Vampire Blood (Vampire Bite #2)

Chapter Nine

Annika

The walls of my cell felt smaller tonight. The shadows stretched long and sharp, curling in the corners like they were alive, waiting. I paced the cramped space, my legs aching, but the movement kept my panic at bay… barely.

Then I heard it. The noise.

Distant shouts. Metal clanging. The unmistakable sound of a fight. My heart slammed against my ribs.

I pressed myself against the bars, straining to see down the corridor, but the angle was wrong. I couldn’t make out anything beyond the dim torchlight flickering against the stone.

“Come on,” I whispered, a desperate plea to no one.

Lucas.

The sound of hurried footsteps jerked me back, and then Kael appeared. Hooded, breathless. He shoved the door open and slipped inside, closing it behind him with a sharp click.

“Kael!” Relief and panic tangled in my voice. “What’s happening? What was that noise?”

He didn’t answer right away. He ripped back the hood, revealing his tense expression. His jaw was tight, eyes sharp and furious.

“I think Lucas is here,” he said, voice low but brimming with anger.

My breath caught. “What?”

“I didn’t tell him, Annika.” He stepped closer, his voice almost a growl. “I told him to stay put. Told him to wait for the right moment, but he didn’t listen.”

A mix of hope and terror flooded me. “He came for me.”

Kael ran a hand through his hair, his movements sharp, restless. “Yeah, well, now we have a bigger problem.”

I stared at him, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean,” he hissed, stepping closer, “is that we’re completely outnumbered. If he’s out there, fighting his way in, there’s no way we’re getting out without being seen. No way we’re slipping through unnoticed.”

I gripped the bars behind me, my nails biting into the cold metal. “Then we have to figure something out.”

Kael let out a sharp breath, pacing now. He looked like a man ready to tear something apart. “Do you have any idea what happens if we’re caught? If they realize what I’ve done?”

I swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to help me, Kael.”

He stopped, pinning me with a look that made me freeze. “Don’t you dare.” His voice was low but fierce. “Don’t you dare act like this is your fault. I knew what I was risking when I came here. But if Lucas dies trying to save you because we weren’t ready—”

I cut him off, stepping closer. “He won’t die.”

Kael let out a bitter laugh. “You can’t know that.”

I refused to let the fear creeping up my spine take over. “He’s stronger than you think. Smarter, too.”

Kael’s expression softened, but only slightly. “Maybe. But strength and smarts won’t save us from numbers, Annika. You don’t see what I see. The guards. The patrols. The sheer scale of this camp.” He shook his head. “Sneaking out was already going to be close to impossible. Now? With a fight breaking out? It’s a death trap.”

I felt my resolve harden. “Then we’ll have to make it possible.”

Kael stared at me, his eyes searching mine for something, maybe a hint of fear, maybe weakness. But he wouldn’t find it.

His shoulders sagged slightly, though the tension in his body didn’t leave. “I’m not giving up either,” he said. “But I need you to understand what we’re up against. This won’t be easy, Annika. It won’t be clean.”

I nodded, even as the weight of his words settled deeper in my chest. “I don’t care. I just need to get out of here. I need to see Lucas.”

Kael paced the cramped cell, his footsteps sharp against the stone floor. He was thinking, calculating. I could see it in the tight line of his jaw, the way his eyes darted toward the door every few seconds.

Finally, he stopped and turned to me. “We can’t wait for Lucas to come to us.”

His words hit me like a slap. I stepped back, gripping the edge of the cot to steady myself. “What? No. He’s already here… I heard the fighting. He’ll find me.”

Kael shook his head, eyes sharp with frustration. “You don’t get it, Annika. This camp is too big, too chaotic. By the time he reaches this cell, if he even makes it this far, you’ll already be gone. Or worse.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. “So what are you saying?”

His voice softened, just barely. “I’m saying we have to meet him halfway. We have to get out of here now… before it’s too late.”

The panic flared in my chest, but I shoved it down. “How? We’re surrounded. They’re everywhere.”

“That’s why we’ll slip through before the guards regroup,” he said, stepping closer. “They’ll be focused on the fight, distracted by the chaos Lucas is causing. It’s risky, but it’s our only shot.”

He glanced at the cot in the corner. “Make it seem as if you’re sleeping there. Shove the pillow under the cover. Make it look believable.”

I didn’t think it would help much, but I did as he asked. Worst case, it would buy us a minute or two. In situations such as this one, a whole minute could be the difference between life and death.

“There,” I said once I finished. “What’s the plan?”

Kael exhaled slowly, his gaze flicking toward the door. “We’ll slip out through the storage area at the end of this corridor. It’s less guarded, but it leads straight into the camp. Once we’re out, we keep to the shadows and head toward the eastern edge, where the tents thin out. That’s where Lucas is most likely to be coming from.”

I nodded, committing the path to memory. “And if we don’t find him there?”

“Then we keep moving until we do.”

I clenched my fists, forcing down the doubt. “What about the guards? There’s no way we can fight them all if they see us.”

Kael lifted his hood again, shadowing his face. “We won’t fight unless we have to. I still have some trust here. If anyone stops us, I’ll handle it.”

Without another word, he handed me his coat. I quickly put it on, covering most of my head and face in the hood. Again, it might buy us just a minute or so, but it was another precious minute we desperately needed.

