Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Moonstone.
For some reason, the name caught her attention and seemed to settle inside her, somehow calming her.
She remembered reading that the moonstone gemstone helped with anxiety and stress, and also offered protection.
She couldn’t recall precisely what the article said, but there was something about the gem helping with new beginnings, too.
Maybe it was more than just a sign for a town. Perhaps it was a sign for her. A place for her to stop and just breathe for a little while. Somewhere to find a little bit of peace in the hell she’d found herself in because she couldn’t keep her big mouth shut.
Shaking her head, she huffed lightly. Who was she kidding?
She wouldn’t change a thing if she had to do it all over again.
Jessica was not only her best friend, but she was also one of the kindest people Hollie had ever met.
A demoness with a heart of pure gold. She was too gentle and sweet to stand up for herself, which is why Hollie did it for her.
At least she was back in her own realm now, safe and sound. That was what mattered.
Hollie had been driving for two days, pushing hard to get as far away from Dark Skye and the psycho vampires who were after her as she could. She had no doubt they were still out there, hunting her, waiting for her to make a mistake so they could find and eliminate her.
She winced. ‘Eliminate’ was such a harsh word, but it was exactly what they planned to do.
They’d gotten close one time when she’d stopped for fuel.
She’d moved her car around to the side of the gas station, so she could run in and grab a quick bite to eat and use the restroom.
Just as she was stepping out of the vehicle, she saw a black SUV pull into the parking lot with New York plates that read DRKSKY.
After getting a brief glimpse of the huge man with a dark scowl on his face who sat behind the wheel, she was back in her car, door shut, and driving around behind the building before they even came to a stop in front of a gas pump.
It was a close call. One she didn’t want to repeat.
Glancing at the clock on her dashboard, Hollie saw it was nearly midnight.
She was exhausted and fighting to keep her eyes open.
The brief catnap she took after a few hours into the drive wasn’t enough, and that was almost twenty-four hours ago.
She was afraid they were going to catch up to her, but knew she was going to have to stop for a break soon.
Lights flashed brightly in her review mirror, the glare almost blinding her. Hollie’s grip tightened on the steering wheel in fear. She held her breath until the large pickup sped past her, then let it out in a gasp, as a shudder ran through her.
When the sign for Moonstone appeared, Hollie made a quick decision she hoped she wouldn’t regret and took the exit.
Something about the town was calling to her, and she couldn’t ignore it, no matter how hard she tried.
She desperately needed a little bit of that peace she felt the place was offering her.
She was contemplating turning right or left at the bottom of the off-ramp when headlights once again appeared in the rearview mirror. Hollie rubbed a hand over her face, trying to scrub the tiredness from her eyes, then put her blinker on to go right.
Glancing up one more time to see which direction the car behind her was going, Hollie’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw how fast the bright lights were coming up behind her. She tried to take off, but when she put her foot down on the accelerator, her car sputtered and died.
“Dammit! What the hell are you doing, Betsy? Let’s go!” Hollie turned the key, swearing loudly when the vehicle refused to start. “Seriously, this is how you treat me after five years of companionship?”
Unfortunately, good ole Betsy didn’t care what she had to say.
No matter what, she wouldn’t start again.
After one last look in the mirror to see that the vehicle wasn’t slowing down, Hollie threw open her door and jumped from the car.
She was less than ten steps away from her vehicle when the SUV slammed into the back of it.
The screech of metal was loud in the night, and Hollie watched in astonishment as the back end folded in, and the entire vehicle was shoved out into the middle of the road.
Something detached from the car, slamming into Hollie’s leg, and she fell, crying out in pain. She felt the steel slice through her skin and smelled blood as it began to ooze from the cut. While it wasn’t deep enough to cause any major damage, it hurt like a bitch.
Her head was bowed, her hair covering her face as she fought back sobs; the dress she’d chosen when she was so full of excitement to go to the club pooled out over her thighs.
She looked up through thick blonde strands when she heard the doors of the other vehicle opening and watched as a man emerged from the side closest to her.
It felt as if everything was moving in slow motion as the guy began to walk toward her, his lips curving up into an evil grin, showing the tips of his fangs.
Another man came around the backside of the SUV, and Hollie froze when she saw his bald head and the tats crawling up his neck.
