Page 76 of Hunted
He groaned.“A bit less than that now that we’ve stood here jawing.Fuck me.”He jogged back to me.“What do we do?”
I shoved a bit of my power his way, urging him back down the hallway toward safety.“Wedo nothing.Yougo join the others.I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Dusek—” but I didn’t hang around to listen to his complaints.There wasn’t time.I shoved my magic toward him again, the terror making him take several running steps away before he caught himself.“Fine.Fine!I’m going.Damn it, man.Don’t fucking die!”Then the sorcerer took off toward safety.
I called to the darkness in me, letting myself dissolve into black fear, stretching myself, thinning and becoming one with the shadows, not quite here, not quite gone.Then I drifted, pushing myself through layers of stone and drywall, through earth and pipes as I misted across the west side of the lower levels, searching.
I almost missed him.
There.A lifeforce, but...not.
He was dead.Mostly.I dropped out of the shadow space, rolling my shoulders to shake off the feeling of wrongness as I compacted myself back into a human-shaped body.Then I crouched near the pile of rubble.
Three dead cultists littered the floor, their skin sliced to ribbons, shredded by vampire claws and teeth.He hadn’t run.He had stayed here and fought with us to defend our home.If Acacia had ordered him away, he had found a way to stay.
“Josh.”My voice was a hoarse whisper as I reached for his pale, blood-covered face.His torso was crushed under rock and earth, one of his legs sticking out at the wrong angle like a broken doll.And yet...dead-not-dead to my bubak senses.
Snarling, I heaved at the debris.But I wasn’t strong enough to move it in this form.And if I shifted into my towering bubak form, not only would I not fit in here, I would likely bring even more of The Fox collapsing down on top of us when I tried to move the weight pinning him to the ground.
He needed Ruya.She could heal him.But I couldn’t bring her to him, there was no time and I wouldn’t risk her life.And also...he’d still be stuck.
I started when his eyelids snapped open and dull hazel eyes zeroed in on me.His mouth opened and closed, but no sound escaped.He couldn’t draw breath to make a sound.It was gut wrenching to watch, even for me.I cast about frantically, looking for a shard of glass, a sharp stick...my eyes landed on Josh’s hand, flung out limply between us—and tipped in wicked vampire claws.
Not giving myself time to think, I grabbed his index finger and used his claw to slash a line across my arm.Then I shuffled closer, letting my dark blood trickle onto his face, trying to get as much as I could into his mouth.I grunted when he lifted his head enough to bite me, striking out with lighting speed and deadly strength.
“We only have a couple of minutes before this whole place comes down on us,” I ground out.“Take what you need, but do it fast.Don’t worry about hurting me.”
I wasn’t sure if he was really in there right now.But either he understood, or the monster in him took over.Either way, he bit deeper, sucked harder, drew on me fast and deep.I just hoped it was enough.Eventually, he lifted his free hand, wrenching his fangs from my skin and shoving me away.
Then he gritted his teeth together and thrashed.I helped as much as I could, lifting up on the stone that pressed down on him.In a sudden burst of supernatural strength, he pressed his free hand under the rock, drew his broken leg under him, and heaved, lifting the rubble just enough to roll free as the pile shuddered and threatened to cause an even worse collapse.
I darted backward and stood, reaching out a hand for the vampire...who was no longer where he had been.I blinked and found him standing right next to me, stooped and holding one arm over his middle as he drew in a gasping breath and let out an inhuman sound.His body was shattered, but he stood next to me and shook, his hazel eyes no longer dull but flashing with hunger and power.
“Fuck,” he coughed out.“Dusek...your blood...yourpower...”those newly alive eyes lit on my neck, and I scowled.
“Not now,” I snapped, shoving him toward a hole in the opposite wall.“We need to get to the tunnels before the spell Sanka set goes off and brings the ceiling down on us.”
His eyes widened and he gave me a curt nod.“Go.I will follow.”
I started to run, but I knew we weren’t going to make it.There wasn’t enough time.I had wasted too much time trying to free him.
He blew past me, stopped and waited impatiently.“Hurry, Bubak!”
I blinked at him in surprise.Then I laughed, the sound unhinged and a bit frantic.“You’re faster than a human.”
He rolled his eyes.“And you can become shadows.Move,now.”His smooth voice cracked.“I don’t want to die like that again.”
The haunted look in his eyes was enough to make my bubak nature perk up with sly interest—being crushed nearly to death and left there to rot in his not-quite-dead state was a nightmare as awful any I could conjure.I clapped a hand on his shoulder, then took shadow form and rushed forward, scouting out open routes as he followed as vampiric hyper speed.
Every second that passed was a death knell in my head.I’d probably be able to phase out and escape the explosion, depending on what kind of spell Sanka had set.But Josh wouldn’t be so lucky.It seemed like an eternity before I finally reached the entrance to the tunnels, sweeping into the cool darkness and turning to look for Josh.
The vampire’s toes crossed the rough threshold.Sadavir yanked the man into his arms in a crushing embrace.Sanka slammed the reinforced steel door shut.The spell detonatedjustas the door sealed, a roar of sound and magic that destroyed any possibility of returning to our sanctuary.
Robin silently herded us forward, all of us deafened by the explosion.When we reached a bend in the tunnel, she paused to assess.She, Sanka, and Yukio started talking about spells while I slumped into a shadowed corner to catch my breath and steady myself.Close.That had been so damned close.
Ruya fussed over Josh, forcing him to sit on the dirty ground while she crawled nearly into his lap, her hands flitting over him, pouring golden healing magic into his broken form.He’d be okay.Thank fuck.
Sadavir drifted over to me, back in human form.His eyes still glowed, and his alpha aura was expanded, pushing outward with a fury and determination that made even a gamma want to bow.I straightened, but I didn’t get a chance to form words before he was on me.Strong arms hauled me into a fierce embrace, and he squeezed me so hard I wheezed.