“Okay,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Let’s do it.”

Kael nodded once, his sharp eyes meeting mine. “Stay close. Don’t make a sound unless I say so. And if I tell you to run—”

“I won’t leave you behind,” I snapped, cutting him off.

His expression darkened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he moved to the door, pressing his ear to the wood. After a tense moment, he glanced back at me.

“Ready?”

I took a breath, steadying the wild beat of my heart. “Ready.”

He eased the door open, just enough to peer out. Then he gestured for me to follow. I slipped through the gap, the cold air of the corridor prickling my skin.

The hallway stretched out ahead of us, dark and narrow, the torchlight casting jagged shadows along the walls. My pulse pounded as we crept forward, each step slow and deliberate.

Kael led the way, his movements sure and silent. I kept close, my body tense, every creak of the floor and distant shout making my breath hitch.

Lucas, please be okay.

We reached the storage area without incident. Kael pressed himself against the wall, peeking around the corner before waving me forward.

“There,” he whispered, pointing toward the far end of the room, where crates were stacked high. A door stood partially open beyond them, leading out into the camp.

I swallowed hard, my nerves fraying as I stepped closer. This was it. The point of no return.

Kael glanced at me one last time. “Stay quiet. And stay sharp.”

I nodded. “Let’s go.”

We slipped through the door and into the night. The cold air hit me like a slap, but I didn’t stop. The camp sprawled ahead of us, alive with movement and noise. Shadows danced across the firelit paths, and figures moved in clusters, their voices sharp and urgent.

Kael tugged me down behind a stack of barrels, his breath warm against my ear. “We’ll stick to the edges. Keep low.”

I barely managed a nod. My heart hammered so loud I was sure someone would hear it.

We crept forward, the sound of chaos echoing all around us. Every shadow felt like a threat. Every step felt like it could be our last.

But I kept moving.

Then, Kael tugged me into the shadows as we crept along the edge of the camp, the shouts and clash of weapons echoing behind us. My legs ached, and my pulse thundered, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

Lucas was close. I felt it.

Kael suddenly froze, his arm snapping out to stop me. I nearly slammed into him, my breath catching as he peered around the corner of a tent.

I followed his gaze and saw them.

Lucas and Callum.

They were crouched behind a stack of crates near the camp’s perimeter, their figures half-hidden by the flickering firelight. Lucas’s dark cloak was streaked with dirt and blood, but it was him. My chest clenched so hard it hurt.

“Stay here,” Kael hissed. He darted forward, moving so fast I barely saw him slip through the shadows toward them.

I couldn’t breathe as I watched Lucas spin, sword raised. Then, he lowered it when he saw Kael. They spoke quickly, sharp gestures and tense movements, and then Kael pointed toward me.

Lucas’s head snapped up. His eyes locked on mine.

And suddenly, none of the noise or danger mattered.

He was there. Alive. Fighting for me.

I broke free from the shadows before Kael could stop me.

“Annika!” Lucas’s voice cracked as I ran to him. He caught me just as my knees gave out, pulling me into his arms and holding me so tight it stole my breath.

I buried my face against his chest, gripping his cloak as though letting go would shatter me. His scent, all smoke and earth and something distinctly him, wrapped around me, grounding me even as my body shook.

“You’re here,” I whispered, the words trembling. “You came.”

“Always,” he said, his voice low, rough with emotion. He pulled back just enough to cup my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek. His eyes burned, fierce and desperate. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” I shook my head quickly. “Just weak. They took some of my blood, but I’m okay.”

A flicker of something dangerous passed through his eyes, but he swallowed it down, pressing a kiss to my forehead instead.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” he promised.

I clung to him for one more heartbeat, my lips brushing against his jaw. “You already have.”

“Not yet,” Kael snapped from behind us. “We don’t have time for this. We need to move.”

Lucas’s arms tightened around me for one last second before he let me go, his hand sliding down to grip mine. “Stay close,” he ordered.

I nodded, forcing my legs to move even though every step felt heavier than the last. Callum took the lead, Kael falling in behind us as we weaved through the camp.

It was chaos everywhere. Fires were burning, shifters barking orders, and the distant clash of steel. But no one was looking our way. Not yet.

We stuck to the shadows, slipping between tents and crates, my heart slamming harder with every step. Lucas’s hand stayed firm in mine, grounding me as we edged closer to the trees.

A shout rang out behind us.

We froze.

Kael cursed under his breath. “They’re searching the cells.”

“We’re almost there,” Callum hissed, pointing to the line of trees just ahead.

I felt Lucas tense beside me, his grip tightening. “Run.”

We bolted.

I stumbled, my legs trembling, but Lucas didn’t let me fall. He kept me upright, pushing me forward as the sounds of pursuit erupted behind us.

Branches whipped at my arms as we plunged into the woods. The shadows swallowed us whole, and still, we ran. My breath burned in my chest, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop, not when freedom was so close.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Kael slowed. “They’re not following,” he said, panting.

I sagged against Lucas, my body giving out as relief crashed over me. He caught me, lowering me gently to the ground and brushing the hair from my face.

“We did it,” I breathed, staring up at him.

His lips curved into the faintest smile. “We did.”

And for one fragile moment, everything else, the danger, the fear… it all faded away.