Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (44 page)

“Teresa!” Bobbi snaps. “Get back against the wall, so the guys can see.”

My eyes are squeezed shut, body pressed tightly against the packed earth. I’m scared. I’ve already had this nightmare. Why do I have to live it?

There is danger in the water, girl.

Oh, yes, I remember.

“Woman?” His breath fans across my face as he speaks softly, his face close to mine. I open my eyes and look right into his black ones.

I swallow deeply. I guess he means me. “Yes?” My voice doesn’t sound right.

He’s silent for a moment. “I am going into the water. You will need to hold the light.” I don’t move. He takes my hand and presses the flashlight against my palm.

“Please—please don’t go in the water,” I beg.

I hear Jake say my name. He sounds so calm. “He needs to see how deep it is. We need to move on.”

Quanah takes off his jacket.

“Please don’t
do
this!” He leans up against the tunnel wall to take off his boots. I touch his arm. “I have a truly bad feeling about this.”

“We’re gonna freeze if we go in that water,” Bobbi states.

Lars asks. “We have no choice, right?”

“It’s probably not deep,” Jake says.

“Water doesn’t have to be deep to be dangerous,” I snap.

“You’re thinking of fast-moving water,” Teresa corrects.

I give her a look even though I know she can’t see it. Quanah moves toward the water, and I’m right behind him. “There’s... something... in the water,” I whisper hoarsely.

He stops and turns back. I shine the light up to his face. He’s looking at me with a calmness that annoys me.

“Do not shine the light in my eyes,” he says.

“Sorry, sorry!” I tilt the light down.

He leans his head closer. “Something is in the water?” he asks in his quiet, precise voice.

“Yes!”

He smiles. It’s not a good smile either. A shiver runs down my spine. “Do not get excited and shoot me.” He turns and wades into the water.

Dammit!

If I had the space, I would be pacing. As it is, I shift from foot to foot, biting my lip.

Quanah stops and turns toward me, the water above his knees. “Hold the light—”

And with that, he is jerked under the water.

Chapter Twenty-Five

B
obbi screams. She is the only one besides me with a clear view.

“Shit!” I yell.

Jake yells, “Get back!”

Teresa starts screaming bloody murder.

I point my shotgun toward the water and try to see into it with the flashlight, but the water is inky black.

Teresa continues screaming.

“Shut her up!” I yell.

I hear a sharp slap, a loud gasp, and Bobbi saying, “Sorry.”

The water is perfectly smooth. How can I not see Quanah? The water was only up to his knees.

“Do you want me up there?” Jake yells.

“Better stay back—” I give one of those girlie yelps as Quanah comes out of the water, like Coke shooting out of a bottle after it’s been shaken. Water sprays across Bobbi and me, getting a yelp out of her too.

I look at Quanah, who is holding something long and black, not unlike a huge snake. “You know, I think that we should just turn around and go back. Lucas will be coming and—”

Quanah flings the snake thing at my feet. I screech and leap back into Bobbi. Whatever that thing is—it no longer has a head. It’s maybe ten feet long, big, fat, and resembles the boa constrictors I’ve seen on TV crushing men. Well, maybe the crushing-men part was in some movie, but I’m sure this thing was big enough—it was able to take Quanah down.

My light illuminates the Indian as he steps out of the water. He leans over at the waist, flips his hair over his head, weaves his fingers into the long, wet strands, and flips it back down his back as he straightens.

I look into his face and see the knowing gleam in his eyes. He takes off his shirt, and I discreetly look away, but I want to look. I mean, he is a good-looking man, and he certainly has a nice chest and six-pack. Not that I notice. I mean, I only look for a second.

He slips his jacket on and drops his shirt. I gather he plans to leave it behind. I reach down and pick it up.

“It’s safe to cross now,” he says.

“A-Are you sure?” Bobbi asks.

“What was that?” I ask him. “Was... was it a snake?”

“An Untekhi.”

