Page 16 of Fated In Blood

“I’ve been searching ever since the night you disappeared.” I wrapped my fingers around her fragile wrist and dragged her toward the door.

“I never gave up. I’m so sorry.” I swallowed, scanning the empty hallway, screams filtering up through the smoke. “It took me so long to find who kidnapped you. Then I had to figure out a way inside the castle without arousing suspicion.”

“Howdidyou find me, Evie?” Angelique’s mouth was an angry line as she yanked out of my grasp. “How?”

“By hunting down and questioning vampires. But I wasn’t sure you were here, not until I…I…”

Angel was dressed in clothes that cost a fortune. Her blond hair was perfectly coifed, her makeup impeccable, her skin glowing. A lavish half-eaten dinner waited on the table, candles still burning, the second chair pulled out as if…she was waiting for someone.

“…found Spencer. Only then was I sure…you were here.” Every word grew softer as I surveyed the scene before me with fresh eyes. Beyond my sister, a rumpled bed was lit by even more candles. Two small red marks marred her perfect, pale throat.

Her words echoed inside my head: You thought I was being held here against my will?

Air sawed in and out of my lungs.

“Fuck.” Angel whirled away. “Fuck, Evie. What did you do? Did you…Were you the one who killed Spence?” Her face went white. “Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”

I reached out my shaking hand. “Angel, we have to go. We’ll talk about this in the car.”

“This is myhome, Evie,” Angel explained, her eyes flicking to the door, where the screaming was growing louder, a haze of black smoke curling along the ceiling. “These are my people now.”

Then she moved, faster than any human could have ever moved, and snatched my knife away.

I blinked down at my empty hands.

“I’m one of them now. A vampire. This castle is mine. Laurent Tyrellis mine. And you killed his only son.” Her pale blue eyes flickered with profound sadness. “You should never have come here, Evangeline. I’ll do what I can, but we have rules in our world, and Laurent will make you pay dearly for killing his heir.”

9

EVANGELINE

“No.” I shook my head, fighting my rising panic. “No, you’re not…Theytookyou, Angelique. Kidnapped you from our apartment. I read all the reports. Went over the whole place myself. People died that night.”

God, I couldn’t fucking breathe, This couldn’t be happening.

This had to be a mistake.Maybe she was brainwashed.

“That night…was a mistake on Laurent’s part.” Her voice softened and my mouth dried up at the secret smile that stole over her lips. “He loves me. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.”

Horror coursed through my veins as I gaped at Angel, noticing everything I’d missed before.

She was even more stunning than I remembered. Platinum blond hair, piercing blue eyes, her dark red dress slit to her navel, showing off more cleavage than she ever would have dared as a human. The same young, rounded face as mine, except hers was touched by the angels. More beautiful, more exotic…moreeverything.

I was going to vomit. Right here, right now, I was going to be sick.

My sister wasn’t lying.

Angelique possessed all the strange otherworldly qualities of a vampire, enhancing her stunning beauty, accentuating every smooth, gliding movement, and I flinched when her pale eyes raked over me, edged with hunger.

I shifted closer to the door.

“I’m going to get you out.” I clung stubbornly to my fast-disappearing plan, months of planning slipping away like they’d never existed. “Just…come with me, Angel. This can…We can be a family again. You just need some distance between you and…there’s a name for this. Stockholm Syndrome.”Oh God, what was I going to do?I had to get her out, and our window of opportunity was shrinking by the second.

“I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome, Evie.” Angelique floated closer, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me shudder. “I love Laurent, and he loves me. He turned me so we could spend an eternity together.”

“Bullshit. He only turned you to control you.”

Her eyes flared wide. “How do you know that?”

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