Page 52 of Blood Secret

16

Janna

We followedthe alley we’d been in that first night, where Vale had killed Desiree. It ran along the back of the buildings on that block, from end to end, and the club was in the center of the row.

It was such a wide building that there were three doors leading inside.

“It was probably three separate buildings at one point, and the owner had the walls removed to create one large space,” Vale murmured as we crouched behind a dumpster, watching.

“That doesn’t help. What happens if we choose the wrong door?”

“You sound like you expect me to know the answer to that. You’re the one this is so important to, not me.”

The last thing I needed was his sarcasm.

It was bad enough I couldn’t make sense of the war going on in my head, between the constant driving desire for blood and the rage that was always just under the surface of my thoughts.

It wasn’t Vale’s fault I was the way I was. Not really. It was Bradley’s fault. More and more of the attack was coming back to me, usually when I wasn’t thinking about it.

Peeing down my leg. The way he had laughed as he took me by the back of the neck and smashed my face into the wall. The sharp, mind-numbing burst of pain starting from my nose and radiating through my head. Not being able to see through the blood running in my eyes. His hands on me once he tore my dress, his claws digging and scratching.

And still, he had laughed.

Even when he stomped on my chest, he had laughed. Brutally, nastily. He had loved it.

It was after four in the morning as we waited to go inside through one of the back doors. The club would be closed, and the stupid, clueless patrons would have left.

Amazing how little time it took for me to start thinking the way Vale did about the humans who spent time there. How could they not see what was really happening? It was nothing more than a way to attract fresh blood to feed on.

I ran the back of my hand over my mouth at the thought of blood.

“You all right?” He was watching me, always watching, waiting for a signal that I was about to go over the edge.

I gritted my teeth and reminded myself it was for the best.

“Yes. I’m fine. Just… ready to do this.” I chose one of the doors at random. “That one. On the right.”

I was out from behind the dumpster and on my way before he had the chance to register what I’d said.

The door was locked, but that didn’t matter to me. I nearly ripped it off the hinges.

“Easy, now,” Vale muttered as he closed it behind us. “No need to sound an alarm to warn them in advance.”

“I know, I know.” I didn’t care if they knew. I almost wanted them to. I was jonesing for a fight. I knew I could take on all comers and only needed the chance to prove myself.

We were in the liquor storage room, surrounded on all sides by shelves stocked deep with bottles of everything from vodka to mixers.

We stepped out into a dark, narrow hallway—I could see the fully-lit dance floor to my right, at the far end, and stepped back into the doorway.

“Club,” I mouthed, pointing to the right.

I poked my head out and looked left. There was a stairway leading down to a lower level. I took off for it and heard Vale muttering curses behind me. I didn’t care about anything but getting to Bradley.

What I saw when I reached the bottom of that rusted, decaying staircase floored me.

“Holy shit,” Vale whispered, squeezing my arm.

I didn’t reply. I was too busy counting the coffins which lined the walls on all sides of the wide, deep basement.

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