Page 5 of Outcast Island

I can’t recall why I might be good at hiding pain, or keeping quiet, but that may be a good thing.

It means I’m good at listening. So I focus on my surroundings as I dig my fingers into the dirt and drag myself forward. My body still seems to be telling me tostayas if it had been commanded to do so.

Who commanded it?I wonder, if that really was the case.

There’s no one around me.

But that is going to change very soon.

The growls in the distance are coming closer, meaning the predators don’t care if I know they’re approaching.

They think I’m weak.

I’m not weak,I protest, but my broken legs aren’t healing fast enough for me to feel very confident in my thought.

A sense of danger skitters up my spine, and I keep my breathing shallow while my legs heal. That has to come first.

I expect my memories to recover as quickly as my bones seem to be mending, but my past remains shrouded in darkness. Whatever healing powers I possess, they don’t seem to be working on my memory loss.

A snarl rips through the air, forcing my chest to tighten. Pain twists inside my stomach, making me swallow a whimper as the rising agony seems to worsen, not get better.

Another growl has knives slicing through my midsection, awakening a new sort of pain that doesn’t feel right.

Can these creatures cause pain with their growls?

An overpowering mingling of scents dominates the air, overtaking the softer salty notes of the ocean and the bitter charred scents of my burning escape pod.

One of the beings I’m scenting pops through the tree line and freezes in his tracks when he spots me. The man with dark eyes smells like rotten flesh, and I can practically feel his lust from my prone position.

He grins, showing off long, dangerous fangs.

Now I know what the creatures are.

Vampires.

My eyes widen as I realize that I’m a vampire, too. Or I must be. My teeth sharpen in response to the danger. They’re long enough to cut my lips, and I peel them back in a practiced move my body remembers better than I do.

My legs are still healing, so there’s no way I can run.

I get ready to bite.

I have sharp teeth, too, asshole,I think as I give him a growl of my own.

My little snarl seems to amuse the vampire. His dark eyes glitter as he chuckles, and the sensation of his perverted desire thrums through me again, making me feel sick. “Be a good little Omega and come with me. I’ll find us a safe spot where my pack can’t get to you.” He adjusts himself, highlighting his darkintentions. “You’ll take my knot before I feed. Protection isn’t free, little one.”

Protection?

A shiver runs up my spine. My stomach turns with disgust and fear as I wonder how effective my bite will really be on this vampire. His hunger washes over me as if I can feel it for myself. Perhaps it’s just the terror painting a terrible picture of what’s about to happen, but the sensations rolling over me are a sickening mixture of his lust and need. My body can offer him something valuable.

Something he hasn’t had in a long time.

He called me an Omega. Maybe those are rare?

“I don’t want your so-called protection,” I hiss. My stomach twists in response to his rancid stench. Pain slices through my core, and my hand falls to my belly.

Everything about him is wrong.

He chuckles again. “You’re going to need an Alpha soon, little one.” He frowns when I hiss at him again. “I can sense you’re not compatible with my bloodline as far as mating goes, but that’s okay. You can still take a knot just fine, and your blood will taste better than the pathetic rations I’ve had today.” He waves his hand toward the tree line now practically rumbling with growls. Each sound awakens a new blade inside my stomach, making dark spots sprinkle over my vision as I struggle to remain conscious. “Still not convinced that you need my protection? Don’t you know where you are?”

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