Her eyes lowered to the hands he had clenched into fists, to the wording on them.
She couldn’t quite make them out, but she already knew what they said.
SLAY. DEAD.
The bossman wasn’t messing around. He’d sent the big bouncer asshole to find her, and he had, tracking her like the prey she was.
She’d thought she’d seen him at the gas station the day before, but had really been hoping she was wrong, because she knew whatever he did to her would be more painful than what anyone else would do.
She’d pissed him off. Talked down to him in front of everyone in the line outside the bar.
Even if the vamp in the blood red shoes called him off, there was no way he would listen.
The bastard was out for blood. Her blood.
“Well, if it isn’t the mouthy little kitty cat from the club,” he growled, his eyes going a deep, dark red, as his top lip curled up on one side to show a pearly white fang.
“You’ve taken us on quite the chase, feline, but it’s over now.
” He inhaled deeply, his red eyes beginning to glow even brighter. “You smell fantastic, kitten.”
“She does, Bull,” the other vamp agreed, moving closer to her. “I definitely want a bite of that.”
Bull? She wasn’t sure why the name surprised her. The guy was definitely the size of a bull, even bigger.
A low growl rose deep in Hollie’s chest, her lioness rising to the surface.
She felt her claws pierce the tips of her fingers as her fangs punched through her gums. She watched the two of them closely as they inched slowly in her direction.
Chances that she could take them both were very slim, but she wasn’t going to just sit back and let them do whatever they wanted to her.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your shot, Diego. We both will, and she’s going to taste so good.” Bouncer dickhead took another step toward her.
“Let’s do this then,” she growled, right before she sprang at him, shifting in midair and slicing at his thick throat with her sharp claws.
Bull moved just in time, and her claws dug deeply into his chest, just above his heart, and carved grooves into his skin down to his stomach.
He let out a roar, swinging a giant fist and catching her on the side of the head.
Hollie fell to the hard asphalt, and he was on her instantly, his hand around her throat. “Fuck yeah, kitten, time to play.” He bared his teeth at her, laughing like a freaking maniac.
“Feisty, isn’t she?” Diego laughed. “Drain her in this form, or her human form. Doesn’t matter to me. Her blood will taste the same, either way.”
Hollie’s chest heaved as she struggled to pull air into her lungs.
She had passed the point of fear and was deeply in the terrified zone, but she was also spitting mad.
She wasn’t ready to die, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to be taken out by a vampire named Bull, even if it looked like he could bench press a car.
She was a fighter, dammit. A shifter. A lioness with big-ass teeth and claws.
When Diego came near, Hollie pulled her hind legs up and dug them deep into Bull’s thighs, yowling at the agony that raced through her from where she was cut by the metal from the car.
When he loosened his grip on her neck as he grunted in pain, she snaked out quickly with her right paw and sliced through the side of his face, opening his skin to the bone.
Then she brought her legs back up and shoved at him hard, tearing his hand from her throat and pushing him off her.
She whimpered at the agony in her leg but tried to push the discomfort aside as she jumped to her feet and leaped at Diego.
Before he knew what hit him, she wrapped her jaws around his neck, sinking her teeth in and tearing out his throat.
When he collapsed on the asphalt, she lay on top of him for a moment to catch her breath before stumbling to her feet.
Hollie’s vision wavered as she stared at the men in front of her, both lying on the ground. One dead, the other clutching at his face as he swore violently. She knew what she had to do, even though no part of her wanted to. If she didn’t finish what she started, the vamp would be after her soon.
Taking a deep breath, she moved quickly to him and sliced through his neck with her sharp claws, watching as he fell to the ground, the life slowly leaving his body.
Hollie stepped back, shaking, barely able to hold herself up. She’d done that. She’d killed two men.
Pain swamped her, along with fear of retaliation from Mr. Griffin, the man who was obviously the leader of their vampire coven. He would come for her, she had no doubt.
She swung her gaze around the area, taking in the smashed-up vehicles, the two dead men, and the complete darkness beyond it all.
Inhaling deeply, Hollie began to move in the opposite direction she’d originally planned to travel.
It was away from the sign that pointed to the town of Moonstone; away from the sanctuary and peace she’d been craving.
There was no one there who could help her, and she refused to put others in danger.
She was on her own.