Already sore from the explosion, the impact of his body barreling into hers almost made her scream as he flung her backward. She nearly let go of her knife when her head bounced off the ground and stars burst before her eyes.
Images of Dylan and Jack swam through her mind as she struggled to remain conscious. If she blacked out now, that would be the end of her, and she couldn’t leave them alone.
The Savage came down on top of her. Charlie blinked at him when her vision swam, and she briefly saw two of him kneeling over her with his hands clawing at her throat. Then his fingers enclosed on her neck and he was bearing down on her. She choked as her breath was cut off.
His red eyes shone with malicious glee as his twisted smile revealed his fangs. He wouldn’t kill her now, she realized. He wanted to immobilize her and take her somewhere he could drag the torture out for hours.
Unwilling to let this bastard destroy her, she managed to find the strength to lift her knife and plunge it into this sick freak’s eye. Keeping hold of the blade, Charlie ripped it free as the vamp howled and flung himself backward. Blood oozed around the fingers of the hand covering his eye as he knelt on the ground sobbing.
She felt no sympathy for him; he’d never shown any of his victims mercy, of that she was certain. Rolling to the side, Charlie ignored the protests of her battered body as she staggered to her feet and pulled her stake free. She was about to launch onto the asshole when Kirha emerged from the smoke and plunged a broken tree branch through the Savage’s back and into his heart.
“Thanks,” Charlie said.
Kirha pulled the branch free and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm. Smoke and dirt streaked her face, her shirt was singed at the end and so were her jeans, but she appeared uninjured.
Charlie turned her attention to the spreading fire in search of Jack, but she didn’t see him anywhere amongst the rubble of burning trees. The bomb must have been in the center of the pine trees, as fragments of them were embedded in some of the surrounding trees. Charlie shuddered as she realized that not only could the bomb have taken out Jack, but so could any of the numerous wooden missiles the explosion created from the trees.
“Jack!” she croaked, but the smoke and the strangulation from the Savage had left her voice raw.
Smoke burned her eyes as flames devoured the trees closest to where the bomb went off. Weakened by the fire, trunks snapped, and the groaning sound of falling trees filled the air before they hit the ground with a thunderous crash that shook the earth.
Through the thickening smoke, Charlie spotted the charred remains of someone lying on the ground thirty feet away from her. Fire licked over their blackened skin, their mouth was open in twisted agony, and no clothes remained.
“No,” she breathed and took a step toward the smoldering remains. She didn’t sense a break in her connection to Jack, but she was so rattled, she didn’t know if she would.
“It’s Clifford,” Kirha said as she rested her hand on Charlie’s arm. “I think he stepped on whatever triggered the explosion.”
A pang of sadness tugged at Charlie’s heart. She barely knew Clifford, but he was here to help them, and he’d kept Dylan enthralled with his stories earlier without showing any sign he was bored. He was a good man who hadn’t deserved this.
“Have you seen Jack?” she asked.
“No,” Kirha said.
Over the roar of the spreading inferno, shouts sounded around her, but these weren’t cries of pain. No, they were the excited shouts of hunters seeking their prey. However, because of the smoke and growing fire, their voices were distorted, and she had no idea where the Savages were.
“We have to find Jack and get out of here,” she said as she shoved her knife back into its holster.
“No shit,” Kirha said, and Charlie almost laughed, except there was nothing funny about this situation.
Where is Jack? Charlie struggled not to give in to her terror as she plunged into the thickening smoke. Smoke choked the air so badly, Charlie could barely see the flames loudly devouring the woods.
Her heart hammered and sweat coated her body as she staggered toward where she last saw Jack, but he wasn’t there. Spinning in a circle, Charlie searched for him, but all she saw was smoke and flames crackling through the underbrush.
Jack. His name was a whimper in her head.
Charlie tried to draw on the instincts that had kicked into high gear since she bound her life to Jack’s, but she couldn’t sense or feel anything other than her rising panic. Tears filled her burning eyes as every breath became more smoke than air. Her hair waved about her face as the fire stirred the air.
