “She already has a husband ready and waiting for her.”

  Keeping his arms around Lian, he bared his fangs.

  “Get out of my way!” the matriarch screamed, her eyes wild with madness. “We have to get on my ship before it’s too late.”

  Lian stiffened in his arms but didn’t move. “Get away from me.”

  “What?” Meiling’s eyes widened. “The memory-wipe should have worked.”

  “It’s over. You’ll never get your hands on her again,” Knox growled. “I’ll protect her with my life.”

  Out of nowhere, Moe sprang on Meiling and latched on to her throat like an animal. Chunks of flesh flew everywhere as he tore at her with a row of regenerated teeth.

  Lian stepped out of his embrace to watch the scene.

  As much as he wanted to protect Lian from everything, he knew Moe needed to be put down. He was a vile creature, feeding like a thing. Moe was beyond help. If the silver hadn’t killed him, Knox had no choice but to finish him another way.

  He made a move but Hogan stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “You’ve done enough for one day. Let me,” Hogan said, almost completely covered in a hooded coat.

  Knox hesitated but finally nodded, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie toward this man.

  “Besides, don’t you know that you can’t k
ill a vampire by ramming silver down his throat?” Hogan shook his head, as if dismayed. Though, the smirk stated otherwise. “You have to ram it into his heart. Or cut their heads off.” He pulled a long, silver blade from his pocket and headed for Moe.

  Knox turned away but heard the squishing sound and felt the ash and gunk strike him in the back. Lian shuffled past him and he let her go, knowing she probably needed closure with her mother. Instead, she ignored Meiling and headed for the wounded guard. She fell to her knees beside Vera and took her hand.

  “Li,” Vera whispered, then coughed blood.

  Knox watched Lian lean closer to the woman. She pushed the guard’s hair away from her face and whispered to her. Meiling—the woman cruel enough to destroy her own house and everyone in it—lay nearby like a discarded mannequin.

  He glared at Meiling, fighting the desire to finish what Moe had started.

  She gurgled and a surge of blood spilled from her mouth. “I didn’t…have a…choice.” Her breath came in quick spurts, her heart sounded sluggish.

  He thought about calling out to Lian because her mother was obviously trying to convey one final message, but he held his tongue. Lian had made her choice and held Vera’s hand, sobbing until she stopped breathing. Knox heard the last beat of Vera’s heart.

  “I’ll never forget you,” Lian whispered and kissed the guard’s cheek.

  Hogan pressed a hand on Lian’s shoulder, which she patted. Knox felt a pang of jealousy flow through him. He took a step, but Meiling grabbed a hold of his leg.

  “Tell her…I had no…choice.” A line of blood rolled down the side of her mouth before becoming a gush of crimson liquid. Strangely, it didn’t stir his hunger.

  “We all have choices,” Lian said, stepping up beside him.

  “Now, you can…finally be free,” Meiling whispered.

  Lian glared at her mother for a long while, her brow furrowed as if she was trying to understand something far beyond her grasp.

  Knox looked away and spotted Hogan speaking with the huddled crowd of survivors who’d been through so much today. They mostly looked stunned and scared, but nodded at whatever he was telling them.

  When a huge, blocky transport cut through the smoky sky and headed for the clearing, everyone stood back and waited for it to land. Hogan opened the sliding door and motioned for the scared staff to climb onboard. He then leaned into the ship and shouted commands to the pilot before heading for Knox and Lian.

  “I’ll get these people to Shiver and alert the authorities about what happened.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?” Knox said. “I assume Meiling owned whatever passes for authorities around here.”

  “She doesn’t own everyone.” Hogan met his eyes. “I know who to trust.” He turned his gaze to Lian. “I’ll also take Vera with me.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead made his way back toward the rocky overhang and passed them by with Vera in his arms.

  “Wait,” Lian called, stopping him. “I just want to…” She leaned toward the dead guard and kissed her forehead. “I’ll never forget you.” When she stepped away, Hogan carried Vera to the transport and laid her inside. He jogged back toward them.

  “Hope you don’t plan to tell the authorities everything,” Knox said. The thought of his new condition being advertised to strangers didn’t appeal to him.

  “Nah, just the believable parts,” Hogan said.

  “Make sure everyone gets whatever medical attention they need,” Lian said as she grabbed Knox’s hand. “And I’ll take care of Vera.”

  Hogan glanced at their joined hands and smiled. “Do I need to return for you two?”

  Knox glanced at Lian, who shook her head. “Not yet. Take care of them”—he waved at the waiting transport—“and then come back.”

  “Or, you could use a snowmobile to get to Shiver.”

  “I thought everything was destroyed—”

  “It was, Lian.” A grin twitched his lips. “But you might find one hidden in a copse of trees in the nearby forest.”

  “An escape plan,” Knox said. He was starting to like this guy.

  “More like hopeful planning. Just don’t let the wolves get you.” Hogan turned away. “I’ll leave you to it.” He paused for a second and looked back at them. “When you’re both ready to face the world, you can find me at the biggest tavern in town. I’ll be there drowning my sorrows.”

