For the Blood: For the Blood Book 1

by Cassidy, Debbie

Logan ran a hand over his face.

  Noah stood up, and his chest rose and fell in a heartfelt sigh. “Can you read sign language?”

  Shit. “No.”

  “I’ll go with them,” Jace said. “We can take the van to the edge of town and go on foot from there.”

  “Then it’s up to Ash,” Noah said.

  Ash, the silent mountain, stood with his arms crossed over his chest. I raised both brows. He nodded once, curt and short.

  Logan kept his gaze on the ground, his jaw ticking. Fuck him.

  “That’s settled then. However,” Noah said, “we’d appreciate a gesture of good faith.”

  My skin pricked. “What kind of gesture?”

  “Before you head out with Ash and Jace, you allow us to take some blood.”

  I backed up. “Hell, no. The deal was to feed you guys once I got my friends back.”

  “Yes.” He tucked in his chin. “However, if we’re going to be in fighting form then we’ll need to feed before we head into a Feral den. What I’m asking for now is a little blood, drawn clinically.”

  No, this was more than that. He wanted the blood to tide them over just in case I ran off and didn’t come back. He didn’t trust me. And why would he? I didn’t trust them either, despite Gina’s assurances. I didn’t trust that Ash wouldn’t just go out there and pretend to track and come back empty-handed, which was why I’d insisted on going with him. That and the fact that it was a chance to see how he operated. My strength came in combat and evasive maneuvers; tracking had never been my forte, and knowledge was the only power in this world.

  “Fine. You can take some blood, but no fang action.”

  “Thank you,” Noah said, some of the tension melting from his beautiful face.

  Was the politeness a lie? A mask he wore to hide the beast beneath? Noah may have been willing to cooperate and play nice, but Logan’s growl of agitation spoke otherwise.

  “You want us to drink from a bag?” Logan’s tone was heavy with disgust. “That may work for you, Noah, but I take my blood hot from the vein.”

  Noah’s expression was glacial as he turned to Logan. “This time, you’ll take it from the bag or you’ll go without. Am I making myself clear?”

  For a moment, I thought Logan was going to argue, but then he smiled that cocky smile of his and canted his head. “I do love it when you get your boxers in a twist, Noah. We’ll do it your way … for now.”

  Was that a threat? Noah didn’t look too fazed. He flicked his gaze away from Logan dismissively. “Jace. Take Eva to lab two and draw the blood please.”

  Logan’s smile was cunning and sharp. “Why Jace? You’re so much better at it.”

  Noah ignored him and turned back to his keyboard and screen. “Ash, you can leave in an hour and a half, once Eva has recovered from the blood-letting.”

  “Come on,” Jace said in his mellow voice. “Let’s get this done.”

  * * *

  Lab two turned out to be two doors down. It was a small, white-washed clinical space with several fridges containing vials and various chemicals I’d never heard of. Jace pulled out a high-backed stool for me and then busied himself with the equipment he needed to draw blood. He wasn’t as tall as the other guys, probably five-foot-nine, if that, lithe and athletic. His biceps strained his T-shirt as he worked, and my eyes couldn’t help but stray to his butt packaged perfectly in his jeans. My neck heated, and I averted my gaze. It was normal to be attracted to the opposite sex—I was a red-blooded female, after all—but these were Fangs and I was nothing but food to them.

  “Are you all right?” Jace asked, his back to me.

  “Fine. Was that a control room?”

  “Yes,” Jace said. “We control the bunker from there. Noah practically lives in that room. Did you notice the side room with the camp bed in the corner? No? Not surprised. Logan was filling the room with his ego as usual.”

  “I don’t like him.”

  “Not many people do. But he’s not so bad. Kinda like a porcupine with a soft squishy center.”

  “What is this place? This bunker?”

  He glanced over his shoulder, his dark hair flopping across his brow. “An abandoned government apocalypse shelter. Fully stocked, meant to house around fifty essential personnel for around fifty years.”

  “And you came across this place how?”

