Sexiest Vampire Alive

Howard grunted. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” He grabbed a bucket and headed for the entrance.

He stopped with a jerk. The bucket fell from his hand and sloshed water on the cave floor.

He ducked down. “Holy crap! I don’t believe this.”

“What?” Rajiv ran forward.

Howard pulled him down. “Don’t let them see you.”

“Who?” Abigail’s heart pounded as she eased forward. She hunkered down beside the two shifters, and her heart shot up her throat.

On the other side of the gorge, on the crests of the mountains, Master Han’s army was gathering. More and more of them lined up along the ridge, all dressed in white. The ends of their red sashes fluttered in the wind.

Her blood ran cold. There had to be a hundred of them! “How—how can they be here in daylight? I thought they were vampires.”

“Maybe they different guys,” Rajiv suggested. “Maybe Master Han have a vampire army and a human one.”

Panic threatened to burst inside her. She fisted her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. Don’t lose it. You’ll just make things worse if you lose it. She opened her eyes, and the army was still standing along the ridge.

“How they find us?” Rajiv asked. “How they get here so fast?”

“I don’t know,” Howard said softly. “But they’re here, and we have to deal with it.”

Abigail gasped when some of the soldiers jumped off a cliff. They must be suicidal! But no, they fluttered down the side of the cliff, and landed neatly on a ridge a hundred feet below. Others leaped from rock to rock, even doing somersaults in the air.

“Holy crap,” Howard whispered. “They’re the same guys. They can move like vampires, but they’re mortal.”

“How can they be like this?” Abigail wondered out loud. “These guys are supernatural.”

“They going to cross the gorge,” Rajiv said. “They find us.”

Howard sucked in a deep breath. “You need to go. I’ll stay here to guard the fort. You can shift and cross the gorge.”

“I’m not leaving you and Miss Abby alone,” Rajiv hissed.

“You have to!” Howard slipped the sat phone into a zippered case and slipped the cord around Rajiv’s neck. “Get out of here and call Angus. He can find us with the tracking chip the Vamps have embedded— Oh shit. That’s how those bastards found us.”

Rajiv turned to Abigail. “I take you with me?”

She shook her head, her eyes crowding with tears. “I’ll slow you down. And I can’t get across the gorge.”

Howard slapped him on the back. “Go! We’re counting on you.”

Rajiv knotted the cord so the phone would be secure. “God be with you.”

“And with you.” Abigail gave him a hug.

He scrambled out of the cave, keeping low.

She whispered a prayer that he would be safe, that he would make it through. She glanced back at the folding screen. The Vamps were behind there, dead and oblivious.

She looked at the sky. The sun was lowering in the west. “How much longer before the sun sets?”

“About an hour,” Howard answered. “At the rate their army is moving, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”

So the Vamps wouldn’t be awake to teleport them away. Her hands trembled, so she clenched them into fists. “We’re outnumbered.”

“I can kill maybe thirty or forty of them before they finish me off.” Howard regarded her with a grim look. “But then you’ll be alone with the rest of them, and they’ll be really pissed.”

A sick feeling churned in her gut. “We have no choice. We’ll have to surrender.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Careful,” Abigail whispered as Howard peered over the ledge. “Can you see the river?”

“Yes.” He was flat on his stomach, clutching a nearby bush to keep from plummeting as he eased farther over the cliff.

They no longer worried about the invading army seeing them. It was obvious the soldiers were moving toward them. It was also obvious that even though the soldiers could do amazing physical feats, they lacked the ability to teleport. Otherwise they would simply materialize across the river. Howard described how a few had made incredible leaps across the gorge, and many more were gathered across the river, preparing to jump.

She just hoped Rajiv found a place to cross without the soldiers spotting him.

“I see him.” Howard eased out further. “He’s downriver. It’s wider there, but there are some giant boulders in the river. Yes! He just landed on one.”

“He’s in tiger form?”

“Oh yeah. He had to strip before shifting, but I’m sure he left the phone tied around his neck. There he goes. He made it to another rock. And yes! He’s across. He . . . I can’t see him now.” Howard scooted back. “Nothing much we can do now. But wait.”

She swallowed hard. Wait for what? What did Master Han want with them?

Howard settled by the cave entrance, watching the approaching army. She couldn’t do it. It was too nerve- wracking, so she went back into the cave to sit by the heater.

Her mind raced, and foremost among her frantic thoughts was J.L.’s warning about the Demon Herb. Those who go looking for it are never seen again.

Why was this happening? It had to be connected to the zombie village and the fields of Demon Herb. What was Master Han up to? From her research, she believed the plant could boost a person’s immune system, make him stronger and more impervious to disease. She’d hoped it would help her mother, perhaps even cure her.

But would she ever make it back home? Ever see her family again? Ever enjoy a future with Gregori?

Those who go looking for it are never seen again.

She didn’t want to die. She wanted to see her family again. And hold Gregori again.

The sound of crunching gravel echoed in the canyon. The soldiers were getting closer. The sun lowered and the temperature dropped, but she knew the shivers down her back were caused more by fear than by cold.

She glanced at the folding screen. At least there wasn’t any sun coming in the cave. If the soldiers tore down the screen, Gregori and the other two Vamps would be fine.

She heard a noise outside and jumped. “Oh God.” She pressed her hand to her pounding heart when Howard walked in.

“They’re close.” He squatted beside her. “The sun has already set in Japan, so when Rajiv calls, Angus will be awake. He’ll start gathering every Vamp and shifter he can find. They can track the Vamps, so they’ll come for us. We just need to stay together and stall for time.”

She nodded, feeling a small measure of relief.

Gravel crunched outside.

Howard stood. “They’re here.”

Her chest tightened, and she fisted her hands. Don’t lose it. She had to stay tough. Roll with the punches like Gregori did. She glanced at the screen. The Vamps were helpless right now. She had to be strong and help Howard protect them. She wasn’t a warrior, so her best weapon was her mind. She needed to stay sharp and focused.

Four soldiers eased inside with their swords drawn.

Howard raised his hands. “We surrender.”

Abigail scrambled to her feet and lifted her hands. Stall for time. “We wish to see Master Han.”