Isat outside on a deck lounge, my knees tucked to my chest. The high brick fence stretched into the darkness. Behind it, the limbs of the dense trees reached up like gnarled black hands. The unease hadn’t wavered. It was in good company with a surge of loneliness. It was cold. I didn’t move. Not when I could feel the eyes of a vampire staring at me. Not even when cold sank into my bones.
How long am I stuck here for with you creatures?
I blew out a ragged breath. Georgie was right; we couldn’t stay here forever, couldn’t live like prisoners even if the prison was the size of and as stunning as a six-star hotel. If there was such a thing as a six star? Karson’s home was far more luxurious than any hotel I could ever imagine. It had a copious number of rooms, a pool, a gym, and was surrounded by hectares of plush landscaped gardens.
My phone beeped, dragging me from this pathetic sense of self-pity. My fingers felt numb as I pulled it out of my pocket. I had asked Ethan to send me a message every day even if he sent one word to let me know he was safe. He’d taken my comment literally. On the first day, he sent:Ethan is …This had then been followed daily with a single word:
… hunky.
… intelligent.
… sexy.
Today, unusually, he sent a whole sentence:
Ethan’s sex is on fire.
I chuckled and wrote back:If sex is burning, I suggest you go to a doctor.
Ethan:Unlike you, little witch, vampires can’t catch diseases.
Me:Unlike you, vampire, I don’t catch them because I don’t fornicate with anything that moves.
I didn’t know how long it took for him to respond, probably ten seconds, but it felt like half an hour.
I never thought I would say this, but I miss your dirty mouth.
Me:When are you coming home? I miss you too
Ethan:I don’t know, hopefully not too long. Bob’s calling, I have to go now.
Me:Be safe.
Ethan:I’m a vampire, Amy, I’m always safe xxx
I sat the phone on the table and chewed my bottom lip. He might be a vampire, but vampires only needed to have their heads or hearts removed to kill them. But he was with Bob, and even though his relationship with Sarah had ended badly, she was still in love with Ethan, and I didn’t think she’d hurt him.
Karson’s words rang through my head,She’s a firstborn and they are unpredictable.
The unease churned more intensely.
Car headlights flickered across the grass. I smiled—Karson’s car. The smile dropped as I heard the roar—he was driving fast, much faster than usual.
I jumped to my feet and scurried to the drive.
The passenger door opened, and Karson climbed—no, he fell out. Monique was out of the driver’s seat and rushed to his side as he began to crumble to his knees. She tucked an arm under his shoulder and reefed him to his feet.
My hands flew over my mouth as I broke into a sprint. He looked as white as a ghost, sweat coating his brow. When I saw his shirt, my breathing jammed. It was covered in blood.
“What happened?” I cried.
Monique’s dark eyes lifted to me, and she hissed, “A fucking witch happened.”
Her look was brutal enough, but her words struck like a blade and I flinched. Monique had always hated me, but since I’d almost gotten her killed, her hatred had intensified. The only reason she was alive was because Sarah had planned to make it look like Monique had killed Georgie and me. That was the level of psychotic thinking we were dealing with. I had apologized to Monique for putting her in danger in the first place, but it had fallen on deaf ears.
Monique was tall and strong, and she supported Karson’s weight with an ease I couldn’t fathom as he stumbled toward the door.
“Karson,” I whispered.
