When they finished with everything, Cassidy gulped as she stared into the back of the van. Gripping the sides of the open doors, she climbed into the back and settled as far from the dead Savages as possible. Not only did the idea of being around dead things creep her out, but they still reeked of garbage.
Lifting her hands, she studied them, but the color was gone, and so was the wrath that propelled her in the building. Now, she felt mildly ill over her actions, but she didn’t regret them. However, she hoped she never had to kill anything again.
Kyle waved a hand in front of his nose as he climbed in and sat across from her. “Open the windows. These things still stink.”
Julian grunted in response from the driver’s seat, but he put his window down, most likely because he couldn’t take the smell either. Aida hit the window button on her side, and more fresh air flowed inside. It wasn’t enough.
“Does it really smell that bad?” Dante asked as he sniffed the air; all he detected was the coppery tang of blood.
“Imagine standing in a landfill of rotten fish in the middle of July,” Kyle said. When Cassidy lifted an eyebrow at him, he sighed. “Okay, it’s notthatbad, but it is like standing next to a dump. These assholes stink, and it doesn’t get any better when they’re dead.”
“Good to know,” Dante said.
He winced as he settled beside Cassidy and shifted to get more comfortable. Blood soaked his shirt and skin, his skin remained paler than usual, and sweat beaded his forehead. His teeth were locked so tight that a vein in his temple throbbed with every beat of his heart.
“You have to feed,” she said.
“I’m okay,” he muttered.
“Don’t argue with me.” Before he could protest further, she bit into her wrist and offered it to him.
His fangs lengthened as saliva rushed into his mouth. He disliked the idea of taking her blood in front of everyone, but as those red drops slid down her ivory skin, he couldn’t refuse.
Turning his back to the others, he lifted her wrist to his mouth. He needed to feed and feel this connection with her; he couldn’t deny it.
When he bit into her wrist, he nearly groaned in ecstasy when her sweet blood hit his tongue. Closing his eyes, he savored her delicious taste as his muscles and flesh, fueled by her blood, knitted closed at a faster rate.
He took a couple more pulls before retracting his fangs, kissing her wrist, and releasing her. Able to move his arm again, he draped it around her shoulders and pulled her close as he rested his head against the van.
With his arm around her shoulders, Cassidy kept her face against his neck. His scent helped block the stench of the Savages, and the steady beat of his heart soothed her.
Julian drove to a remote area of the state forest in Plymouth and pulled to the side of the road. Unable to take the smell anymore, Cassidy scrambled out the back and leaned against the van before sliding down to sit beside it.
When Julie refused to leave Preston’s side, Julian and Kyle carried him out and set him down near Cassidy. No one wanted her sitting in the van with the bodies. When they finished and Julie was outside, everyone gathered around her as they waited for the sun to rise.
Preston woke up a short time later. He sat up and winced as his hand went to his head. “What happened?” he muttered.
“It’s over,” Dante said.
“Over,” Preston murmured and lifted his head. When his eyes found Julie, he broke into a grin. “Julie.”
She threw herself into his arms, and though he looked like he might throw up, Preston hugged her as she cried.
When the first hint of dawn lightened the sky to a dull gray, they removed the bodies from the van and set them on the side of the road. They waited until the sun hit them and nothing but ash remained before climbing back into the vehicle and leaving.
The stench of the Savages lingered, but it wasn’t as bad, and the fresh air coming through the windows helped dispel it further. Cassidy looked up to discover Julian giving her and Kyle another fulminating look.
“We didn’t know what we were walking into tonight, and we were trying to keep you safe. Besides, you took off for four years without much contact with all of us, and we got over it,” Cassidy reminded him. “I think you can forgive us for not calling you tonight.”
Julian grunted in response.
“You didn’t talk to meatallfor four years, and I got over it,” Aida said. She fluttered her lashes and smiled sweetly at Julian when he frowned at her.
Cassidy grinned at her sister-in-law.
“Your mate is a very smart woman,” Kyle said to Julian.
Aida’s golden-brown eyes twinkled in amusement when she turned to look at him. “Are you just realizing this?”
