“You bitch!” he shouted. “I’m going to make you hurt when I get my hands on you—you’ll beg me to die. But that’s not going to happen. I’ll keep you around to watch you suffer.”

Jadee wished her father had kept more clips inside his safe for the ACR. She removed one of the guns from her waist. She needed to be more careful with her rounds. Summer in this part of Alaska meant a lot of daylight, but it was still hours away. She had to survive that long. They couldn’t get into the room but that didn’t mean they couldn’t kill her if they had a weapon. The safe was empty but they might have access to other guns. She was in a cage, with no place to escape gunfire directed her way.

Mitch suddenly stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed the bars across the door. She pointing the gun at him while they glared at each other.

“You’re going to bleed, bitch.”

“How’s the head?” She made a point of staring at where he’d taken a bullet to the forehead, seeing only blood but no gaping hole. “I’d ask if you have brain damage but you’d have to have one first, right? It doesn’t seem like you do.”

He growled and his mouth opened, showing those sharp fangs. “This isn’t going to keep me out.” He looked down and started to shake the bars. They held, but slight popping noises sounded from the walls around them.

She had a sinking feeling that with enough abuse, he’d bust inside.

She opened fire, aiming for his heart. It might work if she totally annihilated the sucker, so she blasted holes into him.

He slumped, dropped to his knees, but didn’t fall over completely.

Minutes passed. His chin finally lifted and he growled again.

“I recover, bitch. Bullets won’t stop me.” He got to his feet.

“They slow you down though. I also notice you’re not healing as fast as you did before.” She shot him in the head again and he jerked back, crashing to his knees once more. He didn’t fall over but he did bump Victor.

Victor moved, turning his head. He stared at Mitch, then at her.

“Dad?” She felt hope he still might listen. “Try to remember your old life and how much you loved me.”

“You shouldn’t have pissed Mitch off, honey. He’s going to have to make you pay for that now.”

Jadee backed up and bumped the wall. This was a nightmare. She never should have opened the door to let Victor inside but she had to know what he’d become.

I know now. I’m so fucked.

“I’m your daughter.” She made one last attempt. “Don’t you want to protect me? Fight him and get him out of the RV. Lock the door and keep him away long enough for me to seal it again.”

Victor’s limbs were jerky as he rose to his feet. The wounds she’d inflicted weren’t bleeding anymore, the only proof of his injuries were bloody stains and holes in his clothes. He did seem sluggish though, as if being shot all those times had drained him of some energy.

“I’m doing what’s best for you. That’s being with Mitch. We’ll be together forever.”

“Who the hell are you?” She lifted the gun. “Don’t talk to me. You break my heart. My dad is dead. You’re a mockery of everything he stood for.”

He hissed and sharp fangs slid down from a row of what had been mostly straight teeth. “Don’t talk to me that way!”

“Go to hell.”

She shot him in the heart and watched him fall back. He was only down for a short time before he struggled to sit up. Mitch began to rouse too.

She’d tested a theory and it hadn’t panned out. Shooting them in the heart and brain put them down but it wasn’t for long, and they seemed to heal from injuries, regardless of how severe.

Her gaze swept the room for a different weapon. There was another theory she wanted to test. The cabinets and the bed frame were made from wood.

She placed the handgun down and lifted the ACR. It was out of ammo but it would work great to smash shit with. She used the butt of the weapon and slammed it against the footboard, breaking off a jagged chunk.

She gripped it and turned. The only problem was she’d have to get close enough to stab one of them—and that meant they’d be close enough to grab her.

“Fucking great,” she muttered. She glared at Victor. “Couldn’t you have equipped your armory with water guns filled with holy water? Some crossbows? I’d like those options right now way better.”

He hissed at her.

Chapter Three

Lavos tracked the female while Kar had gone after the male. They’d run into the Vampires on the way into the canyon where the car alarm had originated from. The sound had stopped shortly after it had begun or they might have missed the slight noises the couple had made traipsing through the woods.

The Vamp had long, tangled black hair and smelled as if she hadn’t bathed in a week. He was glad it was easy to follow her by stench alone, since her dark dress and all the trees made it difficult for him to keep her in sight. The raspy noises she made when she ran helped, too.

He’d finally gained enough on her when Lavos found himself on top of a crest, with the Vamp below in a ravine. He dove, his bigger body slamming into hers. She screamed, and he focused on grabbing her wrists before she could scratch him as she tried to claw his face. Her fangs flashed in the moonlight a second before she attempted to bite. He threw his head forward, slamming it into her forehead.

She cried out in pain and Lavos felt guilt. Hurting a woman wasn’t something he had ever done before, bloodsucking enemy or not. He cursed under his breath and shifted his weight, flipping her over onto her stomach as he released her arms. He fisted her hair at the back of her head instead, while he shoved his other hand against the middle of her back and pressed down with his weight. He lifted his chest, effectively pinning her down.

“Stop fighting,” he demanded.

She struggled and made hissing noises. He thought of his brother and the woman he loved. Kira had been turned into a Vampire against her will. They were the enemy, but he was glad Lorn had spared her life. The bloodsucker under him might have a similar story.

“Stop,” he growled, allowing his voice to show his temper.

She stilled under him and tried to twist her head. He eased his hold on her hair just enough to permit her to look at him. He studied her face, the veins showing along her forehead and cheeks. They were black, faint lines marring pale skin. What should have been the whites of her eyes showed a deep red of busted blood vessels.