Page 63 of Cloak of the Vampire
Right. Perhaps I could swim out from under the cave?
After taking a deep breath, I dived back into the water. I went as far down as possible and swam around the cave, looking for an exit, if there was one.
But it seemed luck hadn’t completely evaded me, because I saw an opening in the lowest part of the wall. Hoping it was the right direction, I dived again, entered the underwater tunnel, and swam as fast as I could.
The tunnel, however, refused to end, and I was starting to suffocate. I didn’t know if vampires could die from lack of air, but I sure as hell knew it felt like it. The longer I didn’t breathe, the slower and more sluggish I became, which I really couldn’t afford.
I was so close to freedom. So close to clean air, unstifled by Leagues and Lords and vampires.
What felt like hours later, the tunnel ended in open water. At once, I propelled myself upward, and the moment my head broke the surface, I sucked in a much-needed breath.
I was exhausted, but I needed to get to solid ground. So I swam toward a patch of green nearby and finally found myself out of the water.
I lay on the grassy ground, unable to do anything but breathe.
Unfortunately, the tiny bit of luck I’d had was entirely used up, because just then, something metallic pressed against the back of my head and an unfamiliar voice said, “Don’t move, bloodsucker, or I’ll rip your head off.”
CHAPTER 23
I sat with my back against a tree and a man next to me, holding an actual, honest-to-God scythe an inch from my throat, making sure that no matter where I wanted to move, the sharp blade awaited me.
Blood poured from my temple where the same man had pressed the blade against my skin, my clothes were torn and wet, and my skin was full of scratches from when the other two men dragged me across the park away from the lake and into this secluded spot.
Now the other two men were hovering over a shiny laptop while one typed. “Signal’s weak,” one of them, who had a mole on his chin, told the other, who had waist-long dark hair. “Might take a while for him to answer.”
The long-haired man tsked. “Should’ve given us his number,” he muttered bad-temperedly. “Instead, he’s so fucking paranoid, he—”
“Shut up,” chin-mole guy cut him off. “You’ve been talking shit all night, and I can’t hear it anymore.”
“Fuck you, Yannis,” the long-haired man snarled.
The one with the chin mole, Yannis apparently, glowered at him. “You better shut your trap before I break your neck, Felix.”
Felix reddened but pursed his lips, remaining silent.
“You’re one quiet vamp,” the man next to me whispered, making me jolt. “Didn’t even struggle when we captured you.”
I glanced at him. “I’m tired,” I told him, which was the truth. Also, I was trying to figure out a way to get out of this stupid situation I’d gotten myself into.
“Still, you’re far too complacent,” the man murmured. “I would’ve thought you bloodsuckers had more fight in you.”
At that moment, I was more confused than anything else. First of all, how the hell did these men know of vampires? And second of all—“What makes you think I’m a vampire?”
He chuckled quietly. “Your kind can’t fool us. Our noses are far superior to yours. You don’t need to show your fangs or glowing eyes for us to get the memo.”
That was disturbing, and it begged another question. “Who are you?” I asked as a sudden thought crossed my mind. Were they even human?
If vampires existed, it wouldn’t be so far fetched to believe there was more than one supernatural being in existence. Who were our natural enemies? Going by popular fiction, I’d been made to believe it was werewolves. But these guys didn’t look like werewolves, or how I imagined werewolves would look. They looked like people.
Now I was scared.
“That’s none of your concern,” the scythe holder said. “All I can say is, we’ve been on the lookout for one of you to finally show up here in Vegas. Tonight is our lucky night ... but not yours.”
That was the understatement of the century.
A rustling sound from somewhere up ahead made Yannis and Felix jump to their feet, on high alert. “Stay here,” Yannis ordered, pulling out what seemed to be a small handgun before walking toward the sound.
Felix glanced at the scythe holder. “Keep an eye on it, Wode. I’ll be back.”
