As I cleaned the blood off my blade, I heard a dreaded slithering sound and I swallowed the bitter, noxious taste of fear cloying in the back of my throat. Tracking the noise, I found the snake coming through the grass. Another big-ass snake, too.
Man, I think I could really start to hate those things. With a passion.
But it didn’t come for me. Okay. This was looking up. It was checking out one of the dead bodies.
“Have at it,” I said.
Its tongue came out, tasting the air.
Those freaky eyes watched me as I circled around, keeping a very, very wide berth. I had men to kill and no damn snake was stopping me. I just needed one thing—
Hooper’s radio.
It had a rugged little wrist strap which I caught with the tip of my blade, still watching the snake, keeping my ears out for the sound of any more. Did they like dead bodies? Didn’t know. Didn’t care. So long as they stayed away from my live one.
The radio in my hand crackled, loud. Too loud. As the snake started to coil around the body, I fumbled with the volume. “Where in the hell is she, Hooper? We’ve only got until sunset…”
Sunset.
My blood went cold.
I peered up at the tree, then at the bodies across the lake. I could still see most of them but I didn’t know how many were there…
I had a couple of hours. Getting out of here would take every single minute of them. But if I ran into more men…Between the pack I was hauling, my weapons and the fact that I’d have to fade out and be quiet, it was going to be hell. I’d paid closer attention this time and I knew the way back, but still.
I had to get out of here.
I didn’t have the missile I’d need for this fight, although why in the hell he wanted me now I didn’t know.
Evangeline’s voice echoed through my memory.
He’ll be in contact soon, Colbana. You don’t want to keep ignoring him. It won’t go well for you.
My breathing hitched as I remembered the dream.
You…the energy in you is pleasant. I feel it without even feeding from you, but ever since I’ve fed…It’s a pleasure like no other, Kit, and I can’t wait to have it again. It’s unparalleled.
It didn’t make sense that he’d set this up just to try and grab me. Didn’t make sense that this had been constructed for my benefit. But if Jude had been behind it all along—for fun, money, or whatever his fucked-up reasons and I got in the way…? Had he just decided to go ahead and grab me because it was convenient and he’d wanted me all along anyway?
It would make sense…if that was what Jude wanted to do.
He’d asked me if I was going back home. The boy had been found, after all.
Why not go back home?
Because it just wasn’t in me, but Jude wouldn’t understand that sort of thing, would he?
He would understand one thing, though—Damon had called me persistent. Maybe Jude had realized that if I didn’t go home, I’d tie this to him. And he’d go down.
Was that it?
Strange, wet cracking sounds came to my ears. I looked up and immediately wished I hadn’t. The snake was coiling around the body. Constricting. Shit. That was nasty, but it served as a reminder. I didn’t have time to worry about why Jude was coming for me.
He was coming for me and that was a problem. Dumping my pack on the ground, I went through and removed what wasn’t vital. The food was the first thing. I dumped everything but three bottles of water and two protein shakes. If I didn’t make it out of here before I went through those, it wouldn’t matter.
Jude would have found me by then and then…
I stroked my thumb over my wrist.
Then Damon would be after us both. Nothing hurts you…
I wasn’t going to rely on Damon to save me, though. I was alive and sane because I’d saved myself, and damned if I’d stop trying to do that now. I wasn’t a quitter, and despite what my grandmother thought, I wasn’t weak.
I’d hold on to that.
Hold on to that, and my sword.
Hefting my lightened pack onto my back, I faded out and started to move, following a line that took me away from the hunters and straight to my car. I’d come back for them. All of them. If Kori could taste