Dead of Night (The Revenant Book 3)

by Kali Argent

  “Come on,” she urged. “Run!”

  None of the buildings along the main road offered safety. It would take seconds for the Ravagers to break through the doors, then, she and Nikolai be trapped all over again.

  Heavy footfalls pounded against the asphalt behind them, accompanied by labored breathing and vicious snarls. They couldn’t outrun the Ravagers, but maybe they could outsmart them. Only a few hundred feet of open field separated them from the trailer park Nikolai had spotted earlier, but the rows and rows of abandoned homes wouldn’t do them any good, either. They’d have to stop running long enough to get inside one of the houses, and once they did, there was no way to keep the Ravagers from following.

  “Fuck,” she panted. “We’re not going to make it.”

  “Yes, we will.” Grabbing her wrist, Nikolai jerked her to the right, cutting through the alley that ran behind the pharmacy. “Faster.”

  She turned on a burst of speed as they crossed the adjacent street and raced into the field, but in the darkness, she didn’t notice the dip in the earth until her ankle rolled, sending her tumbling head over ass across the dew-covered ground. Recovering quickly, she sprang to her feet, pumping her arms as she pushed to regain her speed.

  “Faster,” Nikolai repeated, grabbing her by the elbow and practically dragging her onto the main road of the mobile home community. “We have to move faster.”

  “We can’t outrun them.”

  Still, she jerked her arm free, ducked her head, and willed her legs to move faster as she sprinted down the cracked and broken asphalt. Darting behind a towering double-wide, she scanned the area, calculating their chances of making it up the stairs and through the back door before being caught and mauled to death. Even if they did make it inside, the place provided almost zero protection from the Ravagers.

  They couldn’t outrun the monsters, but maybe they could outsmart them.

  Turning right, she followed a narrow, paved road to the next double-wide, then cut back to the left. Sprinting through the back lawn, she ducked under an old laundry line and hurdled a faded, cracked tricycle that sat abandoned in the middle of the lawn. A loud crash and a string of curse words from behind her said Nikolai hadn’t been so lucky in avoiding the trike, and Kamara winced in sympathy as she veered onto yet another paved road.

  Nearing the back of the property line, Kamara nearly wept in relief when he spotted a brick building—likely the rental office—complete with a raised wooden porch that glowed in the moonlight like a beacon.

  “There,” she called over her shoulder as she pointed toward the house. “Run!”

  The growls and footsteps of the Ravagers had faded slightly, but Kamara knew they hadn’t fallen too far behind. As she and her mate neared the management building, the tides turned in their favor when dark clouds rolled across the sky, blotting out the moon and shrouding them in almost total darkness.

  Sprinting for the rickety porch, Kamara veered to the right just before reaching the steps. She’d had every intention of entering the building, but the rotten smell of something newly dead caught her attention, giving her a different idea. Sliding off her backpack, she tossed it under the porch, then dropped to the ground, rolling under the aging planks. On her stomach, she inched backward, pushing herself deep into the shadows while she tried not to gag on the vile stench that filled the cramped space.

  “What the hell are we doing?” Nikolai crawled under the porch with her, but he didn’t sound happy about it. “We can’t stay here.”

  “Shut up,” she hissed, urging him back into the recess with her.

  The dead body at the gas station had masked the scent of the Raiders from her. The same for whoever had died recently at the police station. It stood to reason that whatever dead thing rotted under the porch with them—she thought it might be a dog—it would mask their scent from the Ravagers.

  Fuck, she hoped this worked.

  Nikolai inhaled, likely to say something else about moving. As silently as possible, she shoved Nikolai to his back and rolled on top of him, using her palm to cover his mouth.

  “Quiet,” she breathed.

  Ravagers prowled around the side of the porch, coming much too close for comfort, and more footsteps thudded overhead causing the swollen boards to creak and groan. The front door of the house crashed open, and the Ravagers near the steps circled around to the back of the house. Her plan seemed to be working, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

  Kamara held her breath as one of the monsters stopped so close that his thigh pressed against the side of the porch.

