Read Online Hunting Daylight (9781101619032) by Piper Maitland - Free Book Online
Authors: Piper Maitland
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brought out psychotic tendencies,such as paranoia. He took another sip of his drink. It cooled the back of his throat.
“I know this must sound crazy,” Hamilton said. “But it’s true.”
“Why would bats attack a camp?” Jude asked.
“For dinner.”
“Bats aren’t carnivorous.”
“These are.” Hamilton’s eyes held a fierce gleam. “You should’ve seen the carnage.”
“And you’re sure they’re bats?”
“Yeah. I’m a cave archaeologist.” Hamilton tossed the cup on the floor, and walked back to his cot. “So, what’s your field, buddy?”
“Biochemistry.”
“What area?”
“DNA sequencing and synthesis.”
Hamilton whistled. “Bet you’re real smart. How long you been a vampire?”
“Almost four years,” Jude said.
“I been one since 1938.” He lifted his hand, dismissing those years with a broad sweep. “I got a few more decades kicking in me. I don’t want to die here. Do you?”
“No.”
“If you look out for me, I’ll look out for you. Deal?”
“Okay.”
Hamilton’s eyes glistened. “Us scientists need to look out for one another.”
Jude finished his drink, pouring the bloody ice melt into his mouth. He set the empty cup on the desk, then stripped to his T-shirt and boxers and got into bed. Hecould feel a shift in the outside temperature, a sudden coolness as the wind broke through the canopy, setting tree limbs to creaking. The weight of the air seemed to push into the tent and settle against Jude’s sternum, the same feeling that he’d experienced the night he’d been turned into a vampire.
Four years earlier, he and Caro had gone to an Egyptian monastery to look for artifacts. Jude had still been human, and Caro had just found out that she was pregnant. She’d told him about the baby at the top of Mount Sinai. The next morning, they’d returned to the monastery, feeling safe among the monks—some were human, some were immortal. That night, a crazed human had breached the thick, fourth-century walls and attacked Caro. When Jude tried to rescue her, he’d gotten shot. Raphael and his men had saved her and they’d brought down the shooter, but Jude had been mortally wounded. Caro told the monks to transform him into a vampire. The following day, Jude awoke in a dark room, his head shaved, a crushing force moving through his chest. He’d sensed that something worse was about to befall him and Caro—and it almost had. The cabal had planned to put Jude into a rehab program for novice vampires and keep Caro alive until the baby was born. But Raphael had saved them again. He’d helped them escape into the Sinai Desert, and for a while they’d been safe. However, immortality had not put an end to their problems.
Now, all these years later, he was deep in a rain forest, and he had the same unbearable weight in his chest and the unshakable feeling that he was about to lose something irreplaceable.
Before dawn, Jude and Hamilton got dressed and walked to the mess pavilion.
“Something is wrong with this part of the bush,” Hamilton said. “It’s too quiet.”
Jude hated to agree, but the air was still and empty. No primates chattered in the trees. No birds flitted between the branches. No elephants stood in the
bai
.
Hamilton pointed to a tall, rangy middle-aged man who stood outside a tent. He wore a disposable surgical mask and gloves. “That’s Walpole. A veteran from an earlier expedition. He’s British like you. A virologist. Obsessed with Ebola.”
“How long has he been in the bush?” Jude asked.
“Too long,” Hamilton said.
They stepped into the mess pavilion and got in line for the bottled blood. Hamilton gestured at a younger man who stood a few feet away. “He’s another veteran,” Hamilton whispered. “Nick Parnell. A California entomologist. Parnell must’ve gotten his neck bitten in the sixties. Maybe a surfer vampire got him. He calls everyone
dude
. I don’t know how a slick fella like him ended up in
“I know this must sound crazy,” Hamilton said. “But it’s true.”
“Why would bats attack a camp?” Jude asked.
“For dinner.”
“Bats aren’t carnivorous.”
“These are.” Hamilton’s eyes held a fierce gleam. “You should’ve seen the carnage.”
“And you’re sure they’re bats?”
“Yeah. I’m a cave archaeologist.” Hamilton tossed the cup on the floor, and walked back to his cot. “So, what’s your field, buddy?”
“Biochemistry.”
“What area?”
“DNA sequencing and synthesis.”
Hamilton whistled. “Bet you’re real smart. How long you been a vampire?”
“Almost four years,” Jude said.
“I been one since 1938.” He lifted his hand, dismissing those years with a broad sweep. “I got a few more decades kicking in me. I don’t want to die here. Do you?”
“No.”
“If you look out for me, I’ll look out for you. Deal?”
“Okay.”
Hamilton’s eyes glistened. “Us scientists need to look out for one another.”
Jude finished his drink, pouring the bloody ice melt into his mouth. He set the empty cup on the desk, then stripped to his T-shirt and boxers and got into bed. Hecould feel a shift in the outside temperature, a sudden coolness as the wind broke through the canopy, setting tree limbs to creaking. The weight of the air seemed to push into the tent and settle against Jude’s sternum, the same feeling that he’d experienced the night he’d been turned into a vampire.
Four years earlier, he and Caro had gone to an Egyptian monastery to look for artifacts. Jude had still been human, and Caro had just found out that she was pregnant. She’d told him about the baby at the top of Mount Sinai. The next morning, they’d returned to the monastery, feeling safe among the monks—some were human, some were immortal. That night, a crazed human had breached the thick, fourth-century walls and attacked Caro. When Jude tried to rescue her, he’d gotten shot. Raphael and his men had saved her and they’d brought down the shooter, but Jude had been mortally wounded. Caro told the monks to transform him into a vampire. The following day, Jude awoke in a dark room, his head shaved, a crushing force moving through his chest. He’d sensed that something worse was about to befall him and Caro—and it almost had. The cabal had planned to put Jude into a rehab program for novice vampires and keep Caro alive until the baby was born. But Raphael had saved them again. He’d helped them escape into the Sinai Desert, and for a while they’d been safe. However, immortality had not put an end to their problems.
Now, all these years later, he was deep in a rain forest, and he had the same unbearable weight in his chest and the unshakable feeling that he was about to lose something irreplaceable.
Before dawn, Jude and Hamilton got dressed and walked to the mess pavilion.
“Something is wrong with this part of the bush,” Hamilton said. “It’s too quiet.”
Jude hated to agree, but the air was still and empty. No primates chattered in the trees. No birds flitted between the branches. No elephants stood in the
bai
.
Hamilton pointed to a tall, rangy middle-aged man who stood outside a tent. He wore a disposable surgical mask and gloves. “That’s Walpole. A veteran from an earlier expedition. He’s British like you. A virologist. Obsessed with Ebola.”
“How long has he been in the bush?” Jude asked.
“Too long,” Hamilton said.
They stepped into the mess pavilion and got in line for the bottled blood. Hamilton gestured at a younger man who stood a few feet away. “He’s another veteran,” Hamilton whispered. “Nick Parnell. A California entomologist. Parnell must’ve gotten his neck bitten in the sixties. Maybe a surfer vampire got him. He calls everyone
dude
. I don’t know how a slick fella like him ended up in
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