Page 9 of Bite of Sin

I couldn’t stop my yell of shock as I dropped. My momentum made it impossible to get my limbs back under control as I rolled and flipped down a steep hill. Branches and rocks cut and tore into my skin. Pain ricocheted through my skull when I hit something solid as I kept bouncing down the dirt. Protecting my head as much as I could, I attempted to stay in a tuck and roll position.

It felt like forever before I finally came to a halt. Every part of my body was aching, and I could feel warm blood sliding down my arm. I sucked in breaths, my head still swimming when I noticed lights sweeping the ground near me. Scrambling to my hands and knees, I groaned in pain as I scurried away from the bottom of the cliff. I spotted a wide tree trunk and threw myself behind it, letting my back rest against the bark as I caught my breath.

The lights continued to search the area, but as I peeked around the tree, I didn’t see anyone coming down after me. The moon peeked through the clouds, revealing how massive the hill I’d just rolled down was. I was lucky I didn’t break anything. I counted in my head, and when I was just passing one thousand, the lights disappeared. A slice of relief cut through me, and I rested my head on the tree trunk.

I couldn’t afford to stay here much longer. We’d be prime suspects, and we needed to be safely home before they came and searched for us. I shakily climbed to my feet, patting myself down for any injuries that might be serious. Other than some nasty cuts and a throbbing headache, I seemed to be okay.

“North of the river,” I mumbled, trying to remember the way back. As long as I stayed on this side of the river, I only had to go north to find the city again. Glancing up, I frowned in disappointment. The clouds were hiding the stars. It would be easier if I could track my way back that way. Swiping my hands down my face, I attempted to wipe away the caked-on dirt as I jogged. I just needed to find the river again.

Soon, I could hear the flowing water, and I rushed forward when the river came into view. Dropping to my knees, I cupped my hands. I began washing off my face before throwing water on my arm and rubbing off the drying blood from my scrapes. I shook my hands dry before climbing back to my feet, more confident now that I could follow the river back to the city walls.

I turned around and froze in my tracks when I saw a figure in the shadows. It moved toward me, and I spun to the side, racing away. If it was Warner or Helena, they would have called out to me so I wouldn’t be startled. Whoever—or whatever—was chasing me was not a friend. Heavy steps followed me as I lost sight of the river again to try and get away.

My chest was tight as I kept running, my tired body begging for a break. I sucked in breaths with each step, willing myself to keep going. The moon was bright again, making it easier to move faster.

“No,” I screamed when I was pushed from behind.

My chest slammed into a tree, and I grunted in pain when a hand landed between my shoulder blades to keep me in place.

“Quiet,” a voice demanded under their breath. “Don’t make a sound, and I won’t hurt you.”

I complied. Not to follow his orders, but because I wasn’t sure if it was Norman’s man who had me or something much worse. But either way, I didn’t want to attract any more attention. If it was only one person, I could fight my way out.

I went rigid when fingers wrapped tightly around my upper arm, turning me around. He let me go once I was facing him, and my heart bounced in my chest, terror seeping into my bones. This wasn’t one of the city’s men. I doubted he was a man at all. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, looking out of place deep in the forest. Only one creature would be wandering these woods at night with no weapons.

Because they didn’t need any. Their strength and teeth were more than enough.

The vampire cocked his head to the side, studying me curiously. His eyes swept down my body, and I grew more uneasy by the second. My cuts were still openly bleeding, making me feel so much more vulnerable.

I didn’t dare take my eyes off him as I kept my back pressed against the tree. He looked like a normal human. All vampires did until their fangs came out. The moonlight made it possible to see some of his features as we stared at each other. If I didn’t know what he was, I’d consider him cute.

Tattoos covered his mahogany skin on one arm where his shirt wasn’t covering, and he was maybe half a foot taller than me. His black hair was cut short, and he had stubble running along his jawline. His ears were pierced, the diamonds glinting in the dim light.

Our tense stand-off was broken when another voice rang through the trees.

“Pax. Where’d you go?”

In a second, the vampire, Pax, was pressing me against the tree, his hand covering my mouth, his glare a silent warning to stay quiet.

“Smell that?” another voice asked. “He found dinner.”

“I’m eating alone tonight,” the vampire holding me yelled back. “Both of you fuck off. I’ll find you later.”

My eyes widened, pure fear invading every cell in my body as I began fighting. He quickly pulled me away from the tree, moving behind me and keeping his hand over my mouth as he forced me to walk farther away from the river. His free arm wrapped around my waist and arms, keeping them trapped at my sides.

“Don’t fight,” he murmured in my ear as we walked. “You’ll have a much worse night if my brothers find you.”

This time I ignored his command, writhing and wiggling to slip out of his hold. When that didn’t work, I lifted my feet, attempting to use my dead weight to throw him off balance. He only chuckled, effortlessly carrying me through the trees. Sinking my teeth into his fingers that were still covering my mouth, I bit down as hard as I could. He jerked his hand for a moment but didn’t release me.

“Feisty little thing,” he muttered, sounding more amused than anything else. “Now, I’m going to let you go so we can talk. But if you try to run, it won’t end well for you.”

Before I could process his words, I was free of his grasp, and I stumbled to my knees, trying to scramble away from him. My hand touched a large rock, and I wrapped my fingers around it, holding it tightly as I jumped back to my feet.

“I saw you running—and then falling down that hill,” he stated as I turned to face him. “Why were you running?”

Confusion swarmed me as I stared at him. Why the hell was he stopping to question me? Every other vampire I’d come across tried killing me the second they found out I was human. Or they tried capturing me. The Clovers had trained me from a young age to take care of myself. They needed capable people who could handle themselves when leaving the city. Orphans were usually recruited since no one ever paid attention to us. We were the kids no one wanted.

I learned how to fight. How to kill. When I had my weapons on me, I was never scared of walking these woods. Right now was different, since I had nothing. But I refused to let him see that fear.

---