He touched her elbow, and she turned todiscover Lucy had crept to the edge of the building. She hoveredthere, waiting for them. When they joined her, she led the wayaround the corner.
Trees crowded the back of the building andclicked against the concrete as they swayed in the small breezestirring the air. Some of the leaves were already starting to turnred and orange.
That color made her realize how much timethey lost while trapped below. She shoved aside the disconcertingrealization as she focused on making sure they didn’t miss out onany more of their lives.
Melanie shoved aside the branches tugging ather clothes and hair as Lucy reached the back door.
“Let me go in first,” Kyle said.
Lucy’s hand fell away from the knob, and shestepped to the other side of the door before flattening herselfagainst the building. Kyle slipped past Melanie and fought his waythrough the brush to get to Lucy’s side.
Melanie held her breath when he grasped theknob, twisted it, and shoved the door open. She waited for moregunfire to pierce the silence, but nothing happened. Kyle waited afew seconds before vanishing inside.
Lucy slipped in behind him, and Melanie wasabout to follow when she glanced behind her, and something caughther attention. A man was loping through the woods and toward thebuilding. She pressed closer against the wall when she recognizedone of the vampires from below.
Smoke trailed from its back as it ran, but itseemed oblivious to the fact it was smoldering. It must have comeup from the stairwell and exited into the woods, but she didn’tknow what it was doing now.
If he had any sense of reason, he would headin the opposite direction and try to scale the fence. Instead, hewas heading toward their enemies.
Once the vamp was out of view, she edgedtoward the doorway again. She was almost there when a handencircled her wrist. She bit back a scream that would have givenaway their location and looked up to discover Kyle staring at her.She slipped into the garage and closed the door.
“There was a vampire out there,” shesaid.
“Are you sure it was a vampire?” hedemanded.
“Yes. I saw him in one of the cages, and hehad smoke coming off his back.”
“I set them all free after you guys got onthe elevator,” Lucy said.
When they both spun on her, Lucy lifted herchin and stared defiantly back at them.
“I don’t care what they are. I don’t carewhat they’ve done;noone deserves to live like that. Ifthey get killed, then so be it; that’s a better fate than the onethey faced. If they kill before leaving here…” Lucy shrugged. “Willyou feel bad about it?”
Melanie wasn’t entirely sure how to respond,mainly because she didn’t like the answer. “What about ourparents?”
“Our parents started this, and it’s time weended it. They made their bed with their piss-poor choices; letthem finally deal with the consequences of their actions. Besides,those vamps will help provide a distraction for us.”
“If they don’t try to kill us,” Kylesaid.
Apprehension flickered through Lucy’s eyesbefore she lifted her chin. “No matter what they are,nothingdeserves to live like that. Everyone here knew whatthey were getting into when they signed up for it, and they allenjoy capturing and torturing things. Now, it’s their turn to bethe hunted, and they deserve what they get.”
Melanie’s eyebrows rose at the vehemence inLucy’s tone, but she couldn’t argue with Lucy’s reasoning. Shewished those things weren’t running around here with them,though.
“If we’re all trying to get out of here atthe same time, the Savages will provide good cover for us,” Kylesaid.
“As long as they don’t eat us,” Melaniesaid.
“I won’t let that happen.”
His eyes flared a more vivid shade of red ashe said this, and Melanie had absolute faith he wouldn’t allow itto happen. Kyle locked the door before stalking deeper into thegarage. Melanie’s gaze swung over the vehicles. There were fivevans like the one that brought them here. There was also a pickuptruck and two SUVs.
“The office is down there,” Melanie said andpointed toward the door at the opposite end of the building. “Thekeys are in there.”
“Are you mad at me?” Lucy whispered to her asthey made their way toward the doorway at the end.
Melanie didn’t know what she was—scared,amped up, and nauseous—but… “I’m surprised but not mad.”
“I couldn’t leave them in there.”
