Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Joss turned to her, his expression doubtful. “Can you make it there?”
“Joss, I’m fine.”
His nod was tight. “Let’s go.”
They made their way up the stairs. It was a dark night, but spray lights lit the surroundings. Lann covered their backs while she led the way to the beach, still only wearing Tim’s jacket. They ran through a garden littered with bodies. Gold Tooth and Pockmarks were among the faces she recognized. They both had their throats ripped out.
As the bay came into view, she started running faster.
“Quick!” She pointed into the distance. “The boat.”
Joss and Lann sprinted past her, onto the sand.
“Status?” she called from behind them. They both wore smartwatches with infrared and infra-blue applications and would be able to see an ambush if there were one.
“Nothing,” Lann said from over his shoulder.
“Ilano is a vampire.” She didn’t need to say more. Lann and Joss knew that a vampire’s body heat was too low to be detected by infrared. They’d have to switch to infra-blue.
Lann withdrew a pistol from his holster and threw it to her. “He’ll be too fast for a knife.”
She caught the weapon in mid-air. A bullet wouldn’t kill him, but it would slow him down. Her breath came in rasps as she reached Ilano’s boat. The vessel floated in the shallow water, ominously quiet.
Lann guarded the beach while Joss and Maya walked knee-deep into the water and climbed aboard the speedboat. Joss flicked on a flashlight and pointed it around the deck. They stepped over items strewn over the floor. There had been a struggle.
“Check inside,” Joss said.
She went down into the cabin, but the inside was pristine, everything in its place. The wrestling had only happened outside.
Joss’s voice reached her from outside. “Holy fuck.”
Turning on her heel, she stormed back upstairs and almost bumped into Joss, who stood at the top of the steps.
“Lann,” Joss said into the communication system, “we have a man down. Be alert.”
She looked around but saw nothing until Joss lifted his light. Following the path of the beam, her gaze found the gruesome sight. Ilano was impaled on one of the mastheads, his body flung backward, the wooden rod entering his back and exiting his heart.
“We found Ilano,” she said softly.
Joss turned to face her. “This has to be the ambassador’s work. We bombed the whole place when we arrived. There was no one else left.” He studied her face. “After we blew the house to pieces, our infrared picked up four bodies—three guards and yours. Is there something you’ve got to tell us?”
Lann rushed up to them. “What’s going on?”
“Maya was just about to tell us,” Joss said.
“Tim is a dhampir,” she said.
“The reason you’ve decided to keep it hidden?”
She propped her hands on her hips and lowered her head. When she lifted it again, both Joss and Lann regarded her with compassion. “He bit me. I’m bound to him.”
Joss dragged a hand over his face. “Fuck. He’s going to call you to him. No wonder you couldn’t kill him.”
She shook her head. “No, he won’t.”
“What do you mean he won’t?” Joss’s mercury eyes were turbulent. “I’ve seen it before. Your body will rule your mind.”
“He won’t, because I’ll be dead.”
“You better explain yourself before I report to Cain.”
She knew what Joss meant. She belonged to their enemy, and he could control her. If he connected the comms link to Cain now, Cain would have no choice but to order her elimination.
“He infected me with an addictive virus,” she said.
Joss studied her, his brow furrowed. “And?”
“Without him, I’m as good as dead.”
“How long do you have?” Joss asked tightly.
“About three, four days. It’s hard to say.”
Joss closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sky. When he looked back at her, the steel-color of his eyes swirled with emotion. “Why didn’t you say something? I would’ve pulled you out immediately.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
Joss’s jaw set in a hard line. “You’re not dying, do you hear me?”
Lann spoke for the first time, his voice quiet. “We have to get you to Eve.”
“She couldn’t help Kat,” Maya said. “I doubt she’ll be able to help me. Anyway, she specializes in forbidden arts practitioners, not vampires. There’s a doctor in London. He already did his best.”
Lann touched her arm. “Still, we have to try.”
“Please.” She looked between them with a pleading look. “Let it go.”
Lann gave a small nod. “I understand. You’ve made a choice, and you’ve made peace with that choice, but I refuse to give up on you.”
“There’s nothing anyone can do.”
Joss’s expression darkened. “Don’t talk like that.”
She didn’t reply. She got it. Joss needed time to deal with the truth she’d already accepted. Tim had gotten away. By immobilizing him with a minor wound, she’d helped him escape. She’d betrayed her oath by ignoring a direct command to kill him. Even if her life could be saved, she’d no longer have a place on the team. With Tim, their enemy, owning her mind and her body, she was a risk. If the addiction didn’t kill her, Cain would. Either way, she was screwed.