“What is this place?” Simone whispered.
“A campground. Humans vacation at them.”
Simone gazed in awe at the vehicles and people gathered beneath the trees. It was an odd thing to do, yet it was peaceful here and she could see the allure of it.
“Have you never seen one before?” Killean asked.
“No. I’ve rarely been outside a stronghold, and I never encountered anything like this when I was.”
Killean clenched his teeth as he recalled how sheltered the hunter women were and how much of the world she’d been deprived of seeing. “Did you ever want to see more?” He was stunned to hear himself asking the question when he was determined not to get closer to her or learn more about her.
“Not really,” she admitted. “I was curious about the outside world of course, but not overly so. Now I think it’s strangely fascinating, maybe because I almost lost everything and still might if Joseph finds us.”
“I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Killean vowed.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Killean frowned at her. “For what?”
“For taking me from there and keeping me safe. I don’t know why you did it, but thank you. What they wanted to do to me—”
“There’s no need to thank me,” he said gruffly.
Simone was amazed to realize he was discomfited by her gratitude. “But—”
“No buts. Do not thank me.”
Simone had no idea what else to say, and honestly, a simple thank you seemed insufficient for saving her life, but she had no idea what else to do or say to express her gratitude.
They encountered a few more humans outside their campers or tents, but most of them were drinking, and the ones who weren’t were with others. If he’d been at full strength, he would have gone for the humans in groups, but he couldn’t deplete himself further by bending them to his will and changing their memories.
Killean wound his way through the RVs and tents tucked between the thick pines, oaks, and maple trees. Where the stars peeked through the bowers overhead, they were bright in the night, but no moon graced the sky. Almost half the sites were empty, but it was still only mid-May, and Killean suspected there would be a lot more people here in the summer—wherever here was.
They crossed through a section made up mostly of tents where no one was awake. Stopping, he scented the air for the stench of a Savage, but he detected only the scent of pine and burning wood. He set Simone down beside a newer Dodge truck.
Stepping away from her, he inspected her to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Her cheeks, which were so gaunt in captivity, had filled out now that she’d fed, and the dark circles under her eyes were almost gone. Her wrists had stopped bleeding, though they were still bruised and raw, as was the flesh she’d picked off her hands. A vampire as young as her shouldn’t be capable of healing so fast, even after feeding, but because they were mates, his blood accelerated her healing abilities.
“I have to feed and find us a ride out of here,” he said.
“You’re going to feed on one of these people?”
“It’s how I survive,” he growled in response to the revulsion in her tone. “It’s how you survive now too.”
Simone couldn’t stop herself from blushing as his words reminded her of the wanton way she acted while feeding on him. Out of habit, she almost apologized to him, but she clamped back the words. Unlike the hunter men she apologized to over the years for many numerous offenses, including something as small as taking up their time, Simone didn’t think Killean would appreciate her apology. She had no reason to believe this, but her instincts told her it would only make him mad.
“Can’t it wait?” she asked instead.
“No. You took a lot of blood out of me.”
The fire in her cheeks spread down her nape and across her shoulders; she couldn’t hold his gaze anymore.
“And I need to regain my strength if I’m going to fight off anyone who comes for us,” Killean continued. “Stay here. If you hear or see anything abnormal, come and get me. Do not scream for me.”
“Why not?” she asked, and her eyes flew up to his.
“Because if it’s Savages you see, your scream will only draw humans and those Savages will have no problem killing them. They could decide to turn this place into another buffet for them to dine at.”
A ripple of shock ran through her. She had no idea what to make of this mystery of a man. When he first kissed her, he was one of Ronan’s men, a Defender, and part of what Nathan termed the Alliance. The next time she saw him, he was standing beside the monster who’d shattered her life and turned her into the enemy she always feared. And now he was trying to protect humans while smelling like a Savage and planning to feed on people.
What was going on here? Before she could ask him, he turned away and knelt next to the orange tent beside the truck.
“Please don’t kill whoever’s in there,” she whispered.
Killean scowled at her. She had a right to be concerned and no reason to expect him to do anything other than kill the man he scented inside, but he wanted her to think better of him, which only pissed him off more.
Simone clasped her hands before her as she resisted going after Killean when he pulled the zipper back and disappeared inside.
Killean placed his hand over the mouth of the man sleeping within. He’d chosen this tent because the man was alone and he hadn’t smelled any drugs or alcohol coming from within. This close to the human, he was pleased to learn his assessment was correct and the man had gone to sleep sober.
The man came awake with a jolt and bolted upright, but before he could yell against Killean’s hand, Killean struck. When he sank his fangs into the man’s neck, the man went rigid and his heartbeat skyrocketed.
Killean could have taken control of the human’s mind and made this experience far less painful for him, but he was so depleted that he hadn’t wanted to waste time and energy doing such a thing. However, as the man’s agony beat against him, Killean realized more than hunger had propelled him into feeding on the man without preparing him first; if he couldn’t kill him, then he would experience the man’s suffering.
