Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“We need her alive!” the hunter trapped under the bookshelf shouts. Alive. They’re not here to kill me. They’re here to collect me.
The hunter by the door grabs me from behind, locking me in a chokehold. Instead of panicking, I widen my stance, step back, and slam my elbow into his ribs. His grip loosens just enough for me to break free. His knife flashes, slicing across my cheek as I twist away. Pain explodes, hot and sharp, just missing my eye.
The second hunter rushes me, trying to pin my arms. I kick him hard between the legs, and he folds, giving me just enough space to move. I grab the hagstone hanging from his neck, yanking hard. The leather cord bites into my fingers and doesn’t snap right away, but it loosens enough.
He stumbles back, coughing, and pulls something from his pocket. Is that…yes, it is.
A syringe.
It hits me all at once what they’re there to do. It isn’t to capture me or kill me, but to take some fresh blood thinking they need it to free the demon.
This is either going to be brilliant or a terrible idea but I stop fighting and let them subdue me. I cry out in pain as he shoves the needle into my arm missing my vein completely.
“Hold her still!” the other one snaps, like this is somehow my fault. I grit my teeth as they try again. This time, they get it.
Just enough blood fills the syringe before I slam my head back, cracking the guy in the nose. He stumbles, and I take my chance—grabbing a fistful of his hair and ripping it free from his scalp. I clutch it tight in my hand as I scramble back.
“Got it,” the hunter with the syringe says, capping it.
He swings at me, but this time I’m ready. With my free hand, I rip the hagstone from his neck, finally snapping the cord, but I don’t cast anything or try to stop them. I let them go because I need them to leave.
I need him to take the blood to Vivian. Because when he goes there, I can find him and if I can find him, I can find her.
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
“Hey,” Antonio says when he hears the garage door open and shut. “I just talked to Leo. He’s headed this way and—” he cuts off when I come into the kitchen. “What the fuck happened?”
“I got ambushed, but don’t worry.” I cross the room and drop my handful of short, curly brown hair on the table. “I got this.”
“What the hell?” Antonio asks and gets to his feet. “You’re bleeding.”
“Was, I think it stopped by now.”
Before I can even take my shoes off, Xavier is there, standing right before me with my face in his hands, tilting my head so he can inspect the slash on my cheek.
“Who did this to you?” he demands, his expression dark with anger. He’s not mad at me. He’s mad at whoever touched me. And I don’t need him to say it to know—he’s going to find them and kill them.
“There were hunters waiting for me at the new age store.”
“How did they know you’d be there?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, thinking back.
“Were you followed?”
“I don’t—” I start, then stop. I don’t know. Really truly, I don’t. “I don’t know,” I say again, quieter this time. “I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve paid attention. But I didn’t.” The memory replays in my head. One of the hunters was already in the back of the store. Was he there before I walked in? Or did he come in after and just drift to the back?
I had dinner with Delphi. We walked a block to her car. I wasn’t paying attention. I just wanted a few minutes of normal. There’s a reason we’re trained never to let our guard down.
“It’s okay though,” I say, trying to brush it off.
Xavier cuts me off immediately. “How the hell is this okay?” he snaps. “They cut you, Wren. You could get an infection, you could—”
“I’m fine,” I insist, reaching up to touch my cheek. “It’s superficial. I don’t scar easily.”
“Someone hurt you,” he repeats, rage simmering just beneath the surface.
“How did you get away?” Antonio asks.
“They weren’t trying to kidnap me,” I say. “Not exactly.” I hold out my arm, already bruising from where they jabbed the needle into me over and over again. “They wanted blood. Fresh blood.”
“What the fuck?” Xavier snarls, his fangs flashing.
I grab his arms before he can bolt out of the room and start killing anyone in his path.
“It’s okay,” I say again. “They needed fresh blood. It won’t work to activate the key—I think my family built in some kind of safeguard. So…” I hesitate for half a second. “I let them take it.”
“Why would you do that?” Devon asks, appearing in the room along with Theo, looking at me like I’ve completely lost it.