Melanie scrambled to get out of the way asKyle landed protectively in front of her. The Savage’s feet thuddedagainst the ground across from them. When she rested her backagainst the glass, it pulled at her clothes and tugged at her hairas it slipped into the floor.
Undeterred by his presence or the warninggrowl Kyle released, the Savage charged Melanie with eyes as red asfire. Its elongated fangs slicing into its bottom lip caused bloodto spill down its chin.
The thing was too far gone to bloodlust tothink clearly and wouldn’t be deterred from its meal. Bracinghimself for the impact, Kyle lowered his shoulder, caught thevampire in the upper chest, and lifted it off its feet. He held itin the air for a second before flipping it and propelling it intothe ground.
Melanie winced when bones cracked, and thecreature’s cry was muffled by the blood spilling from its mouth. Itwould like nothing more than to eat her, but she couldn’t helpfeeling bad for it.
She didn’t blame the vamp for its destructiveimpulses. She wanted to destroy everyone and everything that had ahand in keeping her here too. Still, she wasn’t going to interveneor ask Kyle to spare the vamp’s life. She felt bad for it, but shewasn’t an idiot.
The Savage clawed at Kyle’s arms and face asit fought like a wildcat to get free. Kyle delivered anotherbone-crushing blow to its face, but somehow it planted its feetfirmly onto the ground and, with a mighty heave, threw Kyle overits head.
Kyle crashed into the glass only a few feetoff the ground now. The air rushed out of him as he hit the ground,but he scrambled back to his feet and lunged at the Savage as itran toward Melanie.
Seizing the creature’s ankle, he yanked itback. It lashed out at Melanie with a swipe that barely missed hernose. Kyle dragged the Savage toward him. Its fingers clawed at theground, and its nails tore away from its flesh as it sought somesort of purchase but found none.
Kyle held onto the Savage’s ankle as he roseover it. The bastard twisted in his hold and kicked out with itsfree leg. Kyle dodged its foot as he pulled the thing closer andstomped on its face.
The blow caused the right half of its face tocave in, and its eye bulged. It mewled but managed to twist outfrom under him as it tore its leg from his grasp. Kyle refused togive it a second of reprieve and went in low as the Savagestaggered to its feet.
Wrapping his arms around the Savage’s waist,Kyle lifted the creature and propelled it into the ground again. Hereleased the monster when it hit the ground, grasped one of itsfeet, and lifting it, smashed it onto the top of the glass. Theblow caved in the back of the monster’s skull.
Blood and brains exploded across the glass.When the Savage slumped to the ground, Kyle placed his foot againstthe creature’s throat and pressed down until he succeeded intearing its head away.
Melanie swallowed the bile clogging herthroat and rose onto wobbly legs. When Kyle turned toward her, shebarely recognized the man staring at her with red eyes. Blood fromhis wounds and the others covered him. That red and black colorsuffused his skin. His fangs glistened in the light.
However, she couldn’t stop herself fromstaggering toward him and flinging herself into his arms. Tearsspilled from her eyes as the blood covering him seeped through herclothes.
Kyle squeezed her as he inhaled the freshspring scent she exuded while savoring the feel of her in his armsonce more. He’d never felt anything as right as her, and he wasgoing to keep her forever.
He could stand there holding her for hours,days, and weeks, but her freedom from that cage didn’t mean thedanger was over. Bullets continued to fly around the room andscreams resonated as his family and Savages took down theguards.
“We have to go,” Kyle said and reluctantlyreleased her.
Melanie slid her hand into his as theystepped over what little remained of the glass cage and ran towardthe stairwell they used to enter the room.
“Your dad?” she panted as they ran.
“He’ll be okay.”
Kyle refused to believe anything different.He couldn’t be the cause of his parents’ demise.
The screams lessened as the Savages succeededin taking down more of the guards. Kyle chanced a glance at theothers as he steered Melanie around a couple of bodies.
By the other stairwell, Willow stabbed one ofthe Savages in the stomach with her sword. The creature released astartled howl and clawed at the blade before bursting intoashes.
Kyle had heard what that sword could do, butseeing it in action caused his step to falter. Its power wasastounding, as was the facthissister—someone he’dtormented, laughed with, and teased over the years—was the onewielding it. Willow once had knobby, skinned knees and freckles.Now she had a powerful sword and the lethality of a cougar.
Declan took Willow’s hand. They, along withEthan and Dante, sprinted away from the Savages, who weredescending to feast on the guards. After seeing what Willow’s swordcould do, the other Savages stayed far away from her.
They were fifty feet away from the stairwelldoor when Vicky, Nathan, Lucy, Aiden, and Maggie entered the room.They ran toward his dad while Brian, Julian, Aida, and Cassidy fellin with him and Melanie, and they sprinted toward his parents.
Half of the Savages went for the guards bythe elevator. As the doors closed, they slipped inside with thehumans. Screams and gunshots resonated from within, but therewouldn’t be any human survivors by the time the elevator arrived atits destination.
Aiden knelt at their dad’s side and carefullylifted him into his arms. He ran for the doorway with their mom onhis heels. The screams stopped as the rest of them followed. Kylepulled Melanie into the stairwell and leaned against the doorway ashe turned to watch the rest of his family sprinting for thedoor.
“How is everyone else?” he demanded.
“Stefan’s hurt pretty bad, but he’ll live.David’s injured too but not as bad,” Aiden answered.
