Dark Hunt

by Richardson, Kim

  Why hadn’t he listened to me?

  My thoughts evaporated as I went into self-preservation, self-defense, hell, survival mode. The female vamp’s jaw seemed abnormally large, like she’d dislocated it to better swallow me whole. Yikes. I ducked and spun, cutting her in the abdomen, and she fell off to the side just as another vamp took her place.

  A male vamp, with Asian features and claws that would make Freddy Krueger proud, came at me in a flash of claws and fangs.

  I knew I had to get Jax and escape through the door we came in before we ended up as an all-you-can-eat vampire buffet.

  I gripped my blade, the one my father gave me, and took courage from that. “By the way, the remake sucked.”

  Vamp-Freddy snarled and lunged, but I was ready for him.

  I went down into a crouch. Claws gleamed in the red light, and I came up, whirling my blade, and swung. The blade flashed in the light, taking off a few claws in a spray of blood.

  That only enraged Vamp-Freddy into lunging toward me.

  “Don’t worry.” I grinned. “It’ll grow back.”

  Vamp-Freddy hissed. Long, wet fangs ripped at the night air. Its eyes were ablaze with a furious black glow. Damn vamps were ugly when they turned.

  In a shift of demon energy, another female vamp came at me from behind. Claws swept on either side of me as she grabbed my shoulders, and I gave her a headbutt to make her see stars. She stumbled back.

  Vamp-Freddy wasn’t done. He lunged, spraying the air with his bloodied stumps for claws. Heedless of the other vamps, his demon energy pulsed through me, demanding blood. Instead of dodging the advance, I ducked. Heart pounding, I sprang up, driving the tip of my blade through Vamp-Freddy’s chest. I yanked the blade back with a twisting cut to the sound of a scream of mortal pain.

  Vamp-Freddy thrashed on the ground, but it wasn’t over.

  “Jax!” I screamed as I saw a flash of a silver sword and a matt of brown hair. For a moment I forgot the dangers that surrounded us as I watched him move in an elegant dance of death.

  My breath caught when Jax stumbled and tripped over a fallen vamp at his feet just as he lurched back to escape the swipe of a massive claw. He came up swinging his sword in fury. The tip of the sword sliced a vamp across its smooth, taut stomach. The vamp howled in rage as he rushed him again and again. Red faced and sweat pouring, I knew it was only a matter of time before they’d drag Jax down and kill him—or worse—bite him. You were either born a vampire or you were created through the demonic virus. Once the vampire virus was in your system, there was no coming back from it.

  Fear twisted my gut. I didn’t want that for him. “Jax!” I cried as I dodged another vamp coming for me and ran toward him. I was going to drag him out with me if I had to. “We need to get out—”

  Pain exploded from my side and left arm as vamps tackled me. I slashed my blade out with a powerful stroke as I went down. My arm jerked, and I knew I’d hit something. I looked up to find a male vamp with a toad-like face, claws clutched to the gushing wound at his chest. It teetered a moment and then toppled heavily onto its back.

  “Jax! You fool! If we get out of this alive, I’m going to kill you!”

  As I pushed myself up, a weight crushed into to me, causing me to hit the ground hard. Rolling, teeth and claws thrashed at me, shredding and tearing through my clothes and skin. It burned like a hundred white-hot knives slicing into my flesh. Boots slammed into my stomach, and the air shot out of me. I rolled on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood, but I was up in a heartbeat.

  The female vamp that looked like Elvira on steroids gave me a shocked expression.

  “What?” I shrugged at the vamp. “I heal fast.”

  “We’ll see about that,” she said, stretching her mouth widely and showing off her pointy pearly whites.

  I gave her a smile. “Bring it on, Twilight.”

  The vamp hissed and spat, springing back with a startling quickness, her black eyes flashing. She leaped at me like a feral cat, slashing with her claws in a blow that could have severed through bone and flesh. I ducked past her guard and onto the unforgiving stone. I heard a groan over the shouts of the swarming vamps. Jax. My heart stopped.

