Page 10 of Salvation
Ben nodded. “Agreed. We need to stay under the radar of any trouble out there.” He turned to face the rest of the men. “Volunteers?”
Noah stepped forward. “I know you said no vampires, but reconsider taking me. I can move faster, see farther, and scent better than any of you. Also, it’s easier to keep one vampire out of the sun than several. Then there is the fact I can communicate telepathically with my brother.”
Ben looked at Xavier, knowing Noah was the vampire’s younger brother.
“He’s an adult. If he wishes to go, I will not hold him back. Plus, he makes a valid point. He’ll sense trouble long before you guys will.”
Ben nodded. “Fine then. You’re with us.”
By this time, he had his volunteers and began discussing plans with his team. Wolfe and Xavier moved to the other side of the lobby, confident they had a talented group of men ready to head out to Vegas. As they stood there discussing the next steps, a small group broke off and headed toward them.
“Wolfe, Xavier,” Adam greeted them. “We’d like to make our way further south, maybe to Long Beach and see what we can find. We can go on foot.”
Wolfe scratched his scruff as he thought about it. “That will be a good seven to eight hours, and that’s if you don’t run into trouble.”
Adam nodded, then looked at the four other men with him. “We know that and are willing to take our chances. We’ll take enough provisions for a few days. Maybe the marina will still have some fuel, or at least something useful.”
“I’m certain people would have fled by boat thinking the ocean was a safer place than land. However, it's worth a shot. Gather what you need and head out when you’re ready, and good luck.” He stuck his hand out and Adam clasped it in a shake.
“Thanks. We’ll leave at daybreak.” Then he and his small team turned and left.
“I hate like hell letting all these men go out there without our protection,” Xavier said.
“So do I but this fucking plague isn’t playing fair. Unless we suddenly can step into the sun without turning into a fire stick, we are fucked.”
* * *
Luna headedto the lobby where she knew Wolfe was busy holding a meeting to gather a team for a scouting mission to Vegas. God, she prayed they were successful because this city gave her the creeps, and she was more than ready to move on. For some reason, she felt like she was being watched and the other night in the library, she could swear someone had been there.
When she located Wolfe and Xavier, they were alone, talking while the other men were moving out to hopefully prepare for their upcoming mission. He looked deep in discussion, so she stood by the front desk, with its broken computers and missing monitors. Someone had ripped out cords and busted open the hard drives, but for what reason, she had no clue. There must be something inside of them they thought was useful. Xavier looked up, spotting her first, then said something to Wolfe, who then brought his gaze to her and motioned her over. She wondered why he hadn’t sensed she was there. He was a vampire, after all, and his sense of smell was acute. He had told her the first time he drank from her she smelled like lemon drops and she had thought it kinda cute.
Wolfe was a handsome man, in a rugged way. Actually old enough to be her father if he had her when he was eighteen. Older men had always been a turnoff to her but when the Red Death appeared, and she had survived it, her life changed. Wolfe had found her half-starved when he and his team had been moving down the western coast. He explained who they were and what their mission was and took her under his wing. With warm food in her belly and a promise of protection, she agreed to their terms, which were feeding the vampires and someday settling down to have kids. She never thought the night he had sunk his fangs into her neck, her world would change so drastically. Again.
The rush of exhilaration that had coursed through her veins had intensified with every pull of her blood he took until she pleaded for him to take her. He had seemed hesitant at first, mumbling something about her age and inexperience, but then he ground against her, and she felt all other doubts melt away. The intensity of the moment had been dizzying; it wasn’t until after he had left when the full reality of her situation settled in. She had just fucked a vampire, a man who could have been her father. At the time, she chalked it up to the simple fact she was alone in the world and in the heat of that moment, he offered her something to cling to. Here she was at twenty-five years old—when life was supposed to be just beginning—without a home or family or husband, and now pregnant with a vampire’s child. Panic bubbled up from within as she contemplated what the future might hold.
“Are you okay?” Wolfe asked, concern etching lines across his forehead.
“I’m fine. Why?” she lied. It seemed like it was all she did lately.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Xavier nodded at her. “Nice to see you, Luna.”
“You too.” She offered a smile but was certain it looked about as fake as she felt.
“Luna, something is bothering you.” He took her hand and led her to a small seating area by the long-dead fireplace. “So you might as well tell me what’s going on.”
She had come here to do what, again? Oh, yeah. Tell him how she felt, but now that she had his attention, the words evaded her.
“Did you get a team to go to Vegas?”
“We did, and we have another who volunteered to head south to Long Beach. Things are moving along.”
She threw on another fake smile. While she was happy people had volunteered for these missions, it didn’t get her out of here. At least not today. “That’s good news.”
“But it doesn’t make you happy.” He took her hand in his and caressed her fingers. “I’m sorry you’re in this situation.”
“This isn’t your fault.” This time, her smile was genuine. “You have kept us all alive and provided for us the best you can. I just…” She sucked in a breath. “I’m just scared shitless. What if we don’t make it to Kentucky before this baby is ready to be born? I mean, we have no-one with any medical knowledge, and they have a doctor and a nurse.”
“I understand your fears and I will get you there one way or another.”
