“A ballerina,” Jack murmured. “That makes sense.”
“And why is that?”
Jack realized he’d inadvertently struck a nerve when all the amusement vanished from her face. “There are few vampires I’ve seen who move as gracefully as you do, including purebred ones.”
“Oh,” Charlie murmured. “Do you know many purebreds?”
“I do,” Jack said and briefly told her about his friends and Liam’s and Sera’s children. “They’re my family.”
“Family,” Charlie murmured.
She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have so many friends and family caring about her. If they made it off this island, she had no idea what she and Dylan would do or where they would go. They couldn’t go live with Miss Dodd as she would eventually realize Charlie wasn’t aging.
She imagined her job and apartment were gone, and her new status as forever twenty-three, didn’t exactly bode well for putting down roots somewhere. She’d worked tirelessly to get through school and achieve what she had in life. It had all been for nothing, and she couldn’t help feeling a little bitter about it. She’d had dreams of getting her master’s degree; now, she only dreamed of getting her son free of this place.
“It’s rarely boring,” Jack said. “How old were you when Dylan was born?”
“Seventeen. He’s nine, and he’s been trapped here, missing out on his life, since he was six.”
The sad look that came over her face tugged at Jack’s heart in a way nothing ever had before. He rested his hand on her shoulder, intending to draw her closer, but she turned away.
“We’re at the end,” she said.
He’d been so focused on her that he hadn’t noticed the briny scent of the ocean or the gentle flow of the waves against the shore. Charlie rested her hands against a rock covering two-thirds of the tunnel and pushed it aside to reveal a cave. Jack searched the cave for any sign of the enemy as Charlie stepped forward.
When he grasped her arm to keep her from going any further, she shot him an irritated look and tugged on her arm. Jack released her, but he stepped into the cave ahead of her. He didn’t smell or see anyone else in the cave, but he wasn’t taking any chances with her.
As they walked through the cave, he studied the thick rock walls before stopping at the end. He’d expected to emerge into daylight; instead, he found himself staring at the stars. Ten feet away, waves rolled onto the beach. They left a trail of white foam on the smooth sand when they slid out again.
He started to step out of the cave, but Charlie grasped his arm to halt him. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Taking a look around.”
“This is prime hunting time; someone could see you.”
“I’ll be quick, but we came here so I could learn more before going to see the boats.”
Charlie bit her lip before releasing his arm and stepping back. After three years on this island, every instinct she had screamed against taking the risk of exposure, but if they didn’t start trying to do something different, she’d spend the next thirty years here too.
She dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from trying to stop him when he stepped forward again. Her heart hammered as he stepped onto the beach. He’d be exposed to anyone on the sand, and if he went a few more feet forward, anyone on top of the cliffs would be able to see him.
Jack took in the rocky face of the cliff stretching nearly a hundred feet over his head. Someone could climb up or down those rocks, but he doubted many would try. On either side of him, the beach stretched out thirty feet before large, rock jetties blocked his view of what lay beyond.
“We should go,” Charlie murmured.
She was impatient to get away from here as her stomach churned with unease. She had no idea what could happen here; this section of beach was about as secluded as it got on this island, but over the years, she’d learned to trust her instincts.
In her desperation to be loved, she ignored her original misgivings about Chad and paid for it with his cruelty. That was something she could never regret as it gave her Dylan, but she’d vowed never to doubt her instincts again afterward.
She realized Jack hadn’t set off any alarm bells in her, but something else was right now.
“We have to go,” she said brusquely.
Jack frowned at the alarm in her eyes, but he didn’t argue when she led the way into the tunnel at a much brisker pace.
“What’s the rush?” he asked as she started jogging.
“Something’s not right,” she muttered, and then the image of a man creeping through the tunnels burst into her head. She didn’t recognize him, and judging by the rifle he held, he was a hunter.
