Instead of running toward the end of the street, they ran through the woods and away from Gus’s house. They covered almost a hundred feet of woods before arriving at the back side of the homes lining the next street.
Out on the road, flames sputtered in the torches a different group of Savages carried as they searched the street. A knot formed in his stomach while he watched them carry out their mission with ruthless precision. He’d underestimated the number of Savages in town.
He glanced at Willow as she stood beside him with her eyes narrowed on the scene. He had to get her out of this, but he had no idea how they would evade the creatures crawling all over this place. They couldn’t stay hidden in these woods; they weren’t big enough to keep them concealed.
“This way,” he whispered and tugged on her hand.
They remained parallel to the homes as they sprinted through the woods before coming across another street. Except this road ran through the center of town, and they were standing on the back side of the buildings lining the street.
Declan stopped to study the main street. There were no homes here, but there were apartments over some buildings, and people and Savages guarded the sidewalks. They were at least a mile from Gus’s house now. They could turn back and follow the woods as far as they would take them in the opposite direction, but they would only run across another road and more Savages.
Besides, the Savages might be moving into the woods now. They could turn back, but Savages might already block the way as they closed in on them. There were people out there, but this street had a lot less innocent bystanders on it than any of the roads with homes on them. Trying to find a way across the street and into the woods beyond was their best bet for survival.
“We’ll follow the back of the buildings. Maybe we can find a break in the guards, or one of them will get distracted,” he said.
“Maybe,” Willow murmured.
When they first drove through here, she’d marveled at the quaint town and the welcoming people who called out greetings to Gus. Now, the sinister air enveloping it was so thick it made it difficult to breathe. She felt like she’d stepped out of an air-conditioned store and straight into a muggy afternoon in mid-August as she tried to inhale the thick air.
Declan released her hand as they followed the woodline while they ran behind the buildings. They progressed until the trees thinned and the main road intersected with a side street.
Grasping her arm, Declan pulled her to the ground as headlights from a truck turned in their direction. Dead leaves and a stick dug into her cheek when she flattened herself against the earth.
She wanted to melt into the ground and never be seen by these things, but that was impossible. Still, she didn’t move as her breath rattled the leaves, and she inhaled a chunk of dirt.
Please don’t let there be any worms. They were most likely deep beneath the earth where the creepy little wigglers belonged, but as her fingers dug into the dirt, she couldn’t help picturing them squirming toward her.
She closed her eyes as she tried to block out the image; now was not the time to let her irrational phobia take control. She had far more significant problems.
The headlights flashed over the trees before the truck turned onto the side street and vanished around a bend. Declan’s fingers entwined with hers, and she inhaled the musty scent of wet earth before turning her head to look at him.
He also lay flat on the ground with his head turned toward her. The moonlight filtering through the trees was the same silvery color as his eyes. They lay, staring at each other. She took in the chiseled planes of his face, the auburn stubble lining his cheeks, and the curve of his lips.
Longing speared through her. She yearned for the life they could have together and the future they would spend with each other. She could love this proud, broken, beautiful man. They could build a life of happiness and laughter on the foundation of a love so true that it would strengthen and better them as they grew older.
That life was so close she could almost touch it; she could practically hear the laughter of their children and see the sun spilling over him as she woke beside him every morning. She could taste the millions of kisses they would exchange and feel his arms enveloping her.
Yet it was also so far away it seemed unattainable. She closed her eyes against the tears burning them. She’d made it this far; she would not give up hope. She would have that life if she had to slaughter every single Savage to make sure it happened.
Keeping Declan’s hand in hers, she placed her hands beneath her and pushed herself onto all fours before rising with him. Shouts came from the main road; without saying a word, they turned and ran back behind the buildings. She was starting to feel like a cornered animal with a trap hovering over her head, waiting to spring.
As they neared the other end of the main street, the stench of rot filling the air alerted them that Savages were on the intersecting road ahead. Declan skidded to a halt, and Willow stopped beside him.
The demon clawed at his insides as it sought to break free and unleash Hell on anything posing a threat to Willow. His fangs throbbed as he searched the woods. These trees wouldn’t keep them hidden all night, and if they kept running back and forth like rats in a maze, it would only get them killed.
