“Shut up, Lavos! Will you help me or not? Otherwise leave.”

“You’re not thinking. It’s the grief. Listen to me. You should take her out of our territory. She’s going to need you to care for her. That’s the only way she’ll survive.”

“I know that.”

His brother took a few deep breaths. “She hasn’t transformed all the way. You could, um…end her suffering now, before it finishes. A quick snap of the neck would do it painlessly and she’d never feel it when you decapitated her. She’d return if you didn’t take her head, and that would be damn bad. You’ve seen the ones who died before they were…fully cooked, I guess we could say. They were completely insane.”

“No!” Lorn snarled. Kira shivered in his arms but he doubted she was aware of the conversation about her future. The agony would be too great to focus on anything else. “Help me or get out of my damn way. I will fight to the death if anyone attempts to kill her!”

“Okay,” Lavos finally sighed, after what seemed like an eternity. “I’ll do this on a few conditions.”

“Name them and they’re yours,” Lorn agreed. Saving Kira would be worth any price.

“We tell them the Vampires must have kidnapped her. I can cover all traces of you both on this side of the river. I’ll tell the clan you’re tracking them, to explain where you went. You need to promise me that within two days, she can either control her hunger for blood enough to never give us away, or you’ll take her out of the territory yourself. That means you have to stay with her and make sure we’re not unleashing her on innocents.”

It had taken Lorn months to learn his new abilities when he’d finally been able to fully transform. “Two days?”

“Anything longer and everyone will wonder where you are. I don’t mean to be cruel but, um, I don’t think anyone but Davis will want to track her beyond our borders. They’ll mostly be happy she’s gone.” Lavos paused. “I’ll tell her father what really happened. He needs to know and he can help us get his daughter to safety. He’s always snubbed the rules when it comes to his offspring. You just need to keep her both nights and make damn sure she doesn’t escape. Swear.”

“Yes,” Lorn nodded. “But make it four days.”

His brother frowned.

“Do you remember your first full transformation? Think about it. All the hormones that came with the new shape, and the urges.”

“Fuck.” He gave a sharp nod. “You need four months instead of four days to make sure we’re not sending a killer out to the humans. I’ll give you a week, but then you leave with her if she’s not fully in control. Hand her up.”

Lorn hesitated. It would only take a streak of movement to end Kira’s life if Lavos snapped her neck. His brother was right. If she were to die before fully transforming into a Vampire, then she’d wake insane. He’d seen it happen a few times. There wouldn’t be any kind of future for her. Her mind wouldn’t ever be her own again. She’d turn into an animal with only bloodlust as a motive to survive.

“Come on!” his brother growled. “Do you think I’m suicidal? As much as I know you love me, this is Kira we’re talking about. I’ll never forget last year when you learned some of the guys wanted to fuck her for their amusement. I’d be shocked if any of them can even look at a woman without having to give their dicks a pep talk first to rise to the occasion. You literally busted some balls. I wince just thinking about how long that must have taken to heal and there’s no telling if they’ll ever have young—all just for wanting to get between her thighs. Hand her up. She’s safe. I like my nuts just the way they are, and you’d do a hell of a lot worse if I ended her life.”

Trust had never been an issue between them, but his brother was right. This was Kira. Lorn tended to be paranoid when it came to her. There was no choice though. He shifted his body and gripped her under her arms. She moaned when he lifted her, scooting on his back and using his feet to push in the right direction. Her weight was slight and easy to maneuver but it was tough to angle her high enough for his brother to reach inside the hole to grip her arms.

She slid over his chest and then his face when Lavos pulled her away. She had gone totally limp, seeming to have lost consciousness. He rolled over the second she was clear to scramble after them. The night air was welcome once he left the tight confines of the cave and he breathed it in deep, instantly reaching for her.

Lavos handed her over from the cradle of his arms after staring down at her neck with a frown. “You sure she’s changing and not just suffering sickness?”

“Yes.” He hugged her close to his body, careful not to crush her. “Her eyes were glowing. It’s begun. She never had that ability before.”

“Maybe you’re wrong. She could have that trait.”

“I know everything about Kira.”

“Shit. I’ll clean up here and follow to hide all tracks or scents you leave behind.”

Lorn turned to go but his brother grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at him, wary.

“I’ll hunt before sunset and tie up a deer near your den. She’s going to need to feed. I hear they wake pretty hungry. Watch your damn neck.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“We’re brothers. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Go. It won’t be long before Davis returns with others. There’s a lot of work to do. Be damn alert so you don’t run into any of them on their way out here. I’ll patrol the area around your den just to make sure nobody comes sniffing, in case we didn’t think of something.”

Lorn gave a sharp nod, his gratitude immense. He moved fast but didn’t run. It would jar Kira. Her breathing was slow and regular, as if she slept, but he knew better. The pain had become too great for her still-human mind to endure. Every step was taken with caution to leave no trace. Lavos had enough to clean up and he didn’t want to add to his burden.

The den was stocked with food but Kira wouldn’t need that. Not anymore. A wave of grief threatened to crush his heart. He’d always avoided contemplating her future since it couldn’t be with him, but this was a twist he’d never seen coming. In seven days, he’d have to lead her to the outside world and leave her there to survive. There would be no more watching out for her or assuring her safety from the people who lived in her proximity.