Blood Hunt (20 page)

Jackie had seen these things before. She’d seen them feed on the bodies of the dead. She’d seen them fight and kill one another for a scrap of food, then consume their own when one fell.

Her body froze in the vehicle, unable to move. She sat there, staring, shaking. A cold sweat seeped from her pores.

Paul’s sword gleamed as he fought the demons. Andra was by his side, her attention split between the monsters and Jackie.

Andra shouted something Jackie couldn’t understand. Her heart was pounding too loud for her to hear anything else. She closed her eyes to block out the sight of the things that had stolen her life and instead concentrated on breathing.

The SUV rocked as if something had jumped on top of it. Jackie’s eyes shot open, but she saw nothing. Her breath fogged up the window on her left. Andra lifted a hand and a faint blue light spilled out over the hood, sweeping back to engulf the left side of the vehicle.

“Get out!” shouted Andra, and this time Jackie understood her words.

Panic forced her into motion. She fumbled for the latch on the seat belt, but her sweaty fingers slipped from the plastic. The sound of metal scraping over glass squealed out from behind her.

Jackie spun her head around to see what was behind her only to discover that it wasn’t metal on glass she’d heard; it was one of the demons clawing at the back window. Pale blue sparks spewed up from the claws, keeping the thing from doing any damage to the glass. But for how long?

With that thing only inches away, Jackie’s world began to cave in. She remembered all the cold, dark nights she spent in terror for her life. She remembered the faces of every one of the women and children who were slain and eaten by those monsters. She’d known from the moment of her escape that they would want her back. And here they were, clawing at her, trying to reach her so they could take her back to that nightmare.

Jackie wasn’t going to let that happen.

A calmness settled over her as she made her decision. She reached for her purse and the revolver inside. Her hand settled around the textured grip, keeping it from slipping out of her sweaty palm. It was already loaded. All she had to do was disengage the safety and it was ready to fire.

Five bullets for the demon. One for her.

 

Iain didn’t know how long Andra’s shield was going to hold, but he knew that he had to get the woman out of the SUV before it failed. There were three Synestryn back there, and every one of them was going to want a bite.

He finished off the demon in front of him, then shifted to his left, forcing the rest of the beasties to hit Andra’s shield. She’d created a tunnellike barrier, forcing the demons to come at them only one or two at a time. Paul could handle that for as long as it took Iain to get to the woman.

He’d seen panic enough times to know its face, and the woman he’d found in those caves—Jackie—was wearing it now.

Iain opened the car door nearest the house and leaned inside, trying to ignore the slavering demons only inches away from Jackie’s head.

They were so going to die when he got a minute.

As soon as his head and shoulders were inside the vehicle, he saw the muzzle of a .45 aimed at his face.

Iain was impressed. Apparently she hadn’t completely panicked.

“Save it for the Synestryn. We need to get you out of here,” he told her as he reached in and pressed the release button on her seat belt. The canvas strap slithered away from her body, catching on her arm.

She wasn’t moving. She was staring at him, holding that gun so tight her knuckles were white from the strain.

“Move your arm,” he told her.

She didn’t.

Iain held back a sigh as he pushed the gun down and pried her fingers from the grip. “The seat belt is stuck on your arm.”

Jackie looked down where he indicated and recognition flared in her wild gray eyes. Her slim arm moved, freeing the seat belt.

As soon as he touched her, Iain’s heartbeat slowed. His luceria leapt away from his neck as if reaching for her. The ring vibrated, humming close to his skin. A sense of calm descended over him, contrasting sharply against the chaos of combat and the rage of his dead soul. He knew he didn’t have time to study the odd reaction, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He’d felt like this only once before—the night he took Jackie from her cage. It had passed so quickly, he hadn’t even allowed himself to believe it had ever happened.

It meant she could save his life. Too bad she was too late to do anything for his soul.

Iain shoved away all thoughts of salvation and forced himself to focus on keeping the woman alive. The Band of the Barren was full of men that needed a woman like her, and he was going to see to it that she lived long enough to meet them.

Blue sparks jumped from the Synestryn’s claws for a second; then they stopped as the thing made its way through to the glass.

“Time to go.” Iain grabbed her arm and pulled her across the seats, practically dragging her from the SUV.

Her feet hit the ground, slipping on the ice. Iain kept a tight hold to keep her from falling and ushered her inside the house, where she’d at least have the protective wards of the Gerai house to keep her safe. They might not hold for long, but they were better than the SUV.

He pushed her through the door, grabbed the handle to shut it behind him, and said, “There’s a baby in the bathtub. Don’t let the Synestryn get him.”

Logan had to hurry if he was going to meet Alexander and check in on Hope before sunrise.

He sped down the highway, finally pulling into a secluded Gerai house tucked at the end of a long driveway. Trees surrounded the old farmhouse, sheltering it from prying eyes.

Logan jumped out of his van and hurried to the front door. By the time he got there, Alexander Siah had opened it, beckoning him inside.

Alexander had been instrumental in the success of Project Lullaby. The man had an ability to cure cancer that was unparalleled. Even Tynan couldn’t match his skill when it came to the disease.

For years, Alexander had been gaining the cooperation of heavily blooded humans in exchange for cures for themselves or loved ones. He saved lives, and the humans paired up and created new ones.

Their breeding program was of questionable morals, but necessary. Without Alexander’s aid, they would be years behind where they were now, so when he’d told Logan they needed to meet, Logan had not questioned him.

Alexander was several inches taller than Logan. He wasn’t as thin as the last time Logan had seen him, proof that he’d fed well recently. His icy green eyes flashed with impatience beneath his steeply arched eyebrows.

