Page 52 of Nightfall


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“Don’t come any closer,” he snapped.

Lawrence’s brows drew together, and his head cocked to the side. “You care what happens to these women, don’t you?”

Declan’s expression was dark. “Of course I do.”

“Jillian is poison to my kind.”

“Jill can’t be blamed for what’s in her blood.”

“That doesn’t change anything. Blood is something that should never be tainted. It’s a sacred communion.” Lawrence’s black eyes glittered. “I’ve tasted blood today, felt it hot in my mouth while a heart ceased to beat beneath my touch. I’ve never felt anything so amazing in my life. It was primal. Incredible.”

Declan’s expression didn’t change. “Like I said, don’t come any closer.”

“Or what?” A smile snaked across Lawrence’s face. “I could have killed you earlier. I should have, but I was still soft then. Much has changed over the last hour. But I know this much, you’re weakened by the Nightshade. And injured. Even the stronger hunter, be they dhampyr or not, can’t recover in such a short time. If you had, you would have already made your move on me.”

Declan didn’t flinch at this to show Lawrence that his guess was right, but he didn’t have to. I could see it, just by looking at him. Declan was in bad shape. He’d recover from the injuries in a matter of hours, but the Nightshade he’d been injected with was a wildcard. He wasn’t at full strength, and I knew he hated that.

Jennifer trembled next to me, and I reached down to grab hold of her hand.

“How many have you killed?” I had to ask, knowing I needed to keep Lawrence talking for a bit longer. “Guards? Researchers?”

His eerie, wistful smile returned. “All of them, I think. I lost count.”

“What about Jackson?” Jennifer spoke up. “Jackson Gale?”

Lawrence regarded the girl fully, his gaze scanning her from head to foot. “I don’t know you.”

“I’m Jackson’s sister,” she said.

His gaze scanned her hospital gown and the curve of her stomach. “You were a patient here in the Nightfall project.”

“I was,” she confirmed. “Although, I didn’t know the details. If I had, I never would have agreed to it.”

“I’m sure.” His forehead furrowed. “You were you the one with Stacy last night.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “I was.”

He swallowed hard. “Did she suffer? In the end?”

Jennifer glanced at me, and I silently urged her to lie.

She shook her head. “No, she went peacefully. No pain. She just...slipped away.” She was silent for a moment, as the vampire studied the ground, his chest shaking with quiet sobs. “You’re her husband Lawrence, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Stacy loved you, Lawrence. She hoped you would be reunited soon.”

I held my breath and waited, knowing that this was a well-delivered lie. Jennifer had already told us that Stacy had been frightened of her vampire husband, which was the reason she’d turned herself over to Dr. Reynolds, hoping for a positive outcome from her pregnancy.

“I wish she would have told me the truth,” he managed.

“About Jackson?” Jennifer ventured. “I know he’s here, somewhere. I hadn’t spoken to him for quite some time. I want to see him again.”

Lawrence raised his brows. “I’m starting to understand why that hunter did anything Victor asked him to.”

“He sold us out,” Declan said. “Didn’t he?”

“Is that what you think?” Lawrence quickly composed himself again, pushing aside his grief, and clasped his hands behind his back. It was a true sign that he didn’t see Declan as a current threat. If Declan had some strength and energy in reserve, this is when he would pounce.

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