“I agree with Vivi. You need to stay with your sister and protect her,” Aurora tells Rikkon.
“Okay. Better if I don’t have to babysit anyone,” Cheryl adds. “You need to go now before they surround us. Ready?”
Aurora turns to Vivi. “You can do this. Run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Vivi’s voice trembles.
“Yes. I’m a witch, remember? I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Thanks for worrying about me too,” Cheryl complains.
“Shut up. Iamworried.”
“Fuck! I have visual. Go! Go!” Cheryl gets out of the car, and a second later, I hear a distinct wolf’s snarl.
Holy fuck! Cheryl is a wolf shifter? Does that mean that Karl is a shifter too?
Come on, Vaughn. Now is not the time to be thinking about that. Get out of the car.
I meet Rikkon and Vivi outside, but like a fool, I glance at the forest hugging the road. Several pairs of glowing red eyes stand out in the gloom. I swallow the huge lump in my throat. Son of a bitch. There are so many of them.
“Come on!” Rikkon grabs Vivi’s hand and pulls her in the opposite direction.
I follow them, running as fast as I can. But we’re not far enough from the van when the noise of battle starts. My heart constricts painfully in my chest. I can’t believe we left Cheryl andAurora alone to fight those vampires. What kind of coward does that? Fuck. That’s not who I am. I have to help them. I slow down, ready to turn around.
“We need to stay on the main road,” Rikkon warns me.
It’s the expression of utter fear I see on his face that guts me. We just rescued Rikkon from the dragon kingpin, and he looks worse for wear. He won’t be able to protect Vivi if push comes to shove. I can’t abandon them either. This is hell.
I’m still stuck in my head, drowning in guilt, when the sudden glare of headlights illuminates the road. The car is coming around the curve too fast.
“Vaughn! Watch out,” Vivi yells.
Tires screech, and the sound of burned rubber fills my nose. Then comes the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. The impact sends me flying, and when I land, blood fills my mouth. I bit my tongue. But that pain is nothing compared to the burning in my leg.
“Fuck!” Rikkon screams.
The driver gets out of the car. “I didn’t see him. He came out of nowhere.”
Vivi and Rikkon ignore the man and run to check on me. I try to get up, but there’s a huge gash on my leg, oozing blood. Man, that will lead the vampires straight to us.
“Come on. We have to go,” Rikkon urges.
“He needs medical attention,” the man says. “I’m not going to jail?—”
A vampire leaps on him, biting his neck. The attack is vicious, and in an instant, the vampire rips the guy’s throat open. Horror grips my insides, paralyzing me. Unable to move, I’ll soon become bloodsucker chow. Another vampire is running toward us with unnatural speed. He has white-blond hair and seriously demented red eyes.
Rikkon jumps in front of Vivi, pushing her toward the forest. “Go, Vivi. Go!”
I manage to snap out of my paralysis and get back on my feet—well, one foot. I can’t put any weight on my wounded leg. But if I’m going to die tonight, it won’t be without a fight. “Get help,” I tell Vivi.
She has tears in her eyes when she turns around and disappears into the dark forest. I’ll probably never see her again. I have no hopes that I’ll survive the night.
Goodbye, Vivi.
Rikkon tries to stop the blond vampire from following her, but the bloodsucker sends him flying backward with a swipe of his arm. Rikkon hits a tree before collapsing to the ground in a heap. He’s knocked out cold. But the blond vampire doesn’t linger to finish Rikkon off. He runs after Vivi.
Fuck. I’m too slow to stop him.
