Immortal Danger (Night Watch 0.5)

"And you actually think you can kill me?" Adam snarled. "I've been on this earth far longer than you can imagine, vampire. And I'm a hell of a lot stronger."

"But not invulnerable." Another low, sinister laugh. Another slow step back. "Even you can die, Brody."

Where was Maya? Adam had thought she'd left the last chamber right on his heels.

A new fear began to stir in his heart.

Separated. The vampires had separated them. An old ploy, all the better for an attack.

Adam took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He needed to focus. To be ready for the vampire's next move.

But he'd heard Cammie's voice. He knew it had been her. His gaze shot around the room.

Landed on a still mound of clothing, blankets.

Every drop of saliva in his mouth dried away when he caught sight of Cammie's green shirt. The shirt she'd been wearing when she vanished.

"Go on," the vampire urged. "You might be surprised at what you find."

He took another look at the mound. He didn't smell Cammie, even though her shirt was right there. But scents could be cloaked. He, of all people, knew that.

His nostrils twitched as the odors of blood and death swirled around him.

The mound-it was big. Too big? He took a step forward.

"Go on…"

He snarled at the vampire, but found he was nearly running for the mound. Swiping through the clothes and blankets, hoping that he wouldn't find Cammie's broken body, that he wouldn't see-

A tape recorder.

Her voice had seemed distorted.

Trap.

He was such a f**king idiot.

Adam spun around.

The vampire stood just beyond the wooden door.

He smiled. Then waved. "Good-bye."

An explosion rocked the room, shaking the floor, sending the heavy rocks that composed the ceiling and the walls tumbling right down on him.

The first chunk of rock hit him hard, catching Adam on the back of the head and sending him falling, facefirst, onto the floor. A roar filled the room as the ceiling gave way, the heavy sandstone breaking apart and plummeting down on him.

The rocks hit him, one after the other, harder, slamming into him, covering his body.

He tried to move, to get up-to run. But the rocks just kept falling, burying him in the rubble.

The candlelight had sputtered out, destroyed by the cave-in.

Adam couldn't feel his back anymore, or his legs, his arms.

The rocks covered him, every inch.

He closed his eyes, struggling for breath.

Maya.

An explosion shook the tunnel. Maya swayed at the impact, grabbing the wall.

What the hell? The answer came immediately. Booby trap. The vampires must have wired the place for protection.

Well, shit. Dumbass move on their part-the tourists really wouldn't be able to overlook an explosion .

She glanced back at the room she'd just left. The two chameleons were on the floor, unconscious, but alive. They'd slowed her down, though, and she didn't know how to find Adam and-

Maya.

For just a moment, she could hear his voice so clearly in her mind.

And she could hear the echo of pain.

Blinding agony, crushing him, all around-burying him alive-

Then, in an instant, their sudden connection was severed.

"Adam!" She screamed his name, not really caring if anyone-vamp, chameleon, human, whatever-heard her. Adam was in trouble.

She began running, going straight ahead, following the reverberations she felt-the shaking walls, the tumbling rocks. She knew it was crazy to run toward the cave-in, but-

But maybe she was crazy, because she was convinced that Adam was in there-that he'd been hurt.

Dust hit her. A thick rising cloud of dirt and dust. She swiped her hand through it, hurried forward. She caught the faint scent of rotting flesh, ignored the sudden prickling of her nape that told her a vamp was nearby.

Adam needed her.

It would be the vamp's lucky night-if he was smart and stayed the hell out of her way, he'd get out of there alive, or well, undead.

But if he got in her way…

She found the room. Saw the horrible, thick pile of rocks, and knew, knew that Adam was beneath the rubble.

Their blood link was strong, she realized. She'd heard his cry, found him through the maze of darkness.

Damn strong.

Her nails lengthened into claws.

She couldn't hear his heartbeat. Couldn't hear him breathing.

Because he wasn't.

No. "Adam." His name was a whisper on her lips. He couldn't be dead. Not so fast.

"Dammit, I told you to wait for me." So many rocks. So much weight. If he were under there, he would have been crushed beyond recognition. At the very least-

Buried alive.

She climbed over the bigger rocks, crawling and fighting her way to the back of the room.

That was where the scent of blood was strongest.

Don't be dead. Dammit, Adam, hold on! The cry was in her mind, and soon, blood was streaming down her hands.

But Maya didn't stop. She pulled the rocks away, one at a time, scratched through the chunks of sandstone, dug through the rock and grime.

Hold on.

Her claws broke. Her fingertips ripped open.

But she didn't stop.

Even though she was very, very afraid of what she'd find at the bottom of that pile.

CHAPTER 7

The sun shone down on him, and he squinted, trying to focus against the light.

Something hard and tight was around his ribs, squeezing the breath from him.

Adam moaned, jerked, tried to fight the pressure, but the hold just tightened.

"Dammit! Would you stop?" A woman's voice. Annoyed, but…weak. Maya.

She was okay. She'd made it out of the caverns. He opened his mouth, wanting to talk to her, but a coughing fit sent spasms through his body.

"Shit, Slick, it's hard enough moving you in this damn sunlight without you fighting me, now stop struggling! "

But he wasn't struggling, not really. He just couldn't breathe and every part of his body hurt.

Actually, his legs didn't hurt.

He couldn't feel them.

But he knew they were dragging against the ground. He could hear the grind of his shoes on the hard earth.

Maya's hands were around him, Adam realized. His head cradled against her chest.

He would have enjoyed that, would have liked the press of her flesh cushioning his head-but he just hurt too f**king much.

Time seemed to stop as she pulled him through the desert. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the sun. Feeling was starting to return to his legs, sharp pinpricks that quickly turned into knife points of agony.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

What was that sound? He tried to open his eyes again but found that his lashes were too heavy.

Then his body was shoved, lifted, and pushed back against something soft. A cushion? The soft surface moved, easing back so that he was reclining.