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I saw a blur, and then the priest was on his back with his throat ripped out.

“Run!” Nathan screamed.

I didn’t hesitate. Grabbing Mera, I ran, pulling her with me. Li’zel had Pal firmly in her grasp, but he didn’t need much urging.

Another figure came at us from the side, and I dropped, ready to intercept, but it ran past me to Nathan’s side. Ami had arrived!

I heard a scream from a mortal, but I kept running and dragging Mera until she shook me off and ran alongside.

I wasn’t sure how long we ran that night, nor was I certain where exactly we stopped.

Finally, with no sign of chase behind us, we broke our fear-filled flight. I sank to the floor and stared at the children. They were very frightened and clung to their parents. Who could blame them?

I leapt to my feet as the trees rustled and relaxed again as Nathan and Ami strode into our midst. Nathan was wounded, and Ami fared no better.

Nathan dropped to the ground and laid his head back. Ami fell, and I rushed over to her. She appeared more badly hurt. Ami’s wounds would have killed a normal vampire, but not one of us.

Still, she needed help, so I bit into my wrist. I dropped blood into her mouth and watched as the wounds healed. Ami had her own healing powers, of course, but sometimes, it never hurt to aid them along. I cupped Ami’s face in my hands, and she smiled faintly before closing her eyes.

Nathan, as usual, was being stubbornly awkward and refusing help. I pushed Li’zel aside and scratched the scab that had formed over my bite.

Nathan glared but said nothing as I repeated the process. Finally, I stopped and studied a knife wound in his throat, which was slowly starting to heal. It did not close immediately; it was too deep, but it scabbed over, and the wound didn’t appear so gaping. By tomorrow, Nathan would be healed; however, at the moment, he needed was rest.

I stared at Nathan, and he shook his head before looking over at Pal and Mera.

“How many are left?” I asked.

Nathan coughed to clear his throat, and I winced as I saw the muscle pulse in his neck. He grinned at my reaction.

“We took about twelve of them out. They are not far behind us.”

Pal raised his head from where he had rocked Kit to sleep.

“Then we must move again. We cannot risk the children,” he said softly and rose to his feet.

Chapter Fifteen.

“Ramedes… never expected I’d be on the run from a Viscerov,” Ami said as Li’zel gently picked her up.

Perversely, I wasn’t so gentle with Nathan and slung him over my shoulder. Nathan muttered under his breath, and I grinned.

“Should I leave you behind? Taking out twelve has made you a target, too,” I asked my cantankerous friend.

“No, we’ll take Nathan. No doubt he is a target,” Mera replied for Nathan, not understanding my attempt at brevity.

“If it comes to it, we can throw Nathan at the cult and run,” Pal said in dry humour.

Nathan muttered under his breath.

Mera rose, and we started to run. Quietly, we slipped through the night.

“Why not?” Inka questioned, referring to Ami’s statement.

“From what I’ve learnt of Ramedes’ race, they don’t start a war that they can’t finish. The Vam’pirs have respected them and vice versa. Although they number more than us and true Vam’pirs are few, we are matched in many ways.”

“But they’ll hunt us to get Rahmon and Kit,” I argued.

Nathan muttered something again, and I jolted him roughly and he subsided. I didn’t want Pal and Mera to overhear that Nathan thought this was stupid because the children lacked a Vam’pir heritage.