Bane

Turning back to the window, she saw there was one wolf still standing in her way. Kahli only had seconds to act before the starving wolves would be done with their last victim. She could hear the snarls of the crazed animals behind her, and had no intention of staying.



Her actions were lunacy laced with desperation. Weaponless, Kahli ran straight at the creature, screaming savagely. The white wolf stood firm. It lowered its body, poised to attack when Kahli crashed into it. Kahli grabbed her wrist as she ran, aiming her elbow for its face. When the two collided, she smashed her elbow into the wolf’s maw. Pain shot up her arm, as she staggered back, still on her feet. The wolf hesitated, as if dazed. Its snarl faded from its lips. The animal didn’t move. It just blinked and staggered to the side, but it did not fall.



Kahli used that moment and threw herself through the broken window. She landed hard on her side on the frozen snow below. It felt like falling onto stone. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder. A crazed growl echoed through the air above. Kahli quickly jumped to her feet, but the wolf already launched its lean body from the window. It landed hard, colliding with Kahli, and trampled her under its paws. Kahli screamed as she fell to the ground. Her emerald eyes were wide, as she fought to stand, but she couldn’t free herself from the wolf’s hold.



Before Kahli could force the beast off of her prone body, teeth tore into her shoulder. She screamed. Warm blood trailed down her shoulder. Kahli shoved her hands in the wolf’s mouth, trying to pry its jaws from her bleeding body, but she wasn’t strong enough. Wildly, she cried out, trying to free herself, but failed. The wolf wouldn’t release her. Instead, it shook her once. Hard. Kahli’s body jerked like a rag doll, nearly snapping her neck. Any moment the rest of the pack would be upon her. Any moment she would die as sharp teeth tore her body to shreds.



But, before the other wolves were on her, another animal came from the side. It rammed into the wolf, and released the teeth that were sunken into her shoulder. Kahli screamed when the jaws were ripped away. She scrambled to her feet, her hand tightly gripping the blood pouring from her shoulder. Kahli gasped with wide green eyes when she realized what had saved her.



A Tracker.



CHAPTER THREE



He had pale skin, the color of bone china, and his form—his clothing—all blended perfectly into the snow. If not for the black hair that hung in his blue eyes, she wouldn’t have noticed him. The Tracker bared his teeth and growled. The wolf was injured from being struck by the vampire, but the crazed animal didn’t back down. It lifted its snout into the air and howled. Suddenly wolves were diving from the open window. There were too many of them, more than Kahli had ever seen. She had no idea how the pack had grown so large, or why they were there then. It was at least twice the size of the pack that had followed her to this place.



The pack pooled around the lone wolf that attacked her. Its muzzle was tinged red, wet with Kahli’s blood. The beast snarled and began to close in on both of them. Kahli’s shoulder screamed with blistering pain. The sleeve of her coat was covered in crimson. She felt hot and cold at the same time.



The scent of blood, the promise of fresh meat, was too appealing for the wolves to resist. Drool fell into the snow, dripping from the snarling lips of the pack. Kahli’s heart clenched. Her eyes darted between the Tracker and the pack. The effects of the wound were getting to her. She’d lost too much blood. It was becoming more difficult for her to focus.



“Hey,” the Tracker called, catching Kahli’s attention. When she looked at him, he threw a knife to her. Surprised, she reached out and caught it. It was similar to her own weapon that was lost inside the building behind her. Confusion lined her face as she glanced at the vampire. She didn’t understand why he armed her, but she didn’t have time to think.



The pack attacked. Wolf after wolf came at them, snarling and promising death. Fighting for her life distracted her so that she couldn’t see what the tracker was doing. And suddenly she didn’t care. The tension lining her muscles came out in a flow of raw energy. Everything faded into a blur of blood and fur. Tooth, claw, and fangs came at them. It seemed to go on forever, but she was certain it happened in a matter of moments. Kahli didn’t remember exactly what she did.



She didn’t notice the tracker fighting next to her, either. He positioned himself at her back, fighting with her as if they were allies. The dark-haired boy had nothing but a knife, just like the one he threw to Kahli. But somehow they survived. When only the sound of the wind remained, Kahli turned. Her flame-red hair whipped around her face, pulled free from the nape of her neck while they were fighting. Her jaw hung opened as she looked around, surveying what they’d done. A pack of dead wolves lay in the snow, their once white hides covered in scarlet. Their motionless bodies looked strange as their fur blew in the wind. Blood soaked into the ice, staining it pink beneath the lifeless bodies.



Kahli’s eyes lifted to the Tracker’s face. Blood covered his arms and chest, mirroring the gore that covered her body. The wind whipped his dark hair out of his young face. He looked to be a few years older than Kahli.



