Tendra

Athan was stumbling.

He was covering it, but his hands trembled slightly, and his dark eyes were duller. He needed to feed. Every so often, he pulled a thermos out of our bag and drank deeply, but the days-old blood inside only temporarily restored his senses.

Brex sensed my worry, because he kept glancing back at us, then trotting on ahead. Athan murmured every once in a while, promising me we only had two more days of travel, and then we’d be there. That he was fine, that he could hang on.

I wasn’t so sure.

The idea of something happening to Athan terrified me in two ways. First, then I’d be alone. And while I’d been lucky to get away from the Quellen once, out here I was fucked. Plain and simple. There’d be no getting away. And second, Athan couldn’t leave me. He just couldn’t. I’d had no father figure and there hadn’t been that many great men in my personal life. Athan was different, and not just because he was a vampire. His soul was good and kind. If he’d been destined as the future of the Gregorie clan, then the human race just might be okay. I hoped Idris possessed a soul as good as Athan’s.

I tried to imagine another vampire like Athan. Did he have long hair? Was he bearded or did he keep a five o’clock shadow like Athan? I couldn’t imagine he’d treat me as well as Athan had. I could only hope he’d care enough to get to know me. I could be charming if I tried.

I turned to Athan to ask about his brother when Brex froze ahead of us at the exact same time Athan’s hand went up, signaling me to stop. I halted and didn’t move a muscle. Hell, I tried not to breathe. Brex was a statue—ears flat against his head, tail down.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Athan’s nostrils flaring. His tongue crept out to lick his fangs, and then I was airborne.

The wind rushed past my face as Athan ran, carrying me under one arm, Brex under the other. And by run, I meant his feet were a blur, barely touching the ground. I’d forgotten how fast he could move, because he didn’t do it much around me. I worried how much of a toll this was taking on his already weakened body, but I didn’t have time to dwell. His arm was digging painfully into my ribs, and it was hard to breathe, but I could smell them.

Quellen.

I didn’t know where we were running, or what we were running to. All I knew was that we were being hunted. I managed to glance up and through watery eyes, I spied a rock wall. I hoped like hell there was a port there. Something crashed above us and the stench intensified as a dark form dropped to the ground in front of us with a hiss. The Quellen stood between us and the refuge of the rock.

Athan skidded to a halt, tossed me and Brex in front of a large tree, then faced off against the advancing Quellen. I plastered myself against the large trunk, Brex cradled in my arms, and listened for more of these assassin fuckers. Despite this being my third run-in with them, I hadn’t ever really seen one. The Quellen’s pale face was twisted into a grimace, his massive gray fangs extended over his lower lip. He wore all black, and no shoes, his bony feet capped with long toenails. Fuck, he was gross, but the very worst part about him by far were his milk-white eyes with only a small dot of black in the center. When those eyes shifted to me, a tremor ran through my body, and Brex growled long and low.

Athan was a shield in front of us, a hulking vampire shield. He held out his arms at his sides, and in each hand was a jagged blade. I huddled against the trunk as four more Quellen dropped from the trees above to face Athan.

Holy shit.

It was five against one, but Athan was huge compared to them. They were all smaller, sub six-foot, and slim. But they were fast as shit, and I knew that from experience.

This wasn’t a movie, and they didn’t come at him one at a time. With a garbled word from the first Quellen, they descended on him all at once like a dark cloud of death.

I knew enough to keep my trap shut and let Athan do his job. They came at him with knives and punches and kicks. He dispatched one while taking a hit to the side. He moved quick, bouncing on the balls of his feet, never letting them get behind him. Never giving them access to me. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but they were mostly a blur. Every once in a while, I saw the flash of a blade, and a pained cry, and hoped to hell it was a Quellen.

Three were at his feet now, and he was fighting off the last two, when Brex hissed. A hand closed around my neck as Brex went into berserk mode, biting and scratching at the Quellen who’d snuck up behind me while Athan was busy.

The Quellen was pulling me back into the woods, away from Athan. Terror seized me, rendering me paralyzed for a moment until survival instinct kicked in. I tugged on the hand squeezing my throat, but that sucker wasn’t budging. I managed to get my feet under me and stomp on his foot, but he didn’t cry out in pain. I slammed my elbow into his stomach. Not even a flinch. Did these fuckers feel pain like humans?

He hissed in my ear, something that sounded like a cackle. Athan was calling my name, fighting his way through the last two Quellen to get to me. One jabbed him in the side, causing a sick sound of something hard slicing flesh. His eyes widened, his mouth opening in a silent scream of pain.

And that fucking pissed me the hell off.

With a holler, I braced my feet, crouched, and threw the Quellen forward onto the ground in front of me. As he fell on his back with a grunt, I took a split second to grin, because low center of gravity had always been my friend. I slipped my switchblade out of my pocket and sliced it across his neck.

I didn’t bother to watch him die as I stepped over him while Athan rallied and dispatched the last two Quellen. We met halfway as the last of our enemies lay motionless behind him. “Ten,” he said breathlessly, grabbing me and running his hands over my body. “Are you okay? Hurt?”

My neck hurt, and my heart was beating out of my chest, but I’d live. “I’m fine.” Athan on the other hand was holding his body funny, his left shoulder sloped down. “You?”

