Page 97 of Bite of Vengeance

“Kali won’t follow you,” I spat out. “She never will.”

He tilted his head. “No? Tell me, Zan, what would you do to protect her?”

Anything.I’d do fucking anything to keep Kali safe. Even before our bond was fully formed, I would have done whatever was needed to protect her.

“The way you feel about her is a mirror of her feelings for you,” he said, arrogance in his voice. “She will do everything to protect you. The bond will make sure of that.”

I bit back my retort. Arguing with him would do nothing. I only hoped my brothers would be able to convince Kali to stay away. She didn’t need to come for me.

“We have a problem.”

Amaros frowned, turning his head toward the driver who had slid open a small partition to the front of the truck.

“What?” he snapped.

“The girl is out there. One of the twins.”

My heart leaped into my throat, and I peered through the tiny partition, panic sliding through me when I couldn’t see anything out of the windshield. Closing my eyes, I listened, hearing heartbeats outside of the vehicle. Many heartbeats.

“Which one?” Amaros said tightly. “Kali or Keeva?”

The vampire’s voice shook. “I…I don’t know. I can’t tell them apart.”

“Are my sons out there?”

“No. PARA uniforms.”

Keeva.From the small flash of surprise in Amaros’s eyes, he wasn’t expecting her to find us so soon. He stood up, bending slightly to keep from hitting the ceiling of the truck.

He made his way toward the front. “How far out are we?”

“The gate is just past the trees. But they aren’t going to let us pass.”

Amaros cursed. “Where are the other vehicles?”

“About twenty minutes out.”

Realization slammed into me as I stared at my father. His vampires weren’t here yet. His plan wasn’t falling exactly intoplace. The truck halted suddenly, and Rowan shifted, his eyes not leaving Amaros.

“Zan, you’re going to go out there with me,” he ordered. “You will not do anything until I say.”

The invisible bands of the entrancement snapped through me as I stood. Amaros grabbed Rowan by the back of his neck, yanking him to his feet, making him curse.

“Get fucked,” he breathed out, his voice thick with pain.

Amaros chuckled as he tightened his hold, making Rowan writhe in agony. “You knew this was coming. Unfortunately for you and the humans, you’re going to lose.”

Rowan glowered at him, not saying a word. My father turned his attention to me, jerking his head in an order for me to exit the vehicle. A vampire had already opened the door in the back, and I sucked in a deep breath before jumping down.

The moon was hidden by low clouds, and the air smelled like rain. How long had I been unconscious?

“Let Rowan go.”

I snapped my head to the side, seeing Keeva standing across the small clearing. Behind her were about twenty people wearing PARA uniforms. I frowned when their scent hit me. They weren’t humans. They wereShadows.

“I can smell him,” Keeva hissed, fury coating her voice. “I know he’s here.”

“He is,” Amaros answered as he got out of the vehicle, keeping his grip on Rowan. “I didn’t give you enough credit. You found us faster than I was expecting.”

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