Page 167 of The Bond That Burns

We rounded the corner and then skidded to a halt.

Lace lay sprawled on her back on the blood-soaked stones. Her eyes stared blankly upwards.

“Oh, Bloodmaiden,” I whispered, clapping a hand over my mouth.

Visha was already kneeling beside Lace, her hands hovering uselessly over her body as if afraid to touch her.

Theo took a step forward but before he could take another, I grabbed his arm, my eyes suddenly locked on the far side of the corridor.

We weren’t alone.

There, crouched in the shadows further along the hall, a small figure shifted.

A sound emerged from the darkness. A laugh. Light, like a child’s giggle.

But this didn’t sound sweet or innocent. It sent a chill down my spine.

“Fuck,” Theo breathed beside me as Aenia Drakharrow stepped forward.

Blood stained the young girl’s mouth, her hands, even her wild, tangled white-blonde hair.

Her eyes met mine and I glimpsed a feral, desperate hunger. I’d seen that look in Blake’s sister’s eyes before. My breath caught in my throat as I choked down a terrified sob.

“Florence!” Theo shouted.

But it was too late. Aenia lunged, moving faster than I’d ever seen, her hands outstretched, her nails sharp as claws.

I screamed and threw up my hands instinctively, already knowing it was too late.

Suddenly Theo was there. He’d moved behind Aenia with unbelievable speed, as only another highblood could move.

I heard Aenia scream. The scream turned to a gurgle.

The highblood girl seemed to freeze, mid-attack.

I lowered my hands, watching as she stumbled backwards slightly.

Theo yanked something out of Aenia’s back. A blade. He gave a great, choking cry as Aenia’s blood sprayed across him, across the stones, across me.

She crumpled to the ground.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. The air was filled with the metallic scent of mingled blood. The corridor felt thick with death. I put a hand to my throat, feeling like I was going to be sick.

Footsteps pounded against the stone behind me. I turned to see Blake coming around the corner, his face grim.

He froze.

For a moment, all was silent. Then, slowly, I stepped aside, revealing the small lifeless form behind me.

A keening sound came from Blake’s lips. The world seemed to narrow to just him and Aenia.

He moved forward like a man moving through water, slowly but deliberately. Kneeling beside his sister, he scooped her body into his arms, cradling her against his chest as if she might still wake. His hands trembled as he brushed blood-matted strands of hair from her face.

I wanted to say something, but the words caught in my throat. I looked at Theo, but his face had gone white.

“Blake,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Lace.” I wanted to say more. Wanted to explain everything properly. To tell him that Theo had saved me. But those were the only words that would come out.

A choked sob pierced the stillness. Across the hall, Visha was on her knees.

---