Love or not, Jack would stand by her side and support her for the rest of her life. The rational side of her, the one burned far too many times, screamed at her to use caution, but her instincts told her this was right.
Jack felt the sudden tension in her body and sensed the hunger emanating from her. He could practically feel the battle she waged within herself, and when she released a whimper of distress, he held her closer.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ll never push you into anything. I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy every day for the rest of our lives together if you’ll let me. Maybe we don’t know each other well, but we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other once we’re off this island, and I am getting you and Dylan out of here. If you want my blood, take it.”
Her fingers dug into his shoulder as her rapid inhalations tickled his neck. Jack held his breath while he willed her to bite him. He needed to experience what it was like to have her feeding from him, but he didn’t move as he let her figure this out for herself.
The idea of tasting him had her blood thrumming with excitement. Maybe she could have just a little taste to ease this burning in her veins and sate her curiosity, but what would happen if she did?
She was so ravenous she didn’t care what the consequences were anymore.
When her lips touched his throat and her fangs scratched his flesh, he became rock hard again. Then her fangs pierced his flesh and sank into his vein. Excitement clamored through him when he scented his blood, and she released a sound somewhere between a moan and a sigh.
His blood was strengthening her, and the knowledge of that almost made him shout his joy, but he held it back as her joy vibrated against him. Adjusting her in his lap, he thrust into her. His head and heart pounded with the thrill of having his mate feeding on him while he claimed her body. Mine.
And he knew there would be no stopping the bond now; she was his, and she would be for eternity.
Charlie had only wanted a taste of Jack’s blood, but the second it hit her tongue, something unraveled in her and she craved more. She drank from him in deep pulls that eased her hunger as a new one flared to life again. Desire built within her as Jack gripped her hips and guided her against him.
Then she felt his fangs against her shoulder, and a second later they sank into her flesh. Charlie screamed against his throat when she felt their souls intertwining as surely as their bodies joined together. He was a part of her, she was a part of him, and there would never be any separating them again.
Then, his elation over their joining flooded her mind. She sensed his emotions as something primitive took them both over, and they became lost in a world of sex and blood.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Pink and yellow streaked the sky when they made their way to the end of the cave and stood there waiting for the sun to rise before leaving the cave. Charlie was finding it awkward to meet Jack’s eye as she recalled the wild abandon and ferocity of the sex they had earlier.
In the light of day, she tried to deny that they couldn’t walk away from each other, but she felt the bond uniting them as surely as she felt the damp clothes against her skin. Though she wanted to believe she wouldn’t go mad or die if Jack did, she felt the strength of their bond to the core of her soul. There was no breaking it.
She, a person who had avoided relationships for years, now found her life entwined with a man’s she barely knew.
No, that wasn’t true. He’d told her so much of his life, and she’d revealed more to him than anyone other than Miss Dodd. Maybe they hadn’t known each other for long, but they knew a lot about each other. And she knew that, unlike so many others in her life, he would not leave her to fend for herself in a cruel and violent world.
Jack wasn’t a stranger; he was her mate, and there was no going back. As much as the idea of her life interwoven with his scared her, she didn’t want to go back. If she could have picked a mate for herself, she would have chosen Jack.
Taking her hand, Jack threaded his fingers through hers before turning his attention back to the dawn. He sensed her uncertainty through the bond connecting them, but he didn’t assure her it would be okay. Telling Charlie things didn’t work; he would show her that this would be great between them.
“Let’s go,” he said when the sun was higher in the sky.
Leaving the shelter of the crevice, they stayed to the shadow of the cliffs as they searched for an easy place to climb. As they jogged along the beach, the cliffs grew smaller until they arrived at a spot where the cliffs were only thirty feet overhead and decided to climb.
Her wet boots were rubbing her feet raw. She ignored the discomfort as she climbed the rocks behind Jack. He’d instructed her to stay behind him in case someone started firing at them.
Jack reached the top and, poking his head over, he peered at the woods only feet away from him. Nothing stirred within the trees, and no one rushed out to attack him. Scenting the air, he searched for any hint of something that didn’t belong in the woods but detected nothing.
He pulled himself over the top of the cliff and held his hand out for Charlie’s. She took it, and he helped her climb over the edge.
“Do you know where we are on the island?” he asked as they made their way into the shelter of the trees.
“Yes,” she said and pointed to their right. The very top of the lighthouse was barely visible. “The root cellar is that way.”
Jack spotted a hint of white through the swaying trees. “Good.”
Taking her hand, they made their way through the trees at a jog. As they drew closer, he caught more glimpses of the lighthouse through the trees. They were almost to it when a snapping branch on his right caused him to come to an abrupt halt. He pushed Charlie behind him and pulled a stake free.
Charlie slid her knives out and hefted them into her hand as she searched the shifting shadows. No one moved amongst the trees, but she sensed someone watching them. And then a woman with dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes emerged. She gripped a spear with a pointed end capable of taking out any vampire.