Chapter Eighteen
Before Jack could reply, she broke into a run and sprinted down the tunnel. Rounding a corner, she nearly smacked into the back of the man in the tunnel. He’d entered from one of the side tunnels.
He’d survived the traps, but he had a hole in his jacket from where a stake pierced his shoulder and a gash across his right cheek. The wound was so deep, his skin had peeled back to flap against his cheek.
As the man turned toward her, she saw the rifle in his hand. Before the vamp could raise the gun and fire at her, Charlie lowered her shoulder and barreled into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she drove him into the wall.
The vamp grunted and staggered back, but he didn’t let go of his rifle. Instead, he swung it up and slammed it into her back. Charlie bit back a cry as the blow nearly knocked her to her knees. She managed to stay upright by clutching the edge of his jacket.
If she went down, he would bash her head in with the rifle. A roar filled her ears, and then something lunged out of the shadows at them. The man’s jacket was wrenched away from her as Jack lifted him into the air.
Jack had been angry many times before, but all those times faded in comparison to what exploded through him when the vampire hammered his rifle onto Charlie’s back. Red exploded across his field of vision, a bellow erupted from him, and he charged at the man like an enraged bull.
The vamp’s eyes met his, but before he could react, Jack seized his throat and lifted him off the ground. Jack slammed the vamp into the wall with enough force that rocks shattered, and he propelled the vampire a few inches into the wall. The impact shook the tunnel, and debris rained down from above.
The vamp’s eyes bulged as Jack dug his fingers into the bastard’s neck. Trying to break free, the vamp drove his knee up, but Jack knocked it aside with his free hand and shoved the asshole further into the wall. The vamp tried to ram the butt of the rifle into Jack’s chest. Jack yanked the gun away and flung it across the cave.
When he seized the vamp’s wrist and bashed it against the rocks, bone shattered beneath the impact. The vamp thrashed in Jack’s grasp, but judging by this vamp’s callous-free hands, he didn’t do much fighting. No, this was the kind of vamp who had to pay to have some thrill in his life by hunting others.
Jack’s fury only mounted as, from the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie staggering toward the rifle fifty feet away and further back in the tunnel. All her grace was gone as she fell to her knees before crawling the rest of the way to the rifle.
Overcome by rage, Jack’s finger closed on the vamp’s throat, and he tore it out. Blood splattered Jack’s face as the vamp gurgled and lunged toward him. Releasing the vamp, Jack stepped to the side and hammered his fist onto the bastard’s back.
The vamp fell forward, but not before his hand swung out and smashed into the back of Jack’s knee. Jack bit back a cry when his leg buckled, and he nearly went down. His fingers hit the dirt as the vamp battered his knee again.
Snarling, Jack spun on the vamp, seized his wrist, and snapped it over. More gurgled cries issued from the vamp as his heels battered the ground. Jack grabbed him, and shoving himself to his feet, he lifted the vamp and drove him into the wall again.
He bashed the vamp’s head into the rocks as the vampire swung out and punc
hed Jack’s head. Jack staggered back from the blow, and the vamp lunged at him. Recovering quickly, Jack stepped to the side to evade the charge.
Swinging the back of his hand out, Jack smacked it off the vamp’s skull, causing him to crash into the wall. His head dented the rocks, and more debris rained down. Jack charged at him and, wrapping his hand around the vamp’s waist, knocked him toward the exit.
They punched and kicked at each other as they rolled across the ground. Coming out on top, Jack grasped his neck and smashed his head into the wall again and again until the vamp stopped flailing. Jack pulled out a stake as Charlie slid the rifle strap over her shoulder.
“Don’t kill him!” Charlie called and winced when speaking sent a burning pain shooting from her spine to her toes and skull. The world gave a sickening lurch before settling back into place. “We have to question him.”
Jack held the stake directly over the bastard’s heart as he restrained himself from plunging it in. This prick had injured Charlie.
