Page 15 of Blood Lovers

“No.” He does. But he’s not lying because he just doesn’t realize he does. So I drop it.

“Fine. Keep following the scent. And… good job.”

“She could be anywhere, so… you know. Be fucking careful and shit.”

“You’re worried about me.”

“I’m literally not. I’m just informing you of the development. I’ll call you in the morning. Make sure you pick up.”

“Me pick up?” I nearly guffaw. “You’re the one—”

But he has already hung up on me.

I’m grinning as I leave my apartments.

Echo is just where I left her. “You look pleased.” She’s got her lips pressed together and she’s smiling up at me.

I don’t answer her, but I am pleased. So pleased with that single conversation with Ryet, there is a spring in my step as we leave the lodge, crisscross the compound, and make our way to the little cabin where the feeder is kept.

The house has been emptied of humans, but out here the party is raging louder than ever. It’s past midnight now and I’ve missed the countdown. The music is thumping and people are yelling their revelry about a brand-new beginning.

I stop outside the feeder’s door and look at Echo. “Did you go in here tonight?”

“No. Only Lucia went in. She bled her this afternoon and brought bags for us. I’m sorry—”

“It’s fine. She’s been dying for decades now. And anyway, it’s not your fault. If I were you, and at that age”—I pause to smile and tap her nose again, because she is a very cute girl—“I would’ve drunk it too.”

“It was only my second time.”

“Good. Well, we’ll have to make sure you get a third. Wouldn’t want to stunt your growth.”

She smiles big as she backs up. “I’ll give you your privacy.”

“Thank you. And… happy New Year, Echo.”

“Happy New Year to you too, lord.”

I watch Echo until she disappears around a corner, and then I turn my attention back to the door.

CHAPTER FIVE - SYRSEE

It’s like I want to get caught.

I don’t want to see a dying woman in my dreamwalk, I want to see my grandma the way she was. The way she used to be before her curse took her soul. So I am excited when the fog that floats up around me isn’t lavender, but purple.

The past?

I hope. But it could be the future because I’m not with my grandma, I’m in a winter forest. Large flakes of snow falling from the white sky like feathers from Heaven. I’m standing on the edge of the same clearing where I was earlier, except it can’t be the same clearing because that haze was lavender.

And aside from that, there is a man here now. He’s sitting on a fallen tree trunk in the center of the clearing and holding a baby wrapped in furs. He’s gazing down at it the way a man might look down on his own beautiful child.

I take a step forward, surprised that this one step comes with the sound of snow crunching under my boot. When he looks up, I realize my mistake. He is not a man.

He is a monster. Black wings unfurl from the furs covering his back. His eyes brighten to silver. His mouth opens, revealing fangs. His face is something evil, but I can’t look away. I’m drawn to him.

And he to me, apparently. Because he’s looking right into my eyes.

No. No, no, no. He cannot see me. Not only can he not see me, I cannot see him. This is how it’s always been. This is how it always shall be.