  Vamp-Elvira brought her fist down onto my face. Stars plagued my vision as I stumbled. My cheekbone howled in pain, but all I could hear was that sharp pain in Jax’s voice, the fear. I reeled back and kicked with all my strength, hitting her in the knee. There was a crack and she went down.

  I felt the warm trickle of blood from my nose, and I blinked the wetness from my eyes as the shadow of more vamps loomed over me.

  Even with the angel essence that flowed in me, I was no match for a vampire’s supernatural speed. They were still way faster than me, stronger, and dodged my attacks with fluid ease.

  My head throbbed, and I felt it swelling up like a balloon. A male vamp lunged at me, now standing so close, with his teeth bared. I spun around but not fast enough. He grabbed me by the front of my jacket, and his fist connected with my head.

  I stumbled, barely aware of my legs that were miraculously still supporting me. Blood pounded in my head as the same vamp snarled, grabbed me, and threw me to the ground.

  I was so going to kill Jax.

  The air whooshed out of my chest, blood trickling out of my nose as I tasted it in the back of my throat.

  “I’m going to rip out that pretty little throat,” snarled the vamp male, looming over me. He bared his fangs. “You understand? Angel bitch?” He started to sit on me, but I got my legs around him and shoved with every ounce of strength left in me. I pinned him to the ground, his eyes wide with what could only be fury and surprise.

  I raised my blade to his face. “Looks like I’ll be doing the cutting.”

  I sliced, with my blade in my right hand, just as I hit with my left fist. Again. And again, I hit him. I lifted my aching fist once more, but there were hands at my wrist and under my arms, hauling me off. I thrashed against them, still screaming, the sound wordless and endless.

  A keening wail came from the shadows. Jax. And I felt my heart stop. For a second, I thought I saw, hunched on the ground, what looked like Jax. But my attention was immediately seized by the immense vamp descending on me as he pinned me to the ground.

  I tried to move, but it was pointless. There were other vamps’ hands pinning my arms and legs. Anger welled inside my core. There was no way in hell I was going to die like this, spread-eagled on the floor of some dingy vampire club.

  Sour, hot breath tickled my face, his glowing, black eyes locked on me.

  And then he sank his teeth into my neck.

  I don’t know what the fuss is all about, being bitten by a vampire. I didn’t feel any warmth down in my groin. I didn’t get the feels or the shakes, and I didn’t explode into a lust-frenzied female.

  It just hurt like bloody hell!

  I felt the immediate release of my arms and legs as the others pulled away. His hair brushed my face, and I got a whiff of Head & Shoulders, which left me wondering if vamps could actually get dandruff.

  Pissed, I raised my left hand and jammed my fingers into his eye sockets. He yelled and let go. That trick always worked.

  I rolled to the ground and came up with my blade in tow. I could feel something wet trickling down my neck. I pressed my hand to my neck and when I pulled back, it was covered in my own blood. My knees went weak, but I pushed my fears away. This wasn’t the time to freak out. And as soon as I saw the blood, the rest of the vamps did too.

  They all turned my way, their noses in the air with nostrils flaring, like dogs on a scent. My freaking scent. They crouched low, ready to pounce.

  But the frown on the vamp that bit me had real fear racing up my spine. He licked his lips, tasting my blood, and his eyes narrowed in confusion, almost like he wasn’t sure what he was tasting...

  “Enough!”

  As one the vamps pulled away.

  I looked up to find Danto still standing at the exact spot I
’d last seen him. Cindy was nowhere to be found.

  And then I saw Jax. He was splayed on the ground with his limbs strewn awkwardly. His face was red and swollen, his eyes closed. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and seeped through the tears in his jacket and shirt. His chest rose and fell, so I knew he was still alive, but a shiver spiked through me, pulling my insides tight.

  “Take him,” said Danto as he jerked his chin toward Jax, “and get out. If you ever come back here looking for Cindy, I’ll kill you myself. And I will take my time.” The muscles of his chest shifted as he stepped forward. I noticed that his eyes had returned to their previous gray. “I won’t say it again.”

