Page 89 of Winterfall Destiny

“Now who’s losing focus?” I say quietly, our mouths touching as I speak.

With a small sigh, Maeve nods and draws away. “I haven’t deliberately kept away from you, Tobias. Everything’s…exhausting.”

“I know.” I stroke her hair. “I love you, Maeve. Don’t ever forget.”

She frowns. “What’s happened? That sounded intense. You look intense.”

“Nothing.”

Maeve’s brow remains pinched. “I don’t doubt that you love me, Tobias. And I love you too, so don’t you ever forget either.”

A conversation and thought drifts into my mind from further along the hallway.

Gabriella. Invite.

I place a finger over my lips and incline my head. Maeve subtly looks over. A group of four vamps, two guys and two girls, resting against the wall. They're all dressed to blend in, the guys in black, and grungy in distressed jeans, heavy boots, and piercings. One wears his dark hair spiked with green tips, the other pulled from his face. The girls dressed in short black dresses and torn leggings, knee-length laced boots, and wear make-up heavy enough to disguise their faces. Perfect camouflage?

"We won't need to mind read if people are dumb enough to talk about the Dominion in public," says Maeve quietly.

"The smaller guy already told one of the girls to shut up," I reply. "I hope they haven't drunk too much and dulled their minds."

"They may not all know. One of them could be recruiting?" suggests Maeve.

I'm frustrated at first, concerned there may be a block, but the spiked-haired guy's mind matches one of someone who's taken Lix. At least that lessens the chance he'll notice my invasion. Ironically, he's having the same thoughts about the slender girl opposite as I was about Maeve, although with more blood play involved. I quickly snatch myself away from thoughts of that—which he seems to enjoy a lot—and poke around for the information I need.

There.

He is Dominion. Karl. A recent hemia recruit. The girl with the sharp, purple bob, Natalie, persuaded him to join, and she's newer too. He's filled with thoughts of power, and the influence he could have over others, raw hatred for Confederacy. He passed tests. Killed a witch. Fuck. But the guy's happy because now he gets the blood.

The blood. Gabriella is creating an army.

A resistance grows in his mind, and I snatch back my mental fingers and switch to the vamp guy he's persuading to join the ranks. Dom. Perfect name. His thoughts are foggier, as if he's concentrating on filtering them. Odd. Although one thing's clear—this guy's ecstatic at Karl trusting and inviting him.

Exactly how much blood does Gabriella have?

I creep back from my mind-reading and glance at Maeve, who's still focused, her eyes faraway as she concentrates on the girl recruiting the others. Crossing my arms, I rest back against the wall again and run through what I've seen. Yes, I've an idea how far this recruitment spreads but not where any meetings happen.

Hopefully Maeve can pick up more, and at least these kids sit far enough down Gabriella's food chain that they've no idea who's watching them.

A man exits the bathrooms, running a silver ring-covered hand across the top of his spiked platinum blond hair as he does.

The world freezes. I freeze. I've spent enough time with this vamp in the past to recognise him straightaway. Silas hasn't changed, hair the same colour and style, the watery blue eyes framed with unusually long lashes that add more allure to his hemia face.

Nothing's different in the way he dresses, the black that never goes away in this human subculture, including his fingernails. If I need any more confirmation, a black and red snake tattoo spreads from his shoulder to neck.

Maeve remains focused on her mind-reading, and I take a few paces forwards, away from her, in case the guy stops and speaks to me. I don't turn my back quick enough because he double takes. Recognition fills his eyes, too.

"Whitlock?"

33

TOBIAS

"Whitlock?"

No. No.No. I'm too late to turn away or close my mind against him as the world retreats to an echo of the past.

He grins. "Itisyou! Man, I haven't seen you for... what? Eight years? Your hair's shorter, but IknewI saw you at the bar earlier."

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