CHAPTER 20

Jaden giggled as Jeff kissed his way up her body, smiling when he finally reached her lips. "Worry much baby?"

"You know I did." He whispered, nuzzling her neck. "When I seen that chase come on the news, all I did was pray you'd be all right."

"Mmm…"

Jeff gently sucked on her earlobe then whispered; "I love you Jaden."

Jaden stared up at him, her eyes wide. "What?"

Jeff smiled down at her, his eyes pure liquid. "I love you."

***

"Mark, ya gotta calm down darlin', everything is fine… for the moment." Isis soothed, gesturing for her lover to come to bed.

Mark stared at her, running a hand through his vibrant red hair. "They know we're in this part of the country, tomorrow night we got to move. We'd do it now if it weren't for the fact that the sun is rising in an hour."

"Mark, we knew they'd come for us, let's just wait for them to show up and end it." Isis pleaded. "I don't wanna run anymore and I'm certain them youngens don't either."

"You just want to kill them?"

She nodded.

Mark dropped on the bed. "I don't know Isis, Glenn… used to be my best friend, there's got to be some of that left in him… somewhere."

Isis kneeled behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her head on his bare shoulder. "Darlin', Glenn was my friend too but that's not our Glenn anymore. Our Glenn would've never tried to kill me, remember?"

Mark nodded, kissing her hands. "I know."

***

Jaden's breath caught in her throat.

Jeff smirked knowingly, looking way to sexy to be allowed. "Cat got your tongue?"

She stuck it out at him.

"Mmm…" Jeff bent down and kissed her.

Jaden wrapped her arms around his neck, still heady from his words. "I love you." She murmured against his lips.

"I already knew that." Jeff chuckled, sinking his fangs into her throat.

Jaden sighed contentedly, threading her fingers through his hair.

***

Shannon woke up cramped and crowded. She and Glenn had somehow managed to wedge themselves into the tiny closet to sleep, it being the only safe place from the impending sunrise.

The next thing she knew she was falling to the floor as Glenn opened the closet door. She landed face first and groaned, feeling her nose.

"Come on," Glenn hoisted her to her feet. "We got work to do."

***

Isis looked up from the magazine she was flicking through when Jeff and Jaden came down the stairs, Jaden on Jeff's back piggyback style. "G'evenin'." She greeted.

Jeff smiled at her, his hands busy stroking Jaden's legs. "Hey Isis, where's the ol' man?"

"He's out in the shed. Tonight ain't one of his better nights so I'd watch it." She cautioned.

Jeff nodded, carrying Jaden into the kitchen.

"I'm starved." Jaden announced, eyeballing the empty bottle that had apparently contained blood. "And I sure as hell ain't about to drink one of Mark's little… protein in a bottle meals."

"We're sort of secluded out here babe," Jeff said, lowering her to the ground. "If we go hunting someone is going to notice. Unless you don't mind something a little less… human."

"You mean an animal?"

Jeff nodded.

Jaden groaned, glancing at the bottle on the table. "All right, anything is better than that."

***

"Mark? Darlin?" Isis knocked timidly on the shed door. "Darlin', what're ya doin' in there?"

Mark didn't answer.

Sighing, Isis stepped away, knowing better than to push him. She slowly headed back to the house, smiling when she spotted Jeff and Jaden slip off into the woods, knowing they too had refused Mark's alternative to hunting.

***

"This is it." Glenn whispered excitedly, sniffing the air.

Shannon inhaled deeply, catching Jaden's scent and grinning wickedly. She stared off towards the woods that surrounded the house, catching fresh scents from that direction. "I'm going hunting." She murmured, unsheathing a large machete from the belt she wore.

Glenn grinned down at her. "Good, so am I." He kissed her lustily before creeping towards the house, keeping downwind as best he could.

Shannon watched him for a moment before slinking off towards the woods.

***

"That is just sick." Jaden commented, watching as Jeff drained a rabbit he had procured.

Jeff shrugged, snapping the creature's neck when he was finished. "Thumper was tasty." He teased, licking his lips seductively.

"If it weren't for the fact that I'm famished, I'd have to hurt you." She remarked.

"You mean fuck me."

"Jeff!"

Jeff whistled innocently.

Jaden sighed, wondering what exactly she wouldn't feel bad about munching on when she heard a twig snap. Normally, being out in the woods she wouldn't have given it a second thought, but with the way 'Thumper' had squealed, she knew no animal was going to approach.

Jeff heard it too. "Isis?" He called out softly.

"Mark?" Jaden whispered.

"No…" Came a breathy reply, seemingly from all around them.

***

Isis smiled when she felt Mark's lips on hers, reaching up from the couch to wrap her arms around him. Then the all to familiar scent invaded her nostrils. Her eyes shot open to find Glenn bent over her, staring into her eyes while he kissed her, pressing her down to the couch.

Glenn moved his kisses to her throat. "Isis, stop fighting me…"

"You'll kill me either way, I'd prefer to fight!" She shot back.

"I'm not going to kill you…" He whispered, grazing her neck with his fangs. "…Yet."

***

"All right, Isis, if this is some kind of joke it's not funny." Jaden called out angrily.

"Whoever said I was Isis?" Shannon stepped out from behind a tree, her patented sneeer firmly in place.

"Well well well… if it isn't the little psycho bitch herself." Jaden snarled, stepping away from Jeff and assuming a casual posture, her eyes flashing angrily. "I was wondering what happened to you."

"Oh you mean after you and that slut left me and Glenn to the humans?" Shannon replied coldly. "We survived, obviously, I'm here to kill you now aren't I?"

Jaden snorted. "Two against one bimbo, why don't you try counting or do you need to take off your shoes?"

Shannon wasn't bothered by the jeers, instead she smiled sweetly. "I do hope little Isis doesn't say anything like that to Glenn… especially since poor Mark is all… dead."

"What?" Jeff stared at her, trying to determine if she was lying or not.

Shannon smiled broadly, revealing her canines. "Oh, forget to mention it did I? You don't honestly think I'd be out here alone if Mark wasn't taken out first do you? Give us some credit, we know where the brawn is in this little family of yours."

Jeff and Jaden exchanged looks, unsure of what to do now.

"Go help Isis." Jaden said finally, her gaze fastened on Shannon. "I'll deal with the tramp here."

"Jaden, no…" Jeff whispered, not liking this.

"Just go, make sure Isis is all right!" Jaden snapped.

Jeff nodded, making a wide circle around Shannon before running towards the house.

"Good, now it's just us." Shannon purred, flashing her machete.

Jaden ignored it, licking her lips. "Just the way I like it."

***

Isis screamed as Glenn's hands strayed to the buttons of her overalls. "Mark!" She tried pushing him off of her but he was so much heavier.

"Don't bother." Glenn murmured. "He can't hear you."

"What?" Isis froze to stare at him.

"Mark can't hear you." Glenn repeated, chuckling as he unsnapped one strap then the other.

Isis began to cry. "Not Mark! Please, tell me you didn't hurt him!" She begged.

Glenn shrugged. "If it will make you feel better… I didn't hurt him."

Isis went limp, her gaze becoming unfocused as she tried to search out Mark with her mind. She wasn't able to concentrate and began sobbing softly, certain he was dead.

***