Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“Prepare the transport,” Dmitri orders. “We move to the final location as planned.”
Goldman nods silently, beginning to pack away his instruments with the same methodical precision he’s shown throughout this nightmare, like this is just routine. Katya moves to the perimeter of the room, extinguishing candles one by one until only a few remain lit.
I hang from my chains, fighting to stay conscious despite the blood loss and pain. I need to remain aware, to look for any opportunity, any weakness in their plan. Callahan will come for me—I know this with bone-deep certainty. But if he does, they’ll be waiting.
“You won’t win,” I tell Dmitri, my voice little more than a whisper now. “Whatever you think is waiting on the other side of your gateway…it won’t be what you expect.”
He leans in close, the skull mask inches from my face. “That, my dear, is where you’re wrong. We know what that world was like, before we were ejected. A world without sun to burn us, without humans to hunt us. A paradise for our kind.”
“Sounds like hell to me.”
His laugh is cold and empty. “Then perhaps that’s what you deserve. As for me and mine—we’re going home.” He straightens, addressing Goldman and Katya. “Sedate her for transport. We can’t have her making a scene at the Observatory.”
The Observatory. So that’s where they’re taking me. The information burns in my mind, a small victory in this sea of defeat.
As Goldman approaches with a syringe filled with amber liquid, I gather my remaining strength for one last act of defiance.
“Callahan will never forgive you for it,” I say, meeting Dmitri’s gaze through his mask. “Not for killing me or how you used him to kill Elizabeth Short. And he’ll never join you. Your son is lost to you forever.”
For the first time, Dmitri seems genuinely affected by my words. His body stiffens, head tilting as if considering me anew.
“We shall see,” he says finally, voice tight. “Blood calls to blood, Ms. Reid. And tonight, when the veil thins and the gateway opens, we’ll discover whose call is stronger—yours or mine.”
The needle pierces my neck, and darkness rushes in from all sides.
32
CALLAHAN
“There’s only one way we’ll find her in time,” Abe says, his voice tight with urgency. “We need to use your connection to Lena.”
The sun has barely cleared the horizon, casting harsh morning light across Abe’s shattered living room. Glass crunches beneath our feet as we gather in what’s left of his once-immaculate space, the aftermath of Marco’s attack surrounding us like a physical reminder of our failure.
“What connection?” I demand, pacing restlessly. Every second feels like an eternity, every minute another opportunity for Dmitri to hurt Lena. “I’m not an actual bloodhound.”
“But you are,” Valtu interjects, watching me with keen interest. “You tracked her here despite Adonis’ cover. Found her through fog and darkness with nothing but instinct guiding you.”
“That was different,” I argue, though the memory sends a chill through me. “Dmitri was controlling me then. His compulsion drove me to her.”
“Not entirely,” Abe says, stepping into my path to halt my pacing. “Dmitri’s command gave you purpose, but the ability to find her came from within you. From your vampire nature.”
I stare at him, understanding dawning with sickening clarity. “You want me to tap into that side again. Let it take control.”
“Not control,” Ezra corrects, joining us with a leather bag slung over his shoulder. “Integration. The ritual we began was interrupted, but you’d already made progress. You felt it, didn’t you? The merging of your dual aspects.”
Yeah, I had felt it—that brief, perfect moment when the division within me began to heal, when vampire strength and human will existed in harmony rather than opposition. Before Marco’s attack shattered the tenuous connection.
“And if I lose myself to it?” The fear is real, urgent. “If Dmitri’s compulsion takes hold again?”
“That’s why we’ll be with you,” Adonis says. “To ensure you remain yourself.”
“And how exactly do we awaken my vampire side?” I ask, dread coiling in my stomach. “Another meditation? Because we don’t have time for that.”
“No meditation,” Abe says grimly. “Something more direct.” He produces a small vial from his pocket—the same mixture he’d used during our interrupted ritual. “This will help thin the barrier between your conscious mind and your vampire instincts. But it needs a catalyst.”
“Emotion,” Valtu supplies, stepping closer. “Specifically, rage. The primal fury that drives all predators. Your vampire side responds to it like a moth to flame.”
“You want me angry,” I state flatly.
“We need you furious,” Abe corrects. “Think about Lena. What Dmitri is doing to her right now. What he made you do to Elizabeth Short. The murder of your wife. Every violation, every manipulation, every life he’s destroyed in service to his madness. Think about all the justice that might not ever be served.”