Fanged

Chapter Three

  Gulping down a lump in my throat, I try not to show that I’ve seen them. In front of me, I spy another man in a dress shirt and khakis with sunglasses. I tense. He’s heading toward us, cutting us off.

  In a few moments, we will be cornered. Suddenly, I’m not so sure that Uncle Devin will bother with getting us somewhere private. He just might take us both right here for all the world to see, never mind the mess he’d have to clean up.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Uncle Devin jerk his head. A moment later, a fourth man is closing in on us from the side, trying to drive us away from the doors. They’re everywhere. I feel panic rising in my chest again, and I focus on stomping it down.

  They’ve forced my move. I’ve got to risk it. I don’t see any other way out.

  I tighten my hold on Madelyn’s wrist, warning her that something’s about to happen. An instant later, I take off. I race as fast as I possibly can while dragging Madelyn alongside me. She fights to keep up as my bare feet slap against the tile.

  I charge straight for the vampire who was closing in on us from the side. He’s not sure what the heck I’m doing and hesitates. That gives me just enough time to whip my fist across his face and dart past him.

  Shoving through the confused shoppers, I jerk Madelyn forward mercilessly. As we break outside into the light of a cloudy autumn day, I can hear Uncle Devin, the troll, and the other vampire barreling forward, trying to stop us. Uncle Devin and the other vampire aren’t hampered by a human and we have seconds, at best, before they’re tackling us to the pavement.

  Frantically, I whip my gaze up and down the curb in front of the door. Where’s Damian? Have they already caught him? I feel a sick sensation of dread. I know exactly what they’ll do to Madelyn once they take us all back to New England. The idea of my brother having to see what I saw—

  The squealing of tires to my left catches my attention. I spot a mocha-brown Corolla with a stuffed teddy bear dangling from the rearview mirror come leaping over the speed bumps. Damian jerks the car to a halt and I dart forward to fling the door to the backseat open.

  I hurl Madelyn inside and leap after her, slamming the door shut. “Go, go, go!” I scream to my brother, shoving the door locks into place.

  Uncle Devin and the other vampire burst out of the mall and make straight for us. I wouldn’t put it past them to smash the windows and physically drag us out.

  Damian floors the accelerator and the Corolla leaps forward, bouncing over the speed bumps and narrowly missing careless shoppers. I’m jostled sideways and my head smacks off the window. For a moment, I see stars. Now I’ve got a very bad headache on top of everything else. I fumble with my seat belt, trying to get it buckled across my body without touching my tender torso.

  I glance back to see Uncle Devin and the other vampire chasing after us. They’re keeping pace with the car, but they’re too far behind to catch us.

  Damian yanks the car out of the parking lot and toward the freeway. I lean against the back of my seat, hoping Damian was able to transfer our luggage. I’m going to need blood if I want these bruises clear up.

  “Are you alright?” Damian pants, looking at Madelyn in the rearview mirror.

  Madelyn breathlessly nods.

  “Good.” Damian reaches one hand back and Madelyn catches it. She presses his hand to her face and closes her eyes, doubtless trying to calm her racing pulse.

  “Are you alright?” she anxiously asks.

  “Me? I’ve got you, I couldn’t be better.” Damian gives her a huge, beaming grin.

  Madelyn nervously smiles back.

  “Both hands on the wheel,” I interject.

  Damian pats Madelyn’s knee before returning his hand to the steering wheel.

  Madelyn takes a deep breath and flops back against the seat, staring out the window.

  Bitterly, I remember a time when Damian used to always be worried about me. Even though I know that Madelyn should be more important to him, I feel jealous. “And I’m alive, too,” I growl. “Just in case either of you cares.”

  Madelyn seems to remember me. “I’m sorry. I should’ve—”

  “Don’t,” I cut her off. “Don’t bother. I’m…I’m fine.” I shift in my seat, stifling a groan.

  “Haddie?” Damian glances anxiously to me. “What happened?”

  “I got sucker-punched by another vampire, that’s what happened,” I hiss.

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  Am I? “Just get us out of here and then take me somewhere I can feed.” I really, really hope that Damian got the cooler or else I’m going to have to find another blood bank to rob. It’s not like Damian would let me take a bite of Madelyn and I wouldn’t do it anyway.