Turning his attention back to the main street, he studied the guards there. If they were fast enough, they might make it across the road and into the woods on the other side before being shot or attacked. There was no way to avoid being spotted, but they would have a better chance of losing the Savages in the woods over there than they had of continuing to avoid them where they were now.
“We don’t have a choice,” Willow said.
“No, we don’t,” he agreed. “But we should go back so we’re in between this road and the one on the other end. That way, it will take longer for the Savages on both streets to come to the aid of the ones on this road.”
“Okay.”
Staying close to his side, she focused on his scent as she tried not to think about what lay ahead of them. They would get out of here, and they would live the beautiful life she could see for them. They’d get to know each other better, lie beside each other every day, and one day hear the laughter of their children.
When they were at the halfway point of the intersecting streets, they stopped between two small, squat brick buildings. A small alley ran between the buildings, and across the street, another row of brick buildings faced them. And beyond that lay more woods.
Willow wasn’t looking forward to running through more woods for miles upon miles again, but the promise of those trees was brighter than the sun at noon. She rested Declan’s hand against her belly as she lifted her head to take in the red in his eyes.
“We’re going to get through this,” she whispered.
“We are, and the first chance we get, we’re going on vacation.”
Willow snorted with laughter. “As long as that vacation doesn’t involve the woods, I’m there.”
“I’m thinking white sandy beaches for miles and drinks that come in coconuts.”
“I love the way you think.”
Declan bent to kiss her temple and closed his eyes as he inhaled her heady scent. He’d just found her, and he couldn’t lose her. She made it so he remembered what it was like to be a man, instead of a monster on edge all the time. She’d brought love and happiness to a life devoid of it for too many years.
And now he was on the verge of losing her, and that verge was making the demon inside him more ravenous than ever before.
When Declan pulled away from her, his eyes were completely red. More than that, black and red color was seeping out from the corners of his eyes. The fine lines made it seem like the fire in his eyes was spreading through his flesh.
She’d heard what happened to a purebred vampire when pushed to the edge, and especially when someone threatened their mate, but she’d never seen the effects of it before. Willow rested her hand on his arm in the hope of calming him, but it didn’t work.
“Stay close to me,” Declan said.
“I will.”
“Let’s go.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice; she stayed at his side as they bolted out of the woods and between the two buildings. She didn’t look toward the guards when her feet hit the sidewalk, and she never checked to make sure no one was coming before plunging into the road.
A shout sounded from somewhere to Declan’s left, a car horn blared, and lights from a nearby truck flared to life as a key turned in the ignition. The increasing stench of rot told him the Savages were closing in, but he didn’t see them yet.
When they reached the opposite side of the street, his and Willow’s feet hit the sidewalk at the same time. He didn’t look back when tires squealed on the pavement, and the revving engine sounded like a dragon bearing down on its prey.
When Willow craned her neck to see over her shoulder, Declan clutched her arm and pulled her in front of him as gunfire split the night. Chunks of concrete and pieces of brick flew up from the sidewalk and broke off the building as the bullets zinged off them. Shards pelted his legs and face as another bullet struck him in the arm; he grunted from the impact but didn’t slow.
“Declan?” Willow gasped.
“I’m fine; keep going.”
She knew he wasn’t fine as the scent of his blood permeated the air, but she didn’t try to look back as the bullets whizzing past her head struck the buildings. A large chunk of a brick cut her in the cheek, a trickle of warmth tickled her flesh as it ran down her cheek. Over the booms of the guns firing, shouts sounded in the distance as the Savages alerted their brethren to their presence.
From the corner of his eye, a Savage emerged from a building across the street and sprinted toward them. “Keep going,” he hissed at Willow when she started to turn toward it.
Willow’s instincts told her to face the approaching enemy; she didn’t run from a fight, but she pushed herself faster. The footsteps slapping against asphalt grew closer as the Savage’s stench permeated the air.
Declan waited until the Savage was almost on them before spinning toward it. He glimpsed red eyes as he grasped the Savage, lifted it over his head, and threw it into the brick building beside him.
He didn’t have time to finish the prick, and as headlights raced toward him, he turned and sprinted after Willow.