Younger, Bree - Burn [All American Vampires 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Free Page A

the woods of Pearl River County, she thought the assignment would be a breeze. She grimaced. Big mistake. Silver lining, Libby .
    She opened the back door of the SUV and leaned in to get a bottle of water from the ice chest she had packed for the weekend. After taking a long gulp, she twisted the cap back on and looked around, studying what she could of the surrounding countryside. Okay, so the cabin was a disaster, that didn’t mean that all was lost. According to Eddie, these woods were full of deer, raccoon, and any number of various animals and plants that would make good studies for the assignment. It wouldn’t hurt to look around a little since she’d come all this way. It was over an hour’s drive back to Biloxi. Maybe she’d luck out and get some good shots. Then, before it got dark, she could head back. It wouldn’t be the weekend she had planned, but it would have to do.
    Decision made, she grabbed her camera case and took the Nikon out. After slipping the camera strap over her head and settling it against her chest, she stowed the case on the floor of the backseat and headed out.
    The woods weren’t too overgrown, and Libby was able to keep up a pretty good pace. She photographed a few birds and interesting trees she spotted and even a rabbit she had startled into sudden movement. The day was starting to warm up as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, so she took off her light jacket and tied it loosely around her waist as she continued on, much more comfortable in just the plain white T-shirt, khaki shorts, and hiking boots. Taking several more shots, she made her way leisurely through the woods.
    She’d been walking a while when she thought she heard the gentle trickling of water. Confident that she must be close to a creek, she headed toward the sound. There was bound to be an abundance of wildlife in the area. When she entered another clearing, she surveyed it with her usual thoroughness. A cry high above her head reached her, and she glanced up to see a hawk circling above. In a single movement she’d raised the camera, zoomed in, and snapped several pictures of the majestic creature. Then it darted down toward the trees and disappeared from her view. That would be a great shot, she thought jubilantly. Maybe this was going to work out all right.
    She started forward again, searching for something else to photograph. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. Swinging her camera up, she peered through the viewfinder, hoping she had stumbled onto something interesting, maybe a doe or a fawn.
    As the scene came into focus, she froze in disbelief.
    Oh my God. Oh my God , she thought. A body was sprawled on the ground in the center of the clearing. The camera dropped from her suddenly nerveless fingers to dangle uselessly from its strap, and she barely managed to squelch the scream that trembled on her lips. For several moments she couldn’t move, shock robbing her of thought. Then she sprinted forward, the camera banging against her chest with every stride. As she got closer, she could see that it was a man, and he had been staked out like some kind of ancient sacrifice, his arms and legs spread-eagle on the ground and held down with heavy chains.
    “Jesus!” She threw herself down beside him. He looked horrid. He was burned, burned so badly his skin was red and blistered. What the hell had been done to him? Had someone set him on fire? How long had he been here? Please, God, let him be alive .
    When she leaned over to check for a pulse, her forgotten camera flopped forward, almost striking against the man’s face. Quickly she pulled the strap over her head and set the camera aside. Then she reached out to lay hesitant fingers against his neck. At first, she couldn’t feel a pulse, so she pressed harder, trying not to lose her nerve. She’d just moved her hand lower, thinking maybe she was feeling in the wrong spot, when his eyes opened and stared straight into