“Why does your friend want to take a picture?”
Kar answered first. “Lavos holding a human in his arms is priceless. I’d win so many bets.” He laughed. “He was always a little too understanding of his brother and Kira.”
“Who’s Kira?” she asked, curious.
Lavos sighed. “Enough. Hold on. I need my arms.”
He reached up for something and his entire body tensed. He jumped—to Jadee’s terror—and she felt as if they were swinging for a second, before they fell. He landed with a jarring impact but his arms wrapped tight around her so she wasn’t torn away from him.
“Are you okay?”
“What was that?” She was afraid to look to see for herself.
“A five-foot drop. I had to jump out and grab a branch to avoid landing on a boulder below.”
“Never mind.” She didn’t want to know.
A male shriek started but it cut off abruptly when a heavy weight smashed into something next to them. Jadee gasped, lifting her head and opening her eyes. She couldn’t see when she tried to make out what had been the cause.
Lavos sighed again. “You had to throw him? Come on, Kar.”
“I’m jumping down.” Something else landed next to them and it sounded heavy. “I wasn’t going to carry him in my arms.” Kar chuckled. “He’s not cute. Get up, fang boy. Next time, try to land on your feet instead of your head.”
“You son of a bitch,” Mitch whined. “That hurt.”
“Aw,” Kar muttered. “What happened to the badass attitude I heard when you were threatening a woman? You’re not so tough now when you’re dealing with us, are you? Move.”
“Don’t squeeze so hard. You’re going to break my neck,” Mitch protested.
“I don’t trust you to be smart enough not to run and I’m done chasing shitheads tonight,” Kar responded. “We’re almost to her people.”
Jadee twisted her head and peered toward the water. She saw the dark shape of the trailer. They were farther down the hill than she thought they should be.
She looked up over Lavos’s shoulder, seeing the shape of the hill. There was only one tree she could spot above. He lied to her. He had to have jumped more than five feet. It was more like twenty. It gave her chills that anyone could do something like that so easily. It wasn’t supposed to be possible but they weren’t human.
Lavos walked and she buried her face in his neck, easing her hold around his shoulders. She wanted to freak out but she would do that later. The danger wasn’t over and she didn’t have the luxury of being able to freak until she was back in her rental and on her way to the airport.
Lavos admitted to being impressed that Jadee was dealing with everything so well. He had expected absolute terror and crying from a human. He kept walking until they reached the back doors of the trailer and he bent a little, relaxing his hold on her.
“We’re here,” he whispered. “You can get down now.”
Jadee released his hips with her thighs and slid down him until she stood. Her arms were slower to let go. She backed away and turned, almost walking right into the back of the trailer. He reacted fast and hooked her around the waist to stop her.
“Easy. It’s right in front of you.”
“I can’t see all that well.”
“I can.” He felt bad for her. It must be tough to be human.
Jadee cleared her throat. “Mark? Peggy? Brent?” Her chin lifted to stare up at the top of the doors. She lifted one hand, waving it. “Can you see me? Will you please turn on the outside lights if you have them?”
Floodlights lit up from the top of the trailer. Lavos closed his eyes, temporarily blinded. He let go of Jadee’s waist and retreated a few steps, blinking to adjust to the brightness. Kar uttered a curse but said nothing more. Lavos glanced at him and saw he gripped Mitch by the back of his neck, keeping him far enough away from Jadee to prevent the soldier from reaching her.
Jadee adjusted her raised arm to shield her eyes from the direct light. “Thank you. I couldn’t see anything. I know you’re probably worried that I’ve been made into a Vampire but I’m not.” She turned, glancing at him. “They’ll be afraid that happened to me.”
A soft click sounded and a man’s voice with an accent came out of a speaker from somewhere on the underside of the trailer. “Who’s with you?”
“The cavalry.” She faced the trailer, looking up again. “They saved me and captured the Vampire. Is this tall freaky guy one the Vampires that escaped from you a few days ago?”
“Yes. Where is your father?” It was a woman who spoke.
“Dead.” Jadee pointed at Mitch. “That asshole turned him. I let my dad into the trailer but he wasn’t the man we knew. I was locked in the cage but then these two showed up. This is Lavos and Kar. They’re real Vampire hunters.”
That stunned Lavos. He couldn’t believe she’d just said that. He schooled his features though. It was obvious there were more cameras. Jadee knew about them, and the location of at least one, since she stared up at something. He couldn’t see past the lights to get a clear enough view of the top of the trailer.
“Did you say Vampire hunters?” It was the man with the southern accent.
Jadee nodded. “Yeah. They saved me.” She reached up and pulled her hair back, showing off her neck. “See? No bites. I’m still me. It’s safe to come out. They won’t let the Vampires hurt you. You can open up.”
“This is weird,” Kar muttered.
“We’re not going to do that,” the man announced.
“Son of a bitch.” Jadee lowered her arms. “Come on, Mark. Stop being such an asshole. What is it going to take to get you to believe me? You’re rescued! I’m half tempted to get in my rental and just leave your ass locked inside that container until you starve. Be thankful I like Peggy and Brent. I would never do that to them.” Jadee glanced at Lavos over her shoulder. “Can you think of a way we can prove to them we’re not Vampires?”
Lavos glanced at Kar. His friend looked as grim as he felt. Lavos bent and yanked up his pant leg, grabbed hold of the dagger strapped to his ankle and straightened. His brother would have a fit if he ever found out what he was about to do in front of cameras, but he needed to get inside that reinforced box to destroy the evidence.
