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Redemption (The Captive #5) Page 66
Author: Erica Stevens

It took her a few seconds to realize that her skin wasn't blistering, she wasn't burning, and agony wasn't exploding throughout her body. The sun was shining down on her, she could feel it on her skin, but there was no smoke coming from her exposed arms or face.

She met Calvin's gaze again and a new kind of horror and dread began to take hold of her as his reddened, hate filled eyes latched onto hers. Whatever he had been planning to do to her beforehand was nothing compared to what he was going to do to her now. She could see that fact clearly in the cruel smile that twisted his mouth and the malicious gleam that filled his eyes.

***

William pulled another arrow from his quiver and fired it at the group trying to overrun them. There were too many of them though as they were relentlessly pushed toward the main road and the battle being waged there. Xavier was fighting off two vampires with a staff, he was bleeding from a gash in his head but that didn't slow him down as he twisted the staff and drove it through the chest of one of the vampires.

Lucas tried to beat back the vampires coming at him but he was having a difficult time defending himself while keeping the blanket around him. Ellen was pressed against his back; he tried to keep her behind him as he moved her further into the shadows. He spotted Hannah out of the corner of his eyes as she stopped to grab a board that had fallen from the tavern.

Aria cursed and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on his back. "We're running out!"

He shrugged out of the quiver, pulled three arrows from it and shoved the rest at Aria. She had better accuracy and was faster than he was with a bow anyway. Shoving the arrows into his waistband, he grabbed a staff from a body lying on the ground. He spun it in his hands and slashed it across the face of an approaching vampire. He lifted the crossbow tied to his waist up and fired the bolt locked into it. The arrow slammed into the man's chest, pierced him through the heart and knocked him onto his ass.

Tucking the staff under his arm, he deftly locked another arrow into the crossbow. He spotted Timber and Daniel amongst the fray with Abe at their side. The frail looking vampire was surprisingly agile as he zipped in and out to avoid the vampire pursuing him. Abe kept the small human boy behind him as he maneuvered him toward the safety of a nearby house.

William turned and pulled Ellen back as one of Calvin's men grabbed for her. He was just getting her out of the way when Calvin emerged from the chaos and smoke. "Watch out!" he shouted as he lurched toward Hannah.

He was knocked back as a vampire launched at him. Wrapping his arms around William's waist the vampire pulled William down beneath him. The air rushed out of his lungs as he was thrust forcefully onto the unforgiving ground. William's heart leapt into his throat, he didn't have time to get his breath back as he pulled his stake free and twisted to the side.

"William!" Aria cried.

The vampire's teeth snapped at his throat but William managed to keep his forearm planted firmly in his chest to hold the heavy creature off of him. He could smell the fetid blood on the man's breath as he managed to drive the stake into him. The only problem was he was nowhere near the heart as it pierced into the vampire's stomach. The man's face twisted in agony but the wound didn't slow him as he lurched at William's neck again.

Gathering his strength, William managed to curl his feet up under the heavy vamp and thrust him upward as Aria lifted her bow. Knowing what his twin intended, William shoved the vamp straight into the path of the arrow she fired. The arrow pierced through the vamp's heart and exploded out the other side of his chest. William heaved the writhing body of the dying vampire the rest of the way off of him. Rolling to the side, he placed his hands underneath him and shoved himself to his feet.

He looked toward where he had last seen Hannah but she had disappeared with Calvin amongst the fray. Terror hit him as he reclaimed his lost staff and frantically searched the crowd. Nothing could happen to her, if anything did it would destroy Jack. He'd already lost his father, there was no way he was going to lose his best friend too. He couldn't leave his sister and friend's either though.

"Aria!" he shouted.

"Go William. If something happens to her Jack won't survive it. Go!" she yelled to him.

William shoved through the crowd of people and vampires trying to escape the battle as he ran down the street in pursuit of Hannah and Calvin.

***

"What is this?" Calvin inquired in a low purr that caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

Hannah spotted Lucas rushing at them from the corner of the building but before he could reach them Calvin ripped her up by her hair and lifted her off the ground. Pain exploded through her skull, she was certain he'd torn out half her hair as he spun her around and pressed her against his chest. Hannah clawed at his hands in a desperate attempt to free herself, but no matter how much skin she tore from the backs of his hands, he refused to relinquish his hold upon her.

"How is this possible?" he hissed in her ear as he pulled her further away from the others. She was finding words difficult as her feet kicked uselessly in an attempt to connect with some body part of his. "How is it possible for you to be in the sun?" he demanded with a rough shake of her head.

Hannah clamped her mouth shut and refused to respond, but when his hand tightened in her hair and he twisted her neck in an unnatural angle, she finally bit out words. "I don't know."

"Don't lie to me!" he spat.

"I'm not lying!" she snapped back. "I don't know."

She didn't know, she suspected it had something to do with Jack's blood, but she wasn't about to tell Calvin that. Jack had said that the vampires who shared a bloodlink were stronger when they exchanged blood, was it possible that his blood had made it so that she could walk in the sunlight for the first time in her life? What should have been an amazing concept was buried beneath the apprehension that was growing within her. None of it would make any difference if she couldn't get free of Calvin.

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