Page 22 of The Dawning
Dane continued to stare at me, and for some reason, a chill skittered down my spine.
The double doors burst open, shattering the tension of whatever had Dane spooked.
Ben rushed in, carrying a blond woman who was out cold.
9
LAYLA
The sun had come up twice since I walked away from the van. That meant I’d been trekking through the mountains of West Virginia for two cold and tiring days. At night, I’d found refuge with tree boughs and brush to rest my aching body on and temper the wind. During the day, I hiked as long and far away from the dead kidnappers as my weary legs would take me. I’d made great strides—at least I think I had, since no one had found me yet. But that was a poor indication. The terrain was rough, but it had changed. Who knew? I might be heading directly into the enemy’s lair. But I had yet to see anything with cement walls like Gary Hutchins had described.
Blue-and-orange hues peeked over the treetops as dawn was about to light up the sky, which meant day three of the misery was about to commence.
My legs and lungs burned, I couldn’t feel my feet and fingers, and nausea had set in. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone found me dead soon. A person could only survive without water for three days. The bigger issue was my need for blood. I was craving it like a starving vampire. If I didn’t find any soon, I wasn’t sure what would happen to the babies. I might consider ingesting blood from a rabbit or other wild animal if I came across one. So far, the only signs of wildlife had been owls and birds. I should be grateful that I hadn’t run into a wolf or coyote.
I moistened my chapped lips with my tongue and adjusted the tree boughs that were poking into my ass. I squirmed to find a comfortable position against the prickly bark. But it was no use. Instead, I hugged my knees to my chest, blowing my hot breath into my hands as I glanced out at the huge chasm and prayed I would find my way out of these godforsaken mountains.
I was deep in the heart of tall firs, evergreens, and deciduous varieties of trees, and I was pretty damn sure I was miles from the smashed-up van. I had to be. I had to believe I was close to finding some type of life other than my grandmother or her counterparts.
I growled at the thought of Granny—a seemingly sweet and innocent older lady who had sharp talons and canines glued to her teeth. She was far from sugar and honey. Oh, she talked like she was the nicest woman on the planet, but Harriet Aberdeen was a viper waiting to strike. Maybe she’d assumed I’d plummeted over the cliff to my death like Gary had. If I was dead, then she’d won. On the other hand, she thought I would make a good candidate to turn me into a supernatural creature. If she was desperate enough to lead an army of supernaturals, then she might do whatever was necessary to hunt me down. She might even consider using my babies for her army too. Unless she was satisfied with my sister Rianne, who was raring to take the plunge as Carly’s lab rat.
I shook off thoughts of my evil grandmother, recalling that Gary had told me we were just over the border in West Virginia. He’d also advised me to stay off the road. I wasn’t sure I could anymore, though I was so deep in the forest that I had no idea which way the road was. I did have a good sense of direction, since the sun had been my guide. But so far, I hadn’t found any signs of human life. Even if I did, I might run smack into one of my enemies. Plus, I was hundreds of miles from Sam. Without a way to contact him, I was royally screwed.
Buck up, missy. Get on your damn feet and keep walking.
I growled at my inner voice. Where the heck was the little boy I’d heard when we crashed? He had words of wisdom for me. Likerun. Well, I had done so, but now what? I kicked out my legs and rubbed my belly.I’ll get us out of here, little ones.I had to. But I was afraid that without food or blood, I wouldn’t be able to walk another mile.
Maybe if I just slept for an hour, it would fuel my energy. I closed my eyes and sighed. My body began to give in as sleep tugged at me hard. Just a catnap—a few minutes of shut-eye would take the edge off. The area was eerily quiet except for the faint sound of the river below. Slowly, I relaxed, and just as I was about to drop into a dreamlike state, a branch snapped.
I hopped up, whipping out the gun and searching left, right, and behind me. My pulse pounded in my ears. I hoped my grandmother hadn’t found me, but my desperation for a warm bed and food was overtaking my fight to flee. I wanted to believe that her compulsive desire to keep me away from Sam was her only goal and that she had no other agenda. But intuition said otherwise, and my stubborn and feisty side wouldn’t or couldn’t give in. I was tougher than that weak side of me. At least I wanted to think so. But I couldn’t die out here. I had to put the babies first, even if that meant I had no other choice than to give in to Granny.
I aimed the weapon in all directions and listened intently with my heart in my throat and my legs quivering. The longer I listened, the more fear wrapped its tentacles around me. Normally, I wouldn’t be so freaking scared. I was a fucking vampire hunter. I’d spent many nights camping and hunting those creatures with my family. But the operative word was family, which meant I had backup. Right about now, I would rather run into a bloodsucker than Harriet fucking Aberdeen.
After several tense minutes of eerie silence, I released a quiet breath and put one foot in front of the other, my senses on high alert. I probably spooked a possum or a squirrel. I wouldn’t mind capturing a squirrel. The little rodents weren’t the best type of sustenance for the babies, but something was better than nothing to satisfy the hunger and blood craving. I hadn’t attempted to build a fire, afraid it would give away my location, but tough times called for desperate measures.
I followed a path west with the river and gorge to my left. Dawn glowed brighter, and I was stoked that the sun was about to light up the area. Not being able to see in the dead of night was frightening to the point that even the flashlight in my coat pocket and the bright full moon had done nothing to soothe my nerves.
I swallowed thickly, stopping to dart my gaze in all directions. When I resumed my trek up a gradual incline, I again came to a halt. I blinked several times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Delirium had come and gone off and on, and the weaker and more nauseated I became, the more I had to question my sanity.
I oriented my vision. I wasn’t crazy. A cabin sat atop the hill. Hope whooshed through me until a thought zapped it away. What if the person who lived there worked for Intech? I’d covered a lot of ground, though maybe I hadn’t gotten that far away from the fortress Gary had spoken of.
I didn’t see any vehicles or a road. Not even a path large enough for any size vehicle. If anyone was inside, they had to have hiked in. Or they could’ve used an ATV four-wheeler, but I didn’t see one of those either. My guess—it was a hunter’s retreat and only used at certain times of the year.
I scanned the area several times, listening, searching, and waiting. I had to be cautious, though I was close to giving in. After Dr. Martin had examined me in the ER, he’d said I was in great shape. At the moment, I had to question whether that was still true. In shape or not, I needed rest, and I didn’t want to push myself too hard in case that would harm the babies.
Here goes nothing.
I climbed over branches and rocks and weaved in and out of trees until I was several yards from the warm and inviting home. Then I shielded myself behind a tree and peered around it. My spidey sense told me no one was home. Then again, it was early morning, so the occupants could be asleep.
I dug deep for courage, the adrenaline fueling my legs as a tiny bit of hope mixed with caution swirled in my stomach. I inched up to the cabin, then onto the porch with my gun at my side. As I tiptoed over to the window beside the front door, the rickety wood squeaked. I cringed, hoping I didn’t alert the homeowner, but then I mentally slapped myself.
Just go up to the door and knock.
I would if I wasn’t so damn afraid of running into someone who worked for Intech. The decision was made for me when a deep growl resonated behind me. My heart skidded to a halt.
Like an unpracticed ballerina, I twirled around, aiming my weapon at the perpetrator. I lost my breath as my tired eyes widened at the massive animal baring his canines. The tan wolf’s red-tipped ears, glowing amber eyes, and large size wasn’t of this world but of the supernatural.
I could shoot him, but what if he could help? Plus, a gunshot would echo far and wide. It might alert my grandmother’s lackeys if they were trailing me. I didn’t think they were, only because they would’ve nabbed me by now. Unless this wolf was on her payroll.
