Page 80 of Crimson Born

“Wonderful. Our entourage pulls out tomorrow night at first dark, heading back to California.”

“Oh. So soon?”

Her head quirked to the side. “Are there things you need to take care of before you go?”

I nodded. “Only one thing. One person, actually. A guy. I’m going to try to persuade him to come with me when we go back to the Bastion tonight. He’s Imogen’s child too.”

She blew out a short breath. “Well, this should be interesting. If you don’t make it back here before our buses leave, then come to Los Angeles as soon as you can and find our headquarters. If I don’t happen to be there at the moment, tell them I requested your presence specifically... Abigail.”

“You know my name?”

She smiled. “I know a lot of things. I’ll see you soon.” In a lower tone she added, “If he won’t come with you now, don’t give up hope. Remember, everything happens for a reason.”

My friends and I walked away together, each of us expressing just how wowed we were by meeting Sadie.

For me, it was more than that.

Listening to her speech and then speaking to her, I’d experienced a sensation akin to what I used to feel when doing puzzles in the evenings with my brothers and sisters.

There was something so satisfying when the pieces fit and locked into place.

This was like that—only so much stronger. I had found my place in the world—and it wasn’t in Virginia. For the first time in months, I was filled with anticipation.

That happy feeling dulled when I spotted the red taillights stretching out in every direction. All the roads leading away from the monument were at a standstill.

While many vampires had stayed for the all-night sit-in, many were, like us, heading home after Sadie’s speech. They probably needed to get to work or simply wanted to make sure they were safely inside when dawn arrived.

“Oh no.” I sighed.

Heather gave me a tight smile. “It’s okay. We still have three hours. Here’s the car.”

The numbers on the car’s digital dashboard readout seemed to move unnaturally fast as the traffic crept along the surface streets all the way to the highway.

Unfortunately, the slow speed gave us an up close and personal view of the counter-protestors who lined the roadways holding signs and chanting and shouting at our cars.

“Vamps Go Home,” one of the signs read.

Another featured a ridiculous winged cartoon vampire inside a red circle with a diagonal line across its center. It bore the caption, “No Monsters in Our Cities.”

Anxiously eying the clock, I said, “I wish vampirescouldfly.”

“We’re not superheroes.” Kelly turned back to bare her teeth at me while she formed her hands into claws. “We’re ‘monsters.’”

“Right,” I said and resumed my clock-watching.

When we finally reached it, the highway was backed up as well. That was it then. We’d never make it to the Bastion before midnight.

As if reading my thoughts, Heather glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “It’s going to be okay. Reece is smart. I’m sure he’s figured out a way to get out of it.”

I nodded and stared out the window, willing the mile markers to pass faster.

When we finally arrived at the Bastion, it was after two a.m. We approached the cavern grounds cautiously, unsure of how long a turning ceremony actually lasted.

There was no one in sight above ground, so apparently the event was over.

“What if we have trouble getting back out again?” Kelly asked as we entered our soon-to-be-former home.

Heather shrugged. “I don’t think anyone cares ifweleave. Our training is done. People come and go all the time. Robbie wasn’t even working the door tonight, and the guy who was just waved us through.”

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