  “You don’t have to,” I said, my throat raw. I sheathed my blade to my waist and rushed over to Jax. Damn. He looked worse up close. I dropped to my knees. “Jax?” I gently rubbed his arm. “Jax?” I said more urgently. “You need to get up. Can you get up?” Jax was well over six feet and nicely muscled. There was no way I could carry him. If I couldn’t get Jax up and out, he was dead.

  His eyes fluttered open and strained to focus on me. “Rowyn?”

  “Yes.” Panic filled me at the tension in his voice and the confusion that crossed his features. “We need to leave. Can you get up? I don’t think I can lift you.” I took Jax’s hand, and his rough fingers squeezed mine. His skin was as cold as stone.

  Jax nodded as I reached behind him and gripped him under the arms to lift him. God help me, he was heavy. But he was also wet. He smelled of male perspiration and blood. I tried not to think about the possibilities of where he might have been bitten. I needed to get him out.

  Together, we managed to get him on his feet, and he groaned as I wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Holy crap. How much do you weigh?”

  “Do think twice before barging in on me again, sweet Rowyn,” came Danto’s voice. “And next time, do me a favor and leave your boy toy home.”

  “Screw you,” I said as I heaved Jax toward the door. I heard Danto’s laughter as I reached out and yanked open the door. I kicked out my leg sideways to give me enough room to pass.

  “Come on, Jax.” Bearing most of his weight, I managed to heave his stupid ass across the dance floor, past the sneering vamps that still lounged on the sofas, all the way to the front of the club and out the door.

  When I saw his car, my knees wiggled in relief. The adrenaline rush was feeding me with superpowers as I managed to drag him to his car.

  I shoved my hands in his front pockets, wincing at the wetness, and pulled out his keys. I unlocked the doors and shoved Jax into the back seat. I heard a thump as his head hit the side of the door.

  I shut the door and slipped behind the steering wheel. Fear cascaded down me in waves, ice cold and chronic. I tried hard not to think about the bite that throbbed and seared on my neck.

  The Audi roared to life as I pressed the push-button start. I slammed my foot on the gas and floored it.

  12

  Thankfully, I didn’t get stopped by the NYPD for going fifty over the speed limit. There was also no one on the road, so my crazy-ass driving went unnoticed. It’s not like I’d had lots of practice. I barely glanced at the cars that passed me on my way out of the city. The sun wouldn’t come up for another three hours, and I was glad for the cover of darkness.

  I was panicked, afraid, and clueless when it came to caring for other people. I had always been alone, so I only worried about saving my own ass. I never had to worry about anyone else’s.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror. Jax was out cold. He didn’t even let out a groan when I took a sharp right, and his head smacked the side of the door. If he died, it would be my fault. I’m the one who dragged him out to the vampire club. I should have told him to wait for me in the car. I should have realized that he was no good with demons when he freaked at the sight of Tyrius.

  I let out a strained breath when I eased into the lot and killed the engine. I yanked open the door and ran out.

  I jogged up the stone path and practically threw myself on the door. I rang the doorbell, shifting my weight from foot to foot like I needed to pee, which—come to think of it—I probably did. I rang it again. And again. And then I made a fist and started to pound on it, over and over—

  The front door swung open.

  Pam stood in the threshold, sleepy eyed and wearing polka-dotted pajamas. “Rowyn?” She slipped her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes. “What are you doing here? It’s like two in the morning. Are you crazy?”

  “It’s Jax,” I said, and then added in a blabbering rush, “he’s hurt. We were attacked by vampires. I—I didn’t know where else to take him. I couldn’t take him to a human hospital. You know what they would do. This was the only place I could think of.” Unless I wanted the human police asking questions.

  Pam’s eyes widened like saucers and moved past me to Jax’s car. Her mouth dropped open, and then she was running. She had pulled open the back passenger door even before I had made it next to her. For a larger woman, she was light on her feet.

  “Jax? Jax, it’s Pam. Can you hear me?” Pam reached in and felt his forehead before grabbing his wrist. “His pulse is really weak. Help me get him inside.”

  Together, we hauled Jax out of the car and through the front door. We put him in one of the rooms across from where I’d inspected Samantha. I didn’t want to think about whether she was still there.

