Page 9 of Salvation
Lilith stared into nothingness, as if contemplating what Aurora had said. “I had not considered that fact, which is even more reason for you to steer clear of them. Every male there will fight for a chance to spill their seed in your womb so that they may be the first to sire a child with a female vampire.” She looked back at Aurora. “You are special. They will take advantage of that.”
“I doubt I can get pregnant. I’ve not had a period since I was changed.” A fact she was very grateful for.
“Demon reproduction is far more complicated and not a topic I wish to discuss right now.”
Aurora pushed to her feet. “I need to think. But sleep first.” She turned and kissed Lilith on the cheek. “Have a good rest.” Then she ran toward her home, more determined than ever to learn more about the vampires and humans who had become her neighbors.
* * *
Over the past several months,Wolfe had grown to hate sunrise because it made him vulnerable. It put his team and all those they protected at risk. Sure, he had over two-hundred men who were human and did an excellent job of making certain they were secure. However, it still left him with a sense of dread. Something was in the air, and he couldn’t place his finger on it.
He sat on the edge of his bed, needing to rest but unable. Reaching for his link to Xavier, he spoke.Are you as restless as I am?
Thank god, I thought it was just me. Something isn’t right.
Have you spoken to the others?
They feel it too.
He shoved his fingers through his hair.We need to remain alert. Ready for anything and tonight, we need to figure out how the fuck to get out of this city.
Roger that. Meantime, I’m planning a meal and hopefully some female company.
He grinned. That was Xavier’s way of saying he planned to be busy for the next several hours.Enjoy.He closed his link and got up from the bed, strolling to the wall where he had pinned up the map he’d found. He had studied every road and feasible route leading to Kentucky. The southern route would take them through Arizona, New Mexico, the northern portion of Texas, and so on. He didn’t like that option. Too much desert and a lot of area where there was nothing around. If they planned to travel, they had to stick to what had been the more populated areas if they expected to find any supplies. But how to move the number of people he had was the biggest issue. If not for the fact he and the rest of his vampires had become allergic to the sun to the point of turning to ash if they stepped into it, the entire process would be so much easier.
From where he stood, heading to Vegas would be their best bet. During normal times, it was a little over four hours to get there. Of course, there was no such thing as traffic these days, but he had no idea what obstacles might lie in their way. Therefore, he had to assume it would take them all night. He picked up the clipboard on the desk that held the lists of supplies they had gained. As he processed the list of vehicles that held enough fuel to get them to Vegas, his heart sank. They could only move about one hundred and twenty-eight people and supplies. That left more than half of his people stranded here.
That was not acceptable. They had to find either more fuel so they could fill up the empty vehicles near them, or they needed more vehicles full of fuel. As his gaze went back to the map, he realized with a group so large, there was no choice but to send a scouting party to Vegas and see what they could find. He would ask for volunteers come nightfall.
CHAPTERFIVE
Wolfe’s teamwas assembled in the lobby since that was the biggest area for them to gather. They consisted of thirty vampires because the rest were out on patrol, and thirty human males simply because they had military backgrounds and he wanted to make certain this team had the best chance. Xavier stood next to him, as he was going to be leading the team on this journey.
“Thanks for coming. As you can probably guess, we don’t have enough transport to get all of us to Vegas so this is what I propose. Send a scouting team ahead. Clear a path if needed and see if there are any resources we can use to help get us to our final destination.”
“That’s a sound plan. If we get the route clear, we could move people over a couple of days with what we have. Considering we don’t find fuel,” Noah said.
Wolfe nodded. “That was exactly what I was thinking. On a good day, it would take a little over four hours to get to Vegas. There’s certainly no traffic to contend with, but you might run into blocked roads, demons, or any number of obstacles that could slow you down.”
A man with salt and pepper hair and a scar along his cheekbone stepped forward. His body language spoke of a man who had seen hard days and held no fear. “Sir, I assume Xavier will lead this team?”
His friend nodded. “Yes. That’s correct.”
“I would like to offer myself instead.” He looked straight at Xavier. “No offense, but I think it might be best for the vampires to stay here and let us go. We can move faster since we don’t have to fear the daylight.”
“No offense taken,” Xavier said.
“What are your qualifications?” Wolfe asked.
“United States Marine, retired as a major.”
Wolfe raised a brow. “Name?”
“Benjamin Anderson, but I go by Ben.”
Wolfe looked at Xavier. “It’s your call.”
The vampire next to him gave a nod. “Ben, you have yourself a command. I had thought to take no more than ten men.”
