Hunted

There, between the shadow of an ancient oak and the rear of the temple, the darkness shifted to reveal the bent shape of a Raven Mocker crouched on the wall. “And there,” Darius motioned down the wall a little way to another spot. I’d overlooked it as nothing more than a natural fold of darkness on this stormy night, but as I stared, it, too, moved slightly, revealing another terrible man-bird creature.
    “They’re all over,” I said. “How are we going to get out of here?”
    “Can you disguise us with the elements, as you did before?”
    “I don’t know. I’m so tired, and I feel weird. My cut is better, but it’s like I keep getting drained and never really refilled.” Then my stomach sank further as I realized something else. “After I used fire and wind to knock Kalona off you, I didn’t have to release the elements. They just weren’t there anymore. That’s never happened before. They’ve always hung around until I bid them depart.”
    “You’re exhausting yourself. The ability to conjure and control the elements is your gift, but it doesn’t come without a price. You’re young and healthy, so under normal circumstances you probably hardly notice the drain it causes in you.”
    “I have a couple of times before, but it’s never been like this.”
    “You’ve never been close to death before. Add to that the fact that you haven’t had time to rest and recuperate, and that’s a dangerous combination.”
    “In other words, we may not be able to count on me to sneak us out of here,” I said.
    “How about we call you Plan C, and we try to come up with Plans A and B.”
    “I’d rather be Plan Z,” I grumbled.
    “Well, this will help, even if it’s just a temporary fix.” He went to the mini-fridge and pulled out what looked like two water bottles, only the bottles were filled with a thick red liquid I recognized very well. He handed me one. “Drink up.”
    I took it and frowned at him. “You have blood in water bottles in your fridge?”
    He raised his brows at me, then cringed a little as the cut that stretched down the entire side of his face pulled. Finally he said, “I am a vampyre, Zoey. You will be one soon. To us having bottled human blood is the same as having bottled water. Only there is a lot more kick to blood.” He lifted his bottle to me and then drained it.
    I shut off my mind and did the same. As always, the blood hit my system like an explosion, giving me a kick of energy and making me feel suddenly very much alive and invincible. My woozy head cleared, and the ache that had been radiating from my wound diminished, letting me draw a big, deep, pain-free breath.
    “Better?” Darius said.
    “Totally,” I said. “Let’s go get me some real clothes and find the others while this buzz lasts.”
    “That reminds me.” He turned back to the fridge, grabbed another bottle of blood, and tossed it to me. “Stick that in your pocket. Drinking blood won’t replace sleep and the time your body needs to heal, but it will keep you on your feet. Or at least I hope it will.”
    I shoved the bottle in one of the huge pockets of my baggy scrub pants. Darius strapped on his knife holster, grabbed a clean leather jacket, and he and I left his room, hurried down the stairs, and walked to the door of the building—all without seeing anyone else. It felt wrong, but I didn’t want to pause to talk about it. I didn’t want to do or say anything that might keep us there for even one more second than we had to be.
    As Darius reached the front door of the building, I hesitated. “I don’t think it’s smart for the Raven Mockers to see that I’m up and walking around.” I kept my voice low, even though there was no one visible around us.
    “You are probably right,” he said. “Can you manage it?”
    “Well, it’s really not very far to the dorm. Plus, the weather’s already nasty. I’ll just call in some mist and increase the rain. That should do a pretty good job of hiding us. Remember to think that you’re made of nothing but spirit. Try to imagine blending in with the storm. That usually makes it easier for me.”
    “Will do. I’m ready whenever you are.”
    I drew a deep breath, grateful that my chest was almost completely pain-free, and centered myself. “Water, fire, and spirit, I need you,” I said. I flung wide one of my arms, as if receiving a hug from a friend, and hooked the other through Darius’s arm. Immediately I felt the three elements surge