Angel Series Books 1-3 Boxed Set

Taste for Evil

Taste for Evil

Drake turned his attention back to me. “To make it more sporting, we’ll give you a head start. Say an hour?”

There was hissing as the other vampires disapproved of the amount of time I was to be granted to run from them.

Drake shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I tried to make it more sporting. Half an hour then, but as she’s at a disadvantage, you,” he pointed to all the vampires in the shelter, “will follow in groups of two, five minutes apart.”

When the hissing turned into angry cries he stomped his foot on the ground and the earth trembled at the sheer force of it. The vampires quietened down.

“Those are the terms of the hunt. Anyone who doesn’t play by my rules will be answerable to me!” Drake’s voice rang with authority. “If you feel you cannot abide by the rules stay here. Am I making myself clear?”

Some murmured and others nodded, though it appeared Drake had made his point. He turned to me apologetically. I wondered if not all vampires were blood-sucking monsters.

“I’m sorry my dear, it’s the best I can do,” he smiled slyly, “unless of course I find you first. I hunt alone.”

He turned to his comrades, raised his fist in the air and yelled, “To the victor the spoils!”

In unison, the vampires responded with raised fists and the cry, “To the victor the spoils!”

Drake placed a cold hand on my neck and drew me closer to him, whispering in my ear. “If I find you, I’ll keep you. You’re far too pretty — and important perchance — to be torn to pieces.”

I twisted out of his grasp.

“I’d rather die,” I replied dryly.

He laughed. “You’ve got spirit, there’s no doubt about that. Perhaps the hunt will provide some entertainment after all.”

“What’re we waiting for?” someone yelled.

The vampires blocking the entrance stood aside and Drake waved me on.

“Go!” he yelled. “What are you waiting for? You’ve already wasted thirty seconds of your precious head start.”

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, stumbling occasionally on partially hidden rocks and fallen branches. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my system. The time for a swift flight had come. What I didn’t understand is why my heart wasn’t furiously pumping blood around my body. Instead, it beat as though it were still at rest. Luckily I’d been able to pick up the scent of my captor — with my face buried in his back my nostrils had had their fill of him — and followed his trail, back in the direction we had come. Back to where Danny had left me.

In the distance I could hear the sound of many voices arguing. It was faint, but I knew it was the vampires — dissension among the ranks. I hoped Drake was strong enough to retain his tenuous command over them.

“Come on, Danny, pick the right trail,” I whispered, still running.

The terrain was getting rockier, and with a light rain beginning to fall, treacherously so. After a number of slips, and almost twisting my ankle, I was forced to slow my pace considerably. I hoped the rain would wash my scent away, making it harder for my hunters to find me. This was a double-edged sword, I knew. If they couldn’t follow my scent, chances were the scent trail Danny was following — if he’d found it — would be cleansed as well.

So, what did I have to rely on? What could I rely on? My own instinct for survival, which until recently had been waning, and that was about it. However, you didn’t live in the seedy underworld and survive on your own without some sort of wiles. I’d become very good at blending in and hiding, but how would that help me here? If, and this was a big if, my scent trail did get washed away, perhaps I could hole up somewhere and wait. Danny would find me eventually, or the vamps would give up. Either way it offered me hope.

The rain came down heavier and my clothes were soaked through, slowing me down even further. At least I wasn’t cold — I should be cold, shouldn’t I? — and for that I was grateful. My visibility was quite limited through the sheeting rain. I might come to a ravine or ledge and not know until I was about to step off the edge.

It was starting to get dark. The gloom of the clouds and rain making it worse. Shelter, I had to find shelter. The only things I could smell now were the rain and the freshness of the air. I continued down a rocky outcrop until the ground levelled out and became dirt again, the thicker trees providing a measure of cover. If I stayed here, on the ground, I would be visible, if not smellable. I needed to gain some height.

I searched for a tree that had branches low enough for me to reach with my arms, praying that I’d have the strength to haul myself up. Praying that I could continue climbing until I was hidden from view. When I almost walked head first into a branch — I was so busy looking above head height for a good branch to grab — I knew I’d found what I was looking for.

