Page 74 of Nearly Dead

I don’t know where to go or what to do.I start to head back to the protected wing only to stop in the foyer.

“Costin,” I whisper, my heart aching.“I think I need you.”

The world tilts and suddenly I’m pulled toward a study in the east wing.This house has so many rooms that I’ve barely spent time in this one.I’m standing on the red carpet.I turn ready to put my arms around Costin, but he’s not there.

“Costin?”

The floor begins to vibrate and a tile near the fireplace lifts from the ground and slides to the side.Costin’s hand reaches out of the darkness.It’s then I realize I traveled with vampiric speed on my own.I’m too hurt and tired to be pleased by the revelation.

I go to the hole in the floor and sit to drop my legs in.Costin’s hands grab my hips and help me down.I drop to the floor in the darkness.It’s cool here in the secret room.The ceiling is low but I’m able to stand.I see Costin’s face in the shadows as he pulls the tile back into place to hide the light.

His arms wrap around me, and he doesn’t speak.For a moment, he holds me.Then, sweeping his arms around me he lifts me into his embrace and carries me to a bed.I feel sleep pulling me in, the kind of deep sleep that makes me think of the dead in their graves.My breathing stops and I wait to see if my lungs will burn for air.They don’t.I don’t resist the needs of my vampire to find respite from the day.

Costin holds me against him as my thoughts drift.

I am Tamara Devine, daughter of Davis and Lorelai by blood, but Astrid’s daughter by choice.Hybrid, vampire, werewolf, mere mortal, all of these things and none of them completely.

Whatever comes next, I’ll face it standing firmly on my own two feet.Not because I’m alone, but quite the opposite.Because I finally understand what it means to be loved.It’s not all sunshine and roses and happiness.Sometimes it’s darkness.It’s having those around you willing to make the tough choices, to push you to do what you don’t want to.It’s support and understanding.And, yes, sometimes it feels like control… but only when I let it.

Tomorrow will bring new challenges, new battles.But for now, in this moment of clarity, I know who I am.Today, that is enough.

ChapterSeventeen

“He’s coming.He’s coming for you.”

A nightmare pulls me from my dead sleep with a violent jerk.Sweat slicks my skin as I gasp, panting until I realize I don’t need to breathe.My heart hammers against my ribs.In the darkness of Costin’s underground sanctuary, I can still see the lingering image of Conrad’s face from my dreams.Though, now it’s not the mocking ghost who’s haunted me since his death, but my brother, desperate and afraid.

“Tamara.”Costin’s voice cuts through my panic, his cool hand finding mine in the darkness.

The image of my brother fades like it was never there.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to wake you.”

I feel Costin shift beside me on the bed, his body pulling me into reality.“What is it?”

“Conrad,” I manage, my voice steadier than I feel.“He was scared and trying to warn me.”

Costin doesn’t dismiss it as just a dream.Instead, he sits up, instantly alert.Even in the pitch darkness, I can feel the intensity of his gaze.“What did he say?”

Before I can answer, a piercing scream echoes through the estate, followed by the sound of breaking glass.The sanctuary’s ceiling trembles, dust raining down on the silky sheets.

Costin is on his feet in an instant, moving with supernatural speed.I’m only a heartbeat behind him.My hybrid reflexes nearly match his vampire quickness as I ready for battle.

The echoes of the scream fade.

“What is it?”I whisper.

“Stay close,” Costin orders, as he reaches for the ceiling.

“What about the sun?”I ask.“That sounded like glass.It’s not safe.”

“It’s night,” he answers.“Can’t you sense it?”

I look up at the ceiling.The prickling warning that came with dawn has faded.

Costin pushes open the hidden door leading up to the study.He jumps up, moving with elegant grace.I try to follow his example, but my foot is less sure, and I stumble a little.

The rancid scent hits me first.It’s the copper tang of old blood mixed with the putrid smell of decay.The study is intact, but chaos unfolds elsewhere in the house.Panicked shouts and breaking furniture mark the unmistakable sound of combat.

He leads me through the corridors.My wolf senses are alert to every sound.My vampire instincts calculate threats.I sense the carnage waiting for us before we enter the main foyer.

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