Unforeseen: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 9

by Davies, Brenda K.

  A scream lodged in Charlie’s throat as the wind tore at her hair and clothes. Jack’s arms tightened around her as their momentum turned them so they were looking up at the cliffs and the hunters gathered there. The sun shone off the rifles pointed at them, and concussive booms sounded before a bullet struck her in the leg.

  Jack grunted when another bullet hit him in the stomach with the force of a cannonball. The breath rushed out of him, and his arms and legs instinctively curled upward to try to protect him. But there was nothing he could do to stop the next bullet from hitting him in the chest.

  Pain exploded through him, and then he crashed into the icy water. His skin stung as if someone had tied him down and beat his back with a wooden paddle for over an hour. His skull felt like he’d hit concrete as his vision blurred, but he somehow managed to remain conscious.

  The waves crashing over him rolled him into their dark embrace. He briefly dreamed of sinking into the cooling depths of the ocean and letting it ease the fire the bullets created, but Charlie renewed his strength as she squirmed against him. He could feel her panic mounting as the waves rolled them again, pushing them toward the cliffs. Opening his eyes, he watched as a bullet whizzed through the water only inches away.

  The bastards were still firing at them! If they surfaced now, they would be struck down, but the burning in his chest was from more than the bullet embedded in him. He desperately needed oxygen, and so did Charlie. He had to get her out of here.

  Keeping her against his side, Jack drew on resolves of strength he never knew he possessed as he kicked through the water at a parallel angle to the cliffs.

  Charlie tried to kick with Jack, but her wounded leg felt like a lead weight was attached to her. Her other leg propelled her through the water, so at least she was being somewhat helpful, or at least she believed she was. She kept her lips clamped against breathing, but it was so tempting.

  As they swam, she became aware of the blood flowing through the water around them, and it wasn’t from her. Jack was hurt too, but she didn’t know how bad. It wasn’t slowing him as he battled the waves determined to smash them into the cliffs.

  They had to get out of this water so she could see what had happened to him and help him.

  Jack’s strength and energy were seeping out with his blood as it stained the water around them. Gritting his teeth, it took everything he had to keep going.

  Don’t let her go. Don’t let her go. I can’t lose her.

  The words looped through his head, but his lungs felt about to burst. Charlie had to be as desperate for oxygen as he was. He didn’t see any more bullets slicing through the water, but he didn’t dare surface yet; they had to get farther away first.

  Charlie’s hands bit into his forearms; her body stiffened and jerked against his. She was running out of air and would soon inhale the water that wouldn’t kill her but would cause her a lot of pain. The idea of anything hurting his mate revitalized Jack’s dwindling strength. They had no choice; they had to surface.

  Kicking, he surged toward the surface and broke free as a wave crashed over them, rolling them toward the rocks. He waited for a bullet to smash through the top of his skull; instead, he got a face full of water when he attempted to breathe. Charlie’s coughing and sputtering sounded in his ears as she hung on to him.

  He held her closer, but his arms were becoming increasingly weaker. He had to get her to shore before he passed out. He didn’t see the hunters and guards who pursued them to the cliffs, and fifty feet away, a small stretch of beach lined the shore.

  He didn’t know how far the tide had carried them away from where they went over or how far they swam, but they were a good distance away from where they first hit the water.

  “Are you okay?” Charlie asked as the next wave rolled them closer to shore.

  Jack couldn’t speak as he used the last of his dwindling strength to swim toward the shore.

  The shakes rattling Charlie had nothing to do with the cold water; she was terrified for Jack. His lips were white, and lines of stress etched the corners of his mouth and eyes. Adrenaline flooded her body; he was suffering far more than she realized, but he was still swimming and still refusing to let her go. No, she would not allow anything to happen to him.

  When they were closer to shore, she put her feet down in the wet sand and was reassured when her leg supported her weight. She may not be able to feel her leg, but it wasn’t completely useless.

  Jack rose beside her and staggered onto the beach before collapsing onto the sand. Dragged down by his weight, Charlie’s knees hit the sand as his head bowed and he inhaled wet, gurgled breaths that made her heart plunge. She looked frantically around for any enemies, but the cliffs above were empty, the beach to her left was deserted, and cliffs blocked the beach to her right.

  Sliding her arm under Jack’s, she labored to get him to his feet. He leaned heavily on her, the weight of him almost causing her bad leg to collapse, but she somehow stayed upright. He took one step before falling again. Charlie tried to catch him, but her leg gave out, and they both fell onto the beach.

  “Go,” he said as the blood seeping from him turned the sand red around his knees.

  Struggling to contain her panic, she inhaled a deep breath and slid her arm under his again. She should flee from here before someone found and killed them. Dylan needed her, but she refused to release Jack.

  “You wouldn’t leave me,” she said.

  It was true; Jack would never leave her behind. He’d proven that over and over again. He was not Chad; he was not her parents. He was Jack, and he’d done more for her in the short time she’d known him than anyone, other than Miss Dodd. She would despise herself forever if she left him here to die.

  But more than that, she realized she’d be leaving a piece of herself here too, and not just her self-respect, but also a part of her heart.

