With his shaggy blond hair, average height and build, a hawkish nose, and thick lips, he wasn’t handsome or ugly. She wouldn’t consider him plain either, but more the type who blended into a crowd until he chose for others to notice him.
This man once despised everything he’d become, but when he gave a cruel, remorseless smile, she realized he’d embraced his new role in life. He didn’t deserve the fate handed him, but Willow couldn’t allow her sympathy for him to get in the way. He had to die.
The sun glinted off something at his side. She spotted the red-orange jewel in the hilt of his sword before another noise to her right turned her head in that direction. A pair of red eyes blinked at her from the shadows. And then, a rustling of branches sounded behind her. It felt like someone took an ice cube to her neck as the rustling grew closer.
When she chanced a glance behind her, she spotted three more red eyes and another set of white-blue ones that hadn’t been there before. She never should have climbed out of the tree, but she didn’t have a choice. Maybe she could have made it another day before her thirst propelled her out of it, and then she would have been weaker.
But would they have left if she’d waited another day?
That was a question she would never know the answer to, and she couldn’t turn back time. She was out of the tree, and they were closing in on her.
From somewhere deep inside, she found the strength to move faster. She pushed her tired legs as her lungs burned, and her heart thudded so fiercely, she was sure it bruised the inside of her ribs.
Not like this. Just one more day. Not like this. Just one more day.
The words became a looping mantra in her head. She wasn’t ready to die, but she’d welcome death if it meant avoiding the fate that had befallen these things.
Despite the creepy howls they issued all night, the Savages were silent as they stalked her through the trees. They already had their prey in view; there was no reason to terrorize it into making a mistake. The rushing sound of water increased until it became a crescendo drowning out all other noise.
The river grew so loud she felt like she could almost touch it, yet she didn’t see it until it was almost too late. She was so focused on escaping, she almost ran straight over the edge of a cliff.
Somehow, her brain shot the command to stop through her panicked body before she plunged over the side. Dirt flew out from beneath her feet and over the cliff when she skidded to a halt at the edge of it.
She was so close her toes hung over the edge, and the icy mist of the waterfall sprayed her face. Willow’s stomach plummeted when she leaned forward to peer over the five-hundred-foot drop to the boulders poking out of the rushing river below.
She turned back and edged away from the cliff as more Savages emerged from the trees.
The panic clawing at Declan’s chest while he ran confused him. He hated being in these woods, with these things, and not knowing where Willow and Lucien were, but he’d never felt frightened. Ready to tear the head off something, yes, but not terrified. Even when they encountered and slaughtered eight Savages last night, he never felt an ounce of panic.
He glanced at the others, but their faces remained set in stone. He was aware of how impassive someone could look, while inside they were a turmoil of emotions, but these feelings weren’t coming from them. They emitted a mixture of fear, desperation, eagerness, and dread, but no panic.
Where was it coming from then?
Declan came to an abrupt stop. The others, not expecting his sudden halt, ran on for a few more feet before they realized he wasn’t with them. Turning in a circle, Declan surveyed the woods. A small breeze caused the trees to sway, but it was the only movement as the woods were devoid of life. The squirrels and birds had fled the monsters hunting their area.
“What is it?” Vicky asked him.
He held up a hand as he listened for anything unusual. Then, he caught the distant murmur of water. When he turned toward the sound, his heart rate picked up a little as the overwhelming sensation of impending doom descended over him.
“This way,” he said.
He didn’t wait to see if they would follow when he took off in search of the river. The panic grew with every step; as he ran, he realized his empathic ability was drawing him toward Willow. But if her emotions were any indication, he might not make it there in time.
Willow’s mouth went dry as more Savages materialized. There were ten now… No, twelve… Fifteen…
A cold bead of sweat slid down her back when the number swelled to twenty with an unknown number slipping through the shadows behind them. Her fight-or-flight instinct was all for the flight option, but there was nowhere for her to go.
Glancing behind her, she tried to see through the plume of mist the waterfall kicked up, but it was impossible to tell what lay directly beneath her. If those boulders a little further down the river were any indication, she would not be in for a soft landing. A couple of hundred feet away from where the waterfall spilled into the river, the water calmed as it twisted around the rocks.
Only a few feet to her left, the river was a raging monstrosity, looking to suck up anything in its path before plunging it over the waterfall. She could jump into that river and take her chances.
If she landed on one of those boulders, the fall wouldn’t kill her unless it knocked her head off or tore her heart from her chest. She’d survive the drowning sure to follow, but the fall might injure her so severely that these things would track her in no time, and she wouldn’t be able to fight them.
The only problem was, she didn’t have much choice.
She would have fought her way through five or six of them, but twenty? She couldn’t fight off twenty… No, make that twenty-three.
If she tried to fight them, they would catch her. And maybe they would do her the favor of killing her outright, but she doubted it. She wasn’t going to give up, but to have any chance of survival, she had to take the chance of breaking every bone in her body.
