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Starving and near death, he’d barely made it back to the vampires’ headquarters. Only Nina’s blood and Kaien’s rapid healing had kept him from walking through that one-way door and never returning to the land of the living.
Lucius, her first fledgling. An immutable spirit, defined by the kindness that was so intrinsic to his nature, had been all but broken under theCitizens’brutal hand.
A snarl hissed from between her lips as her fingers tightened on the leather steering wheel. With a creak, the old pickup truck expressed its discontent at her misplaced rage, and she consciously eased her grip. No use taking it out on an inanimate object.
Blowing out a settling breath, a tick worked in her jaw.
In only a few days, she’d get the chance to right the wrongs against Lucius. Nina had telepathed her this morning with the good news. The delegates had confirmed her mission and she’d finally put her plans into play. While the support was appreciated, she’d applied to the newspaper several weeks ago, and she’d already decided to go with or without Nina’s approval.
Blair had volunteered to venture into the belly of the beast itself—the newspaper where theCitizens’head honcho ran ship. While they knew very little of the infamous Torrin Scayde, the malicious leader of the underground terrorist organization, one thing was certain: the man was a monster.
Two months ago, he’d attempted to assassinate Gideon Vega, the monarch of the Elemental people. Torrin had shot Gideon in cold blood while he attempted to save the lives of humans that theCitizenshad purposefully endangered. Three bullets from Torrin’s gun had nearly stopped Gideon’s heart.
Thankfully, given Gideon’s powerful connection to his earth element, he’d survived what should have killed him and had risen to live another day.
But the list of Torrin’s attacks against the immortal world was growing, and with it, the immortal nations’ rising bloodlust to silence the man who was attempting to do the same to them.
The truck’s engine cut off with a sputtering cough before Blair withdrew the keys from the ignition. She tucked them into the visor for easy access—along with an extra two hundred dollars—for when the man happened upon his wayward truck.
Blair turned her attention to the world beyond the windows and once again stepped out into the heat.
While she was in no danger of heat stroke—or freezing to death—the humiditywasa nuisance. It was why her hair was so often in braids, and why she’d plait it when her nerves got the better of her. Fortunately, she wouldn’t be here long enough to worry about the latter.
Trudging through the thick grass, her eyes adjusted to the diluted light. She grinned as she focused on the familiar scene ahead of her. The quiet lake, rather more of a pond, was one of the serene spots she’d frequented over the many years she’d walked the earth.
Turned vampire more than eight hundred years ago, Blair was the second oldest vampire to walk the earth. The one who turned her immortal had existed four centuries before she’d been born, and her siring had been accidental.
Vampires were the most plentiful immortal breed. Sired through blood and sustained by the life-giving fluid, vampires primarily lived in Houses ruled by the oldest and most powerful of their breed. The network of Houses spanned across the globe, and the largest of them was centered in New York City.
Blair, however, had no patience for social frivolity, and existed outside the establishment. She greatly preferred her solitude and resisted the domestic ensnarements that such a life would require of her.
It’d only be a matter of time before Nina unearthed her location and dragged her back to civilization. If she had her way, she’d have remained in the wild up until the moment she started at the newspaper in a few days’ time, but the members of the vampire council had wanted to touch base prior to her mission.
For these few fleeting moments, she could enjoy her solitude.
Soft dusk light drew geometric shades against the earth as the sun disappeared behind the tree line. Dry grasses drummed against her bare calves while Blair slowly made her way toward the serene summer oasis. The whistle of wind tangled through her lengthy blonde locks, the quarter-inch braids that randomly interspersed the loose waves twisting with it.
There, buried under fallen twigs and twisting ivy, lay her prize. A wooden bench, carved by hand from a fallen pine, lingered long forgotten by the lakeshore. Clearing a spot on its sun-warmed surface, Blair took her seat and simply rested.
Wyoming was an untamed wilderness, calming in a way that called to her spirit. Even in the dying light, the surrounding area was tranquil and serene. She breathed in the heat of the August air, the pine-infused tang tickling her nostrils.
Here, she could meditate. The quaint lake had always helped her recenter, and she’d need it. Even though it’d been her idea, willingly shackling herself to society once more made her stomach churn.
It was only a matter of time now before she could right the wrongs against her fledgling. Torrin would get what he deserved. Perhaps more satisfying was the fact that it was her who would hold the knife that’d stab him in the back. Vengeance would be hers, even if it cost her life in the process. She was more than willing to give her life to right that wrong—and to keep her fledglings and family safe.
No one would miss her when she was gone.
“Lies do not become us, Blair.”
Heart quickening reflexively, Blair froze in supernatural stillness for a moment before her natural response dissipated. “Reading my thoughts again, sire?”
The woman sat next to her. “Perhaps you should stop broadcasting if you’d like privacy.” Nina turned to briefly study Blair’s eyes. “I’m glad to see you were able to prevent to color shift.”
“I’m nothing if not honest, sire,” she replied.
Unlike other vampires, Blair had developed the ability to mask the characteristic change of her eye color when her heartbeat elevated. That, along with the control she had over her incisors, which didn’t lengthen in response to stimuli unless she allowed them to, were talents she had developed over the last century. No other pure vampire was as old as Blair, so it remained to be seen if they were abilities linked to age or gifts only she would manifest as adaptations to her unique lifestyle. Her telepathy remained a special bond between her and the first of their race: Nina, her sire.
A rumbling laugh sounded before she shot her oldest friend a wry smile. Dressed in a blue T-shirt and skinny jeans, Nina relaxed on the bench beside her, looking like a tourist in search of bison.
