“It is.”
Interesting and freaky. “Did you see anyone who escaped with us while you were out?” Mollie asked as she set aside the remains of the second rabbit.
She’d had enough of learning about vampires. It was great Mike was on her side, but there were plenty of inhuman beasts out there who would gladly see her dead, caged, or turned into a vampire snack. From what she’d seen, she didn’t think she had much of a chance against them.
“No. I think everyone has gone into hiding and is waiting for the sun to rise.” He’d hoped to find Jack and Doug, or at least some sign of them, but he’d discovered nothing about his friends. After he got Mollie to safety and found help, he would come back for them, if they hadn’t already made it to civilization by then too.
“Like us.”
“Yes, and if you’re done, it’s time we get moving.”
“I’m ready. Are we going to find Aida?”
“Hopefully.”
Mollie dug into her pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. She removed a piece and shoved it in her mouth to ease her dry throat and get rid of her morning/meat breath. She held the pack toward Mike. “Gum?”
Mike studied the pack before removing a piece. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d chewed gum, and he would have preferred a cigarette, but they were probably still sitting on the bar where he set them. Unwrapping the gum, he stuck it in his mouth and, without thinking, reached out his hand to her; she took it.
Chapter Thirteen
With a full belly and a couple hours of sleep, Mollie felt better when they set out into the woods again. In the dim light filtering through the branches of the maples, oaks, and conifers surrounding them, the dense foliage wasn’t as sinister as last night, but she constantly searched for a monster lurking to pounce on them.
The crisp, spring breeze would have chilled her if the exertion of their trek didn’t keep her warm. Shadows shifted and played across the pine needles, and rotting leaves covered the ground while newly sprouted, fresh green leaves filled the trees. The pine trees here were some of the largest she’d ever seen, and it was easy to imagine they were in some magical land where time stood still. If a velociraptor or a giant suddenly materialized, she wouldn’t have found it extraordinary.
Normally, she would love a brisk walk in the woods. She and Aida spent many weekends exploring the nature trails near their home, but now she would give anything to be free of the creaking trees and countless hiding places.
Not even the singing of the birds could ease her trepidation over this place. Some of the thick trunks of the pines, oaks, and maples could hide three men behind them, and she kept waiting for someone to jump out at them and shout, “Sooooooey!”
She edged closer to Mike as the possibility festered in her mind until she felt jumpier than a flea. Mike had brought the sharpened stick he’d used to cook the rabbits on back to their alcove and still clutched it in his hand.
“Do wooden stakes kill vampires?” she whispered.
“Yes, but it has to be to the heart. Fire and decapitation work too.”
“I doubt I’ll get close enough to decapitate or burn one without them killing me first.”
“Very true,” he agreed. “But the more you know.”
Mollie gave a small snort of laughter as she recalled the public service commercials she’d seen on TV over the years; “the more you know” had been their tagline. “What are you, a PSA?”
“Just spreading wisdom to the youth of America.”
It jolted her to recall she was the youth of America, compared to him, and that he was in his fifties and not her age. It was such a disconcerting realization considering the way he looked that for a second, she felt dizzy.
“Unless of course, you’re a Canadian and not American,” he said. “And then I’m spreading wisdom to the Great White North.”
“I’m American,” Mollie absently answered.
“Well, you finally shared some knowledge with me beside your name and the fact you have a sister. Instead of being the Unsinkable Molly Brown, you’re the Tight-lipped Mollie.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his teasing tone. “I’m not exactly eager to spill too much about myself to a stranger and a vampire to boot.”
“Are we strangers anymore? I think we crossed that line when we had neighboring cages.”
“Perhaps.”
“Besides, I’ve revealed more to you than I should have with a stranger and a human to boot. The truth of our existence isn’t exactly public knowledge.”
“But you couldn’t have kept the truth from me after what happened in the barn.”
“I could have taken the memory of what happened to you.”
Mollie came to an abrupt stop. “You could what?”
Turning to face her, Mike scanned the forest and scented the air, but he detected no one close to them. “Vampires can assert control over the minds of others. If I didn’t want you to remember the barn, you wouldn’t. I shouldn’t have left you with the memory; it would be safer for me if I took it from you, but I won’t.”
Mollie gawked at him before closing her mouth; it fell open again. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not.” He clasped her elbow and nudged her forward. “We have to keep moving.”
Mollie’s feet felt like lead weights as she trudged along beside him. He could control her mind? “If it’s safer for you, then why didn’t you take the memory from me?”
“Because I’m not going to mess with your mind.”
“Uh, thank you,” she said uncertainly.
The confusion emanating from her made him stop and face her again. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he held her before him. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he promised. “I’m going to get you out of this.”
A part of her didn’t think she should believe him, he was a vampire, and she’d seen what they could do in the barn, but Mike had protected her and been honest with her from the start. Maybe she’d put her trust in him and get burned for it, but so far he’d only earned it.
