Chapter Fifteen.

Until Forever Ends Crickets chirped the night away. Mosquitoes buzzed and I swatted at them as they flew close. Miles away from my city, I sat with my back against an old concrete bridge, watching the river water twinkle in the moonlight above. It had been days since I'd left Dante alone with Xavier and Raphael. And though I missed the city where I was born, I felt a strange peace now that I was away from the turmoil.

A quiet breeze from the north threatened the small fire I'd made from crumpled boxes and twigs. I poked at the ash with a longer branch pulled from a tree. The rubbish crackled, flames growing a little higher.

Dante would come back. I knew that. I wasn't sure how, but the feelings within my soul, the fact that he'd found me in that club weeks ago, and that he'd tracked me down inside the abandoned building, gave me the belief that he would come. Sometime. h.e.l.l, I'd wait forever for him.

Until then, I resorted to sneaking off to the village five miles from the bridge hideout, and feeding from lonely women I picked up in the bar. Some of them elderly. Some quite beautiful. I'd play them like I'd done before, but I could never find the same satisfaction as when I was with Dante.

Rumbles from the cars above made living noisy at times. Small chunks of concrete fell off the bridge and plonked into the water as the cars drove by the highest point. I could imagine the pile of rocks in the bottom of the lake.

As I watched the rings spread in the water, I spotted a shadow on the opposite side of the river. I narrowed my eyes, but it disappeared fast into the tall weeds and brush of the fields.

s.h.i.t. Did they find me?

I stood up quickly, prepared to stomp out the fire and leave if I had to, though I'd miss my little hiding spot.

There was a rustle in the short gra.s.s close by, near the water's edge, and I quickly began to stomp out the fire with my boot.*115.

A cat's cry caught my attention.

I froze, my foot above the burning ash, peering at the white cat hiding in the gra.s.s. It brushed its fluffy tail against the weeds and mewed again before striding closer onto the concrete plank.

Letting out a breath of relief, I knelt and called him over. "Come here. I bet you're hungry for these field mice, huh?"

The cat stilled, eyes aglow in the remains of the fire. It lowered its tail, taking an unsteady stance.

"No. But I'm still hungry for you," Dante's heady voice came from behind and I turned around.

He leaned against the side of the concrete, arms crossed with that same cunning smile spread on his lips, and green eyes that sparkled in the pale firelight. He seemed different, happier than I'd known before, or maybe that was just a ruse.

"You got away?" I asked, taking a step forward, wanting to feel his warmth again.

Dante nodded. "Sorry it took so long."

"How did you find me?"

Unfolding his arms, he stepped close, his shadow growing along the concrete wall as he pa.s.sed by the fire. "I listened for your thoughts."

"W-what was I thinking?" I smiled, pleased to know he had a way of tracking me.

Dante stopped to observe our surroundings. "Noisy bridge. River. Fishy smell...yep, this is the place. But most of all, you thought of me."

A heated flush built through my cheeks as I took another step. "I did."

"If only you could read my thoughts as well." He crossed the remaining length towards me and caressed me. "You'd know how much I needed you. How upsetting it was to watch you leave without me."

He trailed his hands up the small of my back, resting them there. I settled in his arms, buried in his touch. He kissed my cheek with his blood warm lips. A familiar twinge of energy flurried through my legs.

Dante unravelled away, setting his forehead upon mine and whispered, "Have you learnt you can't always take energy whenever you take blood?"

The delicious scent of blood on his breath had me scrambling for words. "I have...some."*116.

"Really?"

"It's hard to keep calm when I'm with you, though." I tightened my grip around his waist, craving him and his tantalising energy.

Feeling his warm breath hit my cheek, I closed the s.p.a.ce between us and brushed my lips against his. Sure, I'd developed some sense of control during feeding, but with Dante, I couldn't stop from digging my fingers into his sides, feeling his muscles tense and craving the whispered moans from deep in our throats.