  “I don’t think beer is going to cut it for you anymore,” Knox said with a laugh.

  “I’m sure I’ll find what I need.”

  Knox entwined his fingers around Lian’s as they stood together, silently watching Hogan jump onboard the transport, and slide the door shut. They shielded their eyes from the blowing snow as the metal beast took to the sky.

  Freedom had come at a painful price, but Knox was determined to live the rest of his life without chains. He would enjoy his new life, with his beautiful savior by his side.

  Epilogue

  “Well, what do you guys think?” Hogan spread his arms wide like some kind of real-estate agent selling them their first home.

  Lian couldn’t help but smile, because in a way that was exactly what he was doing. She stepped past him, tugging on Knox’s hand so that he’d follow. After all, this was going to be their ship. A wave of giddiness swept through her at the thought of what this actually meant—a new life of adventure, exciting opportunities, and the man of her dreams—literally.

  She squeezed his hand, then let go to wander around like an excited little girl. It was spacious—sleeping quarters big enough for two, amenities, a small dining area, a storage compartment, and a very roomy cockpit.

  “Wow, how’d you get this?” Lian couldn’t believe her eyes. When she stepped back into the cockpit, she found Knox inspecting the walls and Hogan standing nearby with a proud grin on his face.

  Knox whistled and nodded approvingly. “Not bad, mate. Not bad at all.”

  Lian strolled past them and dropped into the pilot’s seat. She didn’t know the first thing about flying a spaceship, but it still felt like home. “Seriously, Hogan, this is an amazing ship. How’d you find it?” she asked again.

  “I got a good deal on several transports. A whole fleet had been kept in storage for years, since Maine enforced an embargo on our world. So the seller was glad to get rid of them.” His grin widened. “You’re not the only ones hoping to put some distance between you and this planet. By the way, I hope you don’t mind me spreading your mother’s wealth around because I paid for every vehicle with her credits and loaded the on-board account in each with plenty of funds. There was even enough left over for those who want to stay.”

  Lian beamed. “Of course not, it’s the least we can do.” After so many years of wishing she could do something to help the staff her mother mistreated, she was glad to see Meiling’s precious wealth pay for their freedom.

  She didn’t miss her birth mother and hoped to truly forget about her someday. She’d read snippets of excuses in her mind while she was dying, but Lian didn’t care. Any good intentions had long ago been drowned out by her actions. What broke her heart was losing the woman she’d considered her real mother.

  She blamed Meiling for Vera’s death.

  Lian had Vera’s ashes stored inside a canister and would spread them where her favorite childhood story took place. Where the tribe prince fell in love and spiritually married an innocent girl, and they had a beautiful son together—on the forest moon of Sullen.

  Hogan slapped his hands together and looked the happiest she’d ever seen him. “Well, guys, I’d love to stay and chat but I have to get going.” It was good to see him wearing his own clothes rather than a bland uniform, and without the silver collar.

  “Where are you headed?” Knox asked, inspecting the dashboard.

  “Nowhere special—”

  “Hogan, what’s going on?” She’d known him long enough to recognize when he was trying to hide something. Hogan’s mind was the only one completely sh
ut off to her. At first she’d thought it might be a vampire thing, but the fact she caught snatches from Knox contradicted that. Although, the reason she could read Knox might be because of the nano-mites he drank with her blood.

  Hogan sighed and ran a gloved hand through his short, black hair. “I could never keep anything from you, could I?” A rueful smile broke out over his handsome face. “I have a lead on your mother’s supplier that I want to investigate.”

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yeah, actually, I do. She wasn’t abducting them herself—someone was supplying them via Jenks Maine and I’m going to chase this lead until I find out who’s responsible. Besides, she mentioned she was keeping slaves somewhere else and I need to find where that is.” He looked away. “You don’t need to worry about me. Even if my hand didn’t magically grow back, I’m a big, bad vampire now. I can take care of myself.” He raised both arms in the air with his gloved fingers outstretched like claws and flashed his fangs.

  While Knox kept his vampiric qualities in check at all times, Hogan used them to show off and emphasize his jokes.

  Knox frowned. “Don’t forget the rules we set for ourselves.”

  “How could I? You’ve drummed them into me enough times.”

  “Obviously not enough, after that display,” Knox said with a snort of derision. “Hopefully I’ll have more concrete info about our condition soon.”

  Hogan rolled his eyes. “You need to relax a little, man. I think we know enough.”

  Lian nibbled on her bottom lip. It didn’t matter that Hogan was a vampire now—she didn’t like the idea of him chasing dangerous leads. “We should go with you.”

  He shook his head. “You two deserve to live a life of freedom, without any boundaries. You’ve both been trapped enough, don’t you think? Freeing others is my thing. It’s what I live for.”

  “We all need some sort of passion in our lives,” Knox said, and the two vampires exchanged a look.

  Lian couldn’t disagree with that and pushed off the chair. “You promise to take care of yourself, right?”