“I’m—” His voice cut out as his head went up, his chest swelling as he inhaled. And then I heard it, the distant sound of something in the trees above us. “Fuck,” he said. “More of the fuckers.”

Once again he picked up Brex and me and made another mad dash, this time running along the rock wall until we came to an area with a smooth rock surface. He held out his wrist and a port appeared. After we leaped inside, it closed quickly behind us.

In the pitch-blackness, I focused on what I could hear and touch. Our panting breaths, the heat of Athan’s body and softness of Brex’s fur. I fumbled around until I found Athan’s face, and ran my fingers over his sharp cheekbones, his full lips. He was shaking, and that had to be from exertion, right? He was okay. He had to be okay. Outside, the sounds of leaves rustling were louder, Quellen hisses audible even through the rock. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” His voice was low and hoarse. “I just need to rest, and so do you. Sun’ll be up soon. We’ll be here awhile.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’m going to sit down, and you can sleep on me, okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, and went limp as he jostled us to the ground. I curled into his lap, and laid my head against his chest, grateful for his heartbeat. “Athan?”

“Hmmm?”

“You were magnificent out there, like a blur.”

“Not magnificent enough. One almost got you.”

I wouldn’t forget that sick shot of pain when the Quellen dragged me away from Athan. What freaked me out the most was that more than being scared of dying, I was scared to be separated from Athan. The more distance between us, the more I panicked. I snuggled into him more, relishing the warmth of his body, and let loose a small sigh of relief. “Good thing I know how to fight. We’re a team. It’s not all on you.”

I could hear the smile in his voice. “Right, a team.” A big hand stroked my hair. “Sleep, partner. Tomorrow we have more battles to win.”

We stayed locked in that embrace until my eyes drooped and I fell asleep.

Athan

As long as Ten slept on me, as long as the heat of her body warmed my skin, I could pretend that I wasn’t seriously fucked.

Well, sorta pretend. The near-blinding pain pulsing along my ribs was an agonizing reminder that I might fail the most important mission of my life. Brex blinked at me from where he lay curled at Ten’s feet. I reached out a hand, and he licked my finger.

Tendra slept soundly, her hair hiding most of her face. I hooked the dark strands behind her ear, remembering the first time I touched her hair. Back when it was blond, and she’d tried to fight me but lost. I smiled at the memory. At the time, her smart mouth and stubborn will to fight exasperated me, and now I was so fucking grateful for it. She’d held her own, taking out a Quellen while I battled the rest of them.

I was glad she was asleep, so I wouldn’t have to explain how fast I was losing consciousness and why.

I shifted her sleeping form off me and made her a small bed on the ground, then laid a blanket on top of her. I crawled as far away as I could and made a small fire, to keep her warm and also so she’d be able to see. Each movement was a test of sheer willpower to push through the pain. My brain, my heart, everything was on fucking fire, like I was burning up from the inside. When I was confident the fire was safe and contained within a circle of rocks, I pulled out my phone.

Idris picked up right away. “A.”

“Idris.” Fuck, my voice sounded rough, like my mouth was coated with broken glass.

On the other end of the line, my brother inhaled sharply. “What’s wrong?”

“Ran into Quellen. They musta…” The cave spun. Fuck, I was losing it. “They musta finally perfected the Sevren we heard about.” Rumors were a Sevren wound could kill us. By the pain lancing through my body right now, I was thinking those rumors were right.

“What does that mean?” His voice rose, infused with emotion I rarely heard from my robot brother. “Are you hurt?”

I chuckled, but it sounded more like a sob. “You could say that.”

“Do you have provisions, a fresh blood source, anything—?”

“Idris, stop.” I leaned back against the wall, stretching out my legs in front of me. So tired. “You gotta come get Ten.”

Another jagged inhale. “Athan. Don’t.”

“Don’t what? I have a Sevren cut in my side. I’m never making it. Ten is okay, unharmed. I performed my duty, but I can’t finish it out.”

“Ath—”

“There’s a whole damn army of Quellen outside this cave we’re in, so be careful. I’ll leave my phone on. Track it. Ten knows to call you if something happens to me.”

“No!” he shouted, and the sound made me flinch. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him shout in my life. “We’re still on lockdown here, and even if we could leave, I’m ordering you to do what you need to do to fulfill your duties as blood guard. I—” He hesitated. “I don’t relieve you. I do not. You hear me?”

He sounded so far away, like his voice was in a tunnel. Inappropriate laughter bubbled up in my throat. “Wow, you’re going full-on vampire prince on me, aren’t you?”

“Athan!” he shouted again.

“Just let me rest,” I said. “Sleep? That’s what humans do, right. I’ll do that.”

His voice was softer this time, a little broken. “Brother. I’m begging you. Drink from the Sanguivita. Anything to get you home.”

“She’s yours,” I muttered.

“Is she?” he asked.

“She’s not mine.” My voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere else. Some other body. “She’s not mine.”

He was still talking, but I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Only white noise. White noise mixed with the sound of Ten’s laughter, in another world, another time, another place.

There was a clatter, more pain, and then finally, finally, blessed silence.