I broke a hunk off and popped it in my mouth. “What was he doing out there anyway? It’s been weeks since the place went down?”
She averted her gaze.
“Fine, whatever. None of my business. My friends are still out there and your fabulous four are keeping me against my will.” I watched her from beneath my lashes.
She gnawed on her bottom lip. “It’s safe here.”
“That’s relative. I need to be out there looking for my friends.” I leaned in. “Look, just help me get out of here.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t.”
“Why, because they’ll hurt you if you do?” I sneered. “I thought they protected you.”
She lifted her chin. “They do, and they have.” She blinked rapidly. “If not for them, I’d have been handed to a clutch.”
“A clutch?”
“Back in Haven, the women were divided amongst the men, one woman to four men. They called it a clutch. Some aren’t so bad, others …” She blinked rapidly.
Shit. Was she going to cry. I wasn’t good with tears. “Yours was one of the others, I presume.”
She nodded. “The Fangs coming saved me. The leaders asked for volunteers to feed the Fangs, and in return, the clutch would get extra rations. My clutch volunteered me.”
My jaw tightened. Fucking bastards. Those humans got lucky they didn’t come across me.
“Jace, Ash, Logan, and Noah saw my bruises and insisted that I be reserved for them. They saved me, and they’ve been a family to me for the past six weeks. Better to be a blood bag to four Fangs than a punching bag to four humans. But I can’t stay here much longer.”
Wait, I was so confused. “You want to escape?”
Her shoulders drooped, and she reached up and unknotted the scarf around her neck before sliding it off. Her skin was mottled blue, and black veins stood out starkly against any pale patch of flesh.
I shuffled away from her, ice filling my veins. “You’re infected.”
There was no turning Feral for humans who got infected. There was only a slow, agonizing death, and the risk they might infect others with their blood.
She swallowed hard. “I was attacked on a scavenge trip last week. They could have left me to die, but they brought me back here. They brought me home to die. Noah has medicine. He says when the time comes it will be painless. It’s why Ash went back to Haven, to raid the pharmacy for pain meds to make a cocktail for me. He got jumped by Feral. Too many to fight off, but the sun came up, and he holed up in the armory.”
“Stupid. He should have gone in daylight when they were sleeping.”
Once again, she looked away, as if hiding something.
Tobias and I had slept during the morning and traveled through the rest of the day and night simply because we had no idea if we’d find a safe spot to rest at night. It had worked for us, but if we’d been guaranteed a safe place to come home to, we’d never have ventured out after dark.
“Look, once again it’s none of my business.”
Her shoulders eased up. She was protective of them. They’d liberated her from abuse, so it was natural she be grateful … unless there was more. One female, four males with a need for blood, yes, but they’d also have other needs.
“Gina. Is blood all they took from you?”
She stared at me, brow etched in a frown.
It looked like I’d need to spell it out. “Did they have sex with you?”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. “God, no!” She shook her head. “No, they’ve never touched me like that.”
They hadn’t been using her for sex, and now they couldn’t even use her for blood. She was useless to them, and yet they were nurturing her. They obviously felt a responsibility toward her, so not cold-hearted. Interesting.
But I needed to focus on the facts. Their only source of sustenance was about to keel over, and now they had me locked in a cage. Any hope of them letting me walk out of here just took a leap off the nearest metaphorical bridge. But there was also the possibility of leverage here.
She grasped one of the bars and leaned in with that sweet smile of hers. “They need you. I need you.” She cocked her head. “What’s your name?”
“Eva.”
“That’s pretty.” She wrapped the scarf around her neck again. “You should stay. There’s nothing for you out there.”
“My friends—”
“Were taken by the Feral Fang.” She winced as she said the words, as if wary of hurting me. “Ash saw it happen. They’ve probably taken them to their den to feed.”
No, she was lying to keep me here. But the sinking pit in my stomach screamed otherwise. “I don’t believe you.”
Her mouth turned down, and Ash’s face flashed through my mind, his eyes so filled with sorrow when I’d mentioned my friends. No. It couldn’t be. They couldn’t be dead. They weren’t dead. Feral Fang liked to hoard their food. They liked to make it last.
But they could be infected. They’re a lost cause.
I pushed Dad’s voice out of my mind. I had to try. I had to know for sure. I had to get out of this cell and find them, but they could be anywhere.
“Gina, would Ash know where to find this den?”
She frowned. “Ash is our tracker; if anyone could find the den, it would be him. He has heightened senses even in his Fang form.”
“Fang form? What other form does he have?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but the door behind her swung open and the most beautiful man I’d ever seen strode in. Broad-shouldered with jet-black hair, he had to be well over six-two. Black jeans hugged his thighs and a navy-blue shirt stretched across his shoulders. He’d rolled up the sleeves to expose his tanned forearms. He had nice hands, large but slender. He studied me with tawny eyes fringed by thick, dark lashes under straight black brows. He had the kind of face that I’d imagine women would write sonnets about. And I was staring.
I locked gazes with him. “Which one are you?”