  “Damn you, Jack Conte,” she muttered as she half dragged, half carried him across the sand.

  His head was bowed, his blood coated them both, but he gave a small chuckle. “I think I’m already damned,” he muttered before passing out.

  His dead weight nearly brought her down before she adjusted her hold on him. Bending, she somehow managed to maneuver him onto her shoulders. She hobbled with him over to the cliff face.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Charlie carried Jack into the small cave she discovered. The walls brushed against Jack’s feet and arms as she walked. The shadowed confines and cool rocks caused goose bumps to break out on her flesh. The cold, wet clothes cleaving to her body did nothing to warm her, but the scent of Jack’s blood teasing her nostrils made her heart thunder and her mouth water.

  Great, she was thinking about biting the unconscious guy. For the first time, she was disgusted by her vampire instincts. She hadn’t embraced the idea of drinking blood when she first changed, but she accepted it. However, she’d never been as tempted by blood as she was now, and the idea of tasting Jack enticed her with every step she took.

  When she believed they were far enough back that the scent of their blood wouldn’t be detected outside, she set Jack down and propped his back against the wall. Her eyes were far better than they were as a human, and this deep into the shadows of the cave, she could see Jack, but not as well as she would have liked.

  She pulled her shoulder bag off and dropped it beside him. Digging into it, she removed the flashlight and examined it. It didn’t look broken, but she still held her breath as she clicked it on. To her amazement, a dim beam shot out.

  She nearly recoiled from the sight that greeted her. Blood stained Jack’s clothes, and gaping holes marred his clothes and skin over his chest and stomach. She reached for him to ascertain the extent of the damage but pulled her hand away.

  Before she could work on him, she had to cover any tracks she left behind. Rising, Charlie limped as she jogged to the front of the cave, but her leg was doing a lot better. When she arrived at the end, she clicked off her flashlight.
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  She poked out her head to make sure no one was on the beach before slipping free of the crevice. She searched the top of the cliffs as she edged out to the beach. For now, they were alone, but she didn’t know how long that would last, and she had to get back to Jack soon.

  Hurrying out to the beach, she wiped away their footprints and kicked sand over the blood staining the ground. The waves washed away more of their evidence, and she hoped when the tide came in, it would eradicate any she might have missed.

  Walking backward toward the cave, she wiped away the rest of the evidence they’d left as she went. Her leg throbbed as the bullet made its way out of her flesh, but at least she could feel her foot again.

  When she finished, she entered the crevice and jogged back to Jack. She didn’t want him waking up and thinking she’d abandoned him, but when she returned to him, she discovered he was still unconscious.

  She propped the flashlight against a rock and focused it on him while she knelt at his side and pulled a knife free. For the first time, she noticed the rifle had gotten lost somewhere, most likely in the sea.

  Carefully, she sliced away the ruined remains of his shirt and peeled it back. Her heart sank when she got a good look at the bullet holes in the center of his chest and stomach. The holes were raw looking as blood seeped from the ragged flesh and trickled down his pale skin.

  She ignored the chill and paleness of his skin as she pulled him forward so she could remove his shirt. She discovered another bullet hole in his shoulder. A lump lodged in her throat as she realized he’d taken that bullet for her. He’d taken them all for her. She couldn’t lose him.

  Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to shed them as she sliced his wet shirt into strips and used them to bandage his wounds. Fresh blood quickly stained the material; he wasn’t healing as fast as he should, and she realized it was because he’d lost too much blood and needed to feed.

  However, she had no way of getting food to him. There were no animals on the beach. She couldn’t scale the cliffs to hunt as there was a good chance the bastards who chased them over the cliff could still be looking for them and Savages were crawling all over the island. He would die in here if she were caught or killed.

  Charlie’s gaze fell to her wrist and then her leg. She’d lost a fair amount of blood, but the bullet had worked its way out, and she’d stopped bleeding. Despite the amount of blood she lost, she didn’t feel weakened by it.

  She was about to bite into her wrist when she recalled Jack’s words about sex and blood completing the mating bond. He’d said that once the bond was complete, it couldn’t be severed, but if she only gave him enough blood to help him heal and she didn’t drink any of his blood, it shouldn’t be enough to create a bond.

  But it wasn’t like she had many options, if she didn’t do something, he wouldn’t heal, and they couldn’t stay here for long; someone would eventually find them.

  Biting down on her wrist, she winced as blood spilled from the punctures and slid down her skin. She didn’t have a choice, but she hesitated before bringing it to his mouth. She’d never given anyone her blood before, had never planned on doing so, and she had no idea what would happen when she did.

  And what if she did something she couldn’t undo? What if she bound them together forever by doing this?

  Her blood dripped onto the stones beneath her as Jack’s chest slowly rose and fell. His shallow breaths, stillness, and the growing pallor of his skin drove her to act. Before she could overthink the consequences, she placed her wrist against his mouth.

  Brushing the strands of hair away from his face, she caressed him as her blood trickled into his mouth. Her apprehension mounted when he didn’t react, but then his throat moved as he swallowed it. Charlie leaned forward to rest her forehead against his.