  He turned to me, needle in hand. “Can I have your arm?”

  I rolled up my sleeve, and he tapped the underside of my elbow for a vein. “You have good veins.” He glanced up as he slid the needle in. “I bet you’re thinking if he licks his lips I’m outta here.”

  I couldn’t help the snort of surprise that fell from my mouth. He expertly attached the cannula and the vial began to fill with my blood. He cleared his throat and looked away for a long beat. The pulse at the base of his throat jumped under his skin.

  I was doing this to him. My blood was doing this.

  “You didn’t answer my question about how you came across this bunker.”

  He inhaled, close-lipped. “I know.”

  Fine. I’d try another one. “So, why isn’t Noah doing this?”

  “I’m wounded. Don’t you appreciate my gentle touch?”

  He switched vials, his piercing blue eyes flicking up to meet mine briefly. My lips threatened to smile. Shit, it was hard not to let my guard down around him. It was probably the lack of visible fang that did it. He looked way too human.

  “Where are your fangs?”

  He smiled ruefully. “I don’t have any.”

  “You don’t have fangs?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then how do you feed?”

  His nostrils flared delicately, and his throat bobbed. He held up his hands and wriggled his fingers. “With these. I’d offer to show you, but that might be a little premature seeing as we’ve only known each other less than an hour.”

  “That makes no sense. You’re a Fang and Fangs have fangs.”

  He finished filling the second vial of blood. “We’re not like other Fangs, Eva. Stick around, and you may just learn something.”

  Okay, color me intrigued. The knowledge-hungry, wanton bitch inside me was up on all fours panting for more.

  “Is this something to do with Ash having another form besides his Fang form?”

  He looked up at me in surprise. “Gina spoke to you about that?”

  The temptation to pretend that I knew more than I did was strong, but what if it got Gina into trouble? And why did I care? “She mentioned something but didn’t get a chance to elaborate.”

  “Well, you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “You’re not going to tell me?” I injected a teasing tone into my voice. Yeah, I could charm too if I wanted.

  He blinked at me in surprise and then let out a bark of laughter. “Nice try.” He finished with the third vial. “I’ll tell you what. Once we have your friends back, if you stick to your end of the bargain, I’ll do more than tell you. I’ll show you.”

  Damn him with his hooks. He was good, and for a moment, I almost forgot he was the hunter, and I was the prey.

  He took out the cannula and pressed a cotton ball to the puncture before taping it on.

  “We better get this mission underway then.” I made to stand, and the world swayed.

  Jace grabbed hold of me, pulling me against him, all hard planes and warm dips. Shit, he smelled good, like watermelon, fresh and sweet. The forgotten feminine side of me lurched to the surface, inhaling deeply and shivering with pleasure. No. Not conducive. It was the blood loss making me lose my grip.

  He pulled back to look down at me. “Take it easy. You need to have something to eat. Wait here.” He gently pushed me back into my seat and walked across the room to a mini fridge. He returned a moment later with a small carton of orange juice and an energy bar. “Here, drink and eat these.”

  “And you’re going to drink that?” I jerked my head in the direction of the tray, where my blood sat in four vials pro

bably coagulating. “You should put it in the fridge or something.”

  His throat bobbed again and then he gathered the vials. “Look, why don’t you go back to your room and lie down for half an hour. Ash will come get you when it’s time to leave.”

  I drained the orange juice and made a second attempt to stand; this time, the world remained stationary. “He better.”

  Jace exhaled through his nose. “You need to trust us, Eva.”

  “I don’t need to do anything. Trust is earned.”

  “Then give us a chance to earn it. The world is filled with monsters, and not all of them have fangs.”

  He had a point. The monsters that had tried to feed us to the thing under the bridge had been very human. “I guess anyone can become a monster given the right incentive.”

  I left him with the vials and headed back toward my room, eager to just get away and think.

  Chapter Twelve

  They were Fangs, but so far they hadn’t actually harmed me. What to make of that?

  Nothing.

  It was what it was.

