Page 31 of Bite of Sin

Love,

Your mother

I always tried imagining what my mother looked like. This note was all I had from her, and half the time, I wondered if it was ramblings. It didn’t make any sense. I was nothing but an orphan. But I always kept it because this was the only thing she’d given me. I was only days old when I was found abandoned at a train station, wrapped up in a blanket. I didn’t even know the real day I was born. The date on my birth certificate was a guess. But since I was less than a month old when I was found, I knew my birthday was in June.

Footsteps from the hall caught my attention, and I shot to my feet, quickly putting the letter in a small pocket of my backpack before wiping the tears from my cheeks. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard vampires in the hall. There had been a couple of them that walked past the room, but this time was different.

The footsteps were slow, and when they stopped outside my room, I silently lifted my bag and tiptoed forward, setting it right on the wall near the door. It was big and bulky, and if I had to fight my way out, I had a better chance without it on. There were no other sounds until a few seconds later when the footsteps moved away.

My heart raced, and I took small, quiet breaths as I counted to sixty. It was still silent, and I kept my bag where it was as I pushed the dresser away from the door. Keeping one hand behind my back in case I needed the gun, I used my other to grasp the doorknob. I twisted it, cracking the door an inch. My breath hitched when my eyes locked on a pair of bright green ones. Before I could do anything else, the door was shoved open hard enough to make me stumble back.

I righted myself, glaring at the vampire filling my doorway. Zan didn’t make a move to come into the room as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. A wicked smirk tipped up his lips as his eyes trailed down my body.

Terror held me hostage, and I forced myself to keep looking at him instead of my bag that was just out of his sight. If he rummaged through that, I was so fucked. My fingers twitched, my instincts screaming to go for my gun. One shot to his head, and then I could stake him in the heart. If there were no other vampires in the hall, I’d be able to get away with it since the gun had a silencer on it.

Until another head popped into the doorway when one of the twins glanced inside. I couldn’t be sure if it was Pax or Viggo, but I had a feeling if one of them was here, so was the other one.

“Damn,” the twin exclaimed with a shake of his head. “I was betting you’d be gone.”

“You were supposed to be on your way to Impulse already,” Zan murmured, ignoring the twin. “I told you to go right when the sun went down.”

“I couldn’t remember the way there,” I lied.

Zan cocked his head to the side. “Really? You mean you weren’t going to try to leave? My watchers informed me that you were on their street last night.”

“Watchers?” I repeated.

“The vampires who wouldn’t let you leave the city.”

I scowled. “How’d they know who I was?”

His eyes fell to my chest, where the necklace was hidden beneath my shirt, his growing grin making anger tear through me.

“They smelled something,” I snapped. “What is it?”

He moved to step into the room, and I shot forward, my palms slamming into his chest before I thought better of it. His fingers instantly wrapped around my wrists while his eyes flared in surprise. But instead of pushing me away, he just kept me in place with my hands on him. His touch was cold, his hold staying firm when I tried tugging away.

“I thought you wanted me at Impulse,” I said tightly. “So lead the way.”

He arched an eyebrow, and I caught a flash of amusement before he stepped back into the hall, taking me with him. The twin reached behind me, slamming the door shut before taking out a black marker and drawing aKon the door. Zan finally released me, and I took a large step away, making sure to keep facing him as the weight of my gun felt even heavier. The long-sleeve shirt I had on was loose and flowy, making it easier to keep the weapon hidden, but if he grabbed me like he did last night, he’d find it immediately. At least he hadn’t seen my bag.

The twin turned around, staying behind Zan. He caught me watching him as he put the marker back in his pocket. His lopsided grin had me believing it was Viggo, since Pax was less than happy about me being here. “No one will go into your room now. Not with the mark on your door.”

“Great,” I ground out.

My attention cut back to Zan when he advanced closer, forcing me to back up until I was pressed against the wall. I went still when he raised his hand, letting his fingers brush against my neck.

“You hiding something in your room?” he questioned, his voice soft but still full of danger at the same time.

“No. But it’s mine. And you weren’t invited in.”

He scoffed. “I’m sure you know by now that vampires don’t need to be invited to get inside someone’s place. That rumor did go around a decade ago, though.”

“I know that.” I kept my voice steady, trying to act like his fingers still grazing my neck weren’t affecting me. Because his touch shouldn’t—but I couldn’t stop the goosebumps from skating across my skin. “I’d rather the assholes who kidnapped me didn’t go in my personal space.”

Zan kept his eyes on mine as he spoke again. “Kidnap? We aren’t holding you hostage. You have your own place, according to you. What do you think, Viggo?”

Well, at least I knew which twin it was now.

---