Page 11 of Rebel Fae
The canopy was thick and shaded us from the scorching sun, so walking in the jungle was almost soothing compared to being with those bickering humans. I looked for animal tracks and trails while Antonio walked silently behind me.
“Are you picking up anything?” I asked when we’d been walking for about five minutes.
I turned around and saw Antonio’s vampire features had returned. Long fangs poked down over his lip and the black spider veins zigzagged across his face. His eyes burned an ominous red as he stared straight at me.
“I have found something that will quench my thirst,” he said. “And she smells delicious.”
Then he pounced.
Chapter Five
Antonio hitme like a ton of bricks. He moved so fast I could barely react and lift a few inches off the ground before he tackled me and we fell atop a pile of dry leaves, Antonio on top of me.
I tried to push him off, using all my strength, but it was like trying to push on a boulder. He was strong and as hard as ancient wood under my hands. Grabbing my wrists and pinning them over my head with one powerful, large hand, he held me in place and angled his savage mouth towards my neck.
What was he doing? I had tried to help him and now… he was going tobite me?!Panic flooded me, sending my heart knocking wildly.
I kicked and bucked to no avail.
“Your scent is intoxicating,” he said, his nose pressed to my neck as he inhaled and allowed his tongue to lap at the spot where my pulse pounded like a hammer.
“Get off me!” I screamed, fighting to get my hands free from his strangling grip. Had we wandered too far for anyone to hear my cries? How had I thought taking a hungry vampire into the woods by myself was a good idea?
His fangs sank into me with a wet crunch. I screamed again, the sunlight that seeped through the trees turning crimson in my panic. The injustice of it was worse than the pain. I’d tried to help Antonio, and this was the thanks I got.
I felt the pull in my heart as the vampire sucked my blood. His free hand traveled down my torso, exploring me, making this into something more than just a feeding experience. He let out a satisfied moan as he gulped and gulped, draining my life away.
No, I would not just lay here and let this happen.
Clenching my teeth against the pain, I pulled down my hands as hard as I could and as—Antonio’s grip slacked in his frenzy—I got one free.
I had only minutes to live. I needed to fight and fight fast. My fingers searched the ground desperately, feeling for something that could serve as a weapon. Nothing. There was nothing! My heart lodged in my throat. I reached further in one last attempt.
My hand wrapped around something rounded and hard: a rock.
I lifted it high, then swung it downward.
It hit Antonio on the side of the head with a loud crack. He cried out and went limp. Scrambling, I pushed him off, jumped to my feet, and took to the air. I’d barely ascended six or seven feet when the vampire leaped up and grabbed one of my legs. As I plummeted down, I grabbed hold of a tree branch, my fingers slipping over slick leaves, until I got purchase. The branch was thick, and it held our combined weights, even as it bent toward the ground.
Antonio was far from giving up. He held on, dragging me down. My hip socket strained, making me feel as if my entire leg would come off. My arms screamed in pain.
He dug his claws into my thigh, ripping my uniform and tearing through skin. I sent another agonizing scream into the air that sent the birds on the branches scattering into the sky. This was not how my life would end, eaten by a vampire I was stupid enough to try to help.
I kicked at his face with my free leg, wishing I hadn’t given Becca my boots. There was a crunch as my naked heel collided with his nose. Still, he didn’t let go. His face was a mask of blood and frenzy, like an animal with bloodlust who would stop at nothing until I was dead.
The branch creaked, then broke with a deafening, splintering sound. I didn’t have time to react before we were plunging toward the ground.
We hit the jungle floor with athud. My back cracked painfully, sending a jolt of agony into my wings. Despite the harrowing pain, I knew I had to stand and fight or I would die.
I rose to my feet swinging the broken branch, which I still held as if it were a life preserver. Just as Antonio prepared to lunge once more, I swung the branch and hit him square in the jaw. His head snapped to one side with a crack, then he went down to his knees, swayed for a moment, then planted face-first into the ground, his neck twisted at a weird angle.
Panting, I held the branch in front of me, waiting for the vampire to get back up, but he didn’t. He stayed immobile, as if dead. I shook my head. Hewasalreadyundead, so I couldn’t trust the fact that he wasn’t moving. From what I understood, vampires were not that easily killed. Unless he was already very weak?
Trembling, I backed away. My thigh hurt, but I could tell the wound wasn’t deep. It was my neck I needed to worry about. I fluttered my wings to make sure they were all right. They ached, but I would be able to fly. I was about to take off into the air, branch and all, when the vegetation rustled and an enormous wolf skidded to a stop next to Antonio.
For an instant, panic flared, and I was in fight mode again. Then I recognized those green eyes and golden brown fur.
Vaughn.
