Chapter 16

Samantha had no strength to walk, let alone run, but Nik said he didn’t mind carrying her. She knew he wasn’t moving as fast as he could and wondered if it was because there were so many twists and turns down here.

Leisha taking her energy had been, for lack of a better word, draining. Her mind felt fuzzy, and she was having a hard time focusing her eyes. Her body was fatigued to the point of shaking. However, it was nice that she could help Leisha. She often felt like a useless damsel in distress, sitting in the corner while everyone else fought, so being able to contribute was a great feeling. But Samantha hoped she wouldn’t have to go through that experience again.

When they came to a fork in the tunnels, Nik stopped and looked at each corridor.

“How do you know which one we should take,” she asked.

Nik shrugged. “I don’t. But I’m trying to decide which direction would give us easier access to get above ground again.” He paused and angled his head. “Some of them are catching up to us.”

He went right, but again, didn’t use his super vampire speed. After several more twists and turns, he put her down. “They’re still keeping up with us,” he explained. “I need to get rid of them. Stay here and wait for me.”

She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Can’t we simply outrun them?”

He shook his head. “It isn’t working. But I can get rid of them quickly.”

Even in their current circumstances, Samantha was surprised to discover that she actually condoned his intention to kill their pursuers.

She nodded and he moved to leave. On an impulse, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down towards her face. She pressed her lips to his. Nik hesitated at first, then kissed her back. It was soft and tender, but it ended too soon and he returned to where they had come.

While waiting, she put her fingers to her lips. They still felt warm and tingly from the kiss. She sat thinking about that kiss, so engrossed that she didn’t notice the minutes slipping by.

A sudden explosion ripped Samantha from her reverie. She jerked and almost fell, slapping her hand on the wall for balance. It took a moment for her sight to clear before she took a few steps forward. She could already smell the acrid scent of smoke mingled with the sewage.

“Nik?” She called softly. “Are you okay?”

No answer.

“Nik!” she called more loudly this time.

She exhaled at the sound of footsteps approaching. But it wasn’t Nik who stepped into the light; it was her father. She gasped and stepped back.

“You know,” Mason said, his brown hair covered with bits of debris, “it’s sad to see such a reaction from my own daughter.” He raised a gun and pointed it at her chest. “Of course, knowing that you serve those creatures makes me cringe when I see you, too.”

Staring at the gun, she backed up until she felt the wall behind her. “So now you’re going to kill me, is that it?”

Mason scoffed. “Hardly. No, I have something planned for you.” He took a few more steps toward her. “And once it’s all said and done, Samantha, I think you’ll thank me for it.”

“What did you do to Nik?”

“If you’re referring to that male vampire, we took care of him.” He smiled. “We’ve developed some weapons that even vampires aren’t immune to.”

Breathing was suddenly difficult as she leaned into the curved wall.

“Your beloved Leisha should be dead by now, too.” He scratched his chin. “I wonder if you’d be as sad for my death as you are for those monsters.”

Tears pouring down her face, she glared at her father. “You’re just as much of a murderer! You have no morals, like some kind of government-approved sociopath!”

He pointed the gun at her again, shaking in anger. “Watch your mouth. The only reason I’m here is to save you!”

Frustration mounting, she burst out, “Why can’t you just leave us alone?”

“We’re family, my girl. I’ll never leave you alone.”

“You did a first rate job of it for ten years.” Something was off, nagging at her brain, but Samantha couldn’t figure out what it was. Her mind was still muddled.

“Things are different! You’re with vampires. How can I ignore that fact? And look at what they’ve done to you!” Mason pushed a hand through his hair. “But don’t worry, Samantha. I think I can fix it. You need to come with me.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you.”

They both turned to see Nik slowly walking towards them. He’d obviously been injured in the blast and was limping, but her heart lightened to see that he was alright. She smiled at him, and then it finally hit her. She’d had a vision about this.

She saw her father, glaring at Nik. She screamed a warning, even before he raised his gun, but it was too late. Mason fired. Samantha looked back at Nik to see him staring at his chest in surprise. The red liquid quickly oozed across his chest and down his stomach as the vampire fell to the ground.

“No!” Samantha cried and rushed toward him. A firm grip around her arm prevented her from reaching her destination. She pulled against Mason’s grasp. “Let me go! I hate you! If I see you again, I’ll be the one to pull the trigger!”

She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but they quickly turned back to steely resolve. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” He turned and pulled her with him as he began walking.

Samantha continued to struggle and punched his arm and shoulder with her free hand. It seemed to have no impact on him while Samantha’s strength quickly waned.

They had gone forward about twenty feet before something crashed into Mason from behind, making him lose his hold on her arm.

She looked down to see Leisha pinning Mason on his stomach, half his face in the dirty slime. The vampire reached toward his head, then hesitated and looked at Samantha.

