Redemption (Jane #4) by Samantha Warren

could see the bone
beneath. I pulled at my belt, freeing the medical kit I kept there.
I had his arm cleaned and bound in less than a minute. When I
looked up, he was staring at me, eyes wide, mouth open. At least he
wasn't screaming anymore.
    "Are you ok to keep
shooting?"
    He didn't say anything so I
waved my hand in front of his face. I had to stifle a laugh when he
jumped.
    "That... was awesome..."
    I heard Rossi giggle behind
us. "I think he's in shock, Jane."
    "Nah. I think he's just
realized that not all vampires are blood-thirsty killers." I
smacked the soldier on his uninjured shoulder so hard he rocked
into the car.
    He flushed red in
embarrassment and picked up his gun again. Just about that time, I
heard a blood-curdling scream echo down the street from the
direction of the mayor house. I hazarded a look and regretted it
immediately.
    Coming at us full speed was a
woman, a very familiar vampire. Her long brown hair blew behind her
as she raced down the street. Her feet were clad in high-heeled
thigh-length boots zipped up over skin-tight jeans. Donna was
looking very much like she did the first night I met her, aside
from the deadly hunger in her eyes and the anger on her face.
Beside her ran the man who had tortured me for months.
    I pulled my gaze from them and
found Felipe. He was staring, unable to move. Sensing my eyes on
him, he pulled himself together and pounded twice on the vehicle he
was crouching behind. The sound echoed throughout the area and
moments later, three men stood up. One of them was Jax and I felt a
sigh of relief escape my lips.
    My two comrades at the car
were still firing at the blood slaves on either side of the street
and I yanked them back, tucking them under my arms like a mother
hen. The man struggled at first until he heard the distinctive thud
of several grenades being launched. They were set to explode on
impact and more than half a dozen had been lobbed. The ground shook
and pavement rained down upon my head. The car rocked dangerously
and I thought it might tip over, either on us or exposing us. Both
would have been bad.
    When the dust cleared, I
indicated to the soldiers to remain where they were and hazarded
another glance around the vehicle. The street was pocked with
craters, each large enough for a full-grown man to curl up in. The
two vampires who had been advancing on us were nowhere to be seen
and I felt a sob growing in my throat until I realized no body
parts lay on the ground either.
    I had no time to react when I
heard the roar. I knew something horrible was going to happen, so I
reached out and grabbed the two humans beside me. As I pulled them
in front of me, I felt the car smash into my spine, launching us
into the air. Rossi's scream pierced my ears and I wanted
desperately to cover them, but I knew if I let her go, she would be
crushed. I was being pushed along by the weight of the vehicle and
when I felt our momentum start to slow, I tossed the humans to
either side, hoping they would clear the inevitable crash and not
break something in the process.
    When I hit the pavement, I
tucked myself into a ball and rolled, aiming for a direction
slightly off from that of the car. It crashed beside me, skidding
to a halt. I stood and turned toward the oncoming vampires and
braced myself. As I did, Donna smashed into me, flinging us both
into the wreckage of the car. I felt something pierce my back and
bit down on scream. I reached out, gripping Donna's shirt, and
flung her to the side. Looking down, I saw a piece of metal
sticking through my abdomen. With a grunt and a push, I hefted
myself away from the vehicle and the rod ripped free, setting my
insides on fire.
    Donna was rising to her feet,
a snarl on her face, when I turned toward her. Her shirt was torn
and soaked with blood. I could see a gash in her side and another
running down her cheek. Her left hand was burned, the flesh raw and
bleeding and her jeans were scorched black.
    "Donna, please." I held up my
hands,