“I know you,” she said to Jack, though she kept the spear defensively in front of her.
Charlie eyed the woman; she could have a knife in the woman’s eye before she hefted her weapon. She didn’t dare take her gaze off the woman, but she was curious about how Jack knew her. Who was this woman to him? How did they know each other?
She’d never experienced jealousy before, but now it slithered through her like a poisonous snake.
It took Jack a few seconds to recognize the bartender who’d been working the night the Savages captured them. “You’re LeNae,” he said.
The woman eased her defensive grip on the spear as she glanced between him and Charlie. He sensed Charlie’s confusion as she stared at the woman. He didn’t think LeNae was a threat, but he edged a little closer to Charlie.
Something shifted in the shadows to her right, and Charlie turned to face it as Jack emitted a growl that caused the hair on her nape to rise.
“It’s okay!” LeNae blurted. “We mean no harm. We’re just trying to survive!”
“Who is we?” Jack snarled.
“After we were freed, we found each other,” LeNae gushed. “There’s strength in numbers.”
“Who is we?” Jack repeated, and LeNae visibly paled.
Charlie had no idea how they knew each other, but Jack looked ready to tear this woman apart.
“Come out,” LeNae called.
From behind LeNae, a man emerged and, from the woods where Charlie was looking, a woman appeared. Charlie adjusted her grip on her knives; she could take out two with ease while Jack went after the third if it came down to it.
“We’re looking for help,” LeNae said. “We would have stayed hidden, but I recognized you and knew you weren’t one of them. We thought we could work together.”
Jack didn’t relax as he gazed at them.
“We’ll go,” LeNae said and started edging t
oward the woods.
“Wait,” Charlie said as she gazed at the three vampires. She didn’t know what was between this woman and Jack, but the woman was right, there was strength in numbers. “You know them?” she asked Jack.
“I know her,” Jack replied. “And not well. She was tending bar the night they captured us.”
Charlie gazed at the woman before turning her attention to the other two. Dirt streaked all their faces, their torn clothes hung loosely on them, and their shadowed eyes radiated exhaustion, but they were vampires, and if they’d survived this long, they were also fighters.
“We’re not looking to join up with others,” Jack told LeNae.
“Jack—” Charlie started.
“I don’t know her,” Jack said.
“I didn’t know you well either,” Charlie reminded him. “Mal never knew anyone he took in before he did. Sometimes you have to go on faith, and we can always use the help.”
“There’s more of you?” LeNae asked, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.
Jack ignored her as he focused on Charlie. “Do you really want to bring them with us?”
“We can’t turn down help.”
At any other time, Jack would have agreed with her, but she was his mate, and the idea of putting her at risk by trusting people he didn’t know made the demon in him want to tear these woods apart. Taking a deep breath, he tried to regain control of himself, but it was Charlie’s hand on his arm that helped settle him.
“We don’t know if we can trust them,” he said.
“They’re some of the hunted. We’re all facing the same obstacles on this island, and we all want these bastards to pay.”
“That we do,” the man said. “I’m Clifford.”
Short and stocky, Clifford had brown hair and eyes the same shade. He gave them a wan smile as he nodded a greeting. He appeared unassuming and almost childlike with his cherubic face, but if he’d made it this far in the hunt, then Charlie knew his looks were deceiving.
“And I’m Kirha,” the woman said.
Tall and thin, Kirha’s dark skin was the color of mocha, and her short black hair curled around her pretty face. Though there was kindness in her deep brown eyes, there was also a fierceness Charlie recognized. Kirha wouldn’t take shit from anyone, and she was someone Charlie welcomed on their side.
“I’m Charlie,” she said, “and this is Jack.”
Their questioning gazes went from her to Jack and back again, but Charlie had already made up her mind.
“Come on,” she said. “We have a safe place you can hide.”
Or at least she hoped they did. She’d refused to let herself think that the cave-in might have alerted the Savages to their presence belowground, but now that they were so close, it was all she could think about.
* * *
“Mommy!”
Dylan ran into her so hard that he knocked Charlie back a step as he flung his arms around her waist. She didn’t have a chance to hug him back before his sobs shook her and his tears wet her shirt.
Tears sprang into her eyes as she hugged him against her. She couldn’t recall the last time he’d called her mommy. Even before they came to the island, he’d started outgrowing the word, and once they were here, he’d worked to forge himself into a young man in this horrific place.
And now her proud, strong, sometimes shy son was clinging to her and sobbing like he never had before. His anguish only made her more determined to see every Savage on this island dead and rotting.
Charlie bent her head to kiss the top of his. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered. “I’m okay.”
“Where have you been?” he choked.
“The tunnels were blocked after the cave-in, so we had to make our way across the island,” she explained as she cradled his head against her chest.
Dylan’s small fingers dug into her back as he tried to burrow closer. Jack rested his hand on her shoulder, and she lifted her head to gaze helplessly at him. He squeezed her shoulder before bending to kiss her temple. Releasing her, he rested his hand comfortingly on Dylan’s head before walking over to talk with Mal, who was inspecting the newcomers.