  We heaved Jax as carefully as we could, Pam swearing profusely as we pulled him up and then dragged him over to a bed with white linen sheets. The room was small with a single window and built-in cabinet and drawers. An old TV set hung from the ceiling and two chairs, frayed with wear and tear, sat in the corners. It was a typical hospital room, sparse but functional.

  Jax let out a small moan, and I let go, staring at him. “His skin’s turning gray. That can’t be good, right?”

  Pam pushed me out of the way as she cut through his shirt with a pair of scissors that had magically appeared in her hand. She pulled the shirt pieces apart and moved her fingers over his skin and the lesions. I watched her work in silence, fear flashing through me hard.

  Please don’t be a vamp. Please don’t be a vamp. Please don’t be a vamp.

  My stomach was in knots. “I couldn’t tell if he was bitten.” My eyes rolled over Jax. “If he is…” I didn’t want to think about what would happen to Jax if he was infected with the vamp virus. “Do you have anything that could counter the virus? Maybe a vaccine?” I knew it was a long shot, but I had the feeling Pam dabbled in things other than Sensitive medicine.

  Pam moved to the head of the bed and inspected his neck and clavicle area. She dabbed a white cloth around his neck and then moved to his arms and wrists and finally inspected his thighs and lower legs.

  Pam pressed her arms on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh. “He hasn’t been bitten.”

  “Oh, thank God,” I said smiling and then regretted my smile at the shock and anger on her face. “He’s going to be okay, right? You can heal him?”

  Pam gave me a look that said if she could burn me alive with just her eyes, she would. “There aren’t any bite marks, but he’s been cut up pretty badly. By the looks of it, their claws did this. He won’t turn into a vampire, but he’s been infected with something. Maybe their claws were venomous. I don’t know. But whatever it is… it’s killing him.” She whirled on me, furious. “What the hell did you do?” Spit flew out of her mouth. “Why was he attacked by vampires?”

  “He went a little crazy. Okay?” I yelled, not appreciating her tone. I did try to save his life. “I don’t really know why he did it. He just went a little crazy-ass on me. And then all hell broke loose. Literally.” I looked at Jax’s face, remembering the fury in his eyes at the sight of the vampires. It was like he’d been at war in his own head. My eyes reached his face. Even with gray corpselike skin, he was still beautiful. I felt my knees go weak again. “Can you help him?” I said, my voice low.

  “I don’t
know,” said Pam, rubbing her eyes again. “He’s in pretty bad shape.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Give me a hand with this IV.” She rolled an IV stand over to me as she went to a drawer, pulled out a transparent bag with blue fluid, and hung it over the stand. “Hold his arm,” she ordered, as she came forward with a catheter.

  I did what she instructed and held down his arm. My thumb rubbing against his skin gave me the chills. “What is that?” I asked as I jerked my chin toward the blue substance.

  “It’s a demonic counter-virus serum.” Pam poked the needle into Jax’s arm and then proceeded to check that the substance was feeding into the tube from the bag to his arm. “It’s like an antibiotic for us Sensitives. It wouldn’t work on a human. They don’t have the correct DNA for it.” At the confusion she saw on my face, she added, “We use them all the time. Most of the time it’s to fend off minor demon poison or from bites that have been exposed for too long without proper medication. It can reverse the effects of a demon’s death blade poison if caught in time.”

  My mouth was dry. I let go of Jax’s arm and leaned over the bed, careful not to accidentally bump into it with my hip. “How long will it take? How long until we know it’s working?”

  Pam moved her eyes to Jax’s face. “If he’s still alive in half an hour, we know it’s working.”

  I clamped my mouth shut. I didn’t know what to say to that. My heart seemed to catch at what she said. I didn’t want to be responsible for the death of another Sensitive. It was another reason why I preferred to work alone. I didn’t handle the loss of anyone very well. It brought up the feelings I had about my parents’ deaths, and the rest all went to hell. I’d be a mess for months.

  I shouldn’t have accepted that damn job. I should have refused the money and gone after the demon myself.