Page 43 of Vampire Blood

I pointed at the sarcophagus. “We don’t have time for plans.”

The runes pulsed again, bathing the chamber in blood-red light. The chains groaned, pulled taut by an unseen force. Whatever was inside was pushing against its prison.

“The witch hasn’t told me what to do yet, how to prevent this from happening,” I shouted desperately. “I… I can’t understand what she is trying to tell me in my dreams.”

Kael turned to the runes. “If he had the strength to get out of there, he would have been out by now. That means they need more of your blood. And that also means we have some more time.”

“But how much?” Lucas asked. “We could already be too late.”

“No,” Kael shook his head. “There is a shaman we need to see. She will help Annika decipher the message she has been trying to receive through her dreams.”

Lucas and I exchanged a meaningful glance, then he nodded.

“Alright,” Lucas agreed. “We go there now.”

But a voice cut through our intention like a blade. “Well, perhaps you could stay a bit longer.”

Chapter Fourteen

Lucas

The air shifted, thickening with something sharp and electric. I felt it before I saw him. It was power, raw and untamed, pressing down like a weight. Then he stepped out of the shadows.

The shifter. Their leader.

He moved with an easy confidence, his steps deliberate, predatory. Dark hair fell just past his shoulders, and his eyes—too bright, too wild—locked on me with something between amusement and disdain.

“Well, well,” he drawled, lips curling into a smirk. “The vampire prince himself.” His gaze flicked to Annika, then back to me. “And his precious little human.”

I bared my fangs. “Whoever you are, you should’ve stayed hidden.”

He laughed. The sound grated against my nerves. “Hidden? No.” His eyes glinted. “I wanted you to come. I wanted you to see what weakness looks like.”

His pack fanned out behind him, forming a tight circle around us. Wolves and men, shifting and growling, their eyes gleaming in the dim light. The space felt smaller, the walls pressing in.

Annika shifted closer to me, and I felt her warmth against my side, grounding me. But the leader saw it. His grin widened.

“There it is,” he said. “Weakness.”

My claws ached to tear into him, to wipe that smug look off his face, but I didn’t move. Not yet.

“Your leash is showing, vampire prince,” he taunted, nodding toward Annika. “She’s made you soft. You’re too busy protecting her to be what you were meant to be. A predator.”

I took a step forward, forcing him to stop. “You think love makes me weak?” My voice came out low, edged with a growl. “Then you’re more foolish than I thought.”

He didn’t flinch. “No, I think it’s made you predictable.”

The pack closed in, the sound of claws scraping stone and low growls filling the air. My muscles tensed, ready to spring, but the leader didn’t move.

“Let her go,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “This doesn’t have to end with blood.”

“Oh, but it does.” His eyes gleamed. “That’s the point, isn’t it? Blood. Hers. Yours. All of it spilled for what’s coming.”

Annika stiffened beside me, but I couldn’t look at her.

I tightened my grip on my dagger. “Then let’s get to it.”

His grin stretched wider. “With pleasure.”

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