His smile was perfunctory. “Hello …” He glanced at Gina.
“Eva,” she provided.
“Eva.” That empty smile again. “My name is Noah. I took some blood while you were sleeping and ran some tests.”
“Thanks for asking my permission.” My tone was bone-dry.
He didn’t even bat an eyelid. “You’re clean.”
“I know that.”
“We’d like you to stay with us. We can provide protection in exchange for blood.”
“Just blood?” I stared steadily at him.
Once again, he wasn’t fazed. “Just blood.”
“Good to know, but I don’t need your protection. I’m sure your friend, Ash, told you how many of the Feral Fangs I took out.”
Was that a flash of admiration in his eyes? “Yes. He also told us you were close to death when he found you. Maybe you don’t need protection, but you could certainly have used some backup.”
“I have backup. My friends are out there. I need to find them.” He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand. “I know they’ve been taken. I know that your … friend, Ash, can find the Feral den, and I want you to take me to it and help me save my friends. You do that, and …” God, I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Dad would kick my arse. “I’ll stick around and feed you until you find a replacement.”
His gaze was suddenly speculative. “You’re hardly in a position to negotiate.”
They’d saved Gina, they’d been good to her, and she seemed genuinely upset about being forced to die and leave them. These four might just have been infected with a minor dose of humanity, and it was my job to exploit that.
I shrugged. “Fine. Keep me locked up. Force yourselves on me. Be the bad guys. Because believe me, I will fight you all the way. I will kick, and I will scream, and—”
“I love a challenge.” Snarky guy appeared behind Noah.
When had he snuck in?
Noah’s expression grew flat. “Logan, I told you to check on the storeroom
“Done.” Logan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Ash is meditating. If we’re going to do this, then it has to be now.”
“Do what?”
Gina looked from Noah to Logan and then back to me, her mouth twisted in uncertainty. They were going to feed on me. It was clear in the crimson aura around their irises, the tension in their bodies—it was hunger, restrained but hovering on the surface.
I backed up, hands fists at my sides. “Bring it, you fucking cowards.”
Logan’s smile was all fang. He took a step forward, but Noah stuck out an arm, halting his comrade’s progress.
Logan’s lip dropped back over his fangs. “Really? You too?” He turned away, hands on hips, head tipped back to look at the ceiling in despair. “We’re fucking Fangs; we need to feed.”
“And we will,” Noah said. He locked gazes with me. “I agree to your terms. We will aid you in locating the Fang den and help you rescue your friends.”
I kept my body rigid, refusing to communicate my relief through body language, because there was a definite but coming.
“But …”
There it was.
“If your friends are infected, we kill them, and you will still remain with us until we find a replacement.”
I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose. It wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, I’d finish them myself. “Agreed.”
“Wait,” Logan said. “You’re negotiating with her?”
Noah turned his head away but not before I caught the flash of fire in his eyes. “She’s a person, Logan, and we’re not animals.”
Logan snorted. “Aren’t we? You may like to ignore what you are, Noah, but I’m perfectly comfortable in my skin—both of them.” He strode out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Noah tucked in his chin, staring at the ground for a long beat. When he raised his head, his expression was neutral. “Gina, show our guest to her room so she can get cleaned up, and then bring her to the lab. I’ll gather the others.”
He followed Logan out of the room, and Gina walked over to the wall and pulled the metal lever built into it. The bars slid back, and I was free.
“Don’t bother trying to run,” Gina said, reading my expression with intuitive accuracy. “There is no escape from the bunker, not without the codes.” She picked up the tray and headed for the door. “You made the right decision, Eva. Now follow me.”
Chapter Eleven
The world outside the cell room was stainless steel and caged lighting. A red light winked directly opposite the door we exited from. A camera? My boots echoed off the ground as I followed Gina down the uneventful corridor, plain gray and silver and no landmarks for me to catalog. She made turns on autopilot, passed several windowless closed doors, and then we were climbing a flight of stairs, each step a clang. The level above was less stainless steel and more dull brown and cream; there was even a threadbare carpet. The corridor was wider here, and a sign saying Level 1 clung to the wall.
“Not far now.” Gina threw the comment over her shoulder.
We passed an open door, and a quick peek showed what looked like a lounge area—Formica tables and chairs and several sagging sofas, and then Gina was turning right at an intersection and coming to a halt.
“This will be your room,” she said.
She pushed open a metal door to reveal a tiny eight-by-six-foot room with a generous single bed made up in gray and white sheets, a tiny dresser, sink, and ensuite bathroom.
“It’s one of the nicer rooms in the bunker.”
I shook my head because this was perfect and if Tobias were here, if I weren’t being offered this room by Fangs, we’d be laughing. “It’s fine.”
“There are some clothes in the dresser that should fit you. Get washed up, and I’ll be back for you in around thirty minutes.” She walked away without a backward glance, but her pace had slowed significantly, a sure sign she was in pain.
How much longer did she have left? I stepped into the room and shut the door. No lock. Great.