The question in her eyes was evident. Should she kill him?

Even though moments ago, Samantha’s dearest wish was to see her father dead, she now hesitated. Though Leisha would be the one to twist his neck, Samantha would be giving her the go ahead. She would be the one responsible for her father’s death. She knew she wouldn’t be able to live with that.

She shook her head.

Leisha turned back to Mason and lifted his head by his hair. She slammed his face into the ground, making a loud smacking sound. Samantha grimaced but didn’t say anything. Of course, they would have to knock him out so he couldn’t to follow them.

She pivoted away from her father and searched out Nik. He was still lying in the same spot, covered in his own blood.

Moving over to him, she knelt by his side. “Are you okay?”

He was clearly in pain, but held on to his usual passive expression. “It will heal.” He turned his head to Leisha. “He moved faster than a mere human.”

Leisha nodded. “A couple of the men I fought were able to sneak up on me. They shouldn’t have been able to.”

Feeling the blood drain from her face, Samantha shuddered. “What has my father done to those men?”

They were quiet for a moment. Samantha figured they were all contemplating her question.

“We need to get out of here,” Leisha said. “We’ll have to find a different way to travel, since they’ll be checking all the outgoing flights.”

Samantha leaned down to help Nik, but Leisha stopped her. “You’re still weak. I can handle Nikita.” Grabbing their bags, Samantha turned to follow. She noticed that Leisha didn’t look very well, either. Her friend had blood and filth all over her body and the girl couldn’t tell how many injuries the vampire had taken.

After Leisha hefted a groaning Nik, they headed in a direction opposite of where they came from. It was slow moving, both vampires limping, Leisha’s impairment more pronounced since Nik leaned on her.

Samantha was completely disoriented, but trusted Leisha to find the way. It took about twenty minutes until the vampire began climbing a metal ladder to get above ground. She came out of the manhole into an alley that reeked of garbage and rotting food. It was like fresh air blasting through her nostrils compared to the sewer. Samantha took a deep breath, filling her lungs as completely as she could.

The sun was still high in the sky. Leisha paused in the shadows, looking Nik over.

“Can’t we find a place in the sewer where we can hide until sundown?” Samantha queried.

Nik shook his head. “We need to leave before backup arrives and combs every inch of the tunnels.”

Grimacing, Leisha nodded. “They’ll probably be expecting us to wait in the sewer. It would be better to get out of here now.”

Putting her hand on Nik’s shoulder, Samantha gave Leisha a hopeless look. “How?”

Nik gestured to his bag. “I have a jacket with a large hood that should cover most of me. There’s also some gloves in the side pocket.”

Samantha bent over, pulled out the items, and handed them over. Nik draped himself and insisted on walking without assistance.

Several construction workers stared at them as they ambled quickly down the sidewalk, and no wonder: they smelled horrible and looked worse, their appearance bloody and disheveled. Both Nik and Leisha were still bleeding from their injuries. Samantha hoped no one called the authorities and reported them.

Leisha stopped at a run-down motel. It took little convincing for the manager to give them a room, even though they looked a mess. Leisha merely had to pull out some cash and pay for two nights, regardless of the fact that they’d only be staying for a few hours.

They each took a turn to use the shower.

Nik came out in clean clothes and looking as handsome as ever, though he was still pale.

“Are you alright, Nik?” Samantha’s brows drew together. “Shouldn’t you be healed by now?”

Shrugging, Nik casually explained. “I’m not sure what was in the blast that Mason set off, but it knocked me out. I think there was something potent for vampires in the gas. Combine that and the fact that this is the longest I’ve gone without feeding, it’s taking me a bit longer to heal. That’s all.”

Putting a hand to her throbbing temple, Samantha forced a light tone. “Looks like we’re all feeling pretty bad today.”

“Maybe we should stay here tonight,” Nik suggested. “We can let everyone get some rest.”

Leisha shook her head. “That guy at the front desk will give us away to the first person who asks. We’re only here to clean up and regroup. We’ll find a different place to stay.” She studied Nik. “Then we’ll let Samantha get some sleep while we go out and feed. You may need two feedings to bring you up to snuff.”

Nik glanced at the stained and cracked wallpaper. “Good enough.”

Less than an hour later, they were again walking the streets of downtown Cincinnati, only this time no one gave them a second glance. Once they were in the nicer part of town, Leisha pointed to a respectable looking hotel and told them to wait while she got a room. If word got out that officials were looking for two women and a man traveling together, she didn’t want anyone to associate that with them.

They were in their room in no time, and Samantha barely managed to take off her shoes before collapsing onto one of the beds. Closing her dry eyes, Samantha listened to Nik and Leisha drop their bags on the carpet and walk around.

“See ya in a little while,” the girl mumbled. She was already asleep when the door clicked shut behind the vampires.