  “I love you, Kamara.”

  She didn’t know if it was just time or the stress of the situation that had unlocked the final block, but when she’d first heard Nikolai’s voice in her head, it had filled her with immense joy. It had been that happiness that had given her the strength to keep fighting when she’d been sure they’d die inside the police station.

  She loved him, too, but his words sounded too much like a goodbye.

  “We’re not going to die,” she sent back.

  “I’ve lost a lot of blood. Even if we get out of here—”

  “No, stop it. Just stay awake. Stay with me.”

  Afraid for her mate, desperate to save him, she didn’t immediately realize that the Ravagers had all stopped moving—not until the gunfire started. Each report ripped through the night and echoed off the surrounding hills.

  “Two went that way!” a male yelled. “Go, go, go!”

  “I know that voice.”

  “Kamara, no.” Nikolai’s arms surrounded her, holding her immobile.

  “Let go. I know that voice. It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.” Relief overwhelmed her, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “Down here!” she yelled. “We’re in here!”

  “Kamara, damn it, be quiet.”

  “Help!” she cried. “We need help!”

  Sighing, Nikolai leaned up and pressed his lips to her cheek. “I’m so sorry, cara mia. Forgive me.”

  His hand curled around the back of her neck, his fingers pressing against a point just below her ear.

  She had only a second to realize what he intended before her head started to spin, and everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Hey, brother, you can come out now.” A human male crouched next to the porch and peered under it. “It’s safe. They’re all dead.”

  Rolling his mate into the dirt behind him, he turned to the male, hissing and growling as he bared his fangs. This guy might have just saved his and Kamara’s lives, but that didn’t mean Nikolai trusted him.

  The guy laughed. “Okay, calm down. No one is going to stake you or your pretty lady there.” He lifted his head a fraction, his gaze shifting to a point over Nikolai’s shoulder. “There’s a blood trail all the way from the police station, so I’m guessing they got you pretty good. We don’t have any blood bags, but we can keep you comfortable while you’re healing.”

  Another male, this one just as large and broad in the shoulders, knelt beside his comrade. “We can always do this the hard way.” He held up a large pistol and shook it at him. “I can tranq you and drag you out of there.”

  “Not helping,” the first male muttered, shoving his friend back. Then, to Nikolai, “No one is going to tranq you, okay? We just want to help.” He shuffled a little closer to the opening under the porch. “I’m Kellen Fischer. That asshole behind me is Jai Webber.”

  The clouds parted, casting the man in beams of silvery moonlight. Still, Nikolai couldn’t see much beyond the fact that the man had dark hair and light eyes—blue maybe—and an inky black tattoo that covered the side of his neck before disappearing into the collar of his jacket.

  Kamara had claimed to know them. She’d been adamant about it, in fact.

  “Valkyrie?” His tongue stuck to the roof of his dry mouth, and his vision blurred. His heartbeat throbbed in his temples, making it difficult to concentrate as he fought to remain conscious.

&n
bsp; “What did he say?” The one named Jai demanded.

  “Valkyrie,” Kellen answered with a quiet chuckle. “Well, you’re not wrong, friend. How do you know about the Valkyrie?”

  Blood seeped from the deep gouges that covered his body, saturating his long-sleeved T-shirt, but Nikolai wasn’t worried about himself. Kamara had fought bravely, but she hadn’t walked away unscathed. While running for their lives, the adrenaline had likely kept her from feeling the cuts and gashes that covered her back and thighs. Nikolai had seen the crimson that stained her clothes, though, smelled it, and his mate’s blood coated both of his hands.

  He’d die to protect her, but right then, he couldn’t save her.

  “Kamara Yamashito,” he slurred, his eyelids drooping as his vision began to dim. “My mate.”

  “Kamara?” The male squinted, peering into the duskiness beneath the porch. “She’s here? She’s alive?”

