Free Blood Law by Karin Tabke Page A

tall granite and oak vanity with built-in
drawers beneath took up a corner. A toilet and doublewide granite shower
encompassed the wall opposite the tub. Her bare toes dug into a thick alpaca
throw. One thing she could say for Blondie, he liked creature comforts, and he
liked the high-end kind. Too bad for him, but she had no intention of becoming
part of his collection.
    Quickly,
she used the facilities, turned the shower on high, and let it run. Not that
she was going to be using it. She was fastidious, yes, but not insane. She
dressed, opened the bathroom’s single window, and climbed out onto the slant of
a wood shingle roof. She squinted in the sunlight. From the position of the
sun, she figured it was just before noon. She was at least two stories up, in
some kind of compound, surrounded by high cinderblock walls topped with
razorsharp rolls of concertina wire. To keep intruders out or prisoners in?
    Crouching
low, she maneuvered across the roof, stopping each time a voice filtered up
from below. Once she reached the edge of the long, log cabin–style structure,
she could see the forest—and freedom—over the high-wired walls. If she dropped
to the ground, she’d have to climb the wall and take the chance of being seen
and caught. Her only chance was to go over the wire. And how the hell was she
supposed to do that? Hop over it?
    Yes!
A voice inside of her matter-of-factly said.
    Falon
squeezed her eyes closed. Great, now she was hearing voices.
    She
looked back at the high fence. It was her only option. So be it.
    Falon
moved around to the back of the structure where the rooftop edge was closest to
the fence. If she got a good running start, she could jump onto the fence, grab
onto the wire, and climb the rest of the way over. She cringed, thinking of the
pain grabbing the wire would bring. It didn’t matter. She’d take her lumps if
it meant her freedom; to Falon freedom was everything.
    As
she backed up to get a good head start, Falon ripped the long sleeves off her
shirt. She wound each piece around her hands and tied them securely to buffer
the razor wire. She heard voices. Close. Then a shout followed by a flurry of
heavy feet moving in her direction.
    She’d
been spotted.
    Taking
a deep breath, Falon focused on the other side of the fence. Slowly, she
exhaled and then took off. As she leapt high into the air, she felt an
exquisite sense of euphoria as well as shock. Her body was lighter, her muscles
stronger, her reflexes that of a cobra. Her feet barely touched the top coil of
wire as she flew effortlessly over the wall. She landed in a patch of soft
grass squarely on the other side of the wall. In disbelief, she glanced back
and up at the high wall she had just cleared, then sprang like a tiger and took
off for the hills.
    How?
How had she just jumped like a kangaroo over a two-story-high, concrete,
wire-rimmed wall? How had she healed? Had the supernatural energy she’d
detected in Vulkasin rubbed off on her? Had sex with him infused her with some
of his power? It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Vulkasin was as
different as she was. Maybe he was like her? Maybe he was the one person who
might be able to shed some light on what it all meant. As much as she wanted
answers, she wasn’t going to stick around and find out if he had them. He
terrified her. Falon ran. Blood pumped in her veins with the velocity of ten
engines as she raced to put as much distance as she could between herself, the
blond, the wolf, and the shambles her life had become. She pushed everything that
had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours out of her head. Ostriches
had nothing on her—running was how she’d survived all these years. It was how
she would continue to survive.
    Hair
prickled along her neck and arms. Her skin suddenly felt cold.
    She
was being followed.
    Falon
kept her frantic pace but dared to look over her shoulder. Her heart nearly
stopped.
    A
pack of beasts—enormous, long-fanged, black,