I managed to pull myself up onto that first branch, scraping my palms and collecting some splinters in the process. The next four branches were much easier to reach. Smaller branches in-between the large ones enabled me to use my feet as well. It helped to reduce the strain on my arms and hands from having to haul myself up.

When I could no longer see the ground or through the trees surrounding me, I stopped. I’d wait here until first light, then cautiously make my way downhill. It was going to be a long night, so I sat cross-legged on the branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Might as well get as comfortable as I can!

I must’ve dozed, for the sound of voices startled me into alertness. I sat quite still, taking shallow breaths and willing myself not to sneeze or cough. I had nowhere to go, except up, and where would that get me if they found me? As long as the vamps couldn’t see me up here I should be safe … for now.

When two vampires appeared on either side of me clinging to the trunk of the tree, I came to the realisation that, as the tree was dry, and the canopy thick enough to keep out the rain, my scent had remained. I scrambled upright, ready to fight if necessary.

“To the victor the spoils!” they yelled, and I noticed the vamp Levi had referred to as the pretty one was one of them.

There was snarling at ground level. It appeared these two were not alone, although they were the first to reach me and I was theirs, to do with as they pleased, as was their right.

“We can hardly get her out of the tree in one piece, Jaks,” the pretty one purred.

“That’s okay, Pearl, we can have our fun up here,” he replied, smiling.

Pearl laughed. “And oh what fun we shall have!”

The noise below changed from snarling to shouts of warning. Something was coming, and Pearl and Jaks would need to be quick about their business. They looked at each other, trying to decide if the shouting was a ruse to spoil their fun.

“Do you think …”

“Too risky, Pearl. That angel could still be lurking about. Let’s feed and be done with it.”

Pearl leapt forward and with a sweeping kick took my legs from under me. She moved swiftly and straddled my legs, pinning them down. These vamps knew I wasn’t physically strong enough to resist.

Jaks edged closer to the branch, though remained fixed on the trunk, his fingers digging into the bark to stop him from falling. When his head was almost touching mine, and I could feel his breath on my neck, they struck. Pearl latched onto one side of my neck and Jaks the other side.

At least my hands are free, I thought, and then the pain washed over me.

I screamed, the sound echoing in the confines of the canopy. The pain, oh the pain! It was doubled — double the pain for double the attack. I had to act fast, before the pain became too much, and while they were suitably distracted.

I grasped Pearl’s wrist with little difficulty. I couldn’t see where Jaks’s hands were, and couldn’t turn my head to get a better look. My free hand fumbled around blindly, seeking purchase.

Pearl was already struggling to break free, but just as I couldn’t break free from the caress of their lips on my neck, she could not break free of my hand. If I couldn’t stop Jaks it would all be for nothing, a life for a life. I reached to the back of his head and let my fingers slide down to his neck, where I dug my fingers in. I felt our flesh join as one, the blood flowing from his neck through my fingers, as if this was the path his blood had always taken. I was grateful I didn’t experience any shooting pain through my hands, as I’d done previously. It was a matter of holding on tight until it was over, then waiting for the next wave of attack. If they advanced on me in pairs, as per Drake’s rules, I had a chance.

When the thrashing stopped and the pain in my neck began to recede, I pushed Pearl’s limp body off me, to fall down to the forest floor with a thud. I could hear the howls and shouts of surprise from those below.

Jaks’s fingers were still buried in the bark of the tree trunk, even though he was dead. My fingers came away from his flesh with a horrid squelch that caused me to shudder with repulsion. I twisted to the side and prised his fingers free of the trunk, allowing his body to drop. Screams of outrage from the vamps on the ground pierced through the night. I heard another two vampires commence the climb. They weren’t worried about the noise. The element of surprise was long gone.

I moved further along the branch, turned to face the trunk and crouched down, ready to leap forward once they were within reach. My plan was to attack them before they could attack me. If my death grip had limitations, now was as good a time as any to find out. If my fingers proved useless without the catalyst of a bite I would have to wait for that first bite. Then I could retaliate.

