Simone had no idea what else to say, and honestly, a simple thank you seemed insufficient for saving her life, but she had no idea what else to do or say to express her gratitude.
They encountered a few more humans outside their campers or tents, but most of them were drinking, and the ones who weren’t were with others. If he’d been at full strength, he would have gone for the humans in groups, but he couldn’t deplete himself further by bending them to his will and changing their memories.
Killean wound his way through the RVs and tents tucked between the thick pines, oaks, and maple trees. Where the stars peeked through the bowers overhead, they were bright in the night, but no moon graced the sky. Almost half the sites were empty, but it was still only mid-May, and Killean suspected there would be a lot more people here in the summer—wherever here was.
They crossed through a section made up mostly of tents where no one was awake. Stopping, he scented the air for the stench of a Savage, but he detected only the scent of pine and burning wood. He set Simone down beside a newer Dodge truck.
Stepping away from her, he inspected her to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Her cheeks, which were so gaunt in captivity, had filled out now that she’d fed, and the dark circles under her eyes were almost gone. Her wrists had stopped bleeding, though they were still bruised and raw, as was the flesh she’d picked off her hands. A vampire as young as her shouldn’t be capable of healing so fast, even after feeding, but because they were mates, his blood accelerated her healing abilities.
“I have to feed and find us a ride out of here,” he said.
“You’re going to feed on one ofthesepeople?”
“It’s how I survive,” he growled in response to the revulsion in her tone. “It’s howyousurvive now too.”
Simone couldn’t stop herself from blushing as his words reminded her of the wanton way she acted while feeding on him. Out of habit, she almost apologized to him, but she clamped back the words. Unlike the hunter men she apologized to over the years for many numerous offenses, including something as small as taking up their time, Simone didn’t think Killean would appreciate her apology. She had no reason to believe this, but her instincts told her it would only make him mad.
“Can’t it wait?” she asked instead.
“No. You took a lot of blood out of me.”
The fire in her cheeks spread down her nape and across her shoulders; she couldn’t hold his gaze anymore.
“And I need to regain my strength if I’m going to fight off anyone who comes for us,” Killean continued. “Stay here. If you hear or see anything abnormal, come and get me. Donotscream for me.”
“Why not?” she asked, and her eyes flew up to his.
“Because if it’s Savages you see, your scream will only draw humans and those Savages will have no problem killing them. They could decide to turn this place into another buffet for them to dine at.”
A ripple of shock ran through her. She had no idea what to make of this mystery of a man. When he first kissed her, he was one of Ronan’s men, a Defender, and part of what Nathan termed the Alliance. The next time she saw him, he was standing beside the monster who’d shattered her life and turned her into the enemy she always feared. And now he was trying to protect humans while smelling like a Savage and planning to feed on people.
What was going on here? Before she could ask him, he turned away and knelt next to the orange tent beside the truck.
“Please don’t kill whoever’s in there,” she whispered.
Killean scowled at her. She had a right to be concerned and no reason to expect him to do anything other than kill the man he scented inside, but hewantedher to think better of him, which only pissed him off more.
Simone clasped her hands before her as she resisted going after Killean when he pulled the zipper back and disappeared inside.
Killean placed his hand over the mouth of the man sleeping within. He’d chosen this tent because the man was alone and he hadn’t smelled any drugs or alcohol coming from within. This close to the human, he was pleased to learn his assessment was correct and the man had gone to sleep sober.
The man came awake with a jolt and bolted upright, but before he could yell against Killean’s hand, Killean struck. When he sank his fangs into the man’s neck, the man went rigid and his heartbeat skyrocketed.
Killean could have taken control of the human’s mind and made this experience far less painful for him, but he wassodepleted that he hadn’t wanted to waste time and energy doing such a thing. However, as the man’s agony beat against him, Killean realized more than hunger had propelled him into feeding on the man without preparing him first; if he couldn’t kill him, then he would experience the man’s suffering.
And he couldn’t kill, not only because Simone had asked him not to, but also because now that she was free there was no longer a reason for him to do so. No matter how badly he wanted to experience the pleasure of life filling him, he wouldnotgive into the impulse.
However, with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, Killean realized he needed to experience this man’s pain as much as he needed his blood. The reality of what he was doing crashed over him, and Killean withdrew from his victim. As if all the bones were pulled from his body, the man whimpered and slumped forward.
“Don’t move,” Killean commanded. Now that the blood had replenished some of his strength, he felt more comfortable using his ability.
Sitting back, Killean studied the man as he sat with his head bent forward and his gaze focused on the air mattress he still sat on. Guilt tore at Killean as a broken air surrounded the innocent man.
Despite the fact they were some of the worst of humankind, Killean had made sure to take over the minds of his earliest victims and blocked their pain from them. When he hunted with Joseph, Killean couldn’t block out the pain of his victims without drawing attention to himself, so he’d experienced the suffering of his victims. He hadn’t felt bad about it as he’d done what was necessary to survive, and those humans weren’t exactly upstanding citizens.
But this man was an innocent, one he didn’t plan on killing and hadn’t meant to harm. When he attacked this man, he’d been reacting to some new, brutal instinct—an instinct that marked him as more of a Savage than the deaths forever staining his soul could.
What was wrong with him?
