Page 65 of Roaring Flames

Blood.

Holy fuck.

Holy fuck.

I wait for the monster—because that’s what it is—to grab me. Kill me. Tear me apart.

But there’s only silence.

Somewhere in the distance, a dog begins to bark and a baby cries. Conversations from two girls reach me as they discuss their job.

What the hell was that?

That wasn’t a goddamn wolf or anything I’ve ever seen before. Anything I’ve everheardbefore. The shadow didn’t look human…but it also didn’t resemble an animal.

It was a beast, a monster, a nightmare made from shadows.

With terror still coursing through my veins, tainting my blood like battery acid, I break into a run.

And I don’t stop running until I’m secure in Grayson’s apartment.

Twenty-Five

GRAYSON

Igroan as I lift my head and take in my surroundings.

I’m not necessarily surprised to find myself in another cell, though this one is far more degrading than the last one I was forced into. Three of the walls are constructed out of gray cement, while a fourth is composed of steel bars. The floor is cold to the touch and covered in a liquid I really, really hope is just water. There’s not a single piece of furniture. All I’ve been left with is a scratchy-looking blanket frayed at the edges.

“Sleepy Beauty awakens,” a familiar accented voice remarks.

“Sleeping Beauty,” I correct automatically as I force myself to my feet and step closer to the bars separating me from my captor.

Vladimir Popov grins, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. His red eyes gleam ominously in the darkness of my prison.

“They vant to see you,” Vlad says, still smiling.

He always wanted to see me fall from grace.

I wonder if he took over my position during my…extended absence.

“They truly know how to make a guest feel welcomed,” I murmur as I bring my hand to my head.

My fingers come away sticky with blood.

Instead of responding, Vlad reaches into his pocket and procures a set of heavy-looking iron keys. He sticks the largest one into the padlock and twists.

“Don’t keep them vaiting,” Vlad says, gesturing me forward with more contempt than courtesy.

I wobble slightly, my head spinning, but manage to regain my footing. Thank fuck for that.

Vlad eyes me with thinly veiled distaste. “So it’s true.”

“What is?” I don’t spare the vampire a second glance as I move towards the steep staircase that will lead me to the Elder Chambers.

“You haven’t fed.”

Vlad’s words cause my feet to freeze. Something cold and insidious circles my neck like a noose.

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