Page 79 of Consumed
Aida squeezed her arm before vanishing from Mollie’s side. The vamp’s red eyes never left hers as he bobbed back and forth like a cobra under the spell of a snake charmer. Mollie gulped down the lump in her throat as she edged closer to the window. She may not be a powerful, immortal being, but her entirely mortal instincts were screamingdanger!
Her heel connected with the wall under the windowsill. Cold air caressed her back, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the vamp long enough to jump out the window. She knew if she looked away for a fraction of a second, thisthingwould be on her.
Hands gripped her waist and pulled her backward. Unprepared for the abrupt movement, her finger squeezed the trigger and a wild shot embedded in the ceiling. Plaster rained down, coating the vamp’s thin shoulders and dark hair as he lunged at her.
Lethal talons and bloodthirsty eyes filled her vision as she fell out the window with the vamp following her. That thing was going to slice her open and gut her in midair, she realized as the vamp’s lips twisted into a leering grin. She waited to hit the ground, waited to die, but she was yanked up and plopped onto her feet so forcefully she staggered back.
Mike set Mollie down and launched a fist into the vampire’s face that smashed his nose almost entirely flat and indented his face. Bloodlust thrummed through him as the Savage who’d been so confident of his kill onMolliewas flung ten feet back into the wall of the house. He crashed into the house with enough force to shake the stone wall; some of the remaining glass fell free of the windows and onto the ground.
Mike’s gaze fell on the Savage’s red nails, and a memory from the bar flashed through his mind. This prick was there the night they weretaken!
Mike stepped toward him, intending to finish it, but screams from the library drew his attention. More Savages were spilling inside and going after the humans who remained there. Some of the people rushed forward and tumbled out the windows; the others weren’t so lucky.
“There’s more coming from the woods!” Doug shouted.
Mike glanced at the vamp slumped against the wall with his chin on his chest. No matter how badly he wanted to kill the Savage, Mollie came first. Taking Mollie’s arm, he ran with her and Aida toward where Doug was fending off two Savages.
Mollie tried not to look at the bodies littering the ground as they weaved their way through the Savages and humans scattered there, but she had to as she didn’t want to step on them. Seven of the humans were dead already, four stood in the shadows at the corner of the house, apparently waiting for them, and the other four were bolting toward the woods. Two of the waiting people held curtain rods with blood dripping from the ends. The third and fourth clutched broken pieces of furniture in their hands.
Another Savage knelt at Scott’s side, feasting on him while Scott’s fingers twitched against the armrest of the chair. Mike plunged a stake through the Savage’s heart, not to save the human, it was too late for that, but to destroy the monster. The fewer enemies they had on this island, the better, especially since they had no idea how many they faced.
Releasing Mollie, he sank his stake into the chest of one of the vamps battling Doug while Doug tore the head from the other. Doug lobbed the head aside as another Savage slid out the library window.
“Doug, keep Aida with you,” Mike commanded.
Doug stepped toward her but hesitated when the girl cringed away from him.
“He’ll take care of you,” Mollie promised.
Aida’s shoulders slumped a little as she glanced distrustfully at Doug, but she allowed him to take her arm and run with her across the lawn toward the woods. Mike followed with Mollie, and the four humans trailed them. If it became necessary, he and Doug would carry the sisters, but for now, it was better to have their hands free, and he wasn’t ready to leave the remaining humans behind to fend for themselves.
Howls echoed over the land as they charged into the woods, and some of them sounded far too close. Mollie twisted to see behind her and spotted a small red beacon on top of the mansion. The beacon hadn’t been on before, and she realized that whatever Scott hit to alert the vamps to their presence turned the light on.
Aida cried out, drawing Mollie’s attention back to her as she stumbled and nearly went down. Doug didn’t miss a step as he pulled her back up. Mollie’s lungs and her legs ached from exertion as she sprinted to keep up with Mike.
Some of the people were starting to lag as their legs grew tired and the debris littering the ground battered their feet. One of the women released a muffled yelp when her ankle gave out, and she fell to the ground. A man stopped to help her up.
“Wait!” Mollie wheezed at Mike.
“We can’t wait,” Mike said as another howl pierced the air, this one closer than the last.
The woman staggered to her feet and ran after them again. Then, from out of the night, a shadow raced forward and pounced on the man who had helped the woman. The man didn’t make a sound before he slammed face-first into the ground and the vampire sank his fangs into the man’s neck.
The woman screamed and darted to her right before disappearing into the forest. Another man battered the vampire’s back with a rod, but the slurping sounds only grew louder. Mollie yanked her arm free of Mike’s hold and planted her feet. She pulled the rifle from her shoulder and took aim, but as she was about to pull the trigger, another creature emerged from the woods and leapt onto the back of the man beating the vampire.
“Don’t shoot.” Mike pushed the barrel of her gun down. “Stay with them!” he called to Doug.
Mike ran forward, ripped the first vampire off the man’s back, and rammed it into a tree. The other woman with them sprinted over and fell beside the wounded man. Tears streamed down her face as she searched for a pulse.
Mike tore the heart out of the Savage before spinning to find the second vampire launching itself at the woman. The woman didn’t have a chance to react before the vamp snapped her neck. Mike staked the vamp through the back and gazed down at the prone form of the man. With a sinking heart, he realized it was too late for the humans, but not for them.
Sprinting back to Mollie’s side, he lifted her while she fumbled to secure the rifle on her back again. “Carry Aida,” he said to Doug as Mollie’s legs locked around his waist.
Mollie clung to him while he sprinted through the trees with Doug and Aida following. All around them, more howls and screams filled the night.
Chapter Forty
It wasfour in the morning before Mike slowed enough to set Mollie down again. Her cramped legs wobbled so bad she nearly fell over, but she remained standing by leaning against a tree. Aida crumpled to the ground and lowered her head into her hands.
