Lavos Read online

  “What was that?” She doubted he’d answer her but she still felt the need to ask.

  He tried to shake his head, a reminder that she had a firm hold on him. But she was too afraid to let him go. He moved too fast. He could come at her from any angle if he got out from under her. She kept the muzzle of the gun pressed tight to his skin, surprised the primal scream hadn’t made her shoot him. No one could blame her for being jumpy.

  The thing under her grabbed her leg and she fired instinctively. The bullet tore into his mouth and he bucked under her. It almost unseated her, so Jadee squeezed her legs as tight as possible around his rib cage and dug her heels a little under his hips. She prayed she had more bullets as seconds ticked by while he began to heal.

  “I said not to move, dumb-ass.”

  He made a sickening gurgling noise in his throat. She lowered the gun to right above where her thumb split from her fingers, placing it tight under his jaw.

  “You don’t have a brain so let’s go through your neck to your spine. That put Victor down for a few minutes. Do you know what you can’t come back from, asshole? Having your head taken off. While you’re out, that’s what I’ll do. There’s a shitload of glass around here thanks to you. Don’t move again.”

  She’d have to do something soon. “Peggy?”

  The woman groaned from inside the truck.

  “Damn it, Peggy!” Her voice rose. “Wake up. I need you.”

  “Jadee?”

  “Yes. Get out of the truck.”

  “I’m hurt.”

  The man under her suddenly tensed and grabbed at her again. She fired the gun and he went still, his arms dropping away.

  “What was that?” Peggy’s voice seemed a little more alert.

  Jadee knew the blond would recover fast. They’d both be dead if Peggy didn’t do what she asked. “I need you to find something sharp, maybe some metal in the front of the engine area.”

  Peggy needed to find her something she could use to behead the bastard. It was a disgusting thought but she wanted to survive that bad. She already regretted not carrying a knife or something else sharp enough to cut with.

  “Peggy! Damn it, find something sharp and get over here. We’re dead if you don’t.”

  “What happened?”

  “Peggy! Do what I said!”

  It was promising when she heard the passenger door open, since she couldn’t see inside the cab from the ground just next to the engine area, where she’d jumped on the blond creature.

  “Hurry, Peggy.”

  The thing under her began to recover. She felt his body tense.

  “Don’t attack me. I’ll shoot you again,” she warned, just hoping she had another bullet left. She’d lost track of how many she’d fired and she didn’t have another spare cartridge. Otherwise she would have already reloaded just to be certain.

  “Where’s Brent? Mark?”

  “Find something sharp, Peggy. Hurry up, damn it!”

  “Who was that man in the road? Did we miss him?”

  Jadee’s frustration swelled. Peggy seemed to be moving around the back of the truck, taking her sweet time.

  “Brent! Oh my God!” Peggy wailed. “He’s here! I found him. He’s not moving, Jadee!”

  The thing under her picked that moment to buck wildly, and it knocked Jadee off his chest. She slammed into the ground and pulled the trigger just as her other hand tore free from his throat.

  The gun clicked but it didn’t fire. There were no bullets left.

  I’m screwed.

  Pain exploded in the side of her face and she realized he’d smacked her. It hurt like a son of a bitch and she struggled to breathe. It felt as if her cheekbone could possibly be broken.

  She expected him to rip out her throat next—but it didn’t happen. Instead a scream rose from Peggy. Either the soldier was going after her or she was freaking out about Brent.

  The gun was still in Jadee’s hand and she lifted it, trying to sit up. She couldn’t just lay there or she’d die for certain.

  Peggy’s sobs came from the back of the truck. They were broken, raspy cries. Jadee managed to get to her feet and stumble in that direction. The gun was useless but she could hit the bastard with it. She was willing to club him but didn’t think it would do much damage.

  She froze when a new sound reached her, and she turned, wondering what other horrible thing was coming. It panted, whatever it was. Loudly. She braced for impact, gripping the gun tighter. It seemed to be coming right for them.

  A big, dark shape suddenly came into view, dashing on all fours as it broke from the woods.

  It wasn’t a Vampire or a soldier. She wasn’t sure what the hell it was.

  It loomed bigger and she threw up her free arm, trying to protect her face and throat. The impact would probably kill her. She even closed her eyes, not wanting to see any more.

  The thing passed by so close she felt it brush her leg.

  I’m still alive.

  She opened her eyes, the image of that beast stuck in her mind. Werewolf?

  She’d glimpsed something shiny hanging around the thing’s throat. The memory of the necklace she’d seen with a silver ring hanging from the chain flashed through her head next…

  Lavos!

  A shriek hurt her ears, and snarling followed.

  Something slammed into the truck hard enough to make metal groan.

  Jadee tried to decide what to do. It only took her a second. She jumped inside the cab of the truck and dropped the useless gun. She closed the driver’s door then lunged across the seat, having to stretch to close the passenger door. She got it shut and hit the lock button. Sounds of a vicious fight filtered into the truck, reminding her of the hole in the driver’s side window, so she scooted over, getting far from the opening. She shoved the broken piece of what used to be the housing for the airbag on the passenger side out of the way.

  It took effort to get the jammed glove box open and she gripped the metal flashlight the rental guy had pointed out to her. It was heavy and solid. It would help her see and she could use it as a weapon. She wished she had a shotgun in the truck.

  She straightened, bumping her knee on the dash as she curled her legs up. She turned the flashlight on and twisted in the seat, trying to find the source of the fight. It definitely still raged, based on the repeated shrieks and snarls that filled the night.

  Jadee found them. The big beasty thing was on top of the blond about twenty feet from the tailgate. It had the soldier pinned to the ground, one of its meaty arms swinging, claws slashing at the thing’s throat. Blood sprayed across a nearby tree.

  She watched until it was over. The blond’s head actually rolled away from the torso.

  The beast paused and stared her way. It looked like some kind of messed-up huge demon dog. It wasn’t furry like a wolf and it had a more muscular body. She studied his shoulders. They looked more human in shape than canine. Her gaze traveled over the rest of his body. Those thighs were too thick to belong to a dog and he wore black underwear. The small amount of material hid the area between his hips to a few inches down his thighs. She also spotted a tail. The shorts in the back were lower than they should have been, probably to accommodate it.

  And she’d seen correctly—a chain with a ring hung around its throat.

  She glanced up at the creature’s face again. It had the extended jawline and sharp teeth of a wolf but the eyes were wrong. They were more human looking. Their bright blue color and the fact that they glowed caused a sharp pain in her chest. It is Lavos.

  Beasty version of Lavos stepped off the still body of the soldier and looked away from her, moving toward something out of the line of her flashlight. She moved the beam, following him.

  Peggy lay face down and not moving.

  Grief struck next. Peggy’s normally blonde hair had been turned a bright red and appeared wet. It was blood, so much of it that Jadee knew she was dead without needing to inspect the body.

  Lavos sniffed at her t