Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“What’s this?” I look him up and down. He’s wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. “Casual Friday?”
“It’s Wednesday and no.” He glances out the front doors. “Can we walk for a minute?”
I stare at the darkness beyond the glass for a beat too long. I haven’t been outside since the protest, which is dumb, of course. I can’t stay locked up in here forever. It’s not like it’s particularly safe—Theo got in and drugged me. Valen, an admitted murderer, has 24/7 access. But when I blink, I swear I can feel the gun muzzle against my temple again.
“Not for long. Promise.” He smiles, though it lacks its usual warmth. He’s tense, his gaze bouncing around.
“Um, okay.” I follow him out, the air humid and sticky. “What’s up?”
We walk slowly, the clear sky overhead giving us a sliver moon.
He stops at a cross street and turns to face me. “There are some things I need you to know.”
I look up at him, his eyes gone serious. “Like what?”
“There are three bloodlines. Dragonis, Corvidion, and Tantun. Remember them. Repeat them back to me.”
Confusion is too mild a word for what’s going through my mind. “What is this about? What—”
He grabs my wrists and pulls me closer to him. “Repeat them to me. Do it now. Dragonis, Corvidion, and Tantun.” His voice has gone hard, his eyes boring into me. “Say it, Georgia.”
“Okay.” Panic wells in me. Something’s wrong. “Ah, Dragonis, Corvidion, and, and—”
“Tantun.” He squeezes my wrists. “Again.”
“Wh—”
“Again, Georgia!” he snaps, his demeanor turning strained. “You must memorize it.”
“Dragonis, Corvidion, and Tantun.” My voice is shaking.
“Blood Tantun, their bite is poison. Blood Corvidion have the power of flight. Blood Dragonis is the worst of them all. They can control your mind, your body—everything. Sunlight kills them. Silver slows them down. Otherwise, they’re invincible. You have to find a way to stop them. The blood camps are just the first step.”
“Gage, I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to understand. You just need to know. Now tell me again, what are the bloodlines?”
A shadow along the eaves of the building behind Gage catches my eye. It’s as if it’s moving.
“I know it’s there,” Gage says softly. “Don’t look at it. Look at me.”
My hands shake as he slides his grip from my wrists to my palms. “Look at me, Georgia.” His tone is softer now, more like his normal voice.
“Dragonis, Corvidion, and Tantun,” I repeat.
He nods, his grip easing a little. “Good. There are hundreds of them, maybe thousands. They live underground.” He speaks quickly now, as if he’s running out of time. “They’ve built miles and miles of tunnels, all hidden right beneath our feet. They control governments around the world.” He shoots a look up Pennsylvania Avenue. “They have a foothold here now, and soon enough, they’ll have it all.”
“What’s going on, Gage? You’re scaring me.”
“I have to leave.” He reaches up and presses a hand to my cheek. “I don’t want to, but I have to. I’ve been compromised.”
“I don’t understand. Gage, I don’t …”
“Valen.” He seems to bite the word. “He’ll keep you safe. If he doesn’t, he’s as good as dead.”
“Where are you going?” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I see the very real shadow moving like a spider down the face of the building.
I freeze, my blood turning to ice as the shadow materializes into a man on the sidewalk. No, not a man. One of them. His too-perfect olive skin and the catlike glow of his eyes set off every alarm bell in my primal brain. A predator. Danger.
“I’ll see you again, Georgia. I promise. If you need me, leave a light in your window. I’ll see it. I’ll come.” Gage plants a hard kiss on my lips. “Now, run!” He pushes me backwards, then spins and pulls a gun.
The vampire lunges at him.
“Go!” Gage yells.
I turn and run, my heart pounding almost as loud as the gunshots that break the stillness of the clammy air.
When I reach the front of the hotel, the soldiers there are already standing with their guns out. “There’s a, a—there’s a—Gage needs help!” I point behind me.
They take off past me as another shot rings out. I dash inside and hit the elevator, my mind screaming at the wait as it rises to my floor. I have to get help. Real help. Gage can’t fight that thing with bullets. I’m sure of it. Once I’m inside, I hurry to my bedroom and dig around in my drawers until I find the phone Valen gave me.
I open it up and dial.
The ringing stops with a click.
“Valen?” I can’t catch my breath. “There was a vampire. Gage is fighting it, but I don’t think—”
The line beeps and goes silent.
“Valen?” I stare at the phone then dial again. It doesn’t ring. No answer. No voicemail.