And he couldn’t kill, not only because Simone had asked him not to, but also because now that she was free there was no longer a reason for him to do so. No matter how badly he wanted to experience the pleasure of life filling him, he would not give into the impulse.
However, with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, Killean realized he needed to experience this man’s pain as much as he needed his blood. The reality of what he was doing crashed over him, and Killean withdrew from his victim. As if all the bones were pulled from his body, the man whimpered and slumped forward.
“Don’t move,” Killean commanded. Now that the blood had replenished some of his strength, he felt more comfortable using his ability.
Sitting back, Killean studied the man as he sat with his head bent forward and his gaze focused on the air mattress he still sat on. Guilt tore at Killean as a broken air surrounded the innocent man.
Despite the fact they were some of the worst of humankind, Killean had made sure to take over the minds of his earliest victims and blocked their pain from them. When he hunted with Joseph, Killean couldn’t block out the pain of his victims without drawing attention to himself, so he’d experienced the suffering of his victims. He hadn’t felt bad about it as he’d done what was necessary to survive, and those humans weren’t exactly upstanding citizens.
But this man was an innocent, one he didn’t plan on killing and hadn’t meant to harm. When he attacked this man, he’d been reacting to some new, brutal instinct—an instinct that marked him as more of a Savage than the deaths forever staining his soul could.
What was wrong with him?
You’ve made yourself into a monster.
He wanted to deny it, but it was true. He’d forged himself into this unfamiliar creature who feasted on blood and misery. He’d anticipa
ted his increased appetite for blood, but he hadn’t expected this intense craving to experience the pain of others too. Having to battle both needs was a war he wasn’t prepared to wage, and he didn’t know if he could.
CHAPTER 14
Unwilling to get close enough to close the punctures on the man’s neck with the healing agent in his saliva, Killean searched for another way to obscure his marks. He discovered a pocket knife next to the lantern beside the sleeping bag and opened it. Gripping the man’s head, Killean kept him at arms-length as he placed his knife to the man’s throat. The man flinched but didn’t recoil when Killean carved a line connecting the two punctures, obscuring what they were.
He closed the knife and returned it. Taking a moment, he gathered his rattled composure before facing the man again. When his eyes fell on the blood trickling down the man’s neck, his fangs pricked. Everything in him thirsted to drink all the blood from this man and experience the rush of life filling him with power.
No one would have to know if he killed this guy.
Simone glanced anxiously at the other tents as she watched the trees. No breeze stirred the air, and in this section of the campground, it was quiet as a tomb. From here, she couldn’t see the groups of humans gathered around the fires or hear the rushing water of the river.
The occasional snore from someone in a nearby tent broke the hush. She supposed quiet was a good thing, but dread crept up her spine, as did the growing certainty something terrible was closing in on them.
Crouching, she leaned closer to the tent. “Killean?” she whispered.
Killean’s head turned toward the flap when Simone’s voice pierced the growing haze of bloodlust clouding his judgment. She’d asked him not to kill the man, and maybe she wouldn’t know if he did, but he would know, and he wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye again or live with himself.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Are you okay?”
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
Killean edged further away from the man while he still could. He crossed the line when he killed before, but ending the life of this innocent man would make him no better than Joseph. It would forever sever any hope Killean had of somehow saving himself—if he wasn’t already damned.
“Where are your truck keys?” Killean demanded.
“Under the pillow,” the man replied in a wooden voice.
Leaning around him, Killean retrieved the keys from under the pillow. “You scratched your neck on a branch while hiking. You will remember none of this, and you will not report your truck stolen for two days. Understood?”
The man’s eyes remained glazed as he nodded. “Go back to sleep and wake up tomorrow as if nothing happened.”
The man was settling onto his mattress again when Killean pushed the flap aside and left the tent.
Simone scrambled back when Killean emerged. Her eyes shot behind him, but the flap fell into place before she could see whoever was within. The scent of fresh blood tickled her nostrils as her gaze raked Killean.
During his run to the campground, the breeze had mostly dried their clothes, but Killean’s shirt and jeans hugged his lean frame as he towered a good seven inches over her five-eight frame. The scar on his face was whiter than usual and stood starkly out against his bronzed complexion. The lethal air surrounding him caused her to step further away.
“Are they…?” Her voice broke on the question as a tremor raced through her.
Did she really want to know if he’d killed the man or not? Killean was all that stood between her and the Savages and the only one she had to rely on, what would she do with the answer? Run from him? And go where?
She doubted Nathan and the hunters were still at the hotel where she last saw them, so how would she go about finding them? And what would they say or do if she found them? She was a vampire now; the hunters may have formed an Alliance with the vampires, but what would they do with her? Even if they took her back, she certainly couldn’t just resume her old life.