He'd always done something more than just feed me his l.u.s.t and vitality. He loved me, just as he was now, and in return I wanted nothing more than to drink in the pa.s.sion of his protection and his kiss and repeat those words he'd whispered to me.

"My love."

His muscles went taut again and he slid his hands to my cheeks, pulling his warm lips away from mine. "My love," he whispered with a smile. I knew he'd heard my thoughts.

"Your spirit is still very strong." Dante stepped back and dropped his arms to his sides, leaving me cold. "But this isn't the place for fun." He examined the area again, seeming to pause on the outdated bridge as another car pa.s.sed overhead. "Ever been hit by one?" he asked, motioning to a falling piece of rock.

"No. But at this time of night, I'm usually in the village just a few miles south."

"Ah, yes. Feeding?"

I nodded.

"Well, this certainly is the ideal home for a rogue." He chuckled. "It has all the amenities." He plopped down in front of the fire, poking it with the long branch. "That disgusting smell of death."

"Don't disregard that it's my first time," I said, pouting. I sat next to him with my legs crossed. "So what do we do? Are they coming for us?"

Dante's smile faded as he nodded. "I'm certain Raphael and Xavier survived the fire.

They'll find us by dawn if we stay here. It's difficult, but I can catch a little of Raphael's thoughts every so often."

"Oh." I swallowed. "W-what do you hear?"

He dropped the stick into the fire. "We'll have to keep on the move. Forever"-he sighed-"at least, until I no longer hear him. He's set out to kill us both, Malachi. But you should already know that."*117.

"Yeah, I do." I nodded, speechless.

"And he reads your thoughts too, remember? You keep doing that and you're basically leading him right to us."

"There's nowhere to go? No one who can help?" Hopelessness settled in with the thought of having to always be on the run. "What about the Elders?"

"They'll never believe us without proof. I'm not familiar with any of them. Besides, what's a couple of rogues to an a.s.sembly of Elders?" He stood, stomping on the remains of the fire.

"So-"

"Come. Show me this village of yours. We'll feed before we leave this place." A grin lightened his sorrowful mood for the moment, then he stepped around me and into the moonlight.

I would follow him until forever ended. What was I, a single rogue, to the large world I'd never known and with our enemies closing in? As a fledgling vampire, I felt small, like the white cat that meowed again as I stood to catch up to Dante. I had needed someone after all-a friend, a lover, a protector who would guide me through this life, even on the run.

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing: www.total-e-bound.com The Last Road Home Azalea Moone Excerpt

Chapter One.

"Come on." Sweat beaded on my forehead as I leaned under the hood of my piece of s.h.i.t car. Steam from the engine lifted into the air, the harsh scent of oil and grease made me cringe. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h," I cursed, wiping my forehead with the back of my dirty hand.

Why did I have to get stranded on the hottest f.u.c.king day of the month?

I braced my hands on the frame of the hood, letting the wrench slip from my fingers. It clinked against the radiator and disappeared. I didn't have the slightest idea how to fix this s.h.i.t.

Was there even a mechanic nearby? I reached for the cell phone in my pocket, smearing sticky oil across the front of my jeans. I flipped the phone open and it flashed 'Low Battery'

then went black. s.h.i.t.

This just wasn't my day. I had no idea what the h.e.l.l I was doing, let alone where I wanted to go. Pittsburgh? No. Atlanta? I don't know. Somewhere out of this stifling heat, sure, but I wasn't going anywhere right then.

I peeled my shirt off and I threw it over my shoulder. It would help, a little. My attention wandered to the desolate road ahead of me. I could walk. Or I could also pa.s.s out from heat exhaustion. That would really suck, but there wasn't any other choice.