What the hell is an Untekhi?
I’ll ask later.

He wades into the water and stops when he notices no one is following him.

“Do you think we should carry the girls across?” Jake asks. “The water will come up higher on them, and when we get out of here, it’s gonna be freezing.”

Quanah retraces his steps and holds out his hand to me. I hesitate before placing my hand in his. He quickly scoops me up. I place an arm around his neck as his dark eyes meet mine. Then we’re crossing the water. We wait on the other side while the others cross.

Lars carries Teresa. She has a death grip around his neck, and he has to pry her arms away after he sets her down. Jake and Bobbi come behind them. After the men slip their boots back on, we continue.

“How much longer?” Teresa wails.

No one says anything. I notice it’s getting easier to breathe, but it’s also colder. I’m plenty cold, so I’m sure everyone else is too. I can’t imagine how cold Quanah must be, but he utters no complaint. All at once, I
feel
Lucas.

At my sharply indrawn breath, Quanah turns his head toward me. “What?”

“Lucas.”

“Is he close?”

“I... I think so.”

I want to run and get out of the tunnel. I want Lucas to wrap his arms around me and never let me go. The ground suddenly angles upward, and the dirt walls widen, Quanah’s light illuminates the end of the tunnel.

“Thank God!” Bobbi says.

I would agree, but who knows what awaits us outside? I pray it’s Lucas. Quanah stops, and we do too.

“I will go out and check,” he says.

He doesn’t know the land around Sweetwater. “I... I’ll go with you,” I offer.

“No, Sofie, you stay here,” Jake says, coming to stand beside me. “I’ll go with him.”

“Jake, you need to stand guard in case the Kihn are close. Chances of them being outside here are slim. I’ll go help get a bearing on where we are,” I say.

“You stay right with him,” Jake orders. “Quanah—don’t you let anything happen to her!”

“Be careful,” Bobbi cautions.

Loose boards, vines, and brush cover the opening, but Quanah clears it away quickly. He gives me a hand as I step clear of the brush.  It’s a moonless night and plenty dark. The only thing saving us from total darkness is the starlight reflecting off the snow.

It’s also cold. I mean, unbelievably cold. We will all freeze, for real, if we’re out in the elements for long. We’re standing on a small ledge, and Quanah drops to the ground below.

“About a six-foot drop,” he calls to me softly. I can do that. I leap and land close to him. “Do you know where we are?”

“Not yet.” I walk in the direction with the least amount of brush and snow.

“I hear water,” he announces.

“Which way?”

He leads, and I follow.  I’m shaking, and my feet are already cold. We come out of the woods onto the riverbank. I’m certain we’re still on Lucas’ property, just down the hill from his house.

“I believe the road is that way.” I point toward my right. I see Quanah’s expression. “The road
is
that way,” I revise.

We turn to go back for the others.

Look out, girl!

I see a flash of movement, and Quanah knocks me aside. I stand, but all I can tell is that he is in a struggle with what I think is a large Kihn.

I hear hissing and an inhuman growl, then gristle popping, a cracking noise, and a death cry. Don’t ask me how I know what that sound is, or how to describe it, but it is definitely someone or something’s last cry for life. I see a dark shape rising, and I scan my flashlight over it.

Quanah stands with the dead Kihn at his feet. Blood drips down the front of Quanah’s jacket, his chin, and out of his mouth. It drips off his—fangs.

All the air sucks out of my lungs, and I stumble back. I’ve known monsters were real for most of my life because of the Kihn. Although, I believed the Kihn were the only ones. In the last couple of months, I learned about werewolves, witches, and sorcerers. I learned of people doomed to relive their lives indefinitely. But in my wildest imaginings, I never considered that vampires roamed the earth.

My eyes lock on Quanah’s black ones. “My shirt,” he says as he steps over the Kihn.

I step back again. When what he asks registers, I hand him the slightly frozen shirt I’m still holding. He uses it to wipe his face and hands while I make myself breathe before I pass out.

