Page 12 of Bite of Sin

“She was,” I muttered, still not believing his words. “But I don’t understand why you care.”

“I’m considering it my good deed of the week.” He gave me a boyish grin, making me almost forget what he was for a moment. “Better run along before I change my mind.”

I hesitantly took a step back. Then another one when he made no move to follow. I slowly crept around him, my hands clenched into fists, waiting for him to attack. But he stayed completely still. I didn’t stop walking, and once darkness made it impossible to see him, I turned and bolted.

I couldn’t hear him coming after me, but that didn’t put me at ease. He wouldn’t just let me go. What if he followed me back to the city? Letting a vampire find the tunnel would put everyone at risk. But I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I had no food or anything else I needed to survive out here.

He was right about my wounds. When they came to question me, they’d realize in an instant where I’d been. I’d have to leave before they found out. But I needed to pack first, so I’d have a chance at surviving outside the walls.

I searched for the river as dread filled me. Life was about to change, and not for the better.

Chapter4

Zan

“Maybe we should have waited for him,” Viggo muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

“Pax is fine,” I replied as we strode through the woods. “And we even left him the fucking truck.”

Viggo sighed. “You know how he is. He’s always getting himself into trouble.”

“Really? That sounds more like you.”

“He cares too much,” he mumbled as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “I thought it would change after we turned. But it’s been seven years, and the sympathy he shows them is going to bite him in the ass.”

“He had one girl.” I dismissed his concerns. “He can handle her.”

I didn’t get a look at her but heard her muffled cries when we were searching for Pax.

“Something was different tonight,” he murmured, giving me a long look. “Usually they leave right after they’re done at the river. But they were searching the forest. Probably looking for the girl Pax took.”

“We saw them getting in their trucks,” I reminded him, pushing a branch to the side as we walked. “We wouldn’t have left Pax if they were still there.”

“We shouldn’t have let them leave at all.”

I scowled. “Don’t. You know they always come prepared. We came to watch tonight. That’s it. They only killed one person. Next month, we’ll be ready.”

Viggo didn’t respond, but his lips were pressed together as if he was keeping his thoughts to himself. We’d been at this for months, trying to catch PARA before they could go through with their killings. But they took precautions, and we’d been too late every single fucking time. Tonight, we got there to find the woman’s body on the ground with the men combing the woods. Viggo was right about it being different this month. They usually did the killings quickly and left as soon as they could before we caught them.

“Dad was expecting this done.” Viggo’s words made my stomach tighten. “We were supposed to move on to another city already—not be here for over a year.”

“I know,” I snapped. “Next month it’ll happen.”

“Not if we keep getting to the river late. Soon they’ll start going somewhere else if they have a hint that we’re watching.”

I ignored him, pushing through the last of the bushes, glad to be out of the damn woods. I needed a fucking drink. Two drinks, actually. The first would be straight whiskey. And then I’d indulge in something warmer. I upped my speed, hearing Viggo grumble behind me as he raced to keep up. We crossed the abandoned highway, getting to the edge of a crumbling city. Before the war, I was sure this sprawling skyline was stunning. But now, it was overgrown with weeds and trees, while the buildings deteriorated more every day.

The night was quiet, and to anyone looking in, this city would seem like all the others that had fallen during the war. Desolate with no sign of life. But that wasn’t the case. We’d been here for over a year, and I’d been building up our numbers the entire time. No one stepped foot in our area without us knowing about it, although the humans had tried. Their city, Project Hope, was on the other side of the forest, and we had eyes on their gate at all times so they couldn’t catch us by surprise.

We entered the city, striding down a street that was lined with buildings that used to be high-end stores. Most of the windows were broken, and everything had been taken long ago. A head popped up out of the darkness, and I jerked a nod toward him as we passed. We had watchers prowling the outskirts of the city around the clock to keep an eye out.

“We need to get everyone ready for next month,” Viggo stated as we kept walking. “Our numbers have to be larger than theirs.”

“We will.”

The closer we got to the city center, the louder it got. Lights shone from inside the buildings, and there was laughing and yelling. When the other vampires saw Viggo and me, they greeted us with respect, giving us space as we moved forward. Night was when everyone came out to play. They were bound to the dark since the sun would kill them, and the second sundown happened, the streets were full.

Music got louder, and I raised my gaze to see our main place. We called it Impulse, and vampires from all around came to party here. Even though we were here on a mission, we made sure to keep life fun. Which was all part of the overall plan. Vampires wouldn’t want to follow if we led with a cutthroat hand. It was in our nature to crave chaos. So we supplied all the blood, booze, and drugs they could handle. Human vices were still just as addictive after death. And after the war, they were a hot commodity.

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