Page 8 of A Dawn Of Blood

Just as I start thinking about using my Aurora powers, I see Lorcan’s bear get off the ground.

That’s right, the vampire’s not controlling him anymore.

Lorcan lunges, the vampire’s attention shifts away from me and I push him out of my mind.

While Lorcan’s attacking, I shift back, I summon a thunder whip and I start cracking it against all the cages, popping them open.

“Anna,” Raven yells as she barges out with the rest of the shifters.

Without a moment of hesitation, they all turn against the vampire, Lorcan taking the opportunity to get out of the fight. He and Raven rush over to me.

“We need to leave,” Lorcan grits out, red in the face with both strain and humiliation.

I nod, noticing a gleam of tears in Raven’s eyes. I remain standing where I found myself just long enough to make sure the shifters are winning, then motion for Lorcan and Raven to follow me and start running out of the building, towards the north gate and out of this goddamn town.

What the hell is going on here?

It’s only once we’re safely tucked in the woods that Raven stops us all and wordlessly hands me a piece of paper.

The front page torn off the Troyes Chronicles.

I frown, but just as I’m about to look up at her to ask what she wants me to do with this, Lorcan jabs a finger at the date in the top right corner.

August 31st, 2056.

My eyes widen.

Frowning, I shake my head and read it again, but it’s the same number the second time around.

I look up at the two pale faces in front of me. “It’s not that there’s something weird going on in Troyes,” I whisper.

Lorcan shakes his head. “No. You got us a lot further in time than you were supposed to.”

Raven swallows. “He’s the Emperor,” she says in a grave voice, “and he has been for thirty five years now.”

Chapter 5

Dawn finds us sitting under a bridge a few kilometers north of Troyes, the crumbling stone structure part of the road winding into the forest to the east.

The initial shock has worn off, but now, I feel so worried and lost, I don’t believe I’d be able to put it into words.

Judging by the look on his face, Lorcan is as worried as I am. But Raven… Raven seems to be barely holding on.

Which is no wonder, given the fact that if they’re right…

Alaric could be long gone. It could be that, after spending an entire year trying to get back to him, she’s just lost the love of her life.

Gritting my teeth, I move closer and put a hand on her shoulder. She leans into my touch, but she doesn’t look at me, she just swallows a sob.

I rub her shoulder in what I hope is a comforting gesture, then decide to get to the bottom of this. “Alright,” I start, drawingtheir attention to myself, “the first thing we need to do is understand that we don’t know anything yet.”

This makes Raven look up for a second, a glimmer of hope in her eyes that quickly dies down.

“Then we need to figure out what to do next,” I keep going, hoping my determination will rub off on her.

“How the hell do we dothat?” Lorcan demands with this bitterness in his voice.

I ignore it. “So,” I start, “it’s been thirty five years since Baldur awoke.”

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