But then, she had no idea what Killean intended for her. It couldn’t be any worse than what Joseph planned, and because of that, she would follow him anywhere right now.
Then his crass words from when she was a prisoner drifted back across her mind and her blood ran cold. “I knew her when she was a hunter, and the little bitch thought she was better than vampires. I think it’s time she learns what it’s like to have one between her thighs.”
Was all this because she’d broken their kiss on the beach? Had he come after her and taken her from Joseph just to punish her? She may not know him well, but she wanted to trust Killean, and if he took that trust and destroyed it, he may just ruin her too.
“What you said to Joseph about me in that place, is that why you came for me?” she blurted.
Killean frowned at her; he was still fighting against going back into the tent and finishing what he’d started, so he couldn’t recall what she was talking about. “What did I say?”
“That I thought I was better than vampires and it was time to… to…” Her words trailed off as fire crept into her cheeks.
Killean almost groaned as he recalled his words; he’d known they would come back to haunt him. “To have one between your thighs?”
Simone couldn’t look at him as she edged further away. Killean almost grabbed her and hugged her close, but he didn’t think she would react well to such a thing right now. His fingers flexed as helplessness filled him.
“No, Simone, that is not why I came for you.” Distrust and hope shimmered in her eyes when she finally lifted her head to look at him again. “You will never have to worry about me being a threat to you. Ever.”
Simone gulped as his eyes burned with golden fire. She wanted to believe him, but she barely knew him. However, even though his vulgar words echoed in her mind, a part of her believed she could trust him. He may be one of the surliest and most distant men she’d ever encountered, but he’d saved her life, and she doubted he’d risk his own life to free her just so he could punish her for breaking their kiss.
“I mean it, Simone. I will never be a threat to you, and I will never force myself on you.” Over the years, he’d been many things, but never had he pushed himself on a woman, and he never would.
“Then why did you say those things?” she asked.
“Because they were what Joseph wanted to hear.”
“I see.”
Killean knew she didn’t, but they didn’t have time for this. “We have to go.”
He was right, but she had to know if he’d killed whoever was inside that tent. She’d spent her entire life locked behind walls and doing everything expected of her because one misstep might not make her a contender for Nathan’s wife.
And all her obedience had gotten her was Nathan choosing another woman over her.
She was so unbelievably tired of being afraid of offending or annoying someone, even if it was a vampire who could easily break her neck.
“Is the person in that tent dead?” she asked with a lift of her chin.
“No,” Killean replied in a clipped tone.
He brushed by her and stalked over to the truck. Unlocking it, he opened the passenger door and held it for her. Simone hesitated before walking over to the truck; there was no reason for him to lie to her, and even if he was lying, she had no choice but to go with him.
She was almost to the truck when Killean thrust out his arm, blocking her from the vehicle. Stunned by the action, she tilted her head to look up at him and froze when she saw the bright red color of his eyes and the firm set of his chin. He radiated violence as he searched the woods surrounding them.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“A Savage,” he murmured as he scented the increasing stench of rot on the air. Then he spotted the shadow slipping through the trees a hundred feet away from them.
Simone’s heart leapt into her throat as she glanced around in panic. Joseph had found them! They would take her back, return her t
o chains, and destroy Killean! No! She didn’t care what happened, she would never return to that place alive.
“Let’s go,” she whispered and grasped his arm to tug on it.
“I think there’s only one of them.”
“So?”
“So, it has to die.”
“No, Killean. We can go. We can drive away from here and never look back.”
“If we do that, this one will alert the others to where we are and what we’re driving. They’ll be on us before we get ten miles down the road.”
Simone bit back a moan as her terror escalated. She couldn’t go back there, and if something happened to him…
She’d be done for. She knew nothing of the human world. She’d be as vulnerable to unsavory people as she was to the Savages. Not only that, but she didn’t want anything bad to happen to Killean. There was no denying he was powerful, but if he went after this Savage, he could lose, and it would be her fault. She’d weakened him by taking his blood; he’d fed since then, but was it enough to get him through a fight?
CHAPTER 15
“Killean—”
“Shh,” he whispered.
He watched the Savage slipping through the trees, but kept his other senses attuned to his surroundings as he tried to ascertain if this one was a decoy while more slipped up on them. He heard no other sounds, and the scent on the air was only strong enough for one.
“Get in the truck and lock the door,” Killean said.
Simone wanted to argue with him, but she couldn’t do anything that might put him at risk. Lifting her dress, she was reaching for something to help her inside when Killean clasped her elbow and boosted her up. A small, electrical current ran from his hand and into her arm before he settled her inside and released her as if she’d burned him.
“Here are the keys.” He shoved the keys into her hand. “Do not open these doors for anyone other than me. If I’m not back in three minutes, drive out of here.”
Bound by Darkness (The Alliance, Book 3) Page 9