  “Help her.” He didn’t trust them, not really, but weighing his options, he had no choice other than to accept their aid.

  “Okay, brother, we’re coming in now. You’re going to be cool, right?”

  Nikolai growled again. “I’m not your brother.”

  Kellen just laughed. “Yeah, all right. I hear you.”

  “Stay there.”

  “Wilder!” Jai called. “Bring the car and some blankets.”

  Gathering Kamara into his arms, Nikolai rolled her onto his chest and dug his heels into the dirt, inching his way out from under the wooden planks. It took more effort than it should have, and by the time his shoulders had cleared the opening, every muscle in his body was quivering.

  “Fuck,” Kellen breathed, “it is her.” Grabbing Nikolai under his arms, he dragged him the rest of the way out into the moonlight. “Wilder, fuck the blankets. We need the kit.”

  The world tilted, spinning Nikolai into a deep void just as another man arrived carrying what looked like a black toolbox. When he came to again, he found himself sprawled on his back in the dead, yellow grass while a fourth man cut his ripped shirt down the center with a field knife.

  “Kamara,” he croaked.

  “To your left,” the man answered as he emptied a bottle of water onto Nikolai’s chest. “You’re healing, but not fast enough. We’re going to have to…”

  His voice faded, and everything went black again. Nikolai drifted in and out of consciousness after that, catching only flashes of movement and snippets of conversation.

  “I think I’ve stopped the bleeding, but if they don’t start healing…”

  “…move them to the truck. They need…”

  “…come back tomorrow.”

  “No, we need to deal with them now. We don’t want those fuckers tracking us.”

  “Look, I think Prince Charming is waking up.”

  “Good timing. We’re almost there.”

  Groaning, Nikolai blinked several times to dispel the blurriness, fighting against the hum of tires over the road that threatened to pull him under again. He could feel the heated air that brushed over his skin, but it did little to dispel the bone-deep chill. When his teeth began to chatter, he clenched his jaw, but that didn’t stop the shudders that wracked his body.

  “Easy, brother.” A hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. “Just hang in there.”

  “Not your brother,” Nikolai mumbled, pushing the guy’s hand away. “Where’s my mate?” Her scent permeated the vehicle, and her pulse throbbed in his ears. “Where’s Kamara?”

  “She’s okay,” Kellen answered. “She’s in the front seat. We gave her a blood bag, and she’s healing.” Sighing, he dropped back against the seat beside Nikolai and carded his fingers through his long, blond strands. “I’m sorry. I know you’re hurting, but we only had one, and we kind of guessed you’d want us to give it to her.”

  “You’d be right.” It went a long way in raising his opinion of the males. Looking down at his bare chest, he prodded the white patches of gauze that covered his torso. He was still bleeding, and the lacerations hurt like hell, but at least he was alive. “Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

  Kellen shrugged. “I’m just glad we found you in time.”

  “Did you turn her?” The man in the driver’s seat continued to stare straight ahead into the night, but the muscles in his neck and shoulders tensed.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but no.” Grimacing at the pain that lanced through his body, Nikolai pushed forward to peer over the edge of the seat in front of him. “She looks better.”

  Kamara had curled into a tiny ball facing the door with her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands tucked under her chin. Her pulse steady, her breathing even, she slept peacefully, and Nikolai smiled as he stroked her hair. It was getting longer, almost to her ears.

  She’d like that.

  “Do you love her?”

  Nikolai glared at the back of the driver’s head. He thought someone had introduced the male as Jai. Or maybe it was Kai. He didn’t know, and he really didn’t care.

  “More than you can imagine.” Returning his attention to his mate, he skimmed the back of his hand down her cheek, marveling at how soft her skin felt. “I’d do anything for her,” he added, his hostility deflating.

  “You almost died for her,” Kellen said from behind him.

  Nikolai smiled. “She’s worth dying for.” But since his mate was okay for the time being, he had a few questions of his own. “How did you find us?”