The vamps leapt from the trunk before they were within my reach and landed on the branch in front of me. It caught me off guard. Of course, if they were such good runners and climbers, why wouldn’t they be good at jumping as well?

As the vampire to my right reached out to restrain me I lunged forward to meet him. Some instinct within told me to bite him, and bite him hard! My lips brushed his bare forearm and came to rest in the nook of his elbow. I opened my mouth and my lips fastened to his arm in an immovable grip. My teeth sank into his flesh, blood flowing freely, filling up my mouth. I drank greedily, the vampire providing me with my true first taste of blood the traditional way. Strangely it felt warm on my tongue and tasted as sweet as honey. For all the stench these vampires gave off, their blood was like ambrosia, and I wanted more!

“Get her off me!” he screamed.

The vampire on my left tried to pull me away by the hair and succeeded only in repositioning us, so that I was sitting upright with my new friend almost in my lap. The second vamp changed tack and pressed his mouth to my neck. That was it, he was mine! I took hold of him with both my hands and drained him before he could drink half of my blood. His friend took slightly longer to die, presumably because I was inexperienced at locating a good vein or artery.

There was no pain at all. Perhaps because I was in control — I’d struck out first — it made the difference. I felt incredibly strong and was buzzing. Not like the buzz of cocaine, but a high all the same. I pushed the bodies off the branch and laughed as they thumped from branch to branch on their way to the ground.

“Come and get me if you can,” I yelled, challenging them.

There was much arguing and snarling, though it didn’t seem to be directed at me. I heard other noises — low growls — and knew they were coming from something else. The vamps at ground level had intimated something was coming. This was a number of somethings. Could it be werewolves?

Three vampires scaled the tree. Instead of stopping to attack me they continued to climb, clearly frightened by whatever was coming. In a way I was relieved they’d bypassed me — three would’ve been a bit trickier to handle — but I was still hungry. I had a taste for it now — a taste for evil — and I wanted more. God how I wanted more!

Okay, so I wasn’t as fast as them. Maybe I could catch up with the straggler, make him stop and confront me. I grabbed hold of the tree trunk and found, to my amazement, the bark felt spongy. It allowed me to get a good grip with both hands and feet. That meant I could climb faster!

When I saw a leg moving no more than a metre above me I was spurred on, and quickly latched my hand onto his jeans, pulling him to an abrupt stop. Remarkable! I thought.

The vamp turned to see what had grabbed him, fear in his eyes. It quickly gave way to amusement when he realised it was only their intended prey, the one that almost got away. I was to be less feared than whatever was on the ground.

He hesitated for a moment, deciding if he had time to dispatch me before fleeing. He gave in to his hunger. Pursuit by those down below would be swift once the others had been taken care of, if they didn’t win the fight. The need for optimal strength and stamina, which my blood might provide, was essential to him. He let go of the trunk, allowing his body to fall, me with him. His hand reached out to grasp the first branch we encountered and he swung himself over and onto it, deftly manoeuvring his leg out of my grip. I landed a few metres away, and we crouched, facing each other. Feeling he was the stronger, the faster and the better of the two of us, he grinned at me.

He grinned, I leapt. It was perfect! He fell backwards, my brazenness taking him by surprise. My lips sought his throat instinctively. The rush of blood made me heady, the flow so quick that I was able to drink deeply. A soft moan issued from my lips. I briefly wondered why the blood would flow so fast if his heart no longer beat. Who cares! I told myself. As long as I could drink it didn’t matter.

It was over very quickly, the blood pumping so fast it almost filled my mouth to overflowing. I thought I liked a small vein better. It enabled me to take my time and savour the sweetness. As long as my prey couldn’t fight back or hurt me, and I wasn’t in a rush, that is what I’d do from now on.

From now on, I thought. What have I become? Will I crave human blood now? Will I need to be destroyed?

I couldn’t stop myself. The desire — the need — drove me on. I left the body on the branch and continued to scale the tree, in search of the others. Their scent trail indicated they’d crawled through the canopy to the treetops and had used them, leaping from tree to tree, to make their escape. If I could scale trees like they did, could I leap like them as well?

