Dave Carver (Book 1): Thicker Than Blood Read Free

He pulled a small cloth out of a pouch on his belt and wiped a black liquid off the blade of his sword. When he was done he pulled out a canteen and took a swig.
    Dave shot a nervous glance at Ian, then looked at the big man. “You got them?”
    “Yeah, I got ‘em,” he said. “But there’s a crew of hunters out there, too.”
    “Thralls or groupies?”
    “I don’t know, Dave. I didn’t get close enough to ask ‘em.” He swallowed a little more water. “Definitely vamp-related, though. They got a coupl’a chupacabras with ‘em.”
    That was a step too far into crazy territory. Ian could accept vampires—after all, he’d seen them for himself, even if he hadn’t known exactly what they were. But this? This was...insane.
    “Chupacabra? You mean the mythical beast from the southwest?” Ian looked from Dave to the bigger man and back, expecting one or both of them to burst out laughing at the professor’s gullibility. “I did a special on it early in my career. It doesn’t exist.”
    “Yeah,” the big man said, “they do.”
    “Take it easy, Bill,” Dave said. “He’s a straight—you know how disorienting this can be.” To Ian, he said, “ Chupacabra is just the word we use for any animal that’s been infected with vampire venom.”
    “But...that’s...”
    “Impossible?” Dave was grinning now. “Impossible’s what we do.”
    “If you’re done coinin’ phrases, Dave,” the big man, Bill, said, “we oughta be gettin’ a move on. This part of the jungle’s vamp territory, clear and proper. We ain’t even s’posed to be here.”
    Dave grimaced, but Ian could see that he agreed with Bill. He took a swig from his own canteen, then handed it to Ian, and followed Bill into the jungle. This time neither of them looked back. They trusted Ian to keep up.
     
     
    “You know,” Dave said, “I’d argue we can be here. Dr. Twine called for help. Table personnel picked up his transmission. That’s a human requesting help against vampires. If that’s not our business, I don’t know what is.”
    Bill shook his head and swatted at a giant mosquito. “The vamps ain’t gonna see it that way, kid, and you know it. This is their territory, whether you like it or not.”
    “What should we have done, Bill? Let them kill him?”
    “I’m glad you didn’t,” Ian said. His voice sounded meek, even to his own ears.
    Bill snorted and said nothing. “We’ll be at the river soon, and we can call the ship and be outta here before—”
    A howl split the air, and Ian was surprised that he recognized this one: the hunting cry of a Brazilian Mastiff.
    Bill cursed. “They got our scent. Run!” He set the example, crashing into the bush like a deer disappearing down a trail.
    Dave moved to follow him, but Ian hesitated. The young man looked over his shoulder. “What’s up, Doc?”
    “I just...I don’t understand what’s happening.”
    “Look,” Dave said, “I know you’re scared and confused, but right now, if you want to live, you need to run!” And then he was gone, leaving Ian alone with the sounds of a rapidly approaching hunting dog.
    Ian ran, faster than he could remember running in his life. He slapped low-hanging branches out of the way, ignoring stinging cuts as huge predatory flies bit his arms and neck. He leaped over rocks and logs and streams, dodged roots and snakes. The jungle turned into a blur, a whirling tornado of greens and browns, accompanied by the perilous sounds of barking dogs. Three dogs, he thought, accompanied by at least four human voices shouting in English.
    He was running for his kids, he reminded himself. For Ian Junior, Tommy, Miranda, and Ellie. He repeated their names to himself as he ran. Ian Junior, Tommy, Miranda, Ellie. Ian Junior, Tommy, Miranda, Ellie. With each repetition of this mantra, he felt himself getting stronger, saw the jungle moving by faster. His arms spread triumphantly, he burst out of the forest into a small clearing.
    Panting, for a