  “We’ve been tracking a pack of Ravagers for a couple of days now.” Shifting in his seat, Kellen leaned back against the door. “We found the ones in the jail cells, and a whole lot of fucking blood.”

  “We followed the blood,” Jai continued, picking up where his friend had stopped. “We didn’t know what the hell the Ravagers were looking for around that house until we heard Kamara yell under the porch.”

  “They’re all dead?”

  Jai nodded. “Grim and Wilder went back to take care of the ones at the police station. They’ll catch up to us later.”

  The Ravagers hadn’t always been monsters. They’d once been werewolves and hybrids, no different than any other Gemini. They’d had jobs, families, friends, and their entire lives ahead of them. Then the Purge had taken everything. The virus had altered them, enhancing their aggression and robbing them of their ability to shift. Without that outlet, the frustration, pain, and pent-up energy eventually drove many of them insane.

  Killing Ravagers wasn’t something he enjoyed, but unfortunately, it was a necessary evil. Once a werewolf had reached a feral state, it was virtually impossible to bring them back, especially without a cure for the PN2 virus. Left unchecked, the Ravagers slaughtered mercilessly, not for food or any other logical reason, but for the sheer pleasure in the violence.

  As for the monsters imprisoned in the police station, the Valkyrie would be doing them a kindness. Nikolai didn’t know how long they’d been locked inside those cages, but from he’d seen, he guessed it had been days, if not weeks, since many of them had been given a decent meal.

  “Who do you think locked them in the cells?” he asked.

  “My guess is the good law enforcement officers of Brookfield,” Kellen answered. “Of course, I doubt they knew who they were locking up at the time. Wolves probably got themselves thrown in jail for fighting, public disturbances, and shit like that.”

  Nikolai fell back in his seat, flinching when the abrupt movement pulled at the wounds on his stomach. “They’ve been in there for two years?”

  He was surprised they hadn’t died of starvation or killed each other long ago.

  “I guess so. Oh, I almost forgot.” Jerking upright, Kellen reached into the cargo area of the SUV and pulled a dusty leather backpack over the seat. “I thought you might want this.”

  Nikolai didn’t particularly care about bandages and coffee beans, but he knew Kamara would.

  “Thank you,” he said f
or the second time in the span of a few minutes—to Hunters. “Kamara says I can trust you.”

  “But you’re not so sure,” Jai concluded with a curt nod. “Smart. She’s right, of course, but still.”

  “If we wanted you dead, we’d have left you for the Ravagers.” Digging through his own bag, Kellen produced a single-serving package of beef jerky. “Eat this. It’ll help.” He took another package from the bag for himself, and flopped back in his seat as he peeled it open. “Back to you not trusting us. It’s because you think we’re Hunters, isn’t it?”

  Nikolai left the stick of dehydrated meat on the foldable armrest between them and arched an eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”

  “No,” Jai answered as he slowed to turn onto a narrow, gravel road. “We lost almost everyone in Missouri, and some of them were former Hunters. The four of us you met tonight, however, were never associated with that particular group.”

  Nikolai didn’t know if he believed them or not, but Kellen had made a damn good point. If they wanted to kill him, they wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to save him in the first place. Maybe he’d been too hasty in his judgment. As Kamara had pointed out when they’d first met, Gemini had committed some atrocious acts both before and after the Purge, but he didn’t hold all of his kind accountable for the actions of a few.

  These men hadn’t murdered his mother or his unborn sibling. They hadn’t hunted werewolves and shifters, or decimated entire families. Even if they’d been born Hunters, they couldn’t choose their families or change the circumstances of their birth. Nikolai was walking, talking proof of that.

  “You obviously have some kind of training. Military?”

  Kellen smirked. “Yeah, something like that.” He swallowed the piece of beef jerky in his mouth and cocked his head to the side. “So, do you at least trust us enough to tell us your name?”

  Trust was earned, not given, but he had to admit the Valkyrie weren’t anything like he’d expected. Besides, they’d find out his name eventually. Once Kamara awoken, she’d have no qualms about sharing information with them.