“We need to get the others and move.”

I nod with my eyes still locked on his. He is the first to look away. He heads back up the hill toward the tunnel. I stand for a moment before hurrying after him. When we reach the entrance, the others are coming out.

“They’re coming!” Jake calls to us. He is the last one out. He and Lars help the girls off the ledge.

“This way,” Quanah urges. He turns to go back the way we came.

“Wait!” Jake says. “Are we near the river?”

I nod. “Yes, come on, Jake. We need to hurry. We were already attacked by one of them.” I quickly tell him Quanah killed the Kihn. I omit telling Jake
how
Quanah killed the Kihn.

“We’re still on Lucas’ land. We’ll have to climb the fence to get to the road, and then what?” Jake asks. “I say we head back up the hill, check out what’s—”

Jake doesn’t get to finish his suggestion because Bobbi and Teresa scream. From the tunnel emerge two Kihn. Jake doesn’t even hesitate. He takes aim with the crossbow, brings one of the Kihn down, and reloads. The second Kihn launches off the ledge. It looks as if it hangs in the air above Jake as I aim the shotgun and pull the trigger. Jake launches himself to his left to avoid the falling body. He looks at me as I stand perfectly still. I’m not sure I’m okay with killing a Kihn, even if it is a monster. I dreamed of killing them many times, but reality is different.

“You need to shoot it,” Quanah states.

Well, I guess technically I didn’t kill it.

Jake steps over to the Kihn and shoots an arrow into the body. He takes my arm. “Let’s move. There will be more.”

We head up the hill through the trees. Jake’s reasoning that staying within the compound is better makes sense to me. After sensing Lucas’ presence earlier, I’m sure we’re doing the right thing. He did say he wanted me to stay home.

“Sofie, I think you need to load up those shells Sawyer got for you,” Jake suggests.

I don’t question him. I kick out the remaining shells and reload with Dragon’s Breath as we hurry through the woods. Lars holds on to Teresa and Bobbi. Jake takes the lead with me on his left flank. Quanah brings up the rear.

I’m cold. I could barely load the shotgun and I wonder if the adrenaline racing through my body will keep me from freezing.

I think I’m in shock, too. I can’t get the image of Quanah with blood dripping off his fangs out of my head. I need to, however, because we can hear something coming through the trees after us.

Lars gets Bobbi and Teresa over by a fallen trunk, and they hunker down against it. Jake and I stand several feet apart, facing the direction in which we hear them coming. Quanah stands away from us, his body language intimidating. Since I am now aware of what he is—he is extra intimidating to me.

Jake gets the first one that comes out of the darkness. I hold my shotgun ready while he reloads. Two more come at us. Quanah takes off toward one, and they battle hand to hand in the darkness. As I wait for the second one to get a little closer, I think my heart will pound out of my chest. The Kihn slows and watches us before advancing with amazing speed. I’ve kept the shotgun trained on him; all I have to do is pull the trigger. Fire shoots out of the barrel of the gun, and the Kihn ignites. It keeps coming for about three more steps before dropping. In no time flat, the flames consume it.

Look out, girl!

“Look out!” Jake yells.

I throw myself to the ground and roll onto my back with the gun up, ready to pull the trigger. Jake fires an arrow into the advancing Kihn and drops it. Quanah is moving back toward us, but I see him veer away, running toward a dark shape moving through the trees.

I’m not far from the Kihn I set on fire. I look over at the ash left behind, and it’s more than a little disturbing. Jake reaches down and pulls me up, and we follow Lars and the girls on up the hill. We reload as we hurry behind them.

I think I hear a shout behind us in the distance, but Jake doesn’t act as if he hears, so I don’t say anything. At one point, we think another attack is imminent when we hear movement through the trees. Lars, Bobbi, and Teresa crouch down. Jake and I stand ready, but when nothing comes at us, we continue.