“Come inside. We must hurry,” said Alexander.

Logan stepped inside and came to an abrupt stop. A man stood there, imposing in his size. An air of power and menace wafted from him, forcing Logan to dial down his senses so he wouldn’t be overpowered by his presence.

The man had medium brown hair and golden brown eyes. He stood a bit over six feet and his limbs were thick with muscle. His stance was belligerent, his booted feet braced apart and his hands fisted on his hips. The tops of his ears were slightly pointed, displayed openly, rather than hidden as many Slayers did.

Logan looked at Alexander in disbelief. “You brought a Slayer to a Gerai house? Are you mad?”

While the war between the Theronai and Slayers had stagnated over the decades, bringing a Slayer onto Theronai soil was a surefire way to reignite violence.

Alexander shook his head. “Tynan sent the word out. You wanted the most powerfully blooded males we could find. Eric Phelan is the man you’re looking for.”

Logan absorbed that shocking news for a moment. As far as he knew, the Slayers had bred with humans to the point where their bloodlines were too diluted to be of much use. But if Alexander said differently, Logan believed him.

Eric’s jaw clenched in anger. “You said you’d make this quick. I have places to be.”

“We have a bargain,” said Alexander.

“And I’ll abide by it, but you two better hurry the hell up. If my brother finds out I’m here, taking a chance of messing up his precious plans for peace, you’ll be sucking blood from my corpse.”

“Your brother?” asked Logan.

“Andreas Phelan.”

That name rang a loud bell. “The new leader of the Slayers.”

“Yeah. And he earned his title through beating the hell out of everyone else who wanted it, so I suggest you don’t cross him.”

“No, of course not,” said Logan. His mind was reeling, trying to sort out this new twist of events. “Why am I here, Alexander?”

“Eric’s blood is strong. He’s the man you’re looking for to breed with Hope.”

A slight snarl lifted Eric’s lip. “I’ll fuck whoever you want, but we have laws about breeding. You know that.”

“I do,” said Alexander. “Your brother has been clear about that. I assure you that if he doesn’t find Hope a suitable mate—if he doesn’t accept her bloodline—our bargain will be fulfilled.”

“Fair enough,” said Eric. “Where’s the woman?”

Logan looked at Alexander. “You want me to have Hope breed with a Slayer?”

“His blood is stronger than any human. Why not?”

“Because she’s with a Theronai right now. He’s convinced she is one, too. He’ll take her back to Dabyr for all the other Theronai there to test her.”

“Whoa,” said Eric. “I’m not fucking some Theronai’s woman. My brother would kill me, and he’d take years doing it, too.”

“We don’t know if she’s a Theronai or not,” said Alexander. He looked at Logan. “Test his blood. You’ve had hers, right? You’ll know if they blend.”

He would. All he needed was a few drops of Eric’s blood. It would react strongly to Hope’s if they were a good match. “Fine. We’ll try that, but if he’s not a match, then this meeting never happened.”

Logan didn’t dare step closer to Eric without permission. Slayers were violent. And quick. Logan had already been injured enough for one night. “May I?” he asked Eric.

Eric held out a beefy arm. “Knock yourself out. Just don’t make me do the same. Mind your manners. Understand?”

Logan did. He would take only a little—just enough to answer his question.

He took Eric’s wrist and brought it to his mouth. The man’s skin was hot, but that was natural. Slayers’ body temperature was above that of humans or Theronai. Their metabolisms burned hot and fast.

As soon as Logan’s fangs broke the skin, it began to heal. He hurried to finish the job, to prevent him from having to bite Eric a second time.

As his blood pooled in Logan’s stomach and spread through his system, it combined with Hope’s blood. Logan let go of Eric and closed his eyes, focusing on what was going on inside him.

Eric’s blood cells sought out Hope’s, merging with them. The two combined, much stronger than the sum of their separate parts. Logan’s body warmed and sparks of power filled his limbs.

The effect didn’t last long, but it was unmistakable. Hope and Eric would make a powerful couple. Their children would be strong, their blood possibly as strong as a Theronai’s.

As good as that news was, it rang hollow inside Logan’s chest.

He looked at Eric, imagining him with Hope, their bodies entwined, creating life.

Jealousy rose up in Logan so swiftly he didn’t have time to stop it from taking root. It wove its way through his bones, making him writhe with possessive rage. Hope was his. He did not want to share her. Not with Eric. Not with anyone.

Not that he had a choice. He’d never had a choice.

Logan swallowed down that jealousy and looked at Alexander. He knew if he so much as glimpsed at Eric, those violent urges would return. “It is as you say. They are a good match.”

“Excellent,” said Alexander.

“You’ll have to gain permission from Andreas,” said Eric. “I can’t have a kid with her unless he approves.”

Logan barely kept the sneer from his voice. “You’ve never even met her, yet you’re willing to create a life with her? What if she doesn’t want it?”

Eric crossed his thick arms over his chest. “I thought it was your job to see that she did. Isn’t that what you do?”

“Why are you so willing to help?” asked Logan.

Eric gave a careless shrug. “I’ll be saddled with a wife as soon as my brother finds one for me. What’s the difference if you do it first?”

“What about love?”

“What about it?” asked Eric. “Do I look like a child who believes in such things? I’ve always known I’d marry out of duty to the race. It’s no big surprise, unless you count the fact that I’ve avoided it this long.”

“And what about Hope? Doesn’t she deserve love?”

“She’ll be safe. She’ll have family. Children. She’ll have a home and a place she belongs and people who would give their lives for her. If that’s not enough for her, she doesn’t deserve more.”