Page 6 of Never Run from an Immortal

A woman screamed, and they both turned towards the sound. Rae could make out little in the darkness beyond a few feet in front of them, but she knew Vampire eyes could likely see everything.

“Aidan Vale, as I live and breathe,” a male voice called out from across the club. “And what’s this, your little human pet?”

Rae clicked her tongue and wiped her filthy blade on her torn shorts. Her favourite pair, ruined. “I’m no one’s fucking pet.”

Aidan let out a quiet puff of air beside her, in what she assumed was as close to a laugh as he was capable of. Rae didn’t shift her attention away from the Fae who took in the chaosaround them, not a single black hair out of place on his head or his beard, both just as slick with oil as the other.

“I will never understand why humans favour such foul language. It’s very unbecoming.” The Fae stalked closer, and that was the moment Rae knew she was truly fucked. There was no way in Hel that the Vampire Lord would have allowed the Fae’s proximity if it weren’t for one of two reasons: either something was interfering with his abilities, or he was working with the Liberalist Fae.

Both were very, very bad options for her.

And that meant she had to make a quick decision about who to side with, because the wrong one meant she would certainly end up dead. And Nim would not be very pleased about that.

Neither would Rae, if she was being honest.

She tightened her grip on her blade, and at the same moment, Aidan shifted almost imperceptibly at her side, his fingers flexing as if he were aching for a fight. He hadn’t said a word. Had barely even shown any signs of acknowledging someone had been speaking to him.

He moved so fast that Rae could barely track the movement, lunging for the Fae and landing a blow to the bastard’s face as they slammed into the floor of the club. His blows were brutal, pounding into the Fae with his fists, no hint of his Provident abilities despite the bodies flooding into what remained of the club around them.

Rae narrowed her eyes. Someone had a syphon on him. A spell used by Witches to draw power from its source. Which meant she’d already chosen wrong.Goddess help me. She was already murmuring another spell as more bodies moved from the shadows and surrounded them, hands grappling at Aidan as he laid into the Fae, canines bared and bloodied.

Her spell was almost finished, the last few words bubbling up her throat as one of them shoved a large needle into theVampire’s back and his body bowed in response to whatever they’d injected him with.

Shit. Shit. Shit.Just a few more words and then—a rush of air was all the warning Rae had before a blow to the head took her out.

Chapter four

“He lives,” a familiar voice mused from somewhere in the dark.

Aidan tried to open his eyes, but both were so swollen he could only see his chest where his chin currently rested against it. His arms were chained above his head, spelled metal judging by the fact he couldn’t break them apart, his back pressed against a cold, damp wall. This night just got better and better.

He knew it was the human from the scent of her vanilla perfume, her sweat-slicked skin, the tang of blood that would have crusted on her wounds, and his canines fought to extend in response.Interesting.He had more restraint than most Vampires, but he would need to feed if he stood a chance of making it out of this situation quickly.

He pushed out with his Provident abilities to force the human to come closer, but they were gone. Something had happened back in Rush before he’d fought with Torrin. And whatever those bastard Fae had injected him with next still seemed to rattle around in his veins.

The human sighed, the air shifting as she moved closer of her own volition. “Well, I can see you’re of absolutely no use to me.” With that, the air shifted again, and Aidan knew she’d turned to leave.

“Wait.”

“Why, so I can be your next meal? Your ticket out of here? I wasn’t born yesterday. I know who you are. What you are.” Her voice was full of vitriol; gone was the human who had fluttered her eyelashes at him at the bar, replaced with the one he’d watched stab the Gerentis like she did it every night of the week.

If it didn’t hurt so fucking much, Aidan would have laughed. “Of course, because we’re all the same, aren’t we? Just like all humans are the same?”

She didn’t answer him. Just silently assessed him. “You’re Aidan Vale.”

“In the flesh.” A rattle of chains accompanied his words.

“Shame they had to ruin that pretty face of yours.”

Aidan let a puff of air pass his lips. “I’ll look as good as new in the morning, human.” Perhaps a little longer, given whatever they’d injected him with, not that it mattered. He’d been in far worse situations.

“I have a name, Vampire.”

He felt her take a step closer and tilted his head up, willing his eyes to open. “There’s power in a name.”

“There is, but I know yours. Seems only fair you know mine.” The air shifted as she came closer still, the scent of her washing over him. “Rae.”

Aidan forced his eyes to open, blinking at the blood and muck sealing them shut. “Just Rae?” he asked as her violet eyes held his. A few ringlets of blue fell across her face, a wound crusted near her eye, and her lip was split. She’d been chewing it in the dark, the wound open, a bead of fresh blood forming, andAidan’s cock stirred at the sight of it before she licked it away. He needed to feed.

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