His hand turned over in hers. He opened his mouth to tell her to leave again, but the determined look in her eyes brooked no room for argument. “The pin is on the ground over there; it fell out of the lock when the beam came down.”
He released her hand when she turned away from him to search for the pin. Her hands fumbled through the smoke flowing across the floor before she grabbed hold of the pin and rushed back to him. Taking it from her, he slid it into the lock again and began to maneuver it around. His sweat slicked fingers made it difficult to keep his grip on the pin; the press of the vampires against his back did little to help him with the heat and his maneuverability of the pin.
Tempest turned away from him and hurried over to the desks. He lost sight of her in the thickening smoke. “Tempest!” he managed to shout out in a ragged voice.
“Here!” Her voice sounded like it came from a mile away, not merely feet.
“Go outside and wait for me!”
“Here!” she called back again instead.
He gritted his teeth together, for the first time understanding what it was Braith had to deal with when it came to his stubborn as a mule sister. Never again would he tease his brother-in-law. He felt another click, but when he leaned against the bars, the door remained securely in place.
Tempest emerged from the shadows, flying across the room with the surety of an arrow toward the bull’s eye. “I’ve got the key!” she gasped out, her hand clutching one of the cloaks the guards had left behind.
His hand fell away from the pin; she knocked it from the lock as she pulled free the key tucked into the pocket of the cloak. Tears from the caustic smoke streaked from her reddened eyes when she slid the key into the lock and turned it. The gate gave way beneath his weight. She jumped back as the door swung toward her. Before he could rush out, grab her, and drag her to safety, she spun to the other cell. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the other vamps behind, but he didn’t want her to spend one more second in this building.
Arriving at her side, he rested his hand on her waist with the intention of lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder. The door to the cell swung open, and she jumped back. “Stay with us if you want to live!” she croaked at the vampires pouring free of their cages.
William grabbed hold of her hand, not looking back as he tucked her against his side and pulled her toward the door. They rushed down the stairs of the prison and into the crowded street. Four of the vampires in the stocks outside resembled deer cooked over a spit. Their reddened, hairless bodies still had smoke and flames eating at their bodies. Three of the others were screaming in agony as fire licked over them.
Tempest slowed, but William tightened his hold on her and propelled her onward. “We have to help them!” she protested.
“There is no helping them,” he replied. Maybe they could still release them, and maybe somehow they would heal from the burns, but she was his number one concern right now. “And I’m getting you out of here.”
He kept her snug against his side as they plunged into the horde of vampires running up and down the street. He stiff-armed anyone who came near them, knocking them back before they could hurt her in anyway. Sparks and flames began to shoot from the pointed roof of the hotel. Looking up and down the road, he searched for anyone who might be coming after him, but he seemed to have been forgotten in the chaos of the fires and everyone trying to flee. Either that or they believed him already dead.
Wind whipped down the street, fanning the flames and sending them higher into the sky. From behind him, the loud crash of the prison folding in on itself reverberated through the street. He didn’t look back, but he felt the hot wash of the flames against his back when they blew outward.
“The wind,” she whispered, her voice barely carrying over the crescendo of the fire. “I didn’t expect the wind to pick up.”
“Neither did I.”
“I destroyed it all.” Her eyes were haunted as she tilted her head back to look up at him.
His fingers stroked over her cheek. “It was destroyed the minute they entered this town.”
She nodded, but he could feel the guilt and anguish radiating from her. He ignored the sting in his blistered hand when he wrapped it around her head and pulled her closer to him protectively. The cold air blowing against the numerous burn holes in his clothes cooled his burnt and reddened skin, giving him some reprieve from the tenderness of his body.
“Where’s the queen?” he inquired in a raspy voice.
“I don’t know,” Tempest replied. “It took me coming back to town to realize it, but if you look closely, the villagers who didn’t join with the invaders are running that way.” She pointed down the road toward where the barricade of soldiers was still trying to keep the flow of fleeing vampires back. Bodies littered the ground around the structure, but the soldiers were starting to lose the battle as the panicked vamps pushed against them more insistently. “The others are going the opposite way, like bees toward their queen. They’re going for the mountain road, but it’s extremely difficult to traverse, especially in the snow.”
“What’s on the other side of that road?”
“An end of the mountain chain, lakes, valleys, and more towns.”
“More vampires for them to try and convert,” he murmured.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Lots more. There’s better land and weather outside of these mountains.”
A sinking sensation filled the pit of his stomach, but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t stop them from fleeing, not now; all they could do now was escape with their lives, and the little information he’d managed to learn about the woman claiming to be queen.
“You!” someone shouted. “You!” His head turned toward a white robed figure pointing at him in the street. “You’re the one the queen wants.”
“Son of a bitch!” he spat.
The figure in white charged at them, young, reckless and looking to make a place for himself amongst the side he’d joined. William swung Tempest behind him and released her before turning to face the young man. He wasn’t in the mood for anyone’s crap, especially not this hothead. With no regard for his vulnerable areas or even his life, the vampire put his head down and charged at him.
