Page 27 of Blood Lovers

It makes sense. And it’s good advice.

So that’s what I do, only in the comfort of my leather chair on a private jet. I close my eyes and let my head fall back as I let out a long breath.

I’m just falling asleep when Zusi plops down in the seat next to me. “OK, I hope you’re ready for this. Because when I said something drastic, I really meant it.”

“Ohhhh, Zusi.” I moan this out. “Can’t it wait?”

She holds up a syringe, depressing the plunger just enough to make a little bit of liquid spurt out.

My eyes go big and instantly I’m awake. “What’s that for?”

“I told you. Drastic. He’s not just following your scent, Syrsee. He’s following your heartbeat.”

“What? Since when?”

“Since always,” Tristin says. “We’ve known about the heartbeat tracing for more than a hundred years. But they need the pattern before they can track it. Something changed tonight, Syrsee. Something big. Because he must have somehow acquired your heartbeat pattern. That’s the only way he could’ve found us so fast.”

“What?” I’m a little bit annoyed and it comes out in my tone. I direct this at Zusi.

She shrugs. “I wasn’t allowed to tell you about the heartbeat thing. It’s supposed to be a Guild secret.”

“We don’t think they know we know.” This comes from Tristin, sitting across the aisle at the table. “So we’ve got that on our side. But the moment they figure out that we’re untracking their tracking, they will cover their tracks better.”

“OK. But”—I point at the needle—“what’s this for again?”

“We have to kill you.” Zusi smiles and flashes her long eyelashes at me, looking very cute as she does this.

“What?”

“Zusi.” Tristin corrects her in a sharp tone. “Stop it. It’s not a joke.”

Zusi tsks her tongue. “Sor-ree. Jeez. Just trying to keep things light, friends.”

Tristin takes over. “We need to slow your heartbeat down, little by little, then stop it for three beats. Then restart it again. That way we can acquire a new pattern.”

“Oh, hell no, you’re not.” A little hysterical laugh escapes with these words. “No, no, no freaking way.” I look over at Zusi. “You’re not killing me.”

“We’re absolutely not.” Tristin is nodding his head up and down like he’s agreeing with me. “It’s just a trick while we put distance between us and them. I promise, it’s safe.”

“But—”

“There are no buts, Syrsee.” Now Zusi’s all serious. “This is the only way we can shake him. Tristin knows what he’s doing.”

“Which implies you don’t!” My voice is going shrill.

“Listen.” Tristin is all business now, but he’s always like that. “You don’t have a choice, Syrsee. That’s it. This is happening. You put everything and everyone at the Guild in danger when you insisted on going to see—” He’s about to say something disparaging about my grandma here, but he stops himself just in time. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a breath before resuming his lecture in a slightly softer tone. “You knew you could be caught and you went anyway.” He directs a glare over at Zusi. “And you helped her.”

“I said I was sorry. Calm the fuck down, Tristin. I’m handling this.” Zusi glares at him, then redirects her gaze to me and secretly sends me a please-please-please-do-this-for-me look. It comes with a I’ll-pay-you-back-doubles-later-promise look for good measure.

I huff, and squirm, and throw them both a nasty scowl. “Fine. Kill me then.”

“Dramatic.” Tristin snarls out this word.

But Zusi is already pushing the drugs into my arm.

When I wake up, I’m in a tent.

But as I look around, I realize this is one of those glamping tents. White canvas held up by wooden poles. Persian carpets on the sandy floor. Feather beds, and pillows, and through the flap in the front comes a sea breeze complete with seagulls and salt in the air.