“No.”
They were close to the cave where they had left Jack and Braith. Had the vampires realized Braith was somewhere in the area and were searching for him? The possibility chilled him. They had to get out of here and get to Jack as soon as they could—if it wasn’t already too late for Jack, Braith, and Hannah.
***
Jack
Jack let the blood from the coyote he’d caught drip into Braith’s mouth, which he’d propped open for this purpose. To him, it was such a morbid thing to do, yet everyday he caught more animals and brought them to his brother. He was feeding him more than Braith would have required if he were still alive, but he figured it took a lot to come back from the dead.
He had to leave the caves to hunt the animals now as the ones within had either already been captured or they’d fled. He hated going above and taking the risk of exposing them, but there was no other choice.
As he fed Braith the blood, he studied his brother. Despite the passing of time, Braith looked no different than he had over a week ago. His body wasn’t decomposing as their father’s had, or as any other normal vampire would be by now. His skin was still as pale as snow and his lips colorless, but they were the same hue they’d been when he’d first died. Jack didn’t know if Braith’s eyes were still cloudy; he’d finally gotten them to stay closed. He couldn’t bring himself to look into their unseeing depths anymore.
Maybe this lack of decomposition would happen with every vampire who died and was given blood afterward, but he doubted it. This was something more than normal; he just wasn’t sure what yet, and he refused to get his hopes up.
Jack didn’t like doing this, but he wouldn’t stop until he knew for certain if Braith would rise again or not. Draining the last drop from the animal, he rose back to his feet.
Hannah watched him as he walked across the cavern and into one of the tunnels. She remained behind when he opened the gate and returned to the surface with the animal carcass. Running through the woods, he traveled a mile before discarding the remains. His gaze lifted to the sky and the fading stars as the night crept toward dawn. The fresh air felt good against his skin, but he couldn’t remain here.
Turning away, he sped back to the dank tunnels and plunged inside, eager to return to Hannah and assure himself she was safe. If he never set foot in a cave again for the rest of his life when this was over, he would be perfectly content with that. He’d done fine amongst these caves when he’d been a renegade from his father’s rule. Now, he despised every dark turn, mineral scent, and rock in the damn thing.
He opened the gate again and closed it behind him before rejoining Hannah in the main cavern. As the days wore on, her skin became paler, more like the ivory complexion it had been when he’d first met her, and less of the golden hue it had become since she’d started venturing into the sun.
She’d also taken to staying further and further away from Braith’s body. She didn’t complain about their conditions or their current situation, but he could tell that it wore on her. He’d promised her a better life, and so far, he was failing her. She’d been kept away from the sun that would destroy her without his blood for most of her life. She’d finally found a measure of freedom, and now she was being locked away again.
Walking across the cavern, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into his arms. She kissed his neck as he carried her up the rocks to one of the tunnels above. “We’ll leave here soon,” he promised her.
“Will we be able to?” she asked. “We can’t leave Braith here, and it seems nothing is safe anymore.”
“Nothing is right now, but it will be again,” he promised.
She rested her hand against his cheek. He found himself mesmerized by her jade eyes as she studied him. “If it’s not, I want you to know these months with you have been the best of my life.”
“There will be many more,” he grated through his teeth, refusing to think of the possibility that there may not be much time left for them.
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “There will be.”
He placed her on the thick furs and blankets he’d set out as bedding for them. Kicking off his shoes, he crawled onto the furs to join her. He’d gotten little sleep over the past week and would get little again now, but she had to rest and she was unable to do so without him beside her.