If she’d been a human, the smoke would have overtaken her by now; instead, her throat burned and her lungs were seared. They had to get away from the death spreading around her.
She searched for Jack through their bond, but she couldn’t feel him anymore. A crushing sense of doom threatened to overwhelm her as she stumbled forward. They had to get out of here, but she couldn’t leave without him.
He can’t be dead; he can’t be. She’d just found him; she couldn’t lose him now.
She kept her hands in front of her as the smoke became increasingly challenging to navigate. She no longer heard the excited shouts of the Savages as the inferno devoured the forest. Kirha stayed by her side, clutching the branch against her chest. Her red-rimmed eyes streamed tears as she glared at the woods.
Charlie’s racing heart felt like it was going to tear out of her chest when she choked out, “Jack!” in a hoarse voice that probably didn’t carry more than two feet away from her.
And then she staggered out of the smoke and into fresh air. Charlie eagerly gasped the air in, but every breath caused knives of pain to slice her brutalized throat. “Jack!” she croaked again as she spun back toward the fire.
Her jaw dropped when she saw the conflagration devouring the forest. The Savages had planted the bomb to protect themselves, but they hadn’t anticipated two of them going off so close to each other and in such a short time frame.
The fire from the one the humans set off and the one Clifford set off had joined together. Unlike the fire Mal set in an attempt to get off the island, this inferno was spreading out of control.
“Jack!” she croaked and stepped back toward the fire.
Kirha grabbed her arm, holding her back. “You can’t go back in there.”
“He could be in trouble.”
“He’s your mate, right?” When Charlie frowned at her, Kirha waved a hand impatiently at Charlie’s neck. “You’re bearing his marks and vampires know when a vamp has claimed their mate. I realize you’ve been a vamp for three years, but you’re still new to it, and these are things you’ll learn when we get off this island. However, you’re mated, which means you can feel if he’s okay or not.”
“I… I can’t feel anything. It’s like the bombs rattled my instincts as well as my ears.” As soon as she said it, she knew it was true.
“It doesn’t matter. We have to go.”
“I’m not leaving without him. He might need help!”
“That fire is spreading; if it’s not stopped soon, then it’s only a matter of time before it takes over the entire island. The smoke will spread into the tunnels. We have to go.”
“Dylan,” she breathed as her eyes returned to the fire. “Jack.”
If someone had taken a sword and cut her in half, she wouldn’t feel anymore torn in two, but her son needed her.
“Oh,” she breathed as she started to turn away, but she stopped when, from the cloying smoke, a figure materialized.
Charlie adjusted her grip on her knives as she prepared to destroy whoever emerged from the fire, but then she felt something thrum through the bond she established with Jack and knew it was him. Without thinking, she plunged back into the smoke and ran toward him, but his shouts reached her before she got to him.
“Run, Charlie!” he shouted at her. “Run!”
Debris kicked up from
under her feet when she skidded to a stop before turning and running back. She didn’t dare look back as she raced back out of the smoke. Kirha remained where Charlie left her, looking more than a little annoyed as she held the branch and surveyed the woods.
“The closest tunnel entrance is this way,” Charlie said as she dashed to the right and further away from the mansion.
She tried to keep an eye out for more cameras and possible deathtraps, but it was difficult to do as she ran at nearly full speed through the forest. Branches and trees slapped at her face and hands as she plunged forward, but she didn’t dare slow. Between the fire and the Savages, death nipped at her heels.
She needed to get to her son before the fire made it to the tunnel entrances. She didn’t know if the smoke would manage to penetrate through the tunnels, but she wasn’t willing to take the chance it would.
The thought spurred her faster until the trees were a blur as they whipped by her. They had to get to the beach before the fire overtook the forest, but the Savages would probably head for the beach too if they could. With the sun out, many of the Savages wouldn’t be able to expose themselves to it for long.