“They’re not Savages,” Mal said to him as LeNae, Kirha, and Clifford settled around the fire and accepted the bowls, carved from rocks, Sheila handed them. Miguel and Darlene joined them, and Jack heard them explaining to the newcomers what was happening on the island.
“What’s in the bowls?” Jack asked.
“Blood,” Mal replied. “A deer fell into the same pit you did. We drained it and saved the blood. The humans have been living off its meat.” Mal turned to him before glancing at Charlie. “We weren’t sure you two were still alive.” Mal’s words trailed off as he shrugged. “Glad you made it back.”
“So am I,” Jack said and gazed over at where Dylan was still holding on to Charlie. He didn’t think the boy was ever going to let her go again.
“What happened?” Mal asked.
Jack told him about the hunter they encountered in the tunnels and what happened. “How bad was the tunnel collapse?”
“Most of the ocean-view tunnel is gone.”
Mal’s gaze dropped to the bite marks on Jack’s neck before he glanced at Charlie then back at him. Even without the marks, the scent of their mixed blood would let vampires know she was his mate, but Jack would never hide her bite on him.
“Dylan’s been holding up well,” Mal said. “This is the first time I’ve seen him cry, but I don’t think he’s slept since you left, and he hasn’t eaten.”
“It had to be tough on him,” Jack said as Charlie leaned back and pulled Dylan’s head out of her chest. The joy radiating from her while she gazed at her son made him smile. “I think we’re getting off this island soon.”
Mal lifted a questioning eyebrow at him as Valerie handed Jack a new shirt. He slid the black shirt over his head as he explained to Mal what they witnessed with Mike and Doug.
“You think they’ll come back for you?” Mal asked.
“I know they will, and they’ll bring reinforcements.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Charlie woke up gasping for air; her hand went to her throat as she gazed around the darkened tunnel. The depressing images of her dream followed her into waking, and she couldn’t shake the unseeing eyes of the dead man from her mind.
“Charlie?” Jack whispered from where he sat against the wall, keeping watch over her and Dylan while they slept.
Charlie clasped his hand when it reached across the shadows toward her. She clung to it as she struggled to center herself. Though he hadn’t done it since their first months on the island, Dylan asked to sleep beside her tonight, and she couldn’t tell him no. However, instead of staying in the main cavern where they usually slept with everyone, except for Mal, the three of them settled in one of the tunnels that dead-ended.
“I’m okay,” she murmured. “I’m okay.”
But was she trying to convince herself or Jack?
She didn’t know the answer, but she had to tell him what she’d seen. The thought of it left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she didn’t know how to form the words that would break his heart.
“Jack,” she breathed.
The hair on his nape rose when he heard the distress in her voice. “What is it?”
Charlie rested her hand on Dylan’s shoulder; the feel of his steady breaths helped calm her and give her the strength she required for this. She glanced down the tunnel, thinking maybe they should go somewhere else, but if Dylan woke and discovered her gone, he might panic.
He was the strongest kid she knew. He’d handled being kidnapped, hunted, and her becoming a vampire with more ease than she ever could have hoped for, but thinking she died in the cave-in had rattled him.
She kept her hand on his shoulder as she revealed to Jack what she saw in her dream. She could barely meet his gaze when she told him about seeing the body of his friend in a bathtub while his other friend poured ice around him. Thro
ugh the connection uniting them, she felt Jack’s disbelief.
“It could have been a dream,” he said.
“Maybe,” she hedged, though it had felt far too real. She’d been standing in the bathroom with them; she could still smell the crisp scent of the ice. “But I don’t think so.”
The wounded look on his face tore at her heart. She did not want to be the one telling him this. If she believed there was the slightest chance she was wrong, she would have kept it to herself, but the dream had been far too real.
“Mike was the one pouring the ice,” she whispered.
“How do you know that? You’ve never met them. You could have been seeing two completely different men, and it wasn’t Mike and Doug.”
“I’m not sure how I know or see anything; I just do. And in my dream, I knew it was Doug in the tub and Mike standing over him.” She’d never forget the devastation in Mike’s eyes and on his face.
“Are you telling me Doug is dead?”
Charlie didn’t know what to say that would make any of it better. “Yes,” she whispered.
Jack didn’t speak as he absorbed what she was saying. He didn’t doubt her visions, but he didn’t want to believe it. “Maybe it was a vision of the future; something we can change.”
She would love to give him that hope, but she couldn’t. “I may not be able to control it, but I know my ability enough to tell the difference between the ones that reveal the future and the ones showing something that already happened. This has already happened.”
Jack could only sit and stare at her as he tried to digest her words.
“The dream was stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced before,” she said.
“The mating bond makes vampires stronger; it’s probably intensified your gift,” he said.
“Right now, it doesn’t feel like a gift. It’s never done any good for anyone.”
Unforeseen: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 9 Page 19