  All I could do was be wary and vigilant. I was useful to them, and as long as that remained the case, they’d keep me safe and hopefully help me with my goal—to get the key to someone who could actually tell me what the fuck it was for.

  Do what you must to survive, Dad had said, and as abhorrent as playing lunch to the Fangs was, right now, it was my best shot.

  A shadow fell over me, and I sat up quickly.

  Ash stood at the foot of my bed. How had he gotten in without me hearing? So much for remaining vigilant.

  I stood up. “Time to go?”

  He scanned me from head to foot and then held up his hand in a stay-here gesture. Okay … minutes passed and he returned with a dark bundle of clothes. He held them out to me, and then walked out of the room.

  Obviously, my current attire wasn’t good enough. What was this? Black pants and a black long-sleeved shirt. They were a smaller size. Definitely made for a female. Where had he gotten these from? Eyes on the door just in case he strode back in, I changed quickly, folded the joggers and scoop-neck shirt, and popped them on the end of the bed. My hand went to my breastbone again, patting the key out of habit.

  There was a knock on the door.

  I pulled it open and stepped right into him, my nose hitting his chest, brushing against the soft material of his shirt. His hands shot out to steady me, gripping my biceps firmly but gently. He made a low sound in the back of his throat—a question? A chastisement. I wasn’t sure.

  I looked up into his face, too close, too powerful. His eyes were like silver stars. My body tensed. What was I thinking?

  He blinked slowly and then released me and stepped out of my personal space.

  “Shall we go?” I arched a brow.

  He reached up and touched the base of my neck. My breath stalled, and I froze. What was this? What was he doing? Jerkily, afraid of what I’d find, I raised my gaze to meet his. His eyes were closed, his head canted slightly to the side as if he was listening to something. The pads of his fingers remained on my pulse for a moment longer and then he dropped his hand.

  I rubbed the side of my neck where the impression of his fingers remained like a brand. “What was that about?”

  He turned and walked away.

  I guess that was my cue to follow.

  * * *

  The bunker was huge. Fifty people, Jace had said. This was one of four floors, I discovered, as Ash led me up flights of stairs to a four-by-four room with a round hatch in the ceiling. A ladder led up to the hatch. He stopped and leaned up against the wall. I guess we were waiting for Jace?

  “How long have you guys been here?” The question was out before I realized I had no way of understanding him if he signed the answer.

  He offered me a flat look.

  “Years?”

  He nodded.

  “How many?”

  He held up ten fingers.

  They weren’t my goal, learning about them wasn’t essential in the grand scheme of things, but I’d never come across something new and not wanted to understand it. Dad had said it would be my undoing. That I needed to focus on the goal. Focus on the main objective. The key. But it was impossible not to have questions about a bunch of uninfected Fangs living in a government bunker. They’d obviously dodged the virus by making a deal with the humans of Haven, but my conversations with Gina and Jace told me there was more to these guys than met the eye.

  The door we’d just come through opened, and Jace entered the tiny chamber, which felt suddenly much smaller. He was dressed in head-to-toe black just like Ash and me.

  He grinned at me. “Ready to do some recon?”

  My mouth wanted to return the grin, but I bit the insides of my cheeks. These weren’t my friends. They were a means to an end.

  “Ookay.” Jace headed for the ladder. “Follow me, and breathe through your mouth. It doesn’t smell great up here.”

  He climbed up, turned the lever lock on the hatch door, and pushed it open. He vanished through the circular exit, and Ash ushered me up the ladder. The smell hit me as soon as my head breached the hatch—shit and decay. I gagged.

  “Mouth. Breathe through your mouth,” Jace reminded me.

  I climbed out into what looked like a sewer pipe—the drip of stagnant water and musty, dank air greeted me. We couldn’t be too far in as there was enough light for my night vision to kick in. No wonder no one had found this place. Feral sense of smell was super strong. This must be unbearable for them. Ash and Jace seemed to be taking it well, but then they’d lived here for ten years.