“Why are you so willing to help me?” she asked.
It was a question he didn’t know the answer to either. “Because I like you.”
“You barely know me.”
True, but he still felt connected to her, and what he did know of her, he liked. “You’re strong, capable, you don’t complain, and you’re loyal to your sister; what’s not to like?”
Mollie had found plenty not to like about herself over the years, but she didn’t say that. She’d moved on from those darker times, and she would not plunge herself back into that cycle of self-hatred and misery she’d been bogged down in for far too long.
“Plus, you saved me. You could have left me in the cage,” Mike said when Mollie didn’t speak.
“No, I couldn’t have,” she muttered, and he squeezed her shoulders. “Can all vampires do that mind control thing?”
“Yes, but some are better at it than others. The older a vamp gets, the stronger their powers get. I’m a child compared to some.”
“Why didn’t they keep us under their control when they had us in their cages?”
“It takes a lot of power to control someone’s mind, and it can be draining for a vampire. There were a lot of humans and vampires in the barn. It would have been difficult to keep all of them manipulated. Plus, with what I think they planned for us, it would be far more fun for them to let everyone have control of their minds.”
His words caused the hair on her arms to rise. “And what do you think they planned for us?”
“I think our captors intended to starve the vampires they captured until those vamps were mindless with hunger before turning them free, and I believe they were going to use the imprisoned humans as the food source for those vamps to kill.”
Mollie’s stomach plummeted. “What?”
“The vampires in there were all originally like me, just trying to go about their lives without harming anyone. The killing of humans is what
leads to a vampire becoming Savage. Lately, there has been a growing movement to turn more vamps and humans Savage.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, no one does. But one of the things the vampires behind the movement are doing is capturing vampires or taking humans and turning them; then they’re starving those vampires until they’re so mindless they’ll destroy anything in their way. Each death pushes them more toward becoming a Savage while it strengthens and weakens them.”
“How can they be strengthened and weakened?”
“Savages tend to be stronger and faster than the average turned vamp, though a vampire’s power increases with age. However, after enough kills, a Savage can no longer tolerate sunlight or cross large bodies of water.”
“I’ve heard of those things being weaknesses of vampires!” she blurted.
“And they are weaknesses for some vampires.”
“Everything you’ve told me is both fascinating and terrifying.”
Mike chuckled as he drew her a step closer to him. Unable to resist, he bent to kiss her forehead. “Welcome to my world.”
Stunned by the gentle, almost natural, gesture, it took Mollie a minute to form her next question. “Have you ever killed anyone before?”
“Vampires, yes. Humans, no.”
Phew. Mollie mentally wiped her brow. Perhaps he was lying, but she doubted it. Mike walked freely through the sun, and there was no reason for him to lie. If she attempted to run, he’d catch her. Plus, she had nowhere to go, and she doubted she’d succeed if she tried to kill him.
Reluctantly, Mike released her and stepped away. Now was not the time to get swept up in the warmth of her body and the allure of her scent.
The sad set of his shoulders when he turned away tugged at Mollie’s heart. The heat of his kiss lingered on her forehead as he started through the woods again. Mollie shifted the rifle on her back before starting after him.
“So, Mollie, what are you doing in Canada?”
“Are we still in Canada?” she countered.
“Judging by the temperature and the fact most of the vegetation is fresh growth, I’d go with yes, but what do I know anymore?”
Mollie had to agree as she studied the leaves overhead and inhaled the brisk air. Back home, she’d be in a T-shirt, but she found herself missing her coat. However, the long-sleeved shirt was warm enough when she was moving.
“You know the same as me,” she said.
“I know far less about you than you do about me. Are you an escaped convict? A thief on the run? On a treasure hunt? In witness protection?”
Mollie chuckled, and her hair bobbed against her shoulders when she shook her head. She’d tried to pin her hair back up while Mike was hunting this morning, but she’d lost most of her bobby pins during the events of the night. She’d finally given up and tucked the few remaining pins into her pocket.
“My life is far less exciting than any of those things would suggest,” she said.
“Then you’ve come to Canada to study the birds or collect pinecones?”
“No.” Mollie was reluctant to tell a vampire anything about her, but she found herself wanting to reveal more to him because she liked him, even if he thirsted for blood. “My mom was from Canada, and she still had family here. Her last living uncle, and the last of her family, recently passed away. After Aida and I attended his funeral, we decided to take a more scenic route back to Rhode Island rather than sticking to the highway. We figured we’d probably never come this far north again; we planned to see more of the land and maybe hike some trails. It was supposed to be an adventure, but this is not what I had in mind.”
“What about your mom? Why didn’t she come with you?”
“She died from breast cancer two years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. She was diagnosed when I was eighteen, and she fought it for three years.”
He sensed her grief in the set of her shoulders and the avoidance of her gaze. “And then she lost the battle.”
