Page 84 of After Darkness Falls

“Sorry?”

He shrugged off her apology.

“How do you feel?”

She paused, having failed to notice any difference, but now that he pointed it out, she was…good.

Great.

The very notion of having been exhausted, spent, and ready to give up moments ago confused her.

She got to her feet, wondering why she’d been on her knees at all.

How did she feel?

Restless. Unfocused. Chaotic.

But above all…

“Angry,” she replied.

Eirikr grinned.

“Good.”

37

Newborn

Whoever was behind the attack had been smart, Levi had to give them that. Sending their feral dogs first had ensured that the huntsmen and knights alike were occupied, and then their foot soldiers had been scattered throughout the unmanned territory.

Levi and the huntsman at his back made short work of the group they’d encountered before sending Chloe on her way, then headed downhill to aid the others.

It wasn’t pretty.

Levi hadn’t dealt with huntsmen for an age, but he had to admit that they could certainly be useful. Not all of them were Jack Hunter, however. They were losing ground.

Another hundred ferals had surrounded three of them, two young men and a woman who was quite gifted with her many knives. Her, he knew of. They weren’t acquainted, but there was only a handful of born vampires at any given time, and Levi made a point to remember their faces. Tris. Adrian’s daughter. He positioned himself as her six, guarding her back as they fought through that lot.

Once they were dealt with, Levi said, “I hear three other groups—two south, one east. Let’s split.”

Jack went south with the boys while Tris headed east with him.

She froze as they arrived, screaming, “Bash!”

The warning came too late. A feral behind the huntsman plunged its eight sharp fangs into his shoulder. From where he stood, Levi could smell the blood; it had broken the skin, which meant the man was already lost.

Most would have fallen and screamed in agony, but Bash was strong. Not only did he remain on his feet, he also kept fighting, swinging his ax at any threat around him.

Levi held Tris’s arm as she rushed toward her friend. She glared at him, but he just shook his head.

“There’s nothing to do now. If you get close…”

“Touch me again, you lose that arm,” the woman growled.

She would make a devastating immortal when she changed.

If she didn’t turn feral first.

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