A snarl curved William’s lip; his arm shot out. Bone crunched and splintered apart beneath his fist as it drove through the man’s chest. Gurgled blood exploded from his mouth when William wrapped his hand around his heart. He held the man’s brown eyes before jerking backward and tearing the heart from his chest.
The vampires that had escaped from the prison with them fell back as the man’s twitching body flopped onto the ground. They glanced between him and the dead vamp before pressing closer against him and Tempest.
“Fool.” William dropped the heart on the ground and wiped the blood from his hand in the snow. Turning toward Tempest, he grabbed hold of her hand again and pulled her forward. “Don’t ever do what he just did,” he told her.
She glanced back at the prone body in the snow. “Protect your chest,” she muttered.
“Always.”
He cradled Tempest’s head against his chest as they ran in between two burning buildings. Bits of debris and sparks rained down upon them. Demon hands of fire leapt toward them, seeking to use their bodies as more fuel for its hungry flames. A cry of pain escaped her; he hurriedly brushed aside the cinders falling on her cheek.
Bursting free of the crumbling buildings, he ran with her across the snow to the entrance of the cave they’d come here through. He didn’t look back as he followed her into the crevice.
CHAPTER 28
Tempest led the way through the cave, running as fast as her legs would carry her. The damp, mildew scent of the rocks couldn’t drown out the aroma of the smoke and fire consuming her home. It wafted through the cave system and clung to their clothing, hair and skin. It would forever be burned into her nostrils, and she knew she would never forget the smell or erase the screams of the dying. Nor did she want to; she should always remember
what she’d done.
She turned sideways and hurried through the rocks toward the exit of the cave. The coolness of the stones around her felt almost as good as cool water would have against her burned skin. Plunging into the lake right now sounded like a little bit of heaven, but so did getting out of here.
Ahead of her, William slowed as he approached the exit. If the rocks felt like heaven against her skin, she could only imagine what they felt like against the blisters and burns covering him. She wanted to grab hold of him and hug him close, to reassure herself he really was alive, but that would have to wait until they were free of these mountains. As soon as they were safe with his family, she intended to hold him for days on end.
William stuck his head out of the cave and looked both ways before stepping out. “Stay,” he whispered to her. She crept to the very edge and was about to walk out when he returned and took hold of her hand.
She stepped onto the ledge and moved over for the others to exit. Her gaze ran over William while she waited; she shuddered at the sight of him. His pants had been burned away nearly to his knees. Blisters were beginning to heal on his calves, but they were bright red and oozing still. One of his sleeves was completely gone, the other still intact. Blisters and burns marred his face, but like his legs, they were fading away. His broken nose had almost healed; only a large bruise across the bridge and a bump in the middle indicated it had been damaged. Two scratches on either side of his chin were still healing; she could see the muscle repairing itself.
“Where to next?” he inquired.
“Down the ledge,” she told him. “I’ll lead.”
“No,” he said and started down the ledge before she could protest.
“It ends abruptly!” she shouted into the wind at his back.
A firm squeeze of her hand was the only indication he’d heard her. She stared at the back of his head as they walked. The bottom of his hair had been singed; it wouldn’t repair itself, but at least it would grow back. The bow and quiver he’d reclaimed from where they’d hidden them away in the cave bounced against his back. He came to an abrupt halt when they arrived at the rock wall at the end of the ledge.
“We have to climb down!” she yelled to be heard over the wind whipping through the mountains and tearing at their hair and clothes. The villagers leaned forward to look over the ledge; two shook their heads and stepped away. “You either climb, or you go back and take your chances in the town!”
Their gazes darted between her and the steep cliffs; for a minute, she didn’t know what decision they would make, but they finally began to nod. “I’ll lead the way,” she said. “Follow where I put my hands and feet; keep your body close against the cliffs to avoid the wind pulling you free.”
She realized those hadn’t been the best choice of words, when all of them visibly paled. “You’ll be fine,” she assured them.
She bent down to grab hold of the wall, but William seized hold of her arm and dragged her up against his solid chest. Before she knew what he intended, his hand snaked into her hair; he pulled her head back and took hold of her mouth with a passion that left her limp and shaking. His tongue swept in to taste her with a desperation she’d never felt from him before. She clutched his arms as he made love to her mouth with deep, penetrating thrusts of his tongue.
Pulling away, his forehead rested against hers; his mouth hovered inches away from hers. “You should have listened to me, but thanks for saving my life.”
“I did listen to you,” she replied with a smile. “I kept my promise. I sent Pallas on with your patch and your message for your sister. I couldn’t leave you behind, William. I simply couldn’t.”
His eyes searched hers before he bent and kissed her nose. “I would do the same for you. I would do anything for you.”
A thrill went through her at his words. She lifted her head to kiss him again. “We must go. I’d like to catch up to Pallas before they make it to the other side of the caves, in case they run into those things.”
“I’ll be right beside you; let me get off the wall before you.”
He stepped back as she turned to the wall once more. Going on years of practice, and her drive to be free of this place, she lowered herself over the edge and began to climb down. Behind her, she heard the shuffle and the muttered words of the villagers as they followed. Halfway down the wall, she glanced up to see the line of villagers following her like ants at a picnic.