Good. She hoped they all fried and then continued to burn in Hell where they belonged.
There would be some Savages who could survive the sun’s rays. Hopefully, they all ran for the boat ramp, but if the fire cut off the Savage’s way to the ramp, they would be all over this island, and they would be more likely to run into the bastards.
She glanced over her shoulder to find Jack thirty feet behind them and closing the distance. Dirt and soot covered him. The charred spots and holes marring his jeans revealed the blistered skin beneath. Blood smeared his face and hands, but she didn’t see any cuts, and she didn’t think it was his blood.
“This way.” Charlie sprinted to the right, toward the pit Jack fell into; Kirha followed her.
A branch hit Charlie’s cheek with so much force it almost knocked her over. Blood trickled from the gash it left behind. Throwing her hands up, she tried to block the branches from slapping at her face, but it was useless.
They were almost to the copse of trees when she turned to look back at Jack again. Her steps slowed when she saw he’d closed the distance between them. “Go, Charlie!” he yelled at her. “Run and don’t stop running! Don’t wait for me!”
She took a faltering step before turning and crashing through the thicket of trees shielding the pit. She didn’t hesitate before running straight over the covered entrance. Branches snapped beneath her as she plunged through the hole and hit the ground. Kirha landed silently beside her.
Charlie tugged her flashlight free of her shoulder bag. “Follow directly behind me,” she commanded Kirha before sprinting down the tunnel.
She didn’t stop to let the others know she was coming; it would only waste time. The scent of the cooking fire reached her before she plunged into the main cavern. The others all looked up in startled surprise. Some of them leapt to their feet, but the others exchanged confused glances.
“We have to go!” she shouted as she ran for Dylan and pulled him into her arms.
“What’s going on?” Mal demanded.
“There’s a fire,” Kirha said, and excited murmurs followed her statement.
“How bad is it?” Mal asked.
“If they don’t put it out soon, it’s going to destroy the entire island,” Charlie said. “And I don’t think they’re going to be able to put it out.”
Dylan’s eyes were wide with fright when they met hers. “Where’s Jack?”
“He’s on his way,” she assured him. “We have to go. The lighthouse exit is the furthest from the fire.”
“Where’s Clifford?” LeNae asked.
“Dead,” Kirha said bluntly.
“If we stay down here, we’ll remain hidden from them,” Gio said. “But if we go above, we might run across them.”
“Or the smoke could enter the tunnels and kill you humans,” Charlie retorted. “I’m not taking that chance with my son.”
Releasing Dylan, she grasped his hand and turned toward Mal. “Are you staying?”
“No. The Savages will be preoccupied with the fire; this might be our chance to escape.”
Charlie didn’t wait to hear what the others would decide before she turned and fled down the tunnel toward the lighthouse.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jack watched as Charlie and Kirha disappeared into the copse of trees surrounding the pit. She’s safe. For now. If they didn’t get away from the fire, none of them would be okay.
He was almost to the pit when he caught something charging at him from the corner of his eye. He spun to avoid the Savage, but the vamp anticipated the move and shifted so his weight slammed into Jack’s waist. Lifted into the air, Jack was flung back a few feet, and the vampire followed him to the ground.
Jack twisted his weight to try to dislodge the vamp, but fingers tore at his face and hair as the vamp attempted to gouge out his eyes. Rage flared through Jack as he smashed his forehead into the vamp’s face. The Savage’s cheekbone gave way from the impact, and the vamp’s right eye bulged out.
The Savage shredded a chunk of skin from Jack’s cheek. Jack pushed up with his legs to dislodge his attacker, and when the vampire fell forward, Jack hit him in the windpipe. The vamp wheezed and flailed as his hand clawed at his crushed throat.
Jack rolled to the side and threw the vampire off before staggering to his feet. Blood poured down his face as he grasped a broken branch from the ground. The vamp rolled over and shrugged a rifle off his back; Jack hadn’t noticed the gun before, but now the sun glinted off the barrel as it swung toward him.