She edged back until her heels hung over the edge. She could do this. Bungee jumping and sky diving had never appealed to her, but she could still do this. And on the bright side, she would learn what it was like to fly before she splatted.
Motion in the trees caught her attention, and her eyes met a pair so pure a gray, they were nearly silver. For a second, everything stopped. She didn’t see the Savages, didn’t hear the roar of the waterfall, and didn’t feel the icy spray as everything inside her focused on him.
Declan, the word was a breathless, hopeful whisper in her head.
She had to be dreaming again. But the chill of the water felt so real, and goose bumps covered her flesh. However, she could have sworn she felt the heat of that Savage’s breath against her in the tree too.
But this was impossible; he couldn’t be here. He was in Mexico. He left months ago! And how had he found her?
When someone stepped forward to stand beside him, Willow was finally able to tear her gaze away from his. She’d thought her heart was racing before, but it was nothing compared to what it did when Vicky started to step toward her. Declan gripped her arm and pulled her back.
She wanted to run to her sister, fling her arms around her neck, and hug her so bad that her knees trembled with the impulse, but she couldn’t let the Savages know her sister was here. What was Vicky doing here? She should be at home, safe with her son, not in these woods with these foul-smelling, soulless creatures.
Willow was so focused on the two of them that it took her a minute to spot Asher, Saber, and Logan. Where was Nathan?
She kept waiting for her brother-in-law to appear, but no one else emerged from the woods. It was only them versus these monsters.
Chapter Twelve
“Willow,” Vicky breathed from beside him.
Declan grabbed her arm when she stepped forward and held her in place. The Savages didn’t know they were here yet, but that would change soon. Until then, they needed to figure out the best way to handle this.
He studied the Savages surrounding Willow and the waterfall at her back. Before they arrived, her only option was to go over the falls. Torn in places, her filthy clothes hung limply off her slender frame. Dirt and sap stuck to her skin, and a pine needle clung to her forehead.
She’d been through a lot these past three days, but she clutched her stake and glared at the Savages like she was begging them to attack. Though she looked ready for battle, her terror slithered beneath his skin, crept into his bones, and pounded through his veins until her emotions became a part of him.
Until she became a part of him. This was one of those times when his ability took on a life of its own, but instead of fighting the loss of control over his body, he welcomed the way it invigorated him.
He’d kill every one of them if that was what it took to get her away from here.
The hair on his nape rose as he sensed a new presence in the woods. When Willow’s eyes darted past him and her mouth parted, he realized more Savages were coming up behind them.
Willow’s heart sank when more shadowy figures emerged from the woods behind Declan and the others. There were only five more of them, but twenty-eight against six weren’t the best odds. Still, they were better than the odds she’d faced only minutes ago. And she didn’t care what it took; she would make sure Vicky returned to her son. She might strangle her first, but Wyatt would get his mom back.
When she looked to Declan again, a surge of hope shot through her when she saw the fiery determination in his reddened eyes. The chances of them finding her in this forest were slim to none, but here they were, so that had to mean they would make it out of here alive. She’d never really considered fate much before, but she was now, and she hoped it was on their side.
Willow smiled when Declan gave her a brief nod, and then she sprinted away from the cliff. She swung her stake out, not intending to kill something, but to use it as a distraction.
It worked as the Savage ducked. She lifted her knee and drove it into the vamp’s face. Before she could take satisfaction in its scream, she pushed it away to take on the next Savage coming at her.
The Savage charged at her from a hunched-over position like he was going to tackle her around the waist. Lifting her arms over her head, she prepared to drive her stake through its back, but before she could, a hand seized her wrist and yanked it down.
She didn’t hesitate before driving the heel of her palm into the Savage’s nose. As it released her and staggered back, Willow grasped a handful of the woman’s hair and yanked it to the side as the other Savage tackled her. Dragging the woman to the ground with her, Willow buried her stake into the neck of the vamp who tackled her and yanked it out.
The hot blood spraying out of the creature caused her mouth to water as her fangs pricked. She was so famished, this thing’s putrid blood looked good, but she restrained herself from drinking it as she locked her legs around its waist. Releasing the woman’s hair, she flipped the bloody Savage over.
Its fingers scrabbled at her while it tried to stifle the flow of its blood. She settled herself on its chest, lifted the stake over her head, and plunged the weapon through its heart as something hit her from behind.
Unwilling to waste time on the Savages behind him, Declan charged through the trees and toward the Savages going after Willow. They remained unaware of his presence until he grasped the jacket of a vamp and yanked it backward.
Before the Savage could react, Declan twisted its head to the side and tore it off. Palming the skull, he threw it at another Savage. The head hit the vamp so hard in the chest it knocked him back a few feet before he staggered to the side and went over the cliff.
The screams of the falling Savage alerted some of the others to his presence. They turned toward him as Asher and Vicky joined the fight. From behind him, grunts sounded as Logan and Saber worked to take out the other Savages.
“Willow!” Vicky screamed when three Savages leapt onto her sister.
