He left the shed after packing a few things that would help them survive in the woods and entered the house. The smell of beans and corned beef had his stomach rumbling. The sight of her cooking made him pause. She turned her head and smiled.

His dick stiffened. He wanted her more than food. Just from the simple domestic sight of his woman preparing him a meal.

“Whoever lived here really liked refried beans and corned beef hash. They were stockpiled. I used three cans of each,” she informed him. “I hope that’s enough.”

He managed to nod and set the wrapped bundle down next to the door, closing it behind him. She faced the two large pans she had cooking on the stove, stirring them with a wooden spoon. The urge to stalk closer and pull her into his arms surfaced. He resisted.

“Almost everything in the fridge is expired, including the milk. I hope you don’t mind beer, water, or soda. Those are your only drinking choices. Oh, and I found a shotgun. I didn’t touch it. I don’t know if it’s loaded or not.”

That got his attention off her ass. “Where?”

“In the pantry. It’s leaning up against the wall in there. How weird is that? There’s a box of shells on the floor next to it. That’s an odd place to keep a gun.”

He stomped over to the narrow door she’d pointed to and yanked it open. He leaned in and spotted the shotgun. He grabbed it and checked. “It’s loaded. The poor bastard never even got off a shell.”

He bent and scooped up the box of shells, studying the other shelves. There weren’t any spares. He carried the weapon and box to the small table, putting them down.

“What does that mean? What poor bastard?”

He found Glenda frowning at him. She turned off the flames under the pans.

“The owner of this cabin is dead. He either wasn’t able to reach his gun to shoot at the Vampires before they attacked or they caught him unaware before he knew he wasn’t alone anymore.”

“How do you know that?”

“That death smell I picked up? Someone is buried behind the cabin.”

She paled.

He regretted telling her but they were leaving soon. “I haven’t smelled any blood inside the cabin. They probably killed him outside. There wasn’t any damage to the doors but I doubt he locked them. It’s a remote location.”

She just stared at him.

“What?”

“You sound so cold. You’re saying a man died, yet you’re wearing his clothes and about to eat his food.”

“Life can be harsh. So can death. I didn’t kill him.”

“You suck.” She spun away and opened the cupboards, lifting out two plates. “That poor man.”

“Let’s just eat and get going or we might be recaptured. Those bastards already shot me with drugs once. I don’t want to give them the opportunity to do it again.”

That seemed to calm her. She dished out a huge plate of food and served him at the table. “What do you want to drink?”

It didn’t matter to him. “Whatever is cold. I don’t care.”

She yanked open the fridge and removed a soda, bringing it to him. She returned with a big spoon. “There you go.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m glad you at least know that word,” she muttered, stalking back to the stove to fix her own plate.

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Don’t we both.” She came to the table with her plate and got another soda from the fridge, finally sitting across from him once she’d retrieved a second spoon. “It’s hot.”

He dug into the food, rather than lunging across the table to take her to the floor. He wanted her bad. His dick remained hard and the urge to strip her naked again was stronger than his desire to eat. He lifted the spoon and dug in, substituting one hunger for another.

“What’s next?”

“We pack some supplies and get going. It’s best if we put as much distance as we can between us and that nest. We still don’t know where the master sleeps.”

“You’re sure he wasn’t at the mine?”

“He would have come after us if he’d been there. I don’t think he was though. The truck they drove me in was gone. I’m guessing he took it. He’ll be close, since he needs to keep control of his soldiers. I’m more worried about how many other Vampires are with him in the other location.”

“Aren’t they stronger if they stick together?”

It was a good question, proving to him that she was smart. “A lot of Vampires don’t trust soldiers. They do go crazy after a while and prove harder to control. They’ve been known to turn on their masters. Vamps will sleep apart from them during the day just as a security measure.”

She ate, seeming to ponder his words. He glanced at her repeatedly, not enjoying the hints of fear he spotted.

“It’s going to be fine. We’ll cover a lot of ground before night falls.”

“I’m going to slow you down.” She held his gaze. “It would be faster if you left me here, wouldn’t it?”

It would but the idea of her being in danger didn’t sit well. “No,” he lied. “Then I’d have to backtrack to get you before darkness when I did find a vehicle. There are socks in the bedroom. I want you to put a few pairs on your feet to protect them from the ground. We stick together.”

She looked relieved. “Okay.”

“I keep my word, Glenda. You helped get me out of that mine. I won’t leave you to die.” He motioned to the gun. “Have you ever fired one before?”

“No.”

He smothered a curse. “Never?”

“No. I never had the desire to own one. I was raised in a pretty decent neighborhood. I have deadbolts and live on the second story. I never thought Vampires were going to burst through the windows to come after me.”

“Fair enough.”

“Can I ask you something, Veso?”

“It hasn’t stopped you before. You’re very curious.”

“Do you blame me? This is all new. Can Vampires fly? Turn into bats?”

“No.”

“Good. So if I rent a place in a high-rise, like six or seven floors up, I’ll be safe from them reaching my windows, right? For future reference.”

“It would depend on the building.”