Page 71 of A Vampire Bewitched
Duncan glanced over at her and reached into his pocket. He pulled something out and offered it to her.
Emma tried unsuccessfully to stifle her disgust at the piece of dehydrated meat. “Thank you, but I can’t eat that,” she managed to mumble.
He gave her a frown. “Ye dinna like jerky?”
She shook her head. “I don’t eat meat.”
His look of disbelief was almost comical. “Ye dinna eat meat? How do ye survive?” Running his eyes from her head to her toes, he nodded knowingly. “That's how come you're so wee. If ye ate meat, it would plump ye up some.” He gave her another lusty wink.
Glancing over her shoulder at the sinking sun, she silently begged it to hurry up already, even as she wrapped her arms around herself against the dropping temperature.
“So what are you guys doing here anyway?” she asked him.
He cast a quick glance at Cedric, who shrugged his approval, before he deigned to answer her question. “We’re ‘ere to visit Leeha. Just like ye. She has my brother.”
“How did you know she was back in the area?” she wondered, elaborating, “It’s my understanding she went off grid for a few years.”
He gave her a sly smile. “Ye’re vampires aren’t the only ones with eyes everywhere, lassie.”
Emma gave the setting sun a nervous glance. Periodically, she ran her eyes over each of her captors carefully, ever watchful for any physical or behavioral changes. She prayed Nik would get to her before the moon fully rose. She knew what would happen if he didn’t. She hadn’t watched all of those werewolf movies for nothing.
They’d walked another couple of miles deeper into the ravine before Cedric finally called a halt to their little parade. As one, they all dropped down onto their haunches at the edge of the forest line.
With a yank on her arm from Red, Emma did the same.
In the space between two sets of broad shoulders, she could see the creek she’d heard earlier rambling along in front of her. It appeared to run right into the base of one of the larger mountains, where it disappeared into the deepening gloom.
“So here's the plan, lassie,” Cedric told her quietly. “Leeha always has guards stationed just downstream a ways. We're aff to let them capture ye as soon as it’s full dark.”
“Excuse me?” she squeaked.
Duncan translated. “There are guards downstream. Leeha’s guards. We’re goin’ topretendto let them take you. We'll send ye out by yourself, staying upwind so they dinna ken we’re here.”
She felt the strong urge to protest this idea. “I don’t agree with this plan. This is aterribleplan.”
“It'll be fine,” he assured her. “But we ‘ave to wait for just the right moment. We canna let anything actually happen to ye, Nikulas would murder us all.”
They all nodded gravely in agreement.
“By the time they show themselves 'n' start taking ye in, yer Nik will be here.” Cedric smiled broadly. “'n' then he’ll take care o’ those guards, we’ll take care o’ any others that show, and we can take care o' this daft bitch together.”
“Why not just wait for Nik and Aiden outside the cave? Let them know you’re here and you want to help? Wouldn’t that have been easier than going through all of this?” Emma hissed.It would’ve been easier on me, that’s for sure.
“Well, now, where’s the fun ’n’ that?” The wolf leader chuckled softly. “Besides, thenthey’dken thatweken where their ‘secret’ hideout is.”
Duncan must’ve felt some sympathy for her, for he patted her gently on the back. “Dinna worry, lass. Nik 'n' Aiden will get here before anything happens tae ye. And they’ll be so happy tae see us, they’ll forgive us for stealing you away. Between us all, we'll be able tae handle them easy.”
“You seem to be awfully confident of that. What if there are more than you expected?” she asked nervously. “What if they outnumber you? What then?”
Cedric smiled a knowing smile. “Nik is a vampire rescuing his mate. I will be surprised if he needs us at all!"
“It’s time,” Lucian announced.
“Aye.” Cedric stood up, bringing Emma up with him. “A'right lassie. Off ye go. Just follow th' creek, 'n' act like ye're lost.” Giving her a little push, he sent her in the right direction.
Emma managed about three steps before she dug in her heels, trying one last time to appeal to them. “Please! I don’t want to do this!”
Her teeth started to chatter and her body to tremble. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t willingly sacrifice herself like this for the amusement of these dogs.
