Page 79 of Lucien

He stared down at a black screen.

In his worry over Jamie the night before, he’d apparently forgotten to charge the damn thing, because it was completely dead.

He was turning to ask Fox to borrow his, when a woman’s scream tore through the air.

Fox and Dane took off in an instant, Luc quick on their heels.

Except, a few minutes later, Luc heard a much more terrifying sound.

He heard Jamie.

He heard Jamie screaming.

twenty

Jamie

“Wherethefuckishe?” Jamie muttered, more to himself than the vampire beside him.

They’d reached Gate’s Pass in record time, but there was still no sign of Luc. Or Danny and Roman, for that matter, but Jamie figured it would take them at least a few more minutes to get there.

“You know, vampires are super-duper hard to kill,” Jay soothed. “I know seeing Luc’s throat get torn into was probably really scary, but he can totally survive it. You don’t need to worry so much. That’s why it usually takes more than one of us to bring a feral vampire down. It’s not easy. Beheading or total consumption by flames.”

Jamie nodded along to the reassurances, but he was having trouble taking it to heart. Jay hadn’t seen what he’d seen—that vampire had been tearingthroughLuc’s throat. How much damage before Luc’s head was severed from his fucking body?

“Even then,” Jay mused, circling around the signpost, “it’s not always just the feral vampire that goes down. Even with multiple vampires helping, it’s a really dangerous business. I think it’s like what they say happens when humans lift cars off babies and stuff? Like feral vamps have an extended adrenaline rush. Or maybe just nothing left to lose? They can be stronger than you’d think.”

“Um, I think maybe you’re trying to comfort me, but what you’re really saying is that if it was the feral vampire I saw attacking Luc, that fuckercouldtotally kill him.”

Gray eyes met Jamie’s in a surprisingly flat stare. “I’m saying if you didn’t see his head come off his body, you didn’t see him die.”

“Have—have you seen that? A vampire’s head come off.”

“I have.” Jay stared down at the hand he had resting on the signpost, then lifted it to rub the heel of his palm against his chest. He looked unbearably sad, standing there.

But in the next moment, the little vampire had perked back up again. “Maybe we should try call—”

He was cut off by a woman’s scream.

It was faint enough, seemingly coming from a ways off, but it was definitely hailing from further into the desert.

He and Jay shared a look, locked in mutual indecision.

Jamie licked dry lips. “Do you think it’s the feral vampire?”

“If it is, he’s got a victim. That was someone in distress. We should—Ishould help, right?” For some reason, Jay was whispering.

Jamie nodded. If someone was in distress, they definitely needed to help. But he couldn’t run at the speed Jay could. “It’s faster if you go alone.”

Jay looked uncertain. “I don’t want to leave you here.”

“Danny and Roman will be coming any minute.”

The woman screamed again, a prolonged wail.

“Go,” Jamie urged.

Jay nodded once before dashing off and—holy shit. Jamie realized he’d never seen a vampire go at full speed for any length of time before. The little guy was completely out of his sight before Jamie could even register the idea of it in his mind.

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