She turned her attention back to the climb down. Her arms and legs quivered with exhaustion; her fingers hurt from gripping the wall so tight. Her hair, torn free from the hood that had been knocked back from her face, whipped in the wind. The strands of it beating against her frozen cheeks stung, but she continued stalwartly on toward the next ledge.
Hugging the wall, she watched as William dropped onto the ledge and did a hasty patrol of the area before coming back and waving at her to join him. He stepped aside to let her down; his warm hand burned through her cloak to heat her back. Her entire body felt like rubber. She barely had the strength to move out of the way of the villagers before collapsing again with her back to the wall.
William settled beside her, his broad shoulder brushing against hers. A minute passed, before she looked up at the six villagers still on the wall. They were making good time for ones so inexperienced. Her gaze traveled above them, but she saw no one else on the ledges or cliff face.
She pushed herself to her feet and rested a hand against the chilled rock in order to keep herself steady. The other villagers collapsed beside her, their shoulders heaved as they bowed their heads. “We won’t have to climb again,” she told them.
“Thankfully,” the one beside her murmured.
Taking hold of her hand, William turned and hurried down the ledge with her behind him. “Up here, on your right!” she yelled to him.
She squeezed his hand when they were almost to the entrance of the final cave. She almost jumped for joy when she stepped into the shadows of the cave, but she managed to keep herself restrained.
She only made it ten feet before William jerked her back. The force of his pull caused her to stumble awkwardly. She was trying to right herself when he spun her away and pinned her against the wall with his back. A startled cry escaped her; the jagged rocks protruding from the wall scraped her skin and bit into her back. Her hands fell onto his shoulders. His muscles tensed and vibrated beneath her touch like a cat ready to pounce on its prey.
She had no idea what had caused such a reaction, but she knew something wasn’t right. Her mouth dropped when she spotted the group of white clad men and women emerging from the shadows of the cave. There were at least nine of them, but they weren’t the ones who drew her attention the most.
Her fingers tensed on William’s shoulders when Kane stepped forth. The smug smile on his lips tugged awkwardly on his scar, pulling half his face up in some kind of macabre theatre mask. His hazel eyes twinkled with delight as he turned and waved a hand at the shadows behind him.
Tempest’s heart plummeted; her stomach curdled when two more white robed figures led Pallas, Abbott, and the rest of the children forward. Agnes clung to Pallas; the tears streaming down the young girl’s face glimmered in the glow of the guard’s torch. Pallas’s eyes shone with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry,” Pallas whispered. “I didn’t know they were following us.”
Kane’s smile grew as his eyes turned toward her. Tempest almost cowered away from the malevolence in his gaze, but she remained unmoving by sheer strength of will. “Well, when I saw my missing resident of the orphanage fleeing from the home and toward the mountains, of course I became curious as to why you would suddenly reappear at the same time as…” his gaze slid pointedly to William, “you.”
William shifted before her, his muscles rippled. The power within him swelled beneath the tips of her fingers, electrifying her skin. He was so strong, so powerful, yet she didn’t think it would be enough. Not against Kane. Tempest bit into her bottom lip as Kane ruthle
ssly stared at William.
“I thought where there was smoke, there must be fire. I didn’t see her slip out of the cave to return for you, but when we caught up with the children, I knew she’d return for them.”
Tempest kicked herself in the ass for being spotted, but she’d never seen him following her, and there had been no way to remain completely hidden from view. She’d led Pallas and the others to the first ledge before taking a different way out of the mountains and back to Badwin. It had taken her longer to return to the town than she wanted, but she couldn’t put the children in more peril by risking being seen exiting the cave.
Kane’s tongue flickered out to lick his lips when his gaze slid over her. “I don’t blame you for following the girl into town, she is a fine piece.” The growl William emitted caused the village vampires to take a step back. Tempest’s hands tightened on him, in an attempt to keep a hold of him in case he tried to launch at Kane. “I’m going to enjoy using her in every way and breaking her beneath me when you’re dead. Maybe I’ll keep you alive to watch, for a while.”
Her grip on William proved useless when he tore free of her and leapt at Kane with a roar that would have made a wolf cower. Kane braced himself, but the force of William’s shoulder slamming into his chest threw them both into the shadows of the cave and out of view. A scream for him built in her throat; she managed to keep it suppressed as she spun toward the remaining white clad vampires.
Their eyes shone red in the firelight playing over them. Smiles curved their mouths as they adjusted their spears in their hands. Tempest tugged two stakes free of her cloak and braced herself the way William had taught her.
“Do you have any more of those?” a village woman with vibrant red hair inquired of her. Tempest dimly recalled her name was Moira.
She glanced over the other villagers, but they all had the same resolute look on their faces. “You saved our lives. They won’t take us without a fight, not this time,” a man said.
Digging into her cloak, she pulled out the other four stakes tucked within. They took the stakes from her. She handed a fifth vampire one of the stakes in her hand.
Vengeance Page 26