Willow’s arms swung up, and her hand beat against the face of a Savage who held her in a headlock. She choked and wheezed before it cut off her air supply and no further sound emerged. She clawed at its flesh, hoping to tear out an eye or grasp an ear, but as the burning in her lungs increased, she couldn’t find anything to grab.
Then her fingers slid over its open mouth. When Willow’s fingers slid into its mouth, it bit down, but its fangs didn’t pierce her flesh. Its jaw dislocated when she pulled it over her head and loosened its grip enough that she could inhale.
Slamming the monster into the ground, she punched it in the chest and broke through its ribcage until her fingers enclosed on its heart, and she yanked it free. She was about to shove the still-beating organ down the thing’s throat when hands grasped her arms and jerked them back.
Declan shoved Savages out of his way but didn’t avoid the punch one launched to the side of his face. Stars danced before his eyes as Willow turned over, planted her feet on the ground, and thrust up with her hips to dislodge the Savage on top of her. Before more could capture her, she scrambled away from them.
When the Savage that hit him swung at him again, Declan caught its fist and shoved the monster back. He didn’t have time to kill the thing as Willow staggered to her feet. When her eyes met his again, an overwhelming need to get to her, touch her, and make sure she was okay rushed through him.
Willow only had seconds to take in Declan charging toward her before another Savage was trying to drag her down. Somewhere along the way, she lost her stake and didn’t have the time to retrieve another.
The Savage sank its fingers into her hair and yanked her head back. Willow spun toward it, and lowering her shoulder, she rammed into his breastplate. She realized too late the Savage had attacked her from the waterfall side, and they were only inches away from the cliff.
No, she was only inches from it; the Savage was already out of ground and still holding her hair.
A chunk of hair tore from her scalp when Willow yanked her head back to free herself of the Savage’s hold, but it was already too late. Even as its hand slipped from her hair, she was falling forward. She tried to throw herself backward, but open air was already battering her body as she plunged over the side.
Chapter Thirteen
“No!” Declan bellowed when Willow teetered on the edge.
Shoving aside the Savages between him and her, he sprinted forward as she plunged over the side. A sound that reminded him he was part demon erupted when another Savage stepped in his way.
Declan swung out and grasped the side of the creature’s head. He squeezed until its skull caved beneath his palm, but he didn’t stop to finish the job as he took three more strides and followed Willow over the edge.
The air buffeting Willow tore at her hair and clothes; the water blurred her vision as she plunged toward the river, but she didn’t close her eyes. She desperately did not want to see the water and rocks rushing toward her, but she couldn’t look away.
The Savage who’d fallen over before her stared at her with wide, horrified eyes. Its mouth was parted in a perfect O as it seemed to fall in slow motion while everything sped past her. She was flying, and it was terrifying and exhilarating and everything she’d never wanted in her life.
She was giving herself over to fate when arms enveloped her, and she turned her head to meet Declan’s silvery eyes. Oh no. Why?
But she saw the why in his steely gaze. He was not going to let her go through this alone anymore. For the first time since all this started, she almost sobbed.
She wasn’t alone; he was here, and they would get through this together. She shouldn’t be so sure of that given all the turmoil of the past three days, but he would be with her from now on.
The wind and thunderous crash of the water tore Declan’s words away when he shouted something at her. Willow strained to hear him as the Savage vanished into the thicker spray closest to the river. It was almost over. This was going to hurt.
Declan was pulling up on her, twisting
her into an upright position, so they were headed feet first into whatever awaited them below. Willow held her breath, and her hands clenched on Declan’s arms as the plume swallowed them. His muscles bunched around her as he braced for impact, but she couldn’t see him anymore.
Then her feet crashed into the water, and the impact jarred her body, but her bones didn’t splinter apart, and they somehow managed to avoid landing on any rocks. Having already experienced the cold of the river, she’d believed the frigid temperature wouldn’t shock her. However, the icy chill locked her breath in her lungs, stole the feeling from her body, and encased her bones like a parasite creeping in to take over her system.
Declan’s legs kicking against hers jarred her out of her paralysis. When she kicked her feet in time with his, Willow discovered her newly healed ankle wasn’t thrilled about hitting the water. She might have fractured it again, but that was something to deal with when she was free of the water. Until then, she had to suck up the shooting pain stabbing her foot with every kick.
They were sucked under as the waterfall pounded down on them, pushing them deeper into the water. Her lungs burned; she was desperate for air, but the second her mouth opened, it would be over.
Declan kept his arms locked around Willow as he kicked against the waterfall trapping them beneath its powerful assault. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was white water. He couldn’t even see Willow pinned against his chest. Her kicking became more frantic as fire worked its way through his lungs.
He closed his eyes against the water as a twinge of pain emanated from her before she buried it and kicked again. His fingers tightened on her when he realized she was injured, but he couldn’t do anything about it while they were trapped underwater.
The punishing assault of the waterfall eased as they made their way out from beneath it. He opened his eyes again to reveal sun filtering through the surface of the rushing water. The allure of air just inches above propelled him faster. He was about to break through the surface when something crashed onto him.
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