“She didn’t lose anything!” Mollie retorted. “I hate when people say that. She struggled through things no human should have to deal with, and by saying she lost, it sounds as if you’re negating everything she went through before she passed. She battled cancer and beat it for years; that makes her a winner in every sense of the word.”
The vehemence of her words astounded him, but he understood what she was saying. He almost told her sorry again but suspected that would only make her angrier.
Mollie ducked her head to wipe away the single tear sliding down her cheek. It had been two years since her mother’s passing. For the last year of her life, Mollie knew her mother was dying, so she’d prepared herself for it, but it hadn’t mattered. Her heart still broke the day her mother stopped breathing, and she continued to grieve the woman who’d been her rock.
Mike rested his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She stiffened beneath his touch, but she didn’t try to pull away.
“After she passed, I got custody of Aida, who was sixteen at the time. I was twenty-one. I swore I’d protect her and give her as normal a life as possible…”
Mollie’s voice trailed off, and she shrugged away from his touch. She didn’t feel like being comforted while her sister was in the hands of monsters. Not when Aida could already be dead too. For a second, she couldn’t breathe through the lump clogging her throat.
She’d vowed to keep Aida safe, and she’d failed.
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said.
“Okay.” Mike was beginning to realize part of the reason she didn’t reveal much about herself was because some of it was too painful, and though he wanted to learn more about her, he wasn’t going to push.
They didn’t speak again as they made their way through the woods and toward a hill rising high on the horizon. They were halfway up the hill when Mike caught the first, faint whiff of the ocean.
Chapter Fourteen
“Stay here,” Mike said when they arrived at the edge of the forest.
Before them, the hill rose another fifty feet before plateauing into something he couldn’t see. No trees or any other cover dotted the open expanse of land.
Mollie grabbed his arm when he went to step out of the trees. “You can’t just stroll out there.”
“I have to get a better understanding of our surroundings and what we’re dealing with.”
“Dying isn’t going to help you do that.”
“I’ll be out in the sun, and I’ll be fine.”
“But what if it isn’t a Savage lying in wait, or what if it’s a Savage who can still tolerate daylight? What if one of their human sidekicks with wooden bullets is out there? What if it’s a freaking trap?”
Mike squeezed her hand on his arm. “I can take care of a human.”
Mollie scowled at him. “Great, so you kill the human and end up being weakened by it too, or they put a bullet through your heart, and you don’t have to worry about any of this anymore.”
He had to see more of what they were dealing with here and try to learn if they were anywhere near civilization, but her terror weakened his resolve. “We’ll continue running parallel through the trees until we find someplace better to see what’s on the other side of the hill.” Judging by the increased briny scent on the air, and the distant crash of waves, it was the ocean, but that didn’t mean there was only water out there. “But the day is nearly half over, Mollie. We have to figure out where we are, formulate a plan, and find somewhere to bed down before the sun sets.”
Mollie twisted her arm over to look at the man’s wristwatch she wore. Mike’s eyes narrowed on the watch as he wondered about its original owner, an ex-boyfriend perhaps? But if she still wore it, then it was most likely a current boyfriend. The idea of possible competition for her made his teeth grind together, but he could handle competition, and he would win.
Her forehead furrowed before she glanced at the sky. “I didn’t realize it was so late already.”
>
Taking her hand, Mike glanced left and right as he tried to decide which way to go before heading to the left. They hurried through the woods, running parallel to what he assumed were cliffs. They traveled nearly a mile before they encountered a sagging house on the edge of the woods.
The house had once been white, but years of neglect chipped away most of the paint. The front porch lay in pieces, and the rotting pile of wood from it covered half of the battered door. Glass remained in only a few of the windows; those panes were wavy and distorted by age. Holes marked the brown façade. On the far side of the house, the top half of a fallen pine leaning against the brick chimney partially blocked the view of the lighthouse at the end of the home.
The main section of the house was double story, but beyond that, the home turned into a single-story structure connecting to the easily hundred-foot-tall lighthouse. A front yard of about fifteen feet separated the building from the cliffs beyond as he could see the edge of the sudden drop-off now. No glass remained in the windows of the lighthouse, and it had probably been years since any light shone from it, but if he could get up there, he could see for miles.
“Stay here,” he said to Mollie. “If you hear or see anything, yell for me.”
Her mouth pursed. “You’re not going in there.”
“The lighthouse might be our only chance of learning anything more about where we are before nightfall.”
“I don’t think that building is going to support your weight.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“You’ll be safer out here.”
“I’m capable of deciding where I’ll be safer, and I’d like to see more too. Plus, I’m not going to stand out here while you fall through the floor and break a leg or stake yourself on a board on the way down.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’ll survive a fall, but what if you go through and the floor breaks your neck?”
“I weigh less than you, and I’ll follow you to make sure the wood will support me.”
Consumed: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 8 Page 8
