Page 5

“Clearing the room… but we’ve got a survivor.”

She paused, her frustration crackling in his ear.

Lana dispatched another with a sweep of her axe through a vampire’s neck. “I can make my way to take your post at the door.”

Vann scanned the room. The vampires were dropping fast, but… fuck. He flicked another look at the survivor.

Wide eyes blinked and stared back. A plea. How the fuck had the human survived the feast?

Vann smashed his blade into the next. Another.

They had the upper hand.

Ten fucking minutes, and they could evac the poor bastard to the hospital.

“Let’s finish the job.” He drove his sword into the abdomen of a vampire before she could reach the door.

More blood spilled.

A sheen of sweat built up on his skin.

Sword moving fast, refusing to tire, he eliminated every last threat.

As a unit, they cleared the room.

Until the movement slowed.

And ceased.

He scanned the room, assessing, ready to finish any who tried to play possum. Breath coming sharp and fast, he steadied his focus.

Bodies surrounded him. Those who’d tried to run.

The vampires who’d tried to escape out the back were now bloody corpses at Bennett’s feet. His shield was covered in blood, his blade dripping.

The survivor. Fuck. Vann leaped over bodies to reach him.

Bennett was at his side in a blink.

Already too weak, the man’s hand dropped to his side.

Vann ripped a chunk off the man’s sweatshirt and braced it over the gushing wound.

“Hang on,” Bennett growled at the man, breathing only to speak.

The man whimpered as he looked up at Bennett, the vampire-hunter hybrid’s sharp teeth probably making the rescue look like a ruse to fuck with him before draining him again. Vampires were as bad as cats, toying with their prey.

Vann kept the wound braced, felt the man’s clammy forehead, and moved his hand to check a pulse. The feeding should have knocked the guy out. The bastard was tough. “EMTs won’t get here in time, and we don’t need civilians seeing this mess.”

Bennett shook his head. “If we’re doing this, we need to go. Now.”

In the old days, a lot of hunters were known to finish off witnesses. Enough that humans should fear their rescuers as much as their predators.

“Ryan? Can you transport him through the veil to the hospital?” Lana asked hopelessly from across the room.

“Can’t go someplace I’ve never been,” Ryan reminded her as he ran to join them at the dying man’s side.

“We’re three blocks from St. Eden.” Vann didn’t wait around. “Quinn. We need a ride to the hospital.”