Chapter 92

We hit another long street as another group of people appeared, colliding with hissing people that seemed to fall from what seemed like the edge of town where the tree line was. Someone jumped out and Claire tumbled them away from us. We kept moving. Someone roared. A large wolf rushed across our path and collided with a snarling figure in mid-air. I heard them scratching a fighting as we kept going. I heard someone screech in pain then the sharp snap of bone or something rang out.

“Keep going!” Francium said, moving a little further as I felt more and more dizzy and the surging power seemed to ebb and flow. My blood was burning in my body like I was on fire inside.

We got into the woods, but the trees seemed to be moving around us. Claire stopped still, casting her gaze around as Francium grit his teeth.

“Shit,” he cursed.

“Backup,” I groaned. “Need back up.”

My pocket buzzed. It was my Moon Shadow phone. I pulled it out, fumbling as my vision started to swim. What was happening to me? I’d been injured before. I’d lost blood before, but this felt different, like I was losing grip on all my faculties. I could hear very far. The world seemed to be getting closer, smaller as I stumbled. I could hear my heart thudding in my chest like a kick drum.

“What’s happening to me?”

“Focus on walking,” Francium said. “Now’s not really the time to be answering a call!”

“Where are you?” Armageddon asked. “I can’t get a read on your location. You’re bouncing around the map like crazy.”

“Still near the town,” my other phone started to ring. “I don’t think it works here easily. I haven’t gone far, I don’t think, from my last location. The world’s spinning. I don’t--”

“There!” Claire called and hurried forward. I stumbled at the pace Francium set for us.

I heard people coming from behind us and on either side. Francium let me go, pushing me towards a tree and turned. Someone snarled. He fired a shot and the scent of burning blood filled the air again. I almost felt the heat drifting towards me.

“Silver,” I said into the receiver. “Silver works on vampires too.”

“You’ve been hit with silver?” Armageddon asked. “How long ago? Where? How bad is the wound?”

I pushed off the tree, stumbling after Claire through the trees. It seemed we were turned around for a moment before we broke through the tree line and I could see cars. There were so few cars, but there was plenty of parking. Probably enough for everyone in the town.

Why wouldn’t the guy give me directions to the parking lot instead of the pedestrian entrance? Had that been a test too? Was he loyal to Francium and his agenda or the vampire? Was there a different between their agendas?

“Come on,” Francium said, grabbing me. “Quickly!”

The door of an SUV opened and Francium lifted me into the car. I heard the door shut behind me as Claire snarled nearby. Blood splattered across the window. Francium climbed into the driver’s seat after firing another shot. Claire climbed in just as he revved the engine and tore out of the parking spot and into the forest, down an unpaved road.

The car rocked and jumped with every dip in the road. I thought I might be sick if it kept going on like this, but I tried to keep my head clear.

“Is that a car?” Armageddon asked. “You’re moving again on the map.”

“Yes,” I said, looking out the window and watching the forest go past. I saw figures drifting through the trees. Fog seemed to chase us. “There’s fog following us.”

Ghostly shapes and faces appeared in the fog. I swear I saw people as it caught up with us and started to surround the car. I couldn’t see through it to the trees.

“It’s just an illusion,” Francium said, steering the car roughly. I could see just a bit of the road ahead of us, but it vanished under the fog. He turned as if rounding a curve too hard and I slid a bit in my seat. “They’re trying to confuse us.”

“Should you be following the road?”

“I am!” Francium said, “You don’t have the immunity. Just—tell whomever you’re talking to that I’m heading towards the ravine, Blood Pass. If they’re offering back-up, that’s where they should head.”

I frowned. The location was familiar to me, but I didn’t remember why it should be strange that was where he was taking us.

“Blood Pass? Do you know where that is?”

Armageddon cursed. “Yes, I know where it is. We’ll converge there. Don’t hang up. You are in so much trouble when I make sure you’re okay.”

He growled. “What the hell were you thinking going to the New Moon capital?”

I shook my head. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated? You think now is the time to hold secrets!”

“Yes,” I said easily.

The hair on the back of my neck lifted. A hyper awareness that I couldn’t explain. I turned slowly and found Claire staring at me. There was a twitch in her eye. Her gaze was glued to my shoulder where I was still bleeding. Her lips trembled and she was perfectly still like a beast getting ready to pounce.

My stomach turned.

“Claire?” I asked softly. “Why are you looking at me like that?

Francium didn’t glance back, but he cursed. “Claire!”

She twitched. Her eyes narrowed and her head turned a little, but she didn’t move. I could see her getting stiffer and working her hands. Her eye twitched and her teeth grew longer and shiny. Terror gripped me.

“Claire,” Francium said again. “You have to focus. You know who that is. You have to focus on something else. There’s blood in the back. Claire, talk to me!”

“What’s happening to her?” I asked.

Francium said nothing, gritting his teeth. She shifted, and he turned the wheel sharply throwing her back against her door as I pressed myself against my door. It was just enough to keep her on that side of the car, but I knew it wasn’t going to last long. I could feel her getting used to the rhythm the car was moving at.

“She’s been turned,” Armageddon said in my ear. “She hasn’t… learned to control the Thirst yet. You said you were injured?”

“Yes. What does that mean? Control?”

“Newly turned vampires have to learn to control themselves around fresh blood.” He said softly. “It would have been better if you were injured with silver. She would be less draw to it. You’re going to have to fight her off or distract her somehow.”

“But…” I swallowed as Francium started yelling at her. “She just… drained a vampire… like several.”

I was pretty sure that she’d almost drained the vampire in the hallway, but she’d definitely drained the others she fought on the way out of town. How could she possibly still be hungry? That just didn’t make any sense.

“That doesn’t matter,” he said. “Vampire blood has power, different power, but it doesn’t have life. Vampires drain other vampires to take their power or weaken them… they eat werewolves. Watch yourself. How much blood have you lost?”

I couldn’t answer that. I didn’t want to really think about it either.

“And… how are werewolves turned into vampires?”

“Blood exchange,” he said. “Maybe. It’s not clear. We don’t tend to look it – Why are you asking?”

I grit my teeth. “I’ve… I’ve been bitten.”

He hissed. “What the hell?”

“It’s complicated,” I said. “I was just trying to protect and… He bit me. I don’t think he drank much, but he’s definitely dead. She tore him apart.”

“You need medical treatment. A bite alone isn’t enough to do much to you. You’re of an awakened bloodline, but it will make you weaker.”

I swallowed. Claire growled, and Francium jerked the car again. I heard something screech against the side of the car. The car jumped as if he hit something and ran it over. Francium cursed again as the car rocked and something thudded along the underside of the car. The fog vanished as if it never was and revealed the clear road ahead of us. The trees seemed to be farther away, too and there was more light streaming down on the path.

The forest lost that odd sense of not quite making sense.

The clouds were still overhead, but it didn’t feel as oppressive as it had back in town. Had he run over the vampire that was making the illusion?

I looked back and out of the back window seeing a vampire tumbling in the dust behind us. There were others darting out of the trees and after us, but they hissed and disappeared.

“Claire, no!”

I turned back just as Claire shrieked. She opened her mouth wide and lunged across the seats at me.