Swallowing down her fear, Samantha raised her knee and stomped on the foot of the man holding her and tried pushing the blade away from her neck. Her aim was off, and her left hand landed directly on the blade. Crying out at the sharp pain, the girl continued to push while kicking back blindly.
She couldn’t be sure if her tactic would have worked, because Leisha was there in a flash, snapping the man’s neck and grabbing Samantha’s hand.
Loud reports from the immortals’ guns suddenly filled the air. Nearby branches burst when bullets hit them. Covering her head, Samantha started to crouch down when Leisha stopped her.
“Get on my back,” the vampire instructed.
Without a word, Samantha squeezed her eyes closed and buried her face in Leisha’s back as more bullets struck all around them. Leisha jerked when one hit her in the side. She knew Leisha was hurting, but she ran faster than any car. Wind and what felt like tree limbs brushed over her head at record speed. Shouts and sounds of pursuit began to fade.
Samantha wasn’t sure how long they’d been going like that. It felt like just a few minutes, but it could have been much longer.
Without breaking pace, her friend spoke up. “You need to get underground before you burn to death.”
Whipping her gaze up, Samantha could see that they were now running alongside Nik. She almost wished she’d kept her head down. Nik’s face was completely black with small rivulets of blood pouring down. It looked like his cheeks would sink in at any moment.
Keeping his sight ahead, Nik answered. “I know my limits. We can go for at least another fifty miles before I’ll collapse.”
“Hand me Liam,” Leisha said briskly. “I don’t think you should hold him in your condition.”
Samantha kept her legs and arms tight around the vampire as Leisha shifted and took the baby from Nik. The extreme speed was making Samantha sick, so she closed her eyes again and put her head back down . . .
She was in a house she didn’t recognize, standing in the large kitchen. She could see through a magnificent archway into the front room.
Leisha was there, looking vibrant in a red tank top with her long hair flowing down her back. She was on the floor, giggling as she helped a boy with his homework. He appeared to be around nine or ten years old. His hair was black, his skin tone a light coffee color, and his emerald green eyes were a perfect match to Leisha’s.
“You’re such a good mother,” an unfamiliar voice spoke. Samantha couldn’t see the woman from her vantage point and moved to the doorway for a better look.
The stranger sat on a microfiber couch, holding a coffee mug. She had light brown hair with large waves, and a long, pointed nose.
“That’s sweet of you to say,” Leisha responded, her attention still on her son. “But I think I’m being a terrible hostess to you.”
The woman waved her hand. “It’s pure entertainment, I assure you.”
Leisha stood and went to the couch opposite of her guest. “So you said you wanted to tell me something. What was it?”
She set her mug on a side table and leaned forward. “Yes, I did.” The lady cast a meaningful glance at the boy. “I think you may want to send him out of the room for it.”
Brows drawing together, Leisha spoke to her son. “Honey, could you give me a few minutes? Why don’t you grab a snack from the fridge?”
Looking between the two women, Liam nodded and walked toward Samantha into the kitchen. Samantha wanted to stay and hear the conversation, but felt compelled to follow the boy instead.
Liam went to the fridge and opened the door. He was standing there for a moment, staring into space, when he suddenly growled. The sound made Samantha jump. His face was contorted in fury and fangs were growing low over his lips. Slamming the door closed, he turned back toward the front room. As he stood, glaring in that direction, sharp claws slowly emerged from under his fingernails.
Liam blinked, then looked directly at Samantha. She felt rooted to the floor. No person in a vision had acknowledged her presence before.
Giving a predatory grin around his fangs, he sprang forward. It was faster than Samantha could track. He had jumped past her and back into the room with Leisha and the woman.
Hearing Leisha’s outraged shout gave her mobility to rush into the room. Samantha wished she hadn’t. Liam was standing over the stranger, who was slumped to the floor. Her neck had been completely ripped open, her mouth frozen in a scream that she never uttered.
“Samantha.” Leisha’s hand was on her shoulder.
Gasping, Samantha brushed the vampire’s hand off. The aroma of earth and plants filled her nostrils. She was lying in a bed of leaves. “What happened?”
“You fell asleep while we traveled.” Leisha smirked. “I’m surprised you could do that.”
Samantha sat up slowly and noticed a hole in the ground to her left. “Is Nik alright? How badly did he burn?”
Lips compressing, Leisha glanced at his resting spot. “He’s in a bad way. He’ll probably have to feed every night for a week to fully recover.” The vampire placed a hand over the sleeping bundle next to Samantha.
The girl jerked when she realized Liam had been right next to her the entire time.
“But I’m grateful to him,” Leisha was saying. “I don’t know what would have happened to Liam, or any of us, if Nikita hadn’t sacrificed himself like that.”
A feeling of warmth for Nik warred with a new foreboding of Liam. Shivering, Samantha wrapped her arms around herself. “I think I’ll sit with Nik. He might need my blood before we can move on.”
Leisha grabbed her arm and brought Samantha’s hand closer for inspection. “In a way, I’m glad you’re a human servant now. At least you’re not bleeding anymore. But I think it’s best if you don’t donate.”
Glancing at the deep cut in her hand, Samantha knew Leisha was right. Even though she recovered faster than normal humans, it would be a while before this wound healed properly.
Nodding, she stood and walked over to Nik’s hole. “I’ll just sit with him.”
“We’ll be leaving in an hour or so. We have to get to the city and feed so we can get out of the country as soon as possible.”
Samantha turned back to her friend. “What about the immortals? They could find us while we sit here.”
Shifting in clothes now stiff with dried blood, Leisha shook her head. “Nikita and I knew what we were doing. They won’t be able to track us.”
I wish I could feel as confident. Samantha went on her knees to ease herself into the hole, mindful to not step on Nik.
He appeared to be sleeping. Samantha glanced over his flesh. It looked like charred paper. She didn’t want to touch him, thinking his skin would flake off at the lightest contact. Instead, she crouched into a sitting position by his feet.
“Are you okay?” Nik mumbled. “Did you have another vision?”
“You’re awake.” Leaning forward, she asked, “Can I do anything for you?”
“I’ll heal.” It sounded like he was having trouble talking. “Did you have a vision?” he repeated.
“It was just a nightmare. Don’t worry about me.” She gingerly touched the top of his shoe. “You rest as much as you can. We’ll be going into the city in an hour.” The atmosphere between them seemed more like it used to be before Samantha’s birthday.
When Nik didn’t respond, Samantha assumed he’d taken her advice.
The baby was gurgling happily from above. Leisha cooed at him in response. It sounded so adorable. Resting her head against the side of Nik’s hole, Samantha closed her eyes. Unfortunately, the image of Liam as a boy with blood dripping down his chin flooded her vision.
What is he? The thought echoed through her mind over and over. What could he possibly be?
Acknowledgments
First, I must thank my fabulous critique group and the amazing BETA readers who helped with this novel—Ashleigh Miller, Karyn Patterson, Rebecca Rode, Roxy Hanie, RJ Craddock, and Mary King. I’d also l
ove to thank my editor, Reece Hanzon, all my author friends who encourage me, and my wonderful fans who’ve reached out to me—you keep me going.
Adrienne Monson is the award-winning author of the Blood Inheritance Trilogy and a paranormal Regency novella, Eyes of Persuasion. She resides in Utah with her husband and two children where she works on more stories to share with the world. She also enjoys reading, kickboxing, and cooking.
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