“I’ll let you know when the car pulls up.” She grabbed a wheelchair. “Those reporters know the ropes at the hospital. If you walk out of here, they might figure it out. All pregnant patients brought in, leave in a wheelchair.”
Jill sat in the wheelchair pulling the cap lower. Glancing up, she caught Slade staring at her. “Do I look like Pam?” she asked.
“No.” His reply was short and to the point.
Jill frowned at him as the nurse walked up.
“Okay, there’s the car. We have an ambulance that just pulled in, so please try to stay out of the way of the paramedics.” The nurse warned them.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Jared got behind to push Jill.
Slumping down Jill lowered her head. Just as she started to look up, a sweet smell hit her nose. In an instant, her fangs grew, her mouth flowing with saliva. Passing her on a gurney was a man who was bleeding profusely. A growl erupted from her throat that sounded animal like. Her golden eye turned black as midnight.
“Jill?” Jared leaned down to whisper. “What’s…?”
She heard nothing but the heartbeat of the man bleeding as it pumped his lifeblood out his wound. Nothing mattered to her at that moment except to taste the sweet blood. In an instant, she was out of the wheelchair.
“Son of a bitch!” Jared reached for her, but missed.
It took Slade a second to realize that Jill was under an attack of bloodlust. Grabbing her before she could reach the man on the gurney, he held her against him as he rushed through a throng of reporters shouting questions. Jill fought him with everything she had, but he was too strong for her. He could feel Jared at his back pushing reporters back. Sid had jumped out, and was ready with the door open. Slade fell in the back of the car with Jill underneath him.
“Jill!” He tried to get through to her, but he knew she was too far gone. Holding her down with his hand on her chest, he sat up trying to get his jacket off with one hand.
“What the fuck happened?” Jared slammed the door as Sid took off.
“Bloodlust.” Slade’s eyes didn’t leave Jill’s vacant ones. “Help me get my jacket off.”
“They’re following.” Sid kept his eyes peeled to the road and rearview mirror. “Where do you want me to go?”
“Just drive around until we get word they have Pam back at the compound.” Jared informed him while he tried to help Slade.
“Hasn’t she been feeding?” Slade demanded.
“I don’t know,” Jared replied. “I mean, I thought she was feeding with the others.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say you thought wrong,” Slade mumbled looking down at Jill who had started to calm down, her eyes focused on his. “You back with us?”
She nodded, her frightened eyes open wide. “What happened?” Her voice was raspy and rough.
“Have you been feeding?” Slade asked her, easing the pressure slightly on her chest.
Her eyes shifted away from his. “They don’t like me,” she whispered.
“What? Who doesn’t like you?” Slade asked, confused.
“Never mind,” she replied, not realizing she had actually spoken her thoughts out loud. “I’m fine. Please let me go.”
“You’re not fine,” Slade growled down at her. “You’re starving and could have killed an innocent because you decided not to be responsible and feed.”
With surprising strength, Jill knocked his hand away from her chest and sat up. “I said I’m fine.”
“And I said you’re not.” Slade reached for her, but before anyone in the car knew what was happening, Jill opened the car door, jumped out rolling to her feet taking off. “What the hell!” Slade sat stunned for a second before he was out the door after her.
Sid and Jared looked at each other shocked. “Did that just fucking happen?” Jared turned, staring at the empty backseat. “Yep, it fucking happened.”
“Guess the cat’s out of the bag, or should we say the vamp’s out of the car.” Sid shook his head in disbelief. “You better call and let the others know. I’ll turn around.”
Jill ran hard and fast zipping down side streets and back alleys. She didn’t know or care where she was going. Horror at what she had almost done spurred her even faster. She had almost killed an innocent. She would be kicked out of the Warrior program for sure, and what would happen to her then? Her family wanted nothing to do with her. She would be alone, and that terrified her more than anything.
Turning down another alleyway, Jill skidded to a stop. “Crap,” Jill whispered. Looked like she picked the wrong alley.
Ten men stood in a circle, engrossed in something until Jill’s shoes slid on the gritty concrete. “Hey!” One shouted as the others looked up locking eyes on her.
“Sorry, wrong alley.” Jill took a step backwards until she saw a woman kneeling in the middle of the group of men. Glancing back up at the men, she noticed they were a mix of humans and vampires.