  “You’re going to be okay,” she whispered, willing it to be true. “You’re going to be okay.”

  When her bite healed, she pulled her wrist from his mouth and bit into it again before placing it over his lips. This time, his mouth parted, and his fangs pressed against her flesh before he bit deep.

  Charlie gasped and almost tore her arm away from him, but then the discomfort vanished and pleasure slid over her skin. She had no idea what she’d done by giving him her blood, but she couldn’t deny it felt incredibly right to have him feeding on her.

  * * *

  Jack woke with the sweetest taste on his lips and in his mouth. He licked his lips and started to roll over, but the soreness in his body stopped him. He groaned before falling back again.

  Was he naked? Yes, he was.

  “Easy,” Charlie murmured as she ran her hand over his forehead. “You’re healing, but you have to stay still, or you’ll reopen your wounds.”

  “Where are we?” he asked. “And where are my clothes?”

  “Your shirt is ruined, and I took the other stuff off because it was soaked and freezing.”

  Charlie found the light and turned it on. She’d shut it off to conserve it, but the beam was weaker than earlier. She’d also shut it off to shield her nudity as, unable to take the feel of her wet, cold clothes cleaving to her, Charlie removed them. If someone discovered them here, she had no problem killing them while she was naked.

  Pointing the beam at a wall, she hoped to keep most of her nudity hidden from him as she sat in the shadows and drew her knees up to her chest. He’d already seen all there was of her, but she felt unexpectedly shy.

  “Where are we?” he asked again.

  “I found a small cave for us to hide in.”

  Jack gazed at the walls only feet away from him before focusing on Charlie again. His heart leapt into his throat when he realized she was naked too. He swallowed to wet his suddenly parched throat. “Why didn’t you leave me?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have left me.”

  “But I slowed you down; you could have been killed.”

  “I could have been killed many times, and I’m still kicking. It’s nighttime now, but we have to leave here at daybreak. If you’re not better by then, I’ll leave your ass.” She wouldn’t, but she couldn’t let him think she’d developed a soft spot for him.

  Jack smiled at her. “Fair enough.”

  Charlie went to kill the light, but he grabbed her hand.

  “You were injured too,” he said.

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “The bullet worked its way out hours ago, and my leg is almost healed.”

  “Good.”

  Jack’s fingers rubbed her hand while he gazed at her. He licked his lips again and tasted the sweetness of her on them. Despite the fact he’d taken three bullets, the power thrumming through him was unlike anything he ever experienced before. He frowned as he tried to figure out where that power was coming from.

  And then it dawned on him.

  “You gave me your blood.”

  The look on his face had her hand fisting as she contemplated giving him a black eye. “You needed blood. Would you have preferred to die here?”

  “No, but—”

  “But what?” she interrupted.

  “I warned you about the mating bond.”

  “I only gave you enough to get the bullets out of you so you could heal. And it worked; you healed faster than I anticipated.”

  “Yes, because I’m your mate. Your blood makes me stronger and joins me to you.”

  “I didn’t give you much,” she insisted.

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been inside you, I still taste you, and I crave more. If we don’t complete the bond, I’ll become increasingly volatile until we’re mated.”

  “I’m sure you can control your urges.”

  “No,” he said. “I won’t be able to. I’ve seen normally calm and controlled vamps lose their shit when the bond isn’t complete.”

  He told her about what happened between Liam and Sera when their bond wasn’t complete. He revealed everything he witnessed while watching one of his best friends go from easygoing to murderous.

&nbs
p; “It will happen to me,” he said. “And most likely you too, but I will unravel first as I’ve also tasted your blood.”

  Charlie didn’t move when he finished speaking. She had no idea what to say or how to respond, but she needed some space. Unfortunately, there was no space to be had in this tiny cave. She tugged her hand away from his and leaned against the wall. The rocks bit into her skin, but she didn’t pay them any attention as her mind spun.

  She had no idea what to say or do.

  Her gaze fell on her wrist, but her bites were gone. What had she done by giving him her blood?

  What had to be done.

  “You wouldn’t have healed so fast without it,” she said.

  “No, I wouldn’t have.”

  They stared at each other before Charlie ducked her head. She wanted to believe he was wrong, that he was lying to her, or exaggerating, but Jack wasn’t one for spinning tales, and he didn’t strike her as someone who exaggerated things. More than that, she’d seen the truth and desperation in his eyes.

  She felt the truth within her. Something about him called to something within her. Sex with Jack and feeding him had been two of the greatest pleasures of her life. All she wanted was to close the distance separating them, crawl into his lap, and take him inside her again.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to steady her breathing and bury the image of riding him from her mind. She would give anything to be with him again.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Jack?” she asked as she lifted her head.

  He winced as he pushed himself up higher against the wall. “Yeah?”

  “This whole ‘mate’ debacle—”

  Jack chuckled. “I often thought about it that way too, until I met you.”

  “And how do you think about it now?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But for the first time in years, I’m excited about something in my life again.”

  That wasn’t something he wanted to admit to her, but seeing the shocked look on her face, he was glad he did.