The man on the hood tilted his head like a bird, studying me through the glass. His grin stretched wide, teeth jagged and red-stained like he had just fed. But it can't be vampire blood. It smelled too fresh, too alive. An animal, perhaps.
Around us, more figures emerged from the trees, forming a loose circle surrounding the car, smiling and swaying, whispering to one another in voices too low even for me to hear, despite my heightened senses.
One woman dragged something along the side of the SUV with a low screech, a length of bone sharpened into a blade at the edges. Another pressed his face to the back window, fogging up the glass with heavy, panting breaths before drawing a crooked smile with his finger.
My pulses thudded in my ears. Ravić's grip on the wheel didn't loosen, but his lips curled in something far too calm for the situation.
"Everything's going to be okay," he muttered, his voice low, as if he was sensing my fear.
