Couldn’t run on his shattered ankle.
Couldn’t think through the excruciating throb of concussion.
Arms and legs of a dozen-and-a-half vampires pinned him down. Bent rebar and concrete shards from the shattered pillar dug into his back. Gasping against the pressure, he fought to take in a full breath. Filled with lead, he couldn’t lift his hand to at least rip out the throat of the mouth-breather hovering over his head.
Dozens of razor-sharp teeth sunk into his neck, his arms, his legs, burning as they tore into his flesh. Ripped from his lifeless arm, his shield crashed into the rubble as it was tossed aside.
Hoarse, he slurred, “Why?”
“The prophecy.” As his life drained into the mouths of the greedy monsters, the same rumbling voice chuckled, “Now open wide.”
His body numb, unmoving, his mind in and out of consciousness, he felt the unmistakable viscous, warm fluid wash over his lips. A thumb pulled down his chin, and the coppery taste of blood poured down his throat. Heavy on his arms, his legs, his head, the surviving vampires pinned him in place.
Coughing reflexively, he gagged and spit, but it was too much.
Not another fucking prophecy.
Chapter4
Now
Fury scorched the back of his throat. Forcing his eyes open, Bennett pulled air in and out of his lungs, the sensation so exquisite, it felt as if the cool night wind imprinted into every cell. He flexed his fists. No ache, no splintering zaps. His fractures healed, his wounds gone. As if nothing had happened. But everything had.
How long had he been out? Big fucking blur. Flashes of pain and blood and… Hunger. Desperation.
That unquenchable thirst.
At the thought of another taste, he craved like nothing else. His skull thundered, a heaviness choking him that would only be relieved by the heady nectar.
Across the room, a cluster of vampires bitched and griped. Crystal clear, like a violin solo in an empty opera house, he could hear the whiny one shifting her feet in place over the gravelly floor while the other exhaled a heavy sigh. “He should have completed the change already. If you fucked this up… Your instructions were clear.”
The other grumbled, “Calloway’s a fool if he thinks this is going to work. No demon hunter has ever been changed and this must be why. He’s fed off two dozen of us, fourteen already dead, and the rest of us need to feed if we’re to keep up with him.” A long pause. “Look at me. I’m pale. I’m hungry. The bastard broke most of my ribs, trying to drain me before the others knocked him out again so I could get away. He’s getting stronger and we won’t be able to subdue him much longer. Where are my reinforcements?”
“Fuck. I’ve never seen a human require more than a few pints to complete the change. I’ve got another ten vampires coming to help. Go feed, there’s a college party a few blocks down with some decent targets. I’ll tide him over until the others get here.”
The whiny one’s voice lightened at the mention of a hearty meal. Bennett could still taste the buttery warmth of her blood on his tongue. “I… have you ever seen anything like this? I mean, what happens if his body rejects the change?”
“We’ll find out.”
He closed his eyes as the others rose to take a lunch break. Nine exhausted vampires struggled to stand.
“Be careful,” she said.
“I can handle it.” She man’s voice hummed with amusement.
A smile teased at the corners of his mouth; Bennett was looking forward to taking out the vampire with an ego bigger than his own.
The sleepy voice hissed with a derisive sarcasm. “Of course, the inexorable Blayk can change anybody.” Pausing, the vampire seemed to remember her place on the food chain. “Seriously, be careful. Go feed him before he wakes up all the way, or he’ll be too strong. I know you changed most of us, you know the risks, but he’s… don’t let him get his hands on you.”
Now.
Bennett rose from the rubble and cleared his throat. “Thanks for the lovely time, but I have better places to be.”
Nine half-speed, groggy vampires turned from their path and trudged toward him.
Wait for it.
Grinning, Bennett took off, like running on a cloud, his feet skimmed over the ground as he noiselessly closed the distance in half a heartbeat.