Jack gritted his teeth and kept himself from killing this guy by recalling he might be able to help him find Mike and Doug. He might also know how to get off this island. Reluctantly, he pulled the stake away from the guy’s chest.
“Search him for bullets,” Charlie said.
Jack felt over the unconscious vamp’s pockets and pulled out a box of wooden bullets. Charlie checked the rounds in the gun and discovered it was fully loaded. Pushing herself to her feet, she took a minute to steady herself before limping toward Jack.
She was almost there when an ominous groan came from overhead. Charlie froze as specks of dirt fell to stick to her face. With a sense of dread sliding down her spine, Charlie gulped as the sound intensified. Pebbles broke free of the ceiling, and one bounced off the tip of her nose as behind her a thunderous crash shook the tunnel.
The hair on her nape rose, and she didn’t have to look to know the tunnel was coming down. The blows Jack delivered to the wall had shaken the foundation of the shaft, and if she didn’t move, it was going to come down on top of her.
Turning, she tried to flee, but the pain shooting from her back and into her leg caused her to hitch and nearly go down. Oh no. Oh no. The panicked words ran through her head on a loop as she gritted her teeth and determined to move faster but the vamp must have pinched a nerve when he hit her that made moving her leg difficult.
The only problem was that no matter how fast her mind urged her to go, her body refused to cooperate. Her leg was nearly useless as it dragged behind her. The crashing grew louder as the ground shook like an earthquake was rushing toward her.
Jack released the vamp as debris pelted his shoulders and back. Large stones fell and shattered on the ground; dirt fell in a tidal wave that threatened to bury Charlie as her limp hindered her progress. Nearly fifty feet separated them, but it seemed like miles as a cloud of dust rushed out of the darkness toward her.
No! Jack raced toward her as the cloud swallowed her within it.
Charlie’s heart thundered as Jack vanished from view. Dylan! Terror spurred her faster, but when the ground lurched beneath her, knocking her off her feet, she knew she wouldn’t escape this.
Jack plunged into the cloud of debris and spotted Charlie struggling to her feet again. Running toward her, he slipped his arms around her and lifted her against his chest. Turning, Jack raced toward the ocean as he fled the cave-in. Dirt and rocks pelted his heels and shoulders while he ran. Grasping the back of Charlie’s head, he pushed it into his shoulder and cradled it there to keep her protected.
Charlie hated how secure she felt in his embrace while their world was crumbling around them. They could be buried alive here, yet she couldn’t help thinking Jack would never let that happen.
Over his shoulder, she watched as Mal’s tunnel collapsed on top of the Savage, burying him beneath the rubble. Another thunderous crash shook the shaft before an explosion of dirt and rocks burst toward them. Charlie closed her eyes and ducked behind Jack as the cloud encompassed them. She braced herself as she waited for tons of rocks and dirt to bury them, but Jack’s muscles continued to flow against her as he sprinted through the tunnel.
She hoped he remembered where the traps were, but at the speed he was traveling, she doubted any of the stakes would be able to hit him. Peeking her head up again, she blinked to get rid of the dirt covering her eyelashes and making it difficult to see, but eventually, her vision cleared as the cloud receded.
The ground stopped rumbling, and she didn’t hear any more debris falling. She opened her mouth to tell Jack he could put her down, but the words froze in her throat. She shouldn’t enjoy being held by him, but she did. And she shouldn’t do it, but for a second, she allowed herself to relax against him. The flex of his muscles against hers and the security of the arms holding her warmed her.
Miss Dodd was the only other person who had ever gone out of her way for Charlie. And now Jack had run into a cave-in to carry her out. She wouldn’t have made it out on her own, yet he’d risked himself to make sure she did. She contemplated curling up in his arms and staying there forever, but she also wanted to punch him.
She’d been doing fine on her own with Dylan—before the whole kidnapping thing—why did Jack have to walk into her life and make her yearn for things she’d given up on years ago? Desire wasn’t something she’d ever really experienced before, not even with Chad. With Chad, she believed sex was a sign of his love for her, and she’d been desperate for love.
