“What?”
“I covered a lot of ground earlier, but this island isn’t very big. With this many vamps and humans running around here, the animal population is going to dwindle. It will take a while, and not all the vamps will kill the animals they feed on, I don’t, but others will. However, we have no idea how long we’re going to be here, so we need to prepare for the worst.”
“Hope for the best; expect the worst.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. So, we need a plan to get off this island as soon as we find Aida and your friends. We also need a boat, which should be easy to find,” Mollie said sarcastically.
“And those boats are probably well guarded.”
“Beautiful. Can we build a raft and shove our asses off this rock?”
The idea of being adrift at sea on a makeshift raft while baking under the sun until she croaked, was near the top of her list of ways she didnotwant to die, but it was better than being breakfast for some starved vampire in this hellhole.
“We have no rope or cut wood we can tie together,” Mike said.
“Stop being practical,” she muttered.
Mike chuckled, but he didn’t find anything amusing about their situation. On the horizon, the sky turned a vivid shade of red when the sun dipped out of view. “We have to leave now if we’re going to make it to the rock shelter before nightfall.”
Mollie followed him from the lighthouse and back outside. She didn’t say a word when he lifted her and held her against him. The only way they would reach the shelter before night descended was if he ran there with her. Besides, after what they discovered about this place, she craved being in his arms again.
She buried her face in the hollow of his neck and inhaled his tantalizing scent of cedar and the fresh water they recently washed in. They’d located another stream before arriving at the lighthouse, or maybe it was the same one as yesterday, and stopped to clean themselves with the water. Mike had left her hidden in a pine tree while he went to boil water for her and hunt some food. He’d come back in less than an hour with another squirrel and a pot of water.
She’d eaten while he kept a lookout, and it had eased the hunger in her belly, but she felt another hunger waking as he ran and his thickly muscled body flowed effortlessly against hers. Mollie pressed closer until as much of her body touched his as possible.
It still wasn’t enough.
The scent of Mollie’s growing arousal tantalized his nose when Mike stopped before the small shelter they stayed in before. She slid down him, but instead of shying away from his growing erection, her hips leaned into his, and she rubbed against him.
Mike gritted his teeth to keep from groaning when he released her and stepped away. He had to make sure it was still safe inside the small enclosure. Walking was difficult as he made his way to the hollow of rocks, pulled aside the sticks he’d left covering the entrance, and poked his head inside. He scented the air before slipping inside to discover their hiding place still empty.
When he returned, he held his hand out to Mollie, and she took it. Mike stayed near the front to rebuild the cover over the entrance while she slipped inside and settled at the back. He was almost done replacing the sticks when the first howls punctured the air. Mike crawled over to join her and drew Mollie into his arms as the tortured scream of impending death pierced the air.
* * *
Mollie saton Mike’s lap as she curled against his chest. Outside, thunder rolled, and the distant flash of lightning illuminated the branches, rocks, and dirt blockading the entrance. She’d woken a few minutes ago, but though her neck ached, she stayed where she was so as not to wake him; he’d slept little over the past few days.
Shifting against her, Mike murmured something that sounded like her name. His fingers twitched against her ass as, sometime in his sleep, his hand had fallen to her butt. She wasn’t going to complain about the intimate hold. Then he jerked against her and released a muffled noise.
Fearing something was nearby, and that was why he was so unsettled, Mollie lifted her head to examine the dark crevice. When nothing moved, and Mike’s breath tickled her ear, she realized he still slept and must be having a bad dream.
Mollie chanced hitting the light button on the side of her watch. The dim glow under Mike’s chin lit his face but didn’t penetrate far beyond the shadows surrounding them. His expression was not relaxed in sleep but tensed, and lines etched his forehead. His legs jerked beneath her; his mouth flattened into a firm line as his grip on her became almost bruising.
Under normal circumstances, he would never harm her, but in his sleep, he might do something without realizing it. But how did she wake a sleeping vampire having a nightmare without winding up snapped like a toothpick?
There was a reason they said let sleeping dogs lie. What if she startled him and he reacted by breaking her neck?
Mollie gulped, but when he jerked again and kicked out, she realized she had to wake him. If he didn’t kill her in his sleep, he might attract attention if this kept up. She hadn’t heard any howls since waking, but that didn’t mean things weren’t out there, hunting them.
Resting her hand on his cheek, Mollie slid it over until it covered his mouth.Please don’t kill me.
She gripped his shoulder and gave him a rough shake. His mouth pursed against her hand and a line formed between his brows, but he still didn’t open his eyes. When Mollie gave him another shake, his eyes flew open to reveal their ruby color. His lips skimmed back against her palm, and his fangs touched her skin.
Mollie’s heart leapt into her throat; she threw herself back to jerk free of his arms, but they cinched around her, drawing her closer.
“Wait! No!” she gasped.