The decision was made. I hitched my small suitcase from the car's open window and set off down the road. It was such a deserted piece of land, with gra.s.sy hills surrounding me and small, native flowers growing within the Indian gra.s.s. A quail roosted next to a pile of dirt and three hawks circled the skies above, in search of prey. h.e.l.l, at least there was some kind of life out here.

www.total-e-bound.com I meandered down the road in hopes of a town, or a ride, for what seemed miles in the hazy heat. My shoes began to squeak with the sweat build-up between my toes, and my jeans stuck to my skin making me itch.

How long have I been out here without a pa.s.sing car?

The hawk's cawing followed along behind me. Shadows of stretched out wings swooped next to me on the concrete-they belonged to the vultures waiting for me to collapse and call it quits.

That's it...this is it! I'm going to die out here.

My suitcase dropped to my feet as I succ.u.mbed to the heat, and my a.s.s. .h.i.t the hot ground. I buried my head in my hands in defeat.

A low hum drowned out the cawing sound of the birds. I was hearing things. I knew it.

I looked towards the never-ending road and spotted the top of a car in the haze. It was like a mirage, an oasis. If I ran to it, I would be left standing in the road wondering where the h.e.l.l it went.

I blinked in shock as the bright red Honda pulled up beside me. "Hey, buddy, need a ride?" the driver called as he leaned out of the window.

The roaring engine awoke me from my daze. I hoisted my tired body from the ground, and grabbed my suitcase. "Sure."

This was completely unbelievable. A dream come true. In all these hours, I'd never thought there would actually be someone out here, travelling in this G.o.d-awful heat.

"Throw your stuff in and come on." A smile spread on the man's lips as he motioned to the back seat.

I threw my case next to his luggage and hurried to sit in the front pa.s.senger seat.

"You're a lifesaver, man," I said, the words m.u.f.fled as I slipped my shirt over my head.

He pulled out onto the road and a warm breeze from the open vents blew across my sweat covered face. I inhaled a breath of the musky air, wishing it was cooler than the outside air, before I hung my arm out of the open window.

"Sorry, no air. You look like you can use a drink, though." The man waved a bottle of water out to me and I accepted. "What are you doing sitting beside the road, anyway?"

The water was lukewarm as I chugged on the bottle. "Car. Broke. Down," I said between gulps.

www.total-e-bound.com "Oh, d.a.m.n that sucks." He shook his head. "So where ya going?"

"Don't know." I wiped at the remains of water left on my lips.

G.o.d, I needed that drink. Now that the world didn't appear foggy, I saw, in close range the man who had saved me from heat exhaustion.

His short, dusty blond hair ruffled in the wind. A cigarette hung from slightly parted lips-the breeze threatened to stifle it. He wore a sleeveless shirt, the sides torn down from the armpits, exposing his muscular arms and a peep of his slender stomach.

The man looked at me briefly before turning his eyes back on the road. "Are you a loner, then?"

"Sort of." I choked out, exhilarated by the thoughts of him running through my head.

Maybe it's just the heat getting to me.

The man dug between the seats and retrieved his pack of cigarettes. He patted the pack on his wrist and an orange filter slipped between his fingers.

"Need a smoke?" he offered.

I thought of taking it just to have some kind of contact-a slip of my hand across his as I gently plucked the cigarette from the pack. Instead, I opted for a "No, thanks."

"Suit yourself," he said, the cigarette bobbing from his lips. He threw the pack on the dashboard and the hum of the car's engine invaded the sudden silence between us.

Now, all I had to do was tear my eyes away from that s.e.xy body.

"What?" he asked, the cigarette bobbing from his lips.

"Uh, nothing."

The man let out a chuckle and extended a hand out. "The name's Ryan."

"Brett." I shook his hand. "What about you? Travelling?"

"You could say that. Have you heard of these guys?" He threw a business card on the seat next to me. I picked it up and read the name 'A.G. Traveling Shows, Inc.''

"A circus?"

"No, a carnival. Haven't you ever been to a carnival at a fair or something?" He flicked his eyes to me in curiosity.

"Well, yeah, I guess."