“Meet at the water?” Ivan asked.
“Weapons first,” Rachel said. I nodded.
“Weapons first. Water second. Trees if we have to. We’ll take the antidote when we leave.” At least, that was the plan. The four of us stood and ran down the side of the sand dune. Rachel kept pace with me easily, though I had to put out a hand to help her keep her balance a couple times when she lost her footing.
And for a fucking miracle, she didn’t snap at me.
“I’m not that big of an asshole,” she said, reading my thought.
“Sometimes you are,” I said.
She grimaced, but there was humor under it. Maybe this mind-reading thing wasn’t so bad.
All of those thoughts fled, though, as we raced toward the oasis and the soldiers saw us. The rapid staccato of gunfire filled the air at the exact moment the wolf packs hit the top of the sand dune.
I ran straight for the first Humvee. I yanked the driver out of the seat, snapping his neck with a sharp twist. “Rach, check the back.”
“Already on it.”
Three more soldiers came at us, and I dispatched them—breaking backs, arms and legs—and kicked away their weapons.
“Kill them!” Antonio yelled at me.
“No. They are a better distraction this way. Wolves like live things to play with,” I said.
Antonio cursed me, but didn’t argue. Rachel came up triumphant. “Guns and silver bullets. And a shit ton of antidote!”
The triumph didn’t last long; the wolves swept into the oasis, flooding us with the scent of death and wet dog.
I grabbed Rachel, shoved her into the front of the Humvee and climbed in after her. I cranked the engine on and backed the truck up as a werewolf leapt onto the hood. Rachel took aim and shot it through the eye, and the beast rolled off without a sound. The windshield cracked, but didn’t shatter.
A thump came up from above us. “Go, go!” Ivan yelled.
“I hope he remembered Antonio,” I said as I hit the gas. Dawn was only a few hours off, and if Calvin had remembered it right, we were still a two-hour drive from the village. I glanced at Rachel. She nodded.
“Why, you like him now?”
I grinned at her from across the cab. “No, but you do.”
“Get out of my head, Lea,” she snapped, but there wasn’t a lot of heat to it.
I waited until the sounds of gunfire and werewolves faded behind us. I tapped the roof of the truck and Ivan leaned in through the passenger side window. “You remember the Cazador?”
“Was I supposed to?”
Rachel went absolutely still beside me. I raised an eyebrow at Ivan. “Don’t tease her, it’s not nice.”
He reached in and patted Rachel on the head. “I got him. Even if he’s grumpy about not being able to do it on his own.”
She eased back in her seat, reclining her head and closing her eyes. “Do you think we can save the village?”
I flicked through Calvin’s memories. “From what I can see, it’s not looking good. The strain they are using is virulent, violent, and based on what Calvin knew, they aren’t even sure the antidote will work.”
“Fuck.”
I agreed with her. But with two hours on our hands and the boys in the back of the truck, I had to say something.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t need to ask for what. “I’m going to be real mature about this, Lea. Real fucking mature. Don’t get excited by what I’m going to say because I’m only saying it once.”
I braced myself, tightening my hands on the steering wheel. “Okay.”
“I’m not.”
I blinked several times, fighting the urge to shake my head. “You aren’t?”
“Fuck, I’m not sorry. It’s not that I like the idea of being bonded to you, but we are a kick-ass team. Admit it, Calvin didn’t have a thing on me.” She grinned at me.
I burst out laughing. “No, he certainly didn’t.”
“What happens, though, after this?”
I shrugged. “Depends on if we’re both still alive. Chances are good I’ll be dead, and you’ll be free of me forever.”
“And if we both survive?”
I glanced at her. “I’m not sure. I’ve heard of bonds like this, true bonds between vampires and their servants—”
“I’m not bringing you fucking oatmeal in the morning.”
“I’d never ask. The point I’m trying to make is I’ve heard of this sort of thing, but never experienced it. Not with any of my helpers. Which tells me something about you is truly special.”
She went quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “You thought you were telling me about the bond on the plane, didn’t you? You tried to fess up, but I didn’t catch the drift.”