Arriving at the fork in the trail that led to her cabin, she chose not to take it. She wasn’t finished expending the pent-up emotions humming inside her. She dropped her backpack beside a tree to claim it later and headed north through the woods, knocking branches and even some limbs away with the backs of her forearms.
She came to the end of the property, and almost jumped the fence, but knowing the alarm would blow and it would bring Burnett nipping at her heels, she turned and headed east. She made the lap around the property twice, and was just about to head back to the trail that led to her cabin when she heard it. The pounding of another set of footsteps. Footsteps that came toward her. Right toward her.
A minuscule amount of relief came with knowing that her hearing was back in working order. She focused in the direction the sound came. She couldn’t see the owner of those footsteps due to the thicket of trees. She lifted her nose in the air ever so slightly. The scent was vampire. But not a Shadow Falls vampire. She would have recognized it if it was.
Had she happened upon an intruder? Some rogue vamp out to cause trouble for Shadow Falls? Instantly feeling territorial to protect the only home she had, she felt her fangs lower. The thought of facing some scumbag sent a thrill through her. In her mood, it would feel so good to kick someone’s butt. Especially someone’s butt she didn’t have to feel guilty for kicking.
The sounds of the footsteps faltered. Had they heard her? Smelled her? When the sound of steps suddenly faded as if they ran from her instead of in her direction, she knew she’d been right.
“Run as fast you can,” she muttered. “It’ll just make it more fun. But I will catch you!” She went into full vamp mode, flying over the tops of the trees to catch her prey. While running used muscles, flying used a different kind of energy. Every muscle in her body had to be clenched and focused.
The terrain below her became a blur at the breakneck speed she moved.
All of a sudden, she realized the intruder had stopped running and had gone into hiding. Was the vamp stupid? Did the rogue not know she was vampire and could sniff him out? She landed at a clearing by the lake. The scent came from the woods, just behind the trees.
The thought occurred to her that Burnett should be storming in any second. The rogue had to have jumped the gate. The alarm was no doubt blaring.
She only hoped she got first dibs on the intruder, maybe even had the problem completely contained before the camp leader showed up. After being caught crying, she’d like to prove she wasn’t a wimp to Burnett. Prove she was capable to assist with other cases.
“I can smell you,” she called out. “Just come out and make it easy on yourself.” See, she was fair. “Or don’t come out. And I’ll come in and get your ass.”
She stepped closer to the line of trees, watching, waiting for an attack.
She could swear she heard a twig snap. She started forward, letting her nose guide her. The closer she got, the vamp’s aroma became familiar. Not … a Shadow Falls member, but this wasn’t the first time she’d inhaled this certain scent. She had his scent in her sensory bank. A feeling of leeriness pulled at her chest. A sensation that wherever, whenever, she’d come across this vampire before, it hadn’t been good.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck. Her headache retuned. She continued forward, seeing a thick patch of underbrush. Her instincts said the intruder hid there. A tad spooked by the negative déjà vu, she took a deep breath, giving Burnett one more second to show up.
Suddenly, realizing her pause to be a sure sign of weakness, she surged forward, landing in the middle of the brush, growling. Nothing scurried out. But she saw something in the midst of the thorns. A blue piece of cotton. A shirt. Had the scoundrel removed his shirt to throw her off the scent?
Yeah, he had. Unfortunately, it had worked. She lifted her face into the air to find another trace. The scent hit the same time the voice did. Coming right behind her.
“You looking for me?”
Chapter Two
Della turned, feeling her canines extend even more. A dark-haired boy with pale, pale green eyes stood a few feet away. He wore a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, probably an undershirt to the one he left in the brush. Her gaze whispered down the white cotton spread tight over a sinewy chest and wide shoulders. Not that his chest or his shoulders mattered, she reminded herself, and cut her eyes back up to his face.
She’d been certain of his vampire scent, but the facts that his fangs weren’t extended and that the situation hadn’t colored his eyes had her squinting at his forehead to check his pattern. Definitely vampire. She saw him checking out her pattern, too. But he still didn’t react to the situation at hand.
Didn’t he know enough to be afraid?
“You are trespassing on Shadow Falls property,” she barked.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You think so?”
His smartass demeanor ticked her off and she bolted forward, giving his muscled chest a good push. He landed on his ass. Hard. Shock filled his expression.
Satisfied, she tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, I think so.”
He popped up, flew across the few feet separating them, and landed inches from her. He leaned down and put his face right into hers. “You’re feisty for a little thing, aren’t you?”
She had to give him credit for his bravery. Or perhaps stupidity. Sure, he stood a head above her. Not that his size intimidated her.
And to prove it, she went to give him another shove, but he caught her. His fingers locked around her wrists like vise grips. She went to jerk away but he held her tight. His eyes brightened and she saw a touch of his canines appearing below his upper lips.
Good. At least now he knew she meant business. “Release me!” she seethed.
When he didn’t do it instantly, she went into full attack mode. She swung her knee up to smash his balls. He released one of her hands to catch her rising knee. Which had been her hope all along. She didn’t like being that close to anyone’s genitals—especially someone she didn’t know. She caught his free arm and slung him about twenty feet in the air. In spite of being caught off guard, he landed on his feet, his canines now fully extended, his eyes a bright yellow.
“What is it you are trying to prove?” he asked, moving toward her without an ounce of fear.
That I have what it takes to be an FRU agent. “That scum like you doesn’t belong on Shadow Falls property,” she said, and swayed from the balls of her feet to her heels, her plan to shoot forward again. Only this time she was going for blood.