The bed called to me, seducing me with the promise of sleep. But every minute I wasted in personal comfort was another minute that Tobias was at risk of infection.
He’s dead, Eva. You need to focus on finding another haven. Maybe Benedict is alive, maybe he escaped to another stronghold.
Damn my emotions. Damn the attachment. Damn the human need for comfort and companionship.
Sleep wasn’t essential right now, but washing was. The blood covering me would give me away to the Feral Fangs in a heartbeat. I needed to get rid of the stench.
The top drawer of the dresser had a couple of round-necked T-shirts and joggers in them. There were some boxers, too big, and some socks. Grabbing the shirt and joggers, I headed into the bathroom and closed the door.
The quicker I got cleaned up, the quicker we could go find Tobias. No thinking about the afterward. No thinking about what I’d promised to do, because with Haven gone what other option did I have? This was as safe as I could be for now. My hand went to the key around my neck. It was all about information. These Fangs had known the Haven leader, the man Dad had wanted me to get the key to. Maybe they’d know of another place like Haven. With them as backup, I could go back and scope it out properly. All they wanted in return was blood. A small price to pay. A shudder skimmed up my spine. Food. I was going to be food.
The shower stall was slim and functional. With a twist of a knob, hot water came gushing out and steam filled the room. I stripped off and stepped into the spray, shutting off my churning thoughts for now.
* * *
Gina was waiting for me when I stepped out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later. She had a little more color in her cheeks now.
“They’re ready for you,” she said.
I followed her out of the room, onto the corridor and over the intersection.
“Don’t be cowed by Logan. He can be abrupt and snarky, but Noah usually manages to keep him in line. Ash won’t say much unless something bothers him, and if things get heated, Jace usually steps in and smooths things over.”
Her voice softened at the mention of Jace.
“You like him?”
She shot me a quick glance, and then lowered her lashes. “It’s impossible not to like Jace. You’ll see. Once you get to know them, they’re pretty amazing.”
They were Fangs. The last thing I’d be doing was wasting time getting to know them. This was a business relationship, but there was no point telling her that. She was smitten. “Even Logan the arsehole?”
She snorted. “He’s a slightly more bitter pill to swallow.”
“Noah’s in charge, right?”
She nodded. “Noah’s the oldest. From what I gathered, he raised the boys.”
Fangs and their eternally youthful looks. I’d never have guessed there was an age difference between them.
“You said something earlier about Ash and his heightened senses even when in Fang form? What did you mean? What other form is there?”
But we were outside a set of double doors, and they were sliding open to admit us. Gina stepped aside and indicated I go first.
The door slid shut behind me.
She didn’t follow.
I was alone in a room filled with monitors, machines, blinking lights, and four massive Fangs.
* * *
Logan was straddling a swivel chair, his arms crossed on the back. His hair was damp and slicked back, and it looked like he’d trimmed the stubble on his cheeks. Ash was standing at the back of the room, his huge frame blocking my view of a monitor screen. Noah had his back to me, his fingers flying across a keyboard as he typed something up. The shirt was gone, replaced by a sleeveless white tee. His left arm was covered in an intricate tattoo that climbed all the way to his shoulder and vanished beneath the fabric of his shirt.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Be with you in a moment.”
“Noah and his documentation,” the final occupant of the room said. His hair was just as dark as Noah’s, but whereas Noah’s was cropped short, this Fang’s hair was longer and swept back off his face. He speared me with his piercing blue eyes and then went in for the kill with a disarming smile, not a fang in sight.
“Jace, I presume.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I shook it on auto and then dropped my hand to my side. His palm had been warm and slightly callused.
No one spoke until Noah turned in his seat. He placed his hands on his thighs and studied me. “I’ve spoken to the guys. Ash will be leaving in an hour to track the Feral Fang brood who took your friend back to their roost. Once he has the location, he’ll double back and we’ll attack at midday tomorrow when the sun is highest and the Fangs will be in deep slumber.”
He had it all figured out except for one thing. “I’m going with him.”
“Like hell,” Logan said.
I ignored him and focused on Noah. “Am I a prisoner?”
A series of undecipherable emotions crossed his face and then he shook his head. “No. No, you’re not.”
“What the fuck?” Logan was on his feet and Ash was in his face, his lips curled in a snarl that raised my hackles.
“Whoa!” Jace stepped between them. “Enough. We don’t fight each other. Ever.”
Noah didn’t say a word. He simply watched with his golden gaze as Logan backed down and the muscles in Ash’s shoulders rippled as they relaxed.
Jace shot me a smile that was more of a wince. “Sorry about that. It’s been a while since we fed, and Logan gets cranky.”
“Fuck you, angel boy,” Logan said. “Stick your halo up your arse. It seems like I’m the only one who can see she’s playing us. Look at her. She has no intention of sticking around after we find her buddies. First chance she gets, she’ll be gone.”
“And you want to do what?” Noah asked. “Chain her up? Take her blood by force? Is that who you are now?”
He hadn’t raised his voice even a notch, but his words echoed around the suddenly silent room.
-->