Silent Cravings (40 page)

Math was a little more entertaining now.

Where the hell did this big-ass river come from?

Ashi remembered taking a taxi over the bridge, but—damn. He’d forgotten. There wasn’t anything like this in Los Angeles.

After asking a hotdog vendor where the nearest bridge was (earning a few odd looks for his clothes and his ignorance about the subway system), he started jogging north again. He was making piss-poor time now. It was taking him way too long to get off this God-damned
island
. He needed to move faster. He started pushing himself harder, a bad move for someone trying to run the most epic marathon of their lifetime.

Christoph could have told him that jogging the entire time would have gotten him farther, but he was in his bed reading one of Freddy’s
Shifter Quarterly
magazines.

He could have told him that stopping to rest was an exceedingly bad idea and that moving at a slower jog or a fast walk was the better option.

And so, when Ashi finally did make it to one of the bridges, he realized that it was late afternoon and that the shadows were rather long. He wasn’t even that far from the apartment building. He looked back the way he’d come, paused for a few minutes, and started running back.

With luck he could make it before it got dark, before something started hunting him.

Reece was extremely unhappy about having to work before work. Worse yet, with
Angus
, the great lummox, who seemed to enjoy the fact that he was waking Reece for the second time today while daylight still shone.

“Up an’ at ʼem, laddie!” he bellowed, startling Reece into sliding right off his silk sheets and onto the floor. A couple other vampires shouted epithets and orders through the wall to pipe down. Ken just pulled a pillow over his head and burrowed deeper into the covers.

Reece glared at the grinning Highlander, whose beard bristled about his face like a wiry mane.

“Daylight’s wastin’. Ye need tae know how tae hunt proper-like before we go.”

“For crap’s sake,” Reece snarled, “you could have let me sleep in until sunset!”

“Nae, boy, ye donnae know how tae hunt. Ye know how tae seduce, how tae mince abou’ like the great poofter ye are, but ye donnae know how tae hunt.”

“Oh, puh-
leaze
!”

“Alec wants ye tae bring the boy in with me supervising, so ye best do it
right
.”

Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck!

Ashi ran as fast as he could, his legs feeling like blocks of wood. His lungs must have been partially solidified and his heart felt like it was jumping around his chest like a caged chimp. He had to stop a couple times, gasping for breath, which caused his legs to seize up. He couldn’t get back fast enough. He had no money for a bus or a cab and no way of resting long enough to get a second wind.

Christoph, unfortunately, had been right again. Ashi considered him a moronic ape with his only drives being Eat, Sleep, and Run—but he was proving to be more intelligent than that.

Ashi kept running as fast as he could, his breath wheezing in short gasps.

Sunset came far too soon.

Angus and Reece were given Ashi’s location by the Moonwalkers discreetly tailing him. Reece was still feeling disgruntled at having been woken up by Angus to learn his “barbaric, heathenish ways.” Though, he had to admit, the idea of pouncing on someone sounded kind of fun.

The two of them took Reece’s Jag, a sleek silver vehicle that roared to life as they prowled the streets in search of the little escapee.

Ashi looked like a terrified drunk as he ran-staggered down the street. He passed a silver Jaguar going the other way, but didn’t take more notice than that.

“There
’
e is,” Angus said.

“I know.”

The car came to a smooth stop about half a block away from where they’d spotted him. The two vampires stepped out, Reece’s dark brown eyes flickering to red embers as he tracked Ashi’s movements.

“Ye want me tae stop him? And ye take over?”

“No. I’ll do it all.”

“Suit yerself.”

Reece was young for a vampire at less than a decade turned. Ken thought he was adorable and begged Royce to turn him so he could be a companion to the fashionable vampire for the rest of eternity. He was an excellent dancer, thus a good draw for the crowds at Twisted Temptations, and thus a good investment. Royce had granted Ken’s wish, and the pair had taken well to each other.

After this contract nonsense came about, opportunities for those so young under Royce’s wing to find out what it was like to hunt were few and far between. Royce felt taking down Ashi would be a good learning experience for him. Not to mention act as a deterrent on Ashi’s part against future escape attempts.

So Reece adjusted the lapels to his skintight shirt and took off after Ashi, nervous excitement bringing his fangs to extend and his movements to become more fluid, more predatory. Angus waited by the car, clasping his hands together as he leaned over the roof, watching.

Ashi leaned against a wall to rest and get some air into his lungs. Glancing around, he noticed a man running toward him, his movements unnaturally fluid and predatory. Whether it was a vampire or not didn’t matter—it was intent on attacking, and Ashi was in no condition to fight.

Still, he wasn’t going to throw himself at the guy’s feet and wail for mercy. He stepped away from the wall and settled into an odd stance, leaning away from the fast-approaching figure and bunching his arms up to his chest.

Ashi taught Tae Kwon Do to most of his students, more practical martial arts to the more serious students, and sparred with other Kendo practitioners. When his students caught him on a good day, they could persuade him to show off his kung fu.

And on a really good day he might be persuaded to exhibit some Krabi Krabong.

Krabi Krabong was something he never taught to anyone because of the likelihood that they would kill themselves or someone else. It was an armed martial art that used two short swords. This style suited Ashi perfectly because of its speed and ferocity. Unarmed, the style was still deadly and lightning-fast.

This was a kick-based style when unarmed, and Ashi’s legs weren’t in the best condition for kicking someone to hell.

He’d still give it his all, though.

Reece slowed down once he got closer to Ashi, practically vibrating with excitement. Despite his gym-honed muscles, he wasn’t much of a fighter. He’d never done more than bitch-slap anyone in his life.

Once he was about a car-length away, he stopped, grinning.

“Hi there. You must be Ashi.”

Probably not the most intimidating entrance, but it would do. Aside from the brief lessons received from Angus, Reece wasn’t familiar with how to subdue unwilling prey, and the fact that Ashi obviously knew how to fight worried him. After all, Reece might be dead, but he still felt pain, and he didn’t have the speed or agility of the older vampires.

“Look, I’m supposed to bring you back. I’d rather not make it a fight. Will you come quietly?”

The unspoken was obvious. He’d do whatever he had to in order to make him return.

Ashi thought about that. Going back without a fuss sounded good—no torn muscles, broken bones, or chomped necks. He was exhausted, dehydrated, and scared. This vampire was larger and had longer reach than he did, which counted for a lot in a fight. If he knew and practiced any martial art, Ashi was in big trouble.

Whether or not he fought, trouble would be the result.

“What happens if I go back?” Ashi asked, still holding his stance. If the vampire came any closer, Ashi would plant a heel in his throat.

“That mostly depends on you. Mr. Royce gave me the okay to claim you. He also wanted me to tell you this is your last chance to choose someone yourself, if you’d prefer.” Reece didn’t seem to like that prospect, and rapidly spat out the last of it, sounding a little afraid himself. It contrasted oddly with that deep voice. “If you don’t, or if you resist, he’ll have John put together a schedule so you’re on the menu for everyone in the house every couple of days, and he’ll bar any claim for two months.”

Reece cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know the situation isn’t ideal, but anything has to be better than being passed around like that.”