“You can’t.” The vampire shrugged and walked around the massive shifter. “But I want Susan to return with me, and what better opportunity to convince her than now. I don’t want her back in Payami hands any more than you do. If Chaska suspects my interest, she may kill her out of spite.”
Susan stared at Benic’s retreating back. “Kill me?” That crazy bitch would probably do it. She had to get out of this maze and off Payami land. Quickening her steps, she raced to follow Benic while Sorin brought up the rear.
“If you’d found the main exit, your escape would have been ended. They post many guards around the cave leading into the mountain.” Benic turned left into a smaller tunnel.
Sorin snorted. “That explains why there weren’t any guards posted inside the den.” The silver shifter stayed close behind her, almost stepping on her heels. “How do you propose we get by them? I’m weak from hanging on the chains all day. I might be able to take care of three of them.”
She stumbled, but Sorin caught her by the elbows before she hit the ground. “Watch your step.” He spoke softly and righted her. She’d forgotten about the chains. His arms and shoulders must ache terribly from the abuse, but he didn’t show any signs of discomfort. Here she’d been only worried about her safety. What would they do to him if they were caught again?
“Thank you.” She continued following the vampire.
Benic scanned two separate tunnels before choosing the one on the right. “This way. We won’t exit through the guarded entrance. I know of another entrance the Payami have forgotten.” Benic glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. “Sometimes a long lifespan is useful. I’ve outlived anyone who’s known about this passage.”
Her mind spun. “How old are you?” Were any of the myths about vampires true? Could garlic or wooden stakes work to destroy them? It seemed too easy.
“I’m over three hundred years old. I remember dealing with your great-great-great grandfather, Sorin. When he first split off from his pack in the far south and brought some of them here to live.”
The shifter growled. “He had to pay quite a price for that privilege. You asked for three daughters of the pack, isn’t that right?”
Benic’s steps slowed. “Yes, land can’t be free.” He sent Sorin a hard look. “I’m not a benefactor.”
“No, you’re not.” Sorin touched her shoulder and slowed his steps to match hers. He leaned by her ear, his breath warming her skin. “Remember that, Susan. Nothing a vampire offers is free.”
Shots of flaming electricity ran through her arm where he’d laid his hand. She rubbed the area and nodded. She couldn’t trust anyone. Not even Sorin. Her heart cried to believe him, but God, could she be anymore naïve?
Everyone wanted her for their own agenda. She needed to decide what was best for her. Going with Benic made more sense. He had what this dimension offered as the best technology. If she had even a glimmer of a chance of finding a way home it would be with the vampires.
The tunnels grew narrower and lower until Sorin stooped to walk on all fours. She leaned against the wall and let him pass. He moved as naturally as he had on two legs. Graceful and deadly all rolled into one. His long arms and torso compensated for the length of his legs as he strode behind Benic.
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “If you’re tired you can ride on my back.”
Her jaw went slack. “Uh, okay. I’m fine for now.” His fur had felt silky and thick in her hand when he had led her through the dark. She couldn’t think of a better mattress. With a shake, she cleared her head of images of bare-chested Sorin storming into Kele’s room like her own personal hero, except heroes didn’t really exist. No matter how much she wished.
Fresh air breezed into the tunnel but the night masked the exit. She squinted to see past the lantern’s light and glimpsed a faint outline of the forest.
Benic stopped by the cave’s mouth and waited. “From here, we can be at my castle in a few hours.” He offered Susan his hand.
“It would be quicker if you traversed Temple lands to get through the forest.” Sorin returned to his feet and sniffed the night air. “We’re close. I can smell Inali’s boundary markings.”
Susan stared at Benic’s hand, still not sure what to do. Heart and brain warred with each other. The vampire gave off such strong predator vibes. Each time she met his gaze, she saw herself on the menu. How long before a vial of blood wasn’t enough? Sorin had told her not to trust him.
Susan had to agree. As an employee of Technocon, she’d met enough sleazebags to smell one a mile away. Benic reeked. He might come across all smiles and pleasantries, but underneath he calculated every move around him. Besides, who the hell asks to feed from a stranger? Her blood could poison him. Maybe she should have let him bite her…but that could be even worse. Then every vampire would want her destroyed.
Shit.
She bumped against something solid and jumped. Twisting, she met Sorin’s gaze. Unconsciously, she’d eased up next to him. Her body kept trying to tell her something but she repeatedly turned a deaf ear to it. Maybe she should take a shifter’s approach and listen to her instincts instead of her brain.
The shifter stepped around her, placing himself between her and Benic. His ears went back, and the fur on his shoulders rose once more. With a quick, one-two jab of his fists, Sorin punched Benic in the head.
On wobbly legs, Benic retreated. The lantern slipped from his fingers, and the flame extinguished. “Wha…” His mouth went slack, and he slid to the ground, limp.
She tried to shove the immobile shifter aside but had a better chance at moving a mountain. “Sorin! What are you doing?” Just a second ago she’d been about to agree to go with him and then he—he went feral on her.
Not answering, he picked her up under one arm like a sack of potatoes and carried her deeper into the dark woods.
She kicked and wiggled. “Let me go.”
“No.” He kept marching—as if she weighed nothing—over logs, across a stream and up a hill. Of all the pig-headed males, she’d almost picked him.
She poked him in the side, meeting iron-hard muscles, and twisted her knuckle into an awkward position. “Ouch. Are you planning to carry me all the way home?”
“Yes.”
The Temple’s silhouette came into view. A faint blue halo sent shadows flickering between the trees.
Sorin slowed until he stopped. “What magic is this?” Setting her down, he continued to stare at the Temple in awe. “Is that—”
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she geared her ass into full throttle and ran her little heart out. She’d know that shade of blue anywhere. She’d spent months staring at it. The gateway. It shouldn’t be open, but she didn’t give a shit. She’d take her chances and dive through if it was truly there. God, please let it really be open and not some dream. She tore over the uneven ground and through the dark at a suicidal pace.
Silence chased her through the night. She glanced back but didn’t see Sorin. Her heart bronco’d. He must be circling around, hiding in the trees.
The forest was his friend.
Not slowing, she raced past the Temple and turned the corner. The Gate shone a couple feet off the ground, except it flickered. She’d never seen it do that in her lab, but she didn’t have time to give a fuck. Theories and safety be damned. She was going home, grabbing a huge burger to-go and watching shitty TV all night.
With her momentum, she leaped toward the Gate.
A force, akin to a truck, struck her from the left side, and she crashed into the forest floor with enough power to knock the wind out of her. As she sucked in air, the Gate flickered a few feet away then vanished.
Sorin crawled into her line of sight. “I can’t let you go. Not yet.”