“Oh.” She pulled them out of her waistline and held them out, turning her head away to give him some privacy to dress.

He took them and soon spoke. “I’m decent.”

She peered at him as he took a seat on the ground a few feet away. It was nice to be able to talk to him again. “Are we good here?”

“For now.”

“I need to pee. I was too afraid to move while you were gone so I held still.”

He lifted a hand, pointing to some bushes. “Over there. Don’t go far or be long.”

She got up and hurried. He hadn’t changed positions when she returned. She sat down, a hundred questions filling her mind. She settled on the most pressing ones.

“How close are we to your home now?”

“We have a ways to go still. I decided it was time for us to rest. I scouted and found a place for us to bed down for the night.”

“We’re not going to keep moving?”

“We’re settling in for the night. Humans are far easier to avoid than soldiers and Vamps.”

“Why?”

“Humans don’t see heat signatures, nor have super hearing or vision.”

“Thank you for answering. I have a lot to learn.”

He cocked his head, giving her an odd look.

“For when I go home. I don’t want to be captured again.”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance of avoiding that without me.”

He was probably right, and it scared her. “That’s why I’m asking questions. To learn.”

“I found a cabin with one human living inside very close to here. I am pretty certain he’s working for the Vampires. I spotted him coming in from the woods with supplies on his back and gripping a dart gun, as if he’d been out searching for us all day. I think the best place for us to hide is in plain sight, where they won’t think we’d go. I’m going to grab that human and we’ll sleep inside his cabin tonight.”

Her mouth fell open but she closed it fast. “Are you crazy?”

He hesitated. “He will have food and clothing, Glenda. Since this master has created soldiers, he’d want to keep the humans separated from them. I would.”

“I don’t understand,” she admitted. “Why?”

“Soldiers are unstable, and can’t be trusted around any blood sources while unsupervised by a full Vampire. It means if this master is reasonably smart, he’s ordering the humans to lock in at night when the soldiers are hunting for us, to keep the day guards alive. Otherwise soldiers might attack and drain them. The master would have ordered them to avoid the homes of humans working for him. Humans need to be kept separated from soldiers or all bets are off. Got it?”

It made sense when he put it that way. Those creepers she’d seen probably would attack anyone, if given the chance. She nodded.

“The difficult part will be grabbing this human before he can get any kind of alert out to anyone. They’re carrying cell phones. There must be a tower nearby.”

“He might have to check in every few hours.”

Veso shook his head. “That’s not a worry as long as I don’t have to kill him.”

“It’s not as if he’s going to help us if he’s working for the master.”

“He won’t have a choice. A Vamp was able to take over his mind already. I can ease into his head just as easily.”

That disturbed her. “Mind control?”

Veso nodded.

It made her think about all the arguments they’d had. “Thank you for not doing that to me.”

“VampLycans have honor, Glenda. I wouldn’t do that to you unless I felt I had no choice. Life or death,” he clarified.

“I still appreciate it.”

He swallowed hard, staring at her. “You also were given my blood. It’s probably out of your system but it’s possible it gave you temporary immunity. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” He stood. “I’m going to need your help to lure the human out of his cabin. It might be dangerous but I’ll be with you, just out of sight. We know the master wants you alive and unharmed. That’s something we can use in our favor.”

“I’m bait, aren’t I?”

He grinned. “Yes.”

“Fantastic.” She got to her feet. “Before we do this though, I feel I need to say something.”

“We have no time to waste. I can hear your stomach grumbling and you’re shivering.” Veso lifted his chin. “We need to be indoors before the sun goes down and the bloodsuckers begin to hunt.” He met her gaze.

“What if you’re wrong and this person is just some guy who lives in the woods?”

“Then tonight the Vamps will break into the cabin looking for food. It’s a better defensive position than us out in the open. We’ll have the element of surprise too, because VampLycans avoid humans. They won’t expect us to do this, and would believe they’re just attacking a human. I wouldn’t harm an innocent, Glenda.”

She couldn’t fault anything he’d said, and she was starving. The idea of possibly sleeping in a bed, rather than on dirt, made her willing to agree to Veso’s plan. “Let’s do this. And hope the cabin has hot water. I’d kill for a shower. What do you want me to do?”

Veso rose to his feet. “I’m going to lead you to the cabin, then I want you to remain hidden, count to a hundred slow, and then rush to the door. Beat on it and yell for help, tell him you are being chased by a hungry bear. He should open the door right away for you. Jump back fast when he does and stay out of my way.”

“You’re hoping he won’t see you,” she guessed.

“He won’t. Just get out of the way once that door opens. Fall back and go flat. Understand?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

Glen’s anxiety rose as she followed Veso through the woods and they paused at a clearing. A small cabin had been built there, next to a stream. All the things that could go wrong played through her head.

Veso put his hand on her shoulder, stepped behind her, and ducked his head. “Remember to slowly count to a hundred. Then run as if your life depends on getting inside that cabin. Pretend I’m some deranged bear with paws larger than your head and I’m right on your ass. Got it?”