Only one way to find out, I told myself, and jumped.

The feeling of soaring through the air as I leapt from tree to tree was liberating and wonderful — I was flying. I felt like I could do anything! The trail was getting stronger — I must be catching up — and then it led down through the trees again. In my eagerness to catch them, I didn’t take the time to listen to the noises of the night. If I had, I would’ve heard a good many voices on the ground — far too many for me to manage. It was only when I was about to jump onto the last branch that I paid attention, the voices suddenly loud and abrupt.

“The others are taking care of the wolves. What about our hunt? Do we continue now or wait till first light?”

It wasn’t a voice I recognised, though with the number of vampires that had been in the shelter I’d be hard pressed to recognise many at all.

“We hunt now.”

That was a voice I knew — Drake.

Quickly, and as quietly as possible, I climbed back to the top of the canopy. I headed over the treetops, in the opposite direction. I’d detected at least fifteen different scents — far too many for me to deal with if they worked cooperatively. When the breeze picked up I knew it would carry my scent to them. They would be on me in a flash.

Where, oh where was Danny! If ever I needed to get out of a scrape it was now. As long as my strength held out I might be able to outrun them. I’d been a good runner at school and had maintained a reasonable level of fitness. I was able to outrun a number of unsavoury people in the past — people you wouldn’t want catching you.

I glanced behind me and saw, in the distance, the first of the vamps step onto the canopy. I had at least a couple of hundred metres head start and took off again, not looking back. I was running, and leaping when the need arose, as fast as I could, yet wasn’t even working up a sweat.

I could have gone on running forever, if the trees hadn’t thinned out considerably. I fell thirty metres to the forest floor, with nothing within reach to grab onto to slow or stop my fall. There were broken bones, of that I had no doubt whatsoever. The pain in various parts of my body was a testament to that. I was lucky to be alive.

I’m a goner, I thought. If they find me I’m dead.

A very short distance away I heard howling.

Is it werewolves? I thought.

What monster would I prefer to kill me — a werewolf or a vampire?

Well, I told myself, I’ve been there done that as far as vampires are concerned. Let the wolves have their chance. Maybe they can do a better job of it.

Apart from my ragged breathing — it’s hard to breathe quietly when your ribs are broken — I lay still and silent. Let them think I was easy prey. Perhaps I’d get to take one or two of them down, before I died.

I felt the ground shake slightly. The vampires must have landed, yet I couldn’t see them in the gloom, nor hear any gloating at my predicament.

Come on, I thought. Hurry up and get this over and done with.

I heard two very distinct types of snarls — one low and guttural, the other more high-pitched — and the sounds of a fight, perhaps fifty metres away. How many were involved I couldn’t say. Were the vamps and wolves fighting it out over me? Had all the vamps joined, or were they cunning enough to split their forces — some to keep the wolves busy, and the rest to execute me?

A faint glow on the horizon heralded the dawning of a new day. My last day. It would be easier for them to find me in daylight, seeing as the sun didn’t seem to bother them. My time here was drawing near an end.

I heard footsteps coming from behind me, but couldn’t twist my head to see who it was. Not a wolf, I was sure of that — there were only two footfalls. Was it Drake, or another vamp?

“Helena, at last,” Danny sighed in relief. “What have they done to you?”

“Danny,” I whispered. “It was my own stupid fault. They’re not far away though.”

“I know, I can hear the fighting,” he said. “Large groups of vampires and werewolves have been gathering here for days now. I’ve been unable to determine why. It’s not like it’s the annual jamboree of Boy Scouts.”

I let out a single laugh and cringed at the pain it caused in my chest.

“Forgive me. I don’t have time to heal you here. I’ll try not to cause you any more pain.”

He crouched down, gently slid his arms underneath my body, and lifted me as carefully as possible. I clenched my teeth together to stop from crying out in pain — a dead giveaway to the warring factions. I closed my eyes as we entered the lights. I couldn’t bear to see their brilliance while I was in such pain.