Page 40 of Tainted Souls
“And they will try again,” he mutters, more to himself than to me. “What do they want with you?”
I shake my head, the question echoing my own thoughts. “I wish I knew.”
The general sighs, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “Get some rest. We’ll continue this tomorrow.”
As he walks away, I lean against the wall, the night’s events replaying in my mind—the exchange, the ambush, the Ravens’ appearance yet again, and most disturbing of all, Revenant’s words.Let the brat be.
Saul was right, though. If they really wanted me, they could have defeated reinforcements easily, or at least enough of them to take me captive. Am I not worth killing everyone for? Is that it?
No, of course not. He has had no issue committing mass murders anytime, whether commanding them or with his own hands. Why would this be an exception? There has to be another reason. But what could it be? What game are they playing? Do I just escape one trap only to fall into another?
Pushing off from the wall, my head hurting, I return to Max’s room. His chest rises and falls with newfound vampire steadiness. Preparing for a long vigil, I settle back into the chair beside his bed. Outside the window, the first glimmers of sunlight emerge, a new day beginning. And with it, a new chapter in our lives.
CHAPTER 8
BYLATEAFTERNOON,I’ve cataloged every detail of Max’s room: the scuff marks on the linoleum floor, the way the blinds cast striped shadows across the bed, the steady drip of the IV, the monitors beside him that display vitals that would be alarming for a human—temperature hypothermic, heart rate dangerously low, oxygen levels minimal. But for a vampire in the final stages of transition, they’re perfectly normal.
Max’s face has lost its pained expression, replaced by an unnatural stillness that makes my chest tighten. This is really happening.
Memories drift back to the night we first met.
It was another one of those evenings when the grief sat heavy on my shoulders. My father, three months gone, the pain as fresh as if it were yesterday.
Evan and Haden dragged me to Pulse, one of those mainstream nightclubs where the music reverberated through your bones and the lights flashed bright enough to give you a headache, insisting I shouldn’t spend the night alone—not tonight of all nights.
“Slow down, birthday girl,” Evan cautioned as I downed my fourth bliskey of the night, the burn in my throat the only thing keeping me from screaming. “You’re going to regret this tomorrow.”
“That’s a problem for future Seraph,” I said, wagging a tipsy finger at him. “Present Seraph needs another drink.”
Haden exchanged a look with Evan. “Should we call it a night?”
“You should mind your own business,” I snapped, immediately regretting my tone. They were just trying to help. “Sorry. I just… I need this tonight. Okay? Besides, you’re the ones who dragged me here in the first place.”
“We’re not telling you to not have fun,” Evan said. “In fact, enjoy yourself. Just slow down a bit with the drinking.”
“Fine,” I conceded, rising from the iridescent banquette with a flourish. “I’ll get me something lighter this round.”
“Good girl,” Evan called after me, earning a smack from Haden in return.
The crowd parted as I made my way to the bar, probably sensing my sour mood. I leaned against the counter, waiting for the bartender to notice me.
“What can I get you?” he finally asked, wiping his hands on a towel.
The urge to order myself yet another bliskey, or a blum—blood rum—was strong, but I forced myself to stick to my promise. “Two blums, neat. One plasmo, on the rocks.”
“Make that two blums and a water,” a smooth voice beside me said.
I turned, ready to tell whoever it was to stay in their lane, when I found myself looking into the warmest brown eyes I’d ever seen.
The man they belonged to wasn’t even conventionally handsome: his nose was slightly crooked, like it had been broken once and not set properly, his jaw perhaps too flat, but there was something compelling about him.
“Excuse me?” I managed, my anger momentarily forgotten.
“You look like you’ve had enough,” he said, his voice lacking judgment. “And your friends seem worried.”
I followed his gaze to where Evan and Haden sat, indeed looking at me with concern.
“You’ve been watching me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