Kar answered first. “Lavos holding a human in his arms is priceless. I’d win so many bets.” He laughed. “He was always a little too understanding of his brother and Kira.”
“Who’s Kira?” she asked, curious.
Lavos sighed. “Enough. Hold on. I need my arms.”
He reached up for something and his entire body tensed. He jumped—to Jadee’s terror—and she felt as if they were swinging for a second, before they fell. He landed with a jarring impact but his arms wrapped tight around her so she wasn’t torn away from him.
“Are you okay?”
“What was that?” She was afraid to look to see for herself.
“A five-foot drop. I had to jump out and grab a branch to avoid landing on a boulder below.”
“Never mind.” She didn’t want to know.
A male shriek started but it cut off abruptly when a heavy weight smashed into something next to them. Jadee gasped, lifting her head and opening her eyes. She couldn’t see when she tried to make out what had been the cause.
Lavos sighed again. “You had to throw him? Come on, Kar.”
“I’m jumping down.” Something else landed next to them and it sounded heavy. “I wasn’t going to carry him in my arms.” Kar chuckled. “He’s not cute. Get up, fang boy. Next time, try to land on your feet instead of your head.”
“You son of a bitch,” Mitch whined. “That hurt.”
“Aw,” Kar muttered. “What happened to the badass attitude I heard when you were threatening a woman? You’re not so tough now when you’re dealing with us, are you? Move.”
“Don’t squeeze so hard. You’re going to break my neck,” Mitch protested.
“I don’t trust you to be smart enough not to run and I’m done chasing shitheads tonight,” Kar responded. “We’re almost to her people.”
Jadee twisted her head and peered toward the water. She saw the dark shape of the trailer. They were farther down the hill than she thought they should be.
She looked up over Lavos’s shoulder, seeing the shape of the hill. There was only one tree she could spot above. He lied to her. He had to have jumped more than five feet. It was more like twenty. It gave her chills that anyone could do something like that so easily. It wasn’t supposed to be possible but they weren’t human.
Lavos walked and she buried her face in his neck, easing her hold around his shoulders. She wanted to freak out but she would do that later. The danger wasn’t over and she didn’t have the luxury of being able to freak until she was back in her rental and on her way to the airport.
Lavos admitted to being impressed that Jadee was dealing with everything so well. He had expected absolute terror and crying from a human. He kept walking until they reached the back doors of the trailer and he bent a little, relaxing his hold on her.
“We’re here,” he whispered. “You can get down now.”
Jadee released his hips with her thighs and slid down him until she stood. Her arms were slower to let go. She backed away and turned, almost walking right into the back of the trailer. He reacted fast and hooked her around the waist to stop her.
“Easy. It’s right in front of you.”
“I can’t see all that well.”
“I can.” He felt bad for her. It must be tough to be human.
Jadee cleared her throat. “Mark? Peggy? Brent?” Her chin lifted to stare up at the top of the doors. She lifted one hand, waving it. “Can you see me? Will you please turn on the outside lights if you have them?”
Floodlights lit up from the top of the trailer. Lavos closed his eyes, temporarily blinded. He let go of Jadee’s waist and retreated a few steps, blinking to adjust to the brightness. Kar uttered a curse but said nothing more. Lavos glanced at him and saw he gripped Mitch by the back of his neck, keeping him far enough away from Jadee to prevent the soldier from reaching her.
Jadee adjusted her raised arm to shield her eyes from the direct light. “Thank you. I couldn’t see anything. I know you’re probably worried that I’ve been made into a Vampire but I’m not.” She turned, glancing at him. “They’ll be afraid that happened to me.”
A soft click sounded and a man’s voice with an accent came out of a speaker from somewhere on the underside of the trailer. “Who’s with you?”
“The cavalry.” She faced the trailer, looking up again. “They saved me and captured the Vampire. Is this tall freaky guy one the Vampires that escaped from you a few days ago?”
“Yes. Where is your father?” It was a woman who spoke.
“Dead.” Jadee pointed at Mitch. “That asshole turned him. I let my dad into the trailer but he wasn’t the man we knew. I was locked in the cage but then these two showed up. This is Lavos and Kar. They’re real Vampire hunters.”
That stunned Lavos. He couldn’t believe she’d just said that. He schooled his features though. It was obvious there were more cameras. Jadee knew about them, and the location of at least one, since she stared up at something. He couldn’t see past the lights to get a clear enough view of the top of the trailer.
“Did you say Vampire hunters?” It was the man with the southern accent.
Jadee nodded. “Yeah. They saved me.” She reached up and pulled her hair back, showing off her neck. “See? No bites. I’m still me. It’s safe to come out. They won’t let the Vampires hurt you. You can open up.”
“This is weird,” Kar muttered.
“We’re not going to do that,” the man announced.
“Son of a bitch.” Jadee lowered her arms. “Come on, Mark. Stop being such an asshole. What is it going to take to get you to believe me? You’re rescued! I’m half tempted to get in my rental and just leave your ass locked inside that container until you starve. Be thankful I like Peggy and Brent. I would never do that to them.” Jadee glanced at Lavos over her shoulder. “Can you think of a way we can prove to them we’re not Vampires?”
Lavos glanced at Kar. His friend looked as grim as he felt. Lavos bent and yanked up his pant leg, grabbed hold of the dagger strapped to his ankle and straightened. His brother would have a fit if he ever found out what he was about to do in front of cameras, but he needed to get inside that reinforced box to destroy the evidence.
