Page 72 of Finn
He spun at the last second, catching my arm with his knife. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I ignored it.
I grabbed his wrist, forcing the knife away from Finn, and slammed my forehead into his face.
He staggered back, blood streaming from his nose, but his grin remained intact.
“You’re wasting your time, Gabriel,” he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. “You can’t protect him forever.”
“Watch me,” I growled, stepping between him and Finn.
Gael wiped the blood from his nose, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up that act,” Gael said.
Before I could react, Finn threw something small and metallic onto the floor. A smoke bomb.
Thick, acrid smoke filled the room, blinding and choking us.
“Gabriel, let’s go!” Finn shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the door.
We stumbled into the hallway, coughing and blinking through the haze.
The smoke bomb had bought us time, but I knew Gael wouldn’t let us go that easily.
“Run!” I urged Finn, and we bolted for the motel’s back exit.
The night air hit us like a slap, cold and biting against our skin. We didn’t stop, sprinting toward the tree line beyond the parking lot.
The woods were dark, the towering trees casting long shadows that seemed to swallow us whole.
I could hear Finn’s ragged breathing beside me, and behind us, the unmistakable sound of pursuit.
I could hear a second set of footsteps and silently cursed. Gael had another vampire with him.
“They’re coming!” Finn gasped.
“I know,” I said, my voice tight. “Keep moving!”
We wove through the trees, dodging branches and leaping over roots.
Gael and his ally were faster, but we had the advantage of knowing how to fight smart.
“This way!” I said, pulling Finn toward a denser part of the forest.
The vampire behind us let out a furious snarl, and I could hear his footsteps closing in.
I turned sharply, grabbing a fallen branch and swinging it with all my strength.
It caught him across the chest, knocking him off balance.
“Go, Finn!” I shouted, but he hesitated.
“I’m not leaving you!” he snapped.
“Finn, now!” We didn’t know how many vampires Gael brought with him. I didn’t like our odds.
He finally obeyed, running deeper into the woods. I turned back to the vampire, who was already recovering.
This one I knew. Jasper wasn’t like the vampire I killed earlier. He was bigger, stronger, older.
