Page 41 of Vampire Bite

I swallowed hard, nodding as I forced myself to focus. This wasn’t the time to fall apart.

We reached a large, open chamber where cages lined the walls. My breath caught in my throat. Inside, humans and vampires huddled together, their faces pale and gaunt. Some looked up at us with wide, terrified eyes. The others didn’t even seem to notice we were there.

“Help them,” Lucas ordered, his voice sharp as he shoved a ring of keys into my hand.

I fumbled with the keys, my hands trembling as I unlocked the first cage. A young woman stumbled out, clutching a child to her chest.

“Go,” I urged, pointing toward the exit. “Stay low and follow the others.”

The explosions continued outside, shaking the walls and making the ground beneath us tremble. Each sound felt like a countdown to disaster. The shifters wouldn’t stay distracted forever, and when they came back, we’d be outnumbered.

As I freed the last group, a guttural growl echoed from the corridor behind us. My blood turned to ice as a massive shifter stepped into the chamber, its glowing eyes fixed on us.

“Run!” Lucas shouted, stepping in front of me.

I hesitated, my feet rooted to the ground. I couldn’t leave him.

“Annika, go!” he barked, his voice laced with urgency.

I finally obeyed, herding the freed captives toward the exit. My chest ached with every step, fear for Lucas clawing at me as the sounds of the fight behind me grew louder.

The air felt thick as I ran, the screams and snarls from behind searing into my mind. I herded the captives forward, my breaths shallow and sharp as we wove through the corridors toward the exit. The ground shook beneath us with every explosion, dust raining down from the crumbling walls.

“Keep going!” I urged the group, my voice strained. “We're almost there.”

But my mind was elsewhere, back in that chamber with Lucas, facing down that shifter alone. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around, to run back and fight by his side, but I couldn't. There were too many lives depending on me to get them out.

The first rays of moonlight spilled through a gaping hole in the wall ahead, a beacon of salvation. I ushered the group through, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of danger. As soon as the last person stumbled outside, I turned back.

“Annika!” Lena’s voice cut through the chaos as she sprinted toward us from the tree line. “What’s happening?”

“Lucas… he’s still inside!” I gasped, my chest heaving. “There’s a shifter—”

She grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. “Stay here. Keep them safe. We’ll get him.”

Before I could argue, she was gone, vanishing back into the stronghold with Callum and the others. I stood frozen, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to control the panic clawing at my throat.

My heart hammered as I paced near the group, straining to hear anything over the distant roars and crashes. Every second felt like an eternity, my mind conjuring every worst-case scenario imaginable.

Seconds felt like hours, as my eyes fixed on the jagged entrance to the stronghold. Every muscle in my body was tense. My heart was beating so fast it was as if it were about to jump right out of my chest. The captives huddled behind me, as frightened and exhausted as I was.

“Come on,” I whispered under my breath, my gaze darting between the shadows. Where are you?

The distant roars of shifters echoed from within the building, sending a chill down my spine. My fingers curled into fists. They’ll make it. They have to.

And then, from the darkness behind me, I heard it: a low growl. My breath caught as I turned slowly, my blood running cold. Shadows shifted between the trees, too fast and too deliberate to be the wind. My stomach dropped.

“Shifters,” I whispered, the word barely audible.

“Run,” I ordered, my voice firmer than I felt. “Now!”

Some hesitated, their fear paralyzing them, but the sight of the glinting eyes in the shadows snapped them into motion. They began to scatter, darting toward the relative safety of the forest.

The first shifter lunged from the darkness, a mass of fur, claws, and snarling teeth. I barely had time to dodge, the creature’s claws grazing my shoulder as I twisted away. Pain shot through me, but I didn’t stop.

“Keep going!” I shouted at everyone, watching the fleeing group.

Another shifter appeared, its massive form blocking my path. My knife felt pathetic in my hand as I raised it defensively. It snarled, baring teeth like daggers, its yellow eyes locking on mine.

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