However, it wasn’t guilt plaguing him as he swung his legs off the edge of the cot and planted his feet on the floor to sit up; it was his lack of remorse that bothered him. It didn’t help that hunger was beginning to churn in his gut again.
Killean’s hands gripped the metal edge of the cot as he took a deep breath and shoved himself to his feet. The only furniture in the room was the cot with its pillow and a thin, wool blanket. The room was nothing more than an eight by eight cell with concrete walls that felt like they were closing in on him with every passing minute.
Reclaiming the jeans he’d tossed on the floor beside the shirt, Killean dressed and opened the heavy, steel door. He poked his head into the hall and glanced up and down the nearly two-hundred-foot-long corridor. About fifty closed doors lined both sides of the hall; Joseph’s cronies filled many of those rooms.
No one had told him to stay in his room when he was brought there earlier. He saw no reason to remain when he might be able to learn more about this place while everyone else was in their room or elsewhere.
Stepping into the hall, he closed the door on room number twenty-two before striding down the corridor. Beneath his bare feet, the concrete floor was cold, and he made no sound as he walked. He waited for doors to open or for someone to stop him, but no one did.
He still had no idea where they were located, but he believed this to be a bomb shelter or bunker of some sort. Whether it was built years ago, or Joseph and his organization recently constructed it, Killean didn’t know.
In the middle of the corridor, Killean stopped at the open doorway leading into the main hall where the prisoners were chained. He should stay away from Simone until he had a better chance of getting her out of here, but he found himself irresistibly drawn across the threshold and into the hall beyond.
He glanced down the row of hunters, and his eyes settled on Simone. She had her knees against her chest and her cheek resting on them as her chained hands remained above her on the wall. The man beside her shifted, and his head rose. When his white-blue eyes locked on Killean, his mouth parted.
Killean wanted to go straight to Simone, but knowing cameras were probably focused on him, he walked over to the first hunter and knelt in front of the man who recoiled as far as he could get. Killean inspected the man before moving onto the next who snapped and lunged at him.
He made his way slowly down the line, inspecting each hunter as he went. His excitement grew the closer he got to Simone. Most of the hunters cowered from him, a few showed no reaction, and the rest tried to attack him. He kept expecting a Savage to come and pull him away, but no one did. Though, he had a feeling they were monitoring his every move.
He paused at one of the hunter women before Simone and cupped her cheek. When she turned her head away from him and whimpered, Killean quickly lowered his hand. The woman had endured enough without having to suffer his unwanted touch, but he hadn’t wanted to touch her. He did want to touch Simone though, and he had to set a precedent before he reached her and did so. He touched two more women who lunged at him with their fangs snapping.
And then, finally, he was in front of her. Anger filled him as he gazed at her slender frame, dirt-streaked countenance, and dirty hair.
You’ve seen her. She’s fine. Go before someone finds you here.
He should leave and not look back; instead, he found himself remaining before her as she lifted her head to stare at him. At first, she didn’t seem to see him as her strangely colored eyes remained unfocused. Then she blinked, and those eyes widened on him.
Pulled irresistibly toward her, Killean rested his fingers against her cheek. Despite the abuse she’d endured and the grime caking her skin, her flesh was softer than a feather against his. Some of his newly reawakened hunger ebbed as the touch of her calmed him in a way he’d never experienced before.
Never had he wished to hold and protect someone as badly as her.
Awe filled Simone as Killean caressed her cheek and the red bled from his eyes to reveal their striking gold color. That color was nearly identical to the color of a tiger’s eyes, but she suspected he could destroy someone faster than any tiger; yet, he touched her with unfailing gentleness.
And the weirdest part of all was she liked it. She should spit in his face, recoil from him, yell at him to go away, or try to attack him. He was the enemy! She should not be turning her cheek into his touch or inhaling the resin scent of his skin.
Had she been mistaken about this man? Was he here for some reason other than to be a beast who thrived on killing innocents? She had to be wrong as no monster could be so tender toward another, or at least all the ones she’d seen here couldn’t.
Simone’s eyes closed as his scent enveloped her, but beneath his natural, woodsy aroma, she detected the rot of a Savage.
No! She inwardly moaned. He was one of them; there was no denying or hiding that smell, yet she still found her lips resting against his palm as tears burned her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t deny this man made her feel something she’d never felt before him—passion.
It surprised her to discover she felt it more as a vampire than she had as a mortal hunter. His nearness caused her skin to tingle with electricity as his touch warmed her to the tips of her toes. She was so cold before; now his body heated hers.
Killean closed his eyes as he leaned forward. He almost cupped the back of her head to draw her close to him, but he didn’t dare. Up until now, he could attribute his actions to curiosity over the turned hunters, but if he kissed her, there would be no denying there was something more between them.
Killean turned his attention to the thick chains binding her to the wall. By the looks of them, they were specially designed to keep a vampire restrained, and not just any vampire, but a hunter turned vampire. Starved, they were weakened, but turned hunters were stronger than a human who became a vampire. Joseph wouldn’t take any chances either; these chains would be strong enough to keep any vamp secured, even a purebred.
With the essence of life flowing through his veins, Killean was stronger than he’d been before, but he didn’t know if he was strong enough to break these bonds. And he didn’t dare try without being certain; besides, if he could get her free of this place, what would they discover outside?
For all he knew, they were in the middle of nowhere and could break free only to plunge into an open field with nowhere to run or hide. In which case, with as weak as she was, they would be caught and brought back before they got far. Once recaptured, they would torture and kill him, which would leave Simone forever at their mercy.
No matter how badly he wanted to free her, he couldn’t risk it until he knew more.
Simone’s fangs throbbed when she detected the pulse in Killean’s wrist. Her scorched veins felt like they were breaking apart and turning to ash as each beat of his heart teased her with the possibility of nourishment. She didn’t want to hurt him, but his blood smelled so good!
Only a little taste to make it stop hurting!
No! No! No! She would not drink his blood! She wouldn’t, couldn’t be one of them!
But no matter how forcefully she told herself this, her lips skimmed back and her whole body hummed with anticipation of tasting him.
Before she could sink her fangs into his flesh, his hand dropped and he rose. Startled out of the trance his pulse lured her into, Simone lunged after her food source, but the chains pulled taut and yanked her back. A wail of anguish rose in her throat and strangled there.