He had only a split second to throw himself to the side and behind a tree as the gun fired. The vamp must have anticipated his move as the bark of the tree exploded in front of him. Judging by the Savage’s ability to predict his moves, this fucker was a hunter.
Jack ground his teeth together as he tried to decide what move the Savage wouldn’t anticipate. He glanced right and left; both sides had trees he could hide behind, but if this Savage saw Charlie and Kirha enter the copse of trees, he’d probably anticipate Jack trying to follow them. Jack decided to go to the right instead and rolled behind another tree.
He’d been right; the vamp expected him to go the other way, and by the time he adjusted his rifle to fire at him, Jack was already moving on to the next tree and then the next. More gunshots rent the air, and a bullet whizzed by his head as Jack dashed in and out of the trees, circling the Savage.
Then the vamp pulled the trigger again and nothing came out. Jack released a murderous snarl as he charged out of the woods and pounced on the Savage. This was not some pawn security member manipulated into thinking they had a chance at immortality; this man’s sick impulses were the reason everything had happened. This man was the reason Doug was dead.
Clutching the Savage’s coat, Jack lifted him off the ground and punched him in the face. The vamp’s head shot back, and his face caved beneath the blow, but Jack didn’t stop as he pummeled him again and again.
Wet sounds of protest emitted from the vamp, and his hands battered Jack’s arms as his blood splattered Jack. There was little the vamp could do as Jack seized his head and yanked it to the side. The Savage went limp when Jack severed his spine before tearing off his head.
Jack expected to experience some sense of satisfaction as he gazed into the unseeing eyes of the dead man, but he all he felt was a growing desperation to find Charlie. And that was when he realized vengeance would never satisfy him. He would make sure all the bastards on this island were dead before leaving it, but nothing would bring Doug back or fill the emptiness his loss had created in Jack.
Tossing the head aside, Jack glanced around the forest to make sure he was still alone before searching the man’s pockets for more bullets; he discovered nothing useful. Lifting his head, he gazed at the smoke streaming over top of the trees as it blew toward him. Fueled by the gentle bree
ze and the old trees in the forest, it wouldn’t be long before the blaze reached him.
Jack wiped his hands on the ground before running through the trees and jumping into the pit after Charlie.
* * *
Charlie kept hold of Dylan’s hand as she climbed the stairs and flung open the door of the root cellar. She refused to let herself think about the fact Jack should have caught up with them by now. Humans hindered their progress, and he hadn’t been far behind them, so where was he?
He’s okay. He’s okay, she repeatedly told herself as she turned to wait for the others to exit the cellar. Mal was the last one through. Charlie searched the cellar behind him as Mal turned to shut the door.
She almost ran back, flung the door open, and rushed back inside to find Jack, but Dylan’s small, warm hand in hers froze her. She had to get him somewhere safe before she could return for Jack.
Charlie glanced at the cliffs behind the lighthouse, but they were too high for her to risk bringing Dylan down them. Unfortunately, they’d probably have to climb down to the beach. The areas without cliffs would probably be crowded with Savages trying to evade the fire.
“This way,” Mal said, and they followed him into the woods.
Charlie kept Dylan’s hand. She wanted to lift him into her arms and run with him, but if anything came at them, she needed her hands free to protect her son. Dylan hadn’t been outside during a hunt since they fell into the tunnels, and her instincts screamed to hide him away.
The sun disappeared as they ran through the woods at a speed the humans could match. Charlie frowned at the unexpected darkness. Her breath caught, and her hand tightened on Dylan’s when she realized the smoke had risen to block out the sun. Birds screeched as they flew away from the fire destroying their homes.
“It’s going to destroy the entire island,” Darlene breathed.
“Hopefully, it doesn’t take us with it,” LeNae said.
Unforeseen: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 9 Page 22