More sounds come to us from the direction we’re headed, alerting us to the fighting going on closer to the house. We stop and listen before continuing with caution. The next attack catches us by surprise. They come silently. Our path is clear one moment, and the next, four Kihn stand in front of us, watching and—waiting.

Jake and the others back up. I glance nervously behind us.

“Jake,” I gasp.

He doesn’t take his eyes from the threat in front of us, but he understands. “How many?”

Two more Kihn stand about thirty feet behind us, waiting. Waiting for what, I’m not sure. Maybe for us to make the first move.

“Two.” I think I can take them out with the shotgun, but that leaves the four in front of us. I don’t think they’ll just stand there while we kill their comrades.

“Are you ready?” Jake speaks quietly.

“What?” I’m afraid of what he means.

“Lars, you and the girls hit the ground as soon as Sofie takes out the first one.”

I guess he’s thinking the same way I am. But this won’t work. If Jake takes out one and I’m lucky enough to get the two behind us, what about the ones that are left? I’ll still have three shots, as long as I don’t miss. The problem is—they move so fast. But what choice do we have?

“Any time, Sofe,” Jake says calmly.

I want to look at him to see if he looks that calm. I’m not sure when I would have taken the shot, but the decision is out of my hands when Teresa lets loose a blood-curdling scream. The Kihn I have my eyes trained on glance her way. I know the moment won’t get any better, so I pull the trigger and flame engulfs the Kihn on my right. He moves toward me, emitting a high-pitched screech. I hear Jake yell as I hear the snap-crack of the bowstring. The second Kihn advances on me at an alarming rate before I’ve even turned the shotgun toward him.

When he hits me, his speed and strength knock me flat and the breath from me. I lie on the ground and panic even as I tell myself to relax. I keep waiting for the Kihn to yank me up and finish me off. I faintly hear gunshots and yelling, but I see nothing other than stars. My main concern is being able to catch a breath. I saw the same thing happen to Sawyer once. He was horse playing on the back of a hay wagon and fell off. He hit the corner of the trailer as he went down. He just laid on the ground, and I was terrified he was dead when I didn’t see his chest move. It was a little bit before he was okay. Well, as okay as he could be with a broken rib.

I hope
I
haven’t broken anything. I do have a powerful pain in my chest. About the time I’m able to draw in a little breath, I hear more shotgun blasts. I can’t do anything but lie flat, slowly learning how to breathe again.

Sawyer’s face pops into my line of vision. “What are you doing down there, Sofie?”

Smart-ass
. “Lyin’... here,” I gasp.

“Got the shit knocked out of ya, huh?” He grins.

I’m not sure why he thinks me getting the shit knocked out of me is something to grin about. I am immediately relieved that Sawyer’s here. Jake must be safe since Sawyer is all smiles.

“Do you want me to help you up?”

I’m getting a little irritated at his continued amusement at this tense time. “No... Sawyer,” I gasp. It’s getting a little easier to breathe. “I like... lying down here while... people die... around me!”

I hear Jake yell, “Sawyer! Is she okay?” I can tell he’s moving toward us.

“Yeah. She just had the wind knocked out of her.” Sawyer gets down beside me. “That’s all, right? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? I saw that big-ass Kihn nail you.”

I gasp, “My chest hurts.”

“That’s normal when you get the wind knocked,” Jake says as he squats beside us. “But we need to get you up and move on.”

They help me to my feet. I get my bearings as I stand and look around. Four Kihn lay dead. Lars is still with Bobbi and Teresa, who are quiet. I think they’ve both had the crap scared out of them. Quanah is back with us again. Andy and Fletcher are here now too. They, along with Sawyer, have been looking for our group. They have orders to stay with us.

“Where did you come from?” I ask Sawyer as we move briskly up the hill.

“I came back after we secured things at the Zelts’.”

“Are they okay?”

“They are.”

“Where’s Lucas?”

“He took off with Christian and Dominic right after we left. They were headed back here. He said he’d catch up with you as soon as possible. Come on, he’s probably at the house.”