Free Blood & Tears (Jane #3) by Samantha Warren

caved in.
    Ado and Ronin had reacted swiftly,
pulling themselves from the vehicle in mid-air. Benton had not been
as quick. I could see him struggling inside the crumpled interior,
trying vainly to free himself. As the boys stalked toward the
intruder, I headed to Benton's aid. Using what extra strength I
possessed, I put the Jaws of Life to shame and ripped at the car.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to pull
Benton from the vehicle. His leg was damaged, but not broken. He
was able to walk with my assistance and I helped him back to my
SUV. When I finally got him to relative safety, I turned to the
ensuing battle.
    While Felipe and Ronin circled,
Ado engaged the new vampire directly. It was a brutal, fast battle,
with both combatants clearly trained in dealing as much damage in
hand-to-hand combat as physically possibly. Both of them were
bleeding profusely, but Ado was listing badly, holding a hand tight
to his side. He feinted, drawing the other man to his left, then
swung, connecting with a sickening crunch. The man reeled, pulling
away and Ado made to follow. It was a mistake.
    As Ado chased after him, the man
lunged, reaching for the sword that rarely left Ado's side. Before
my teammates could react, the blade whistled through the air,
slicing cleanly. A peacefully confused look crossed Ado's face and
time seemed to pause. I stood there, clinging to Benton, unable to
breathe, the world blurring before me. It felt like an eternity
passed before the silence was finally broken by the evil vampire's
cruel cackle. We all watched as Ado's head tilted unnaturally, then
tumbled to the ground like a bowling ball, his body dropping beside
it.
    Felipe howled with rage and he and
Ronin launched themselves at the murderer, but the man was too
quick. He raced through the trees, with the boys hot on his heels.
I stood there next to Benton, unsure of what to do. When I looked
down, tears stained the man's shocked face. His eyes were wide,
unblinking, salty water pouring from them unhindered as he stared
at his defeated friend.
    Using my fingers to wipe Benton's
face, I finally convinced him to get in the car with Jax. Then I
headed over to the other vehicle to retrieve what I could from the
wreckage. As I picked among the broken pieces, my glance wandered
to the surrounding houses, which had all gone dark while we were
inside.
    A small face peeked through a
curtain on a second story window, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
Forcing a brave smile, I waved and a little hand waved hesitantly
back. When I held a finger to my lips, the boy nodded, locking his
own and throwing away the imaginary key before turning from the
window.
    By the time I got everything
salvageable out of the overturned SUV, Felipe and Ronin were back.
They were panting and covered in sweat, but they had been unable to
catch the man. He had escaped, leaving behind a whole mess of
carnage.
    Ronin picked up Ado's body and put
it in the back of the only working SUV. He climbed in beside it,
somehow finding a place to curl up among the various gadgets and
equipment. Felipe talked to the cleaning staff and they agreed to
handle the destroyed vehicle. Then he pulled himself into the
driver's seat once more and we headed off back home to lick our
wounds and plot our revenge.

 
    About the Author
     
    Samantha Warren owes her love of
reading to Laura Ingalls Wilder, without whom she would not own a
rumpled, torn, beautifully pink book called Farmer Boy (the first book she
remembers reading repeatedly). Her favorite book of all time
is Frankenstein ,
a fascinating study in the dichotomy of mankind.
    Samantha lives in upstate New York and milks cows in her
free time. She spends way too much money on lattes at the Village
Cafe, but wouldn't have it any other way. She is also an avid short
story writer and many of her pieces can be read at http://mariytasmusings.blogspot.com/ .
     
    Contact Information
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@_SamanthaWarren
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