Woozy, Kahli stood, staring at him. His blue eyes locked onto hers. It felt like she was staring at an old photograph. There was a feeling of recognition, but she couldn’t understand why. Over the years she’d seen many Trackers, but she was certain that she hadn’t seen this one. She would have remembered him. The Tracker continued to stare, mirroring her expression.



Then Kahli gasped, falling to the ground one knee at a time. Her wounds caught up to her. Every ounce of pain she’d been fighting back crippled her as she fell. The Tracker stepped closer to the spot where Kahli sank to her knees. Standing above her, he looked down. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat with an odd expression of sympathy and fascination.



Rage surged through Kahli’s body, but she couldn’t fight off the blood loss. Chills shook her slender body, even though she was covered in sweat. The boy stepped toward her. She growled, “Touch me and I’ll kill you.” Breathing hard, she fought the sensations that were pulling her head to the ground.



He bent down, hands still in his pockets. His voice resonated rich and perfect, like a bow sliding across a cello string. “What would you have me do? Leave you to freeze on the ice? Or bleed to death? That hardly seems heroic after I went to all the trouble to save your ass.” A crooked smile lined his lips.



Kahli could barely focus. The world was sliding away, slipping somewhere beyond the horizon. She felt the ground pitch beneath her, and knew it was the effects of her wound. The boy was perfectly upright. Glaring at him with hatred, Kahli’s head finally fell to the ground, her cheek pressing against the frozen earth and the world faded to black.



CHAPTER FOUR



When her eyes closed, Will looked down at her. He’d been tracking her for so long, and then the wolves showed up. If he’d gotten there a minute later, the girl would have died. He studied her face. She had a small nose, smooth tanned skin, but the most striking thing about her was her hair. It blazed the color of the sun, not quite orange or gold, but somewhere in between. She was an oddity.



And that meant she was valuable.



Will scooped her up in his arms. Her skin was still warm, but she’d lost a lot of blood. He knew what she needed, blood—his blood—but that wasn’t something he wanted to do. He had his reasons, but letting her bleed out wouldn’t work either. Will laughed bitterly. He couldn’t help it. She was exactly what he needed and he was two seconds too late, like always.



_________



When Kahli peeled her eyelids open, she didn’t know where she was. The last thing she remembered was a maw filled with snarling teeth. Before she could take in her surroundings, a voice spoke from across the room.



“Glad to see you’re awake,” he said. “I was starting to think it was foolish to try and heal you without using blood—with wounds like that, anyway—but you proved me wrong.” Will sat at a small table across from her. His silhouette was outlined by a roaring fire. The room glowed with flickering golden light. There were no windows, and there was only one door. Will sat in front of it.



Kahli blinked once, her facial expression soft until her memory filled in those moments before she blacked out. The wolves attacked and the Tracker showed up. The boy talking to her was a vampire, and not just any blood-sucking freak, but the lowest of the low. Trackers didn’t exactly run with the elite social vamps. They were outcasts, shunned by their own race. It didn’t cross her mind that this Tracker was young. The ones she’d seen, the ones she’d killed, were much older.



Wide-eyed, Kahli turned her head and stared at him. There was no way she was staying. Death was more acceptable than being drained and bottled. That’s what Trackers did. They hunted down humans who were smart enough to flee from the Regent’s human farms. The Trackers found them, but most were never returned. The Trackers drained every drop of blood and sold it on the black market. There was an acute shortage of blood and capturing a rogue human would make this Tracker a wealthy man. Kahli clutched the blankets that covered her body, trying to throw them off and sit up, but she couldn’t. She was too weak. As soon as she sat up, the room spun. Kahli couldn’t hold herself up.



Will didn’t move as the girl fell sideways out of the bed and landed on the cold tiled floor.



She growled at him, and Will knew she was every bit as dangerous as those wolves, “Where am I? Is this Section 8? Did you take me back?” Kahli rolled onto her back, and pushed her hair out of her face. When she lifted her right arm, her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She gasped. Instinctively, her hand flew to the wounded shoulder, covered in bandages, to try and soothe it.



Will watched her fiery red hair spill around her face as she rolled onto her back. His eyes lingered on her curves for a moment before he said, “Section 8. Why would I take you to Section 8?” His arms were folded across his toned chest.



“Because of this,” Kahli held up her wrist. It was the one the wolf had bitten. Teeth marks marred the branding on the back of her wrist. The tooth holes had been stitched shut. Kahli could still see most of the marking. “Clearly, you can see a Section 8 insignia—even through the puncture and stitches.” She dropped her arm to her side, too weak to hold it up.