  Madelyn. We had a close call today. Two close calls. And the longer we evade Uncle Devin, the worse it’s going to get. Dad will send more and more enforcers after us. I begin to think that if we keep this up for more than a few months, he may just put a bounty on all our heads and be done with it. Particularly me since this is far from my first offense.

  If we’re going to keep this up, if we’re going to keep Madelyn alive, we need protection or at least allies. But who would be allies to a rebellious vampire prince and princess? None of my father’s subjects, that’s for sure. Queen Tatiana of the Seelie Faery Courts might help us. But I don’t see how we’re going to get to Ireland to ask her. It’s not like faeries have cell phones. In fact, they despise most human technology.

  As if summoned by my thoughts, a ringtone chirps from the direction of Madelyn. I didn’t realized she still had her phone. She fumbles for a moment before tugging an iPhone from her back pocket. She hits a button on the screen and holds the phone to the side of her head.

  “Hi, Mom,” she neutrally says.

  I hear a strained, frantic voice on the other end of the line.

  “No, Mom. I’m fine.”

  The voice says something I can’t make out.

  Damian tenses, trying to watch Madelyn in the rearview mirror. I wave at him to watch the road and he reluctantly obeys.

  “Well, tell Dad I can’t,” Madelyn replies. “Mom, I’ll be eighteen in seven months.” Madelyn groans and rolls her eyes. “Yes, Mom. I’m with Damian. No you didn’t, Dad! You adored Damian! Put Mom back on the line. I don’t know when I’ll be back home. Well, right now we’re driving through—”

  I reach over and snatch Madelyn’s phone. “Hello. Mr. and Mrs. Philips?” I say in my sweetest tone.

  A gruff man’s voice blares into the speaker. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Hadassah Chadwick, Damian’s sister.”

  “What are you doing with Madelyn?” a frantic, strained woman’s voice pleads. Somehow, I can’t picture that hysterical voice belonging to the mother of the calm girl beside me.

  “I’m not doing anything with her. I’m trying to keep her safe.”

  Madelyn tries to grab her phone back, but I scoot out of her reach.

  “Is Madelyn in danger?” the woman’s voice gasps.

  “You tell your little creep of a brother that when I get my hands on him—”

  “Look, Madelyn has to stay away for awhile. Things are kind of complicated, but you can be sure that neither I nor Damian will let anything happen to her. Now, say goodbye to your daughter and try not to make idiots of yourselves, because she won’t be able to call you again for awhile.”

  Madelyn indignantly pries her phone out of my grip. “Mom? Dad? I…I love you guys.”

  On the other end of the line, I can hear Madelyn’s parents clamoring like two angry seagulls.

  She tries reasoning with them for about five minutes, but finally gives up. “I love you,” she softly repeats. “I’ll be home soon.”

  I notice her face is wrinkled in sadness as she hits the END button and closes the iPhone screen. Quick as a viper, I shoot a hand forward and seize her iPhone. Rolling down my window, I chunk it out the car.

  Madelyn gives off an indigna
nt shriek, as would any normal, healthy American girl. “You just threw away my phone!”

  “Uh-huh,” I agree.

  Madelyn sputters furiously, unable to pick words.

  “Look, sweetheart,” I begin, a patronizing tone in my voice. “My uncle generally doesn’t send law enforcement after people he’s chasing because he doesn’t like the complication of paperwork. He is, however, more than happy to track cell phones. That’s probably how they found us in the first place. I was stupid, I should’ve thrown your phone away back in New England, and for that, I’m deeply sorry. Plus, I can’t have you telling your parents where we are and have them put out an Amber Alert for you.”

  Madelyn glares at me. “You could’ve asked,” she hisses.

  I smirk at her. “Could’ve. But I didn’t feel like it. You see, being punched makes me cranky.”

  Madelyn sucks in her bottom lip as she remembers why I was punched. I was protecting her. For a moment, I think she’s going to apologize, then she says, “You’re always cranky!”

  I get a look of mock-realization on my face. “That is very true.”

  “Alright, girls,” Damian interrupts. “No fighting amongst my women, please.”