The Warrior Vampire(114)

There were no more reassurances to give. No conjecture to be made. The trio remained silent as they negotiated the back roads of the Elk Valley reserve, following Paul’s instructions to the cabin that was tucked away in the forest, far from where anyone would find it.

Ronan took a deep breath and held it as the 4Runner came to a stop in front of a newer cabin that looked more like a large shed, isolated in the dense trees. Cold darkness rose up inside of him like the tide, and the thirst he’d managed to push to the back of his mind raged like an inferno in his throat. He wasn’t worth a damn to anyone in this state, but he didn’t have a choice. Chelle needed him.

“Ronan? Are you all right?” Naya’s gaze searched his face, her brow furrowed with concern.

He swallowed against the dryness that coated his mouth as she tilted her head slightly to the right, revealing the delicate curve of her throat. Starving. Ronan was fucking starving. He wanted to open Naya’s vein and glut himself.

“You’re hurting me,” Naya said in a calm, even tone. He looked down to find that he’d wrapped his hand around her wrist and squeezed it tight. With a shuddering breath he forced his fingers to uncurl, though they remained bent like stiff claws. Gods, if he didn’t feed soon he was going to lose his damn mind. And why? He’d taken more than enough of Naya’s blood to sustain him for weeks.

“I’m sorry.” He wanted to smooth her skin, kiss her there, to soothe his careless rough touch, but Ronan didn’t trust himself not to sink his fangs into her wrist. He didn’t trust himself to stop at a sip or several swallows of her blood. His need was absolute and nothing short of drinking his mate to the point of death would satisfy him. “Gods, Naya.” The words lodged in his throat, strained. “I’m so sorry.”

“I think we should leave him here.” Luz was the only one of them willing to make a decision that wasn’t swayed by emotion. “He’s volatile, Naya. I know you hear it.”

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t. Not by a long shot. But he also wasn’t going to sit here and wait in the car like a kid while his mate went on without him. His gaze focused on Naya and she returned his stare. She could hear the turmoil, the darkness, that swirled within him. He couldn’t fool her if he tried. And yet he said the words, “I’m fine,” once again hoping that she’d at least hear reassurance in his voice. He would never, ever hurt her or anyone she held dear.

“He’s okay,” she said without breaking eye contact. “Let’s go get your sister.”

The building couldn’t have been more than five hundred square feet. Half of the space had been used for storage and the other half was furnished with a woodstove, a futon couch, and a small kitchenette. At the south end of the structure Ronan found a trapdoor in the floor. Chelle had been held underground. Trapped in dank, cold darkness like the force that ate away at his soul. His hand shook with unrestrained rage as he lifted the latch and pulled open the door.

Naya’s dagger scraped against the sheath as she stepped up beside him. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and for a quiet moment they remained still, each of them preparing for what they’d find below. One thing was certain: Whatever it was, they’d face it together, and Ronan had never been more in love with Naya than he was at this moment that she stood by his side.

“Ready?” she asked him.

Ronan gave a sharp nod of his head.

“Ready?” Naya glanced at Luz, who gave a nod as well.

The space below the house couldn’t even be considered a basement. Concrete walls lent support to a dirt floor that stank with rot and mold. Luz coughed and drew the collar of her shirt over her nose. Fear and anxiety churned in Ronan’s gut, damn near banishing his ever-present thirst.

“Chelle?”

His voice didn’t echo in the open space. Instead, the sound died as it passed his lips, absorbed as though by a sponge.

“It’s the magic,” Naya whispered on a breath. Her eyes watered and she drew her breath in tight little gasps of air. “It’s so thick in here that I almost can’t breathe.”

“Go back up.” Ronan urged her toward the ladder. “I can take it from here. I don’t need to breathe.”

“No,” Naya panted. “We do this together. Luz? You okay?”

“I can’t catch my breath.” The younger female’s tone was much more frantic. “I feel like I’m suffocating, Naya.”

“Go back up and wait for us,” she said. “Take a look around the perimeter of the property; make sure we aren’t met with any surprises.”