But with Jack, she understood what it was to truly desire another. She could easily recall the taste of Jack and the intensity of his kiss, and she wanted to experience it again.
Charlie allowed herself only a moment to nuzzle closer before pulling away. It didn’t matter what she wanted; Dylan was all that mattered.
Jack almost pressed Charlie close again when she leaned away in his arms. He swore she was enjoying being held by him, but now she was rigid as a corpse on Antarctica. Hoping to defrost her again, he stroked her slender back while he ran.
“It’s over,” Charlie said as she tried not to relax against him. “You can put me down.”
Jack hesitated; he didn’t want to set her down, but he couldn’t keep her against her will. Not only was he not an asshole, but she’d probably rearrange his nose again. He eased into a walk to hold her for a few more seconds before coming to a stop.
“How’s your back?” he asked as he set her down.
Charlie winced when her feet touched the ground. Her hand went to her spine as she set the rifle down and tried to stretch her back, but the pain slicing up and down her spine made that difficult. She healed far faster as a vampire than as a human, but every step still felt like someone was twisting a knife in her spine.
“It will be fine,” she muttered.
It would be fine, but she was obviously hurting as she limped down the tunnel while hunched over like an old man. “Why don’t you rest?” Jack suggested.
“That cave-in could draw the attention of more hunters. They might search for another way in; it’s doubtful they’ll find one, or survive to make it to the cavern, but Dylan is back there. Mal will keep him safe, but no one will protect him like I will, and he’ll be worried about me.”
No, he’d be terrified for her. The thought of his distress brought tears to her eyes, but she couldn’t dwell on it. If she did, she might start sobbing. She would get back to him. She knew he was safe; she could feel that in her bones. She may not be able to see things that affected her and Dylan’s lives, or be able to explain how her unusual gift worked, but she would know if he was hurt or dead.
He’d been sleeping in the main cavern when they left, and even if he had woken, which was unlikely as he slept like the dead once he was out, Mal wouldn’t have let him come after them. The ocean tunnel was so long, she doubted the cave-in reached the main cavern. The others would know about the collapse, but they were okay, and they would remain that way.
Dylan will be fine. She kept telling herse
lf this because, if she believed anything else, she would get reckless in her desperation to get back to him, and reckless would get her killed. Stay calm, and you’ll get back to him soon.
“We’ll have to go out through one of the side tunnels and make our way back to one of the other main entrances,” Jack said.
“We can’t. There are no side tunnels between here and the cliffs. The cave-in blocked us off from them.”
“Shit,” Jack muttered as he recalled the cliffs. The only way out from the beach was to go up. He’d never liked tree houses, never mind mountain climbing.
Chapter Nineteen
“Let’s go,” Charlie said.
She started to limp out of the cave, but Jack clasped her elbow before she could hobble onto the beach as if she were the only person in the world. “Wait.”
“For what?” she demanded.
“Until you can walk without looking like a decrepit old man for starters.”
Charlie scowled at him as she tugged at her arm. “I have to get back to Dylan.”
“I understand that, but it will take you longer to get back to him if you fall off those cliffs and break your neck because you refused to wait until you fully healed.”
Charlie glanced from him to the ocean and back again. “The tide will come in, and it could cover the beach and enter the cave.”
“Then we’ll retreat further into the cave and wait it out.”
More waiting. But he had a point; she wasn’t exactly in the best condition for climbing, and there was no other way out of here.
“It could be daylight before I’m healed enough to climb,” she said.
“Then we’ll wait for night. Scaling that cliff during the day might not be the best idea.”
“I know, but if we wait until night, the Savages will be more active.”
Jack stared at the ocean as he contemplated this. “We’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t. We could also climb over those rocks and see if we can’t find any easier place to scale the cliff.”
Unforeseen: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 9 Page 11
