Page 128 of Winterfall Destiny

I'm blinded by a sudden darkness, terrified that the shadows turned on me instead, but my vision clears, and I stare at the vampires' bodies leaking blood onto the tunnel floor.

No Andrei.

No Maeve.

No shadows.

46

MAEVE

The moment my back hits the carpet, I shove at Andrei and roll onto my side, on my feet in a second. I glance around, groggily finding my bearings.

A colourful rug on a polished wooden floor. Blue comforter on a bed covered in clothes I chose not to pack. A bay window overlooking the front of the Winterfall estate, the distant hills shrouded by rain clouds.

Andrei, with his mercury eyes standing near my closed bedroom door.

“Are you still that crazed thing?” I cough out. “Do I need to climb out of the window?”

“Define crazed thing,” he says calmly.

“You attacked Jamie and planned to slaughter dozens of kids… you’re a creature that burns people’s brains and eyes out,” I retort, backing away.

“Why are you scared? Your shadows can take me on. Where are they, by the way?”

I stare down at my hands and inspect my arms before darting a look around the room. Nothing. The chill they bring isn’t with me either, but I sense them in the corner of my mind, behind my fingertips, ready to strike again.

“The shadows merged into me, I think.” I squeeze my hands. Hold them back.

“They’re not wandering the world preparing to cause chaos?” He’s still nonchalant. Still not Andrei. He’s more the First than I’ve ever sensed in him. Andrei, the beautiful creature it created just lost control and showed a tiny fraction of what the First could do to us. To anybody.

“Why did you attack Jamie?” I demand.

“I didn’t! I shoved him out of the way!”

“With a mental attack that hurt him!” I grit my teeth. “I’m bonded to Jamie, Andrei. If you hurt him, you’ll more than piss me off.”

“I barely touched him.” He has the audacity to sound hurt by the accusation.

“Well, that’s true, compared to what you did to the three vamps,” I say sardonically. “Are you the First right now?”

“Fuck, no.” He scoffs a laugh. “If I was, wouldn’t I pin you down while I turned you?”

My mouth fills with acid. “And will you?”

A flicker of Andrei appears in his over-bright eyes. “Even though that would be the ultimate way to protect you, no.”

The room spins. Omigod. Does Andrei really think that? Is this why the First instilled this insane protectiveness in him? “That isn’t funny, Andrei.”

He regards me and the silence lifts every hair on my arms. If that’s in his mind, he’ll meet my shadows again.

“Why are we at the Winterfall house?” I ask. “How are we here?”

He shrugs. “I always wondered how the First travelled. Impressive that I can do the same.”

“Not really, because that ability takes you closer to the creature’s self’.”

Andrei pulls himself from the door and takes slow steps closer, but I don’t back away from the disturbing energy. “Don’t you think the closeness is a good thing, Maeve?”

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