Page 114 of Taste of Forever
I lunged forward faster than he could perceive, raised my leg, and kicked him squarely in the chest. He went down, dropping the gun exactly as I’d hoped. I kicked it away, then pressed my boot down firmly on his sternum before the others could react.
“Pull those triggers and I’ll break all of his ribs before I go down,” I hissed as they raised their guns.
Heavy footsteps clambered down the basement as more heavily armed humans filed in. The small concrete room soon became filled with various scents, heartbeats, and guns trained on me. But I had their leader at my mercy, which had to count for something.
The human on the ground groaned as I transferred my weight to the foot on his chest. “Hold your fire,” he wheezed.
“How’s this for leverage?” I looked between him and the others. “If she’s in this basement in another five minutes, at least one of you is dead. Maybe two. You might have me outnumbered, but if you don’t let her go, you will not get out of this unscathed. Who wants the 25% chance of leaving here in a body bag?”
A long pause followed. The human under my foot’s ragged breathing was the only noise.
“Fine,” he rasped at last. “Un-cuff the girl.”
One of them rushed forward, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. I didn’t raise my foot until Heather’s wrists were unbound.
“Laith!” She came to me, hands shaking as they ran up my torso and touched my face, then my shoulder. “Oh God, your eyes are so red. And you got shot!”
“I’m okay.” I forced a smile, leaning down toward her. “Bullet grazed me. And I can still see my hot Science Barbie.”
Her lips met mine in a kiss that was far too brief when I was jerked roughly away from her. Four humans shoved me down into the chair she had just been in, and I heard the click of another set of cuffs attaching me to the slats in the chair back.
“You need to go,” the cold one told Heather.
But she rushed at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and bringing her face to my shoulder. I widened my legs to make room for her, wishing I could return her embrace.
“I’m not leaving you,” she whispered. “There’s no fucking way.”
“Listen to me, Heather.” The scent of her hair filled my nose and I brought my face closer to hers. “We’re not too far from the state park entrance. Get to Sanguine and alert the clan.”
“No, I can’t go.” Her arms wound tighter around my neck. “I can’t leave you here. I can’t do it alone.”
“Yes, you can. It’s our only chance.” Sweet-smelling, honey blonde hair tickled my lips as I spoke directly into her ear. “Don’t worry about me, okay? Vampire Ken can handle more than just looking good.”
My attempt at humor didn’t land as Heather cried softly into my shoulder. The humans around us shifted restlessly. Any second now, they would pull her away from me. As much as I didn’t want her to let go, daytime was approaching. The sooner she got back to Sanguine, the safer she would be. And the sooner Blood ‘til Dawn would bring righteous justice to these thugs.
“There’s a road leading down the mountain,” I said. “Follow it all the way down to the intersection. You’ll be able to get your bearings and find your way from there. I know you can do it, Science Barbie. Your blood is in me so I know exactly how capable and brilliant you are.”
Another sob shook Heather’s body, but her grip around my neck started to loosen. She pulled back until her forehead rested on mine. If I had my hands, I would have wiped her tears. But without them, I had to kiss just under her eyes, catching the salty droplets with my lips.
“What if I don’t…” She swallowed and tried again. “What if I’m…”
She couldn’t get it out but I understood what she was trying to say.What if I’m too late?The truth would be that Blood ‘til Dawn would avenge me, and she’d have a home with them for as long as she desired. The clan would take care of her in the event of my death, but that wasn’t what she needed to hear.
“You won’t be, because you’re my blood mate and we have centuries more to live, okay?” I kissed her brow, hoping I wasn’t betraying my own anxiety. “I’m not going home to Temkra until you and I are over eight-hundred years old and we have a beautiful, fulfilling life behind us. It’s as simple as that. We’ve barely just begun. So Iwillbe here, waiting for you until you get back.”
“Enough already,” grumbled one of Soren’s men. “Let’s go.”
Heather’s shaking fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt. “Promise me. Promise me you’ll still be here when I get back.”
It killed me to make a vow I wasn’t sure I could keep. It went against everything Blood ‘til Dawn stood for. But the most important thing was getting her the fuck out of this cabin and away from these men.
“I promise.” Another tear gathered on her lashes and I kissed the corner of her eye. “And when we’re home, I can’t wait to go dancing with you again.”
My brave, brilliant mate tried to smile, but her lips just wobbled. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“You don’t have to. It’s done.” I smiled back, taking in all her lovely features for possibly the last time.
“Alright, time’s up.” One of the men grabbed Heather by the arms and dragged her away. She stumbled a little, but didn’t resist as her tear-filled eyes remained locked on me. I forced my chin high, keeping a slight smile on my lips as if I had it all under control.