  “This way.” Jace strode off, his boots slapping against the rusty metal of the pipe. Mucky water pooled on the sidelines, but overall, the pipe was dry.

  Ash’s presence loomed behind me, strangely comforting, and then the silvery rays of the permanently full moon greeted us. A large, dark shape partially blocked the exit to the pipe. A black van. Jace opened the side door and it slid back.

  “You can ride in the back,” he said.

  I climbed up, and he shut the door on me. There were seats along the opposite side but no belts. I opted for kneeling between the front seats. I needed to see where we were and where we were headed.

  The Fangs climbed in, and Jace started the engine. We were off.

  “Feral Fangs usually have a roost within four miles of their hunting ground,” Jace explained. “They like to have a place they can get back and forth from easily to avoid the sun. So, we head back toward Haven, stash the van on the intersection outside the town lines, and go on foot from there.”

  Made sense. “I need a weapon.”

  Ash reached down and then something glinted. The tulwar. He lifted a leather sheath and back strap and slid the sword into it before passing it to me.

  Jace’s head whipped to the side as he shot his companion a surprised look. “You’re giving her your sword.”

  Ash spoke with his hands.

  I leaned forward between the seats. “What did he say?”

  Jace shrugged. “He said he wants you to have it.”

  It was beautiful, and he’d cleaned off all the blood, and it was mine? My throat was suddenly tight.

  “Thanks.” I retreated to the back of the van to strap it on.

  The desolate road passed by. This had once been a motorway linking towns. Dad said cars had dominated here, whizzing by at a hundred miles per hour. Now the terrain was overrun with flora and the asphalt was broken and cracked. Jace steered expertly, avoiding the worst of the terrain. He’d obviously made this journey often enough to drive on instinct. Ash sat forward, his hands flat on the dashboard and his attention on the road as if searching for something.

  The minutes ticked by and then a lopsided blue sign surrounded by bushes came into view. Jace swerved, driving the van into the foliage. Branches scratched at the van and then the engine died.

  Ash signed again.

  Jace nodded. “Okay, we stay back, let Ash catch the scent, and we follow his lead.”

  We piled out of the van, and I had to fight the bushes to get back onto the road. The cool air kissed my brow, soothing the spots where branches had scratched at my skin. And then we were on the move. We ran, keeping low to the ground, three dark figures blending into the night. The tulwar was snug in its sheath against my back. A reassuring presence. Damn, I’d missed having a weapon.

  Ash was unarmed, but Jace had a weapons belt, and the hilt of a dagger protruded from it. The road that Tobias, Emily, and I had taken to get to Haven came into view. We stuck to the sidelines, using the dead vehicles as cover as we got closer. Then Ash stopped, his head in the air as he took a couple of deep whiffs with his eyes closed. He cut across the road, away from Haven and into the brush on the opposite side. He stopped, here and there, to examine a branch or a leaf. What was he seeing? Blood? Was he smelling the Feral? He paused to run his hand over the ground where a boot print was pressed into the soft earth.

  “Feral don’t wear boots,” Jace said. “It looks like they may have taken your friends this way.”

  Ash nodded, and we continued through what had become a jungle. The scent of pollen was strong here and strange flowers hung off the dancing reeds. Ash stopped and held up his fist.

  “He wants us to wait here,” Jace explained.

  “Yeah, I got that.”

  Ash vanished into the foliage and it was just me and Jace and his super fresh cologne.

  “Your friends … How long have you known them?” Jace asked softly.

  “Tobias and I grew up together at the compound. We’ve known each other all our lives. Emily’s just someone we picked up.” My tone was flat, even to my ears.

  “You don’t sound like that was your choice.”

  “It was unavoidable at the time.”

  He studied the side of my face. “You’re going back for Tobias, aren’t you? You don’t give a crap about Emily.”

  He’d hit the nail on the head. “Attachments make you weak. Tobias is an unavoidable attachment, but I don’t intend to make any more.”

  He was still staring at me, his gaze hot on the side of my face, and a lick of anger ignited in my stomach.

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