Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Throwing it open, I’m not ashamed to say I sprinted outside and slammed it behind me—panting like I ran for my life... because I was fairly certain I did.
“What the hell just happened?” I shrieked. “Why did he suddenly freak out on me like that!”
“Because, you senile old fool, I’ve told you a million times that a glamour is just an illusion, and illusions only work on the ignorant! Saying that you’re bleeding while you’re bleeding is more than enough to break the spell—if only for a moment.”
“Then—then—” I stumbled down the hall, wanting as far away from Professor Santino Radu as possible. “What stopped him?”
“My lord did. He laced your eyes and voice with a subtle persuasion spell so that people will want to believe you,” she said. “But what really stopped him is that he won’t risk tasting your blood until he’s absolutely sure you’re not a demon.”
“Why?” I kept glancing over my shoulder, but who knew why? I understood better than ever now that if Radu was after me, I’d never see him coming. “Is demon blood bad for vampires?”
“Of course it is,” she snapped. Sabrina was more than a little peeved at me for putting her in so many near-death encounters in the space of a single morning. “Would it be bad for you to suck the blood out of a dead animal carcass?”
I gagged, heaving at the very thought.
“Exactly,” she said, feeling my stomach contract. “Demon blood is poisonous to vampires—even fatal. This should make it easy for demons to wipe them out, but as I said, they’re simply too fast. You can’t poison a creature you can’t get close to.”
I just nodded. Looking over my shoulder one more time, I met Radu’s eyes.
He stood at the door of his classroom, watching me scurry away without a blink, twitch, or expression on his face. Without the sea of shouting, shoving, swearing chaos, there was only me... and him.
And Sabrina, I thought as she stuck her head out of my collar. I’ve been reckless, but not anymore. All I’ve got to do is heed her advice and everything will be—
“You’re doomed, human.”
I tripped on air. “What?! What are you talking about?”
“He chose caution and reputation today, but he has the smell of your blood in his cold, withered veins now. For one blissful, heady moment, the one thing he’s desired most in the last three hundred yearsss was within his reach. Do you truly imagine he’d let it walk out the door that easily? No,” she hissed. “Now, he will wait, he will watch, and when there is no doubt... he will strike.”
Cold, naked fear poured over me like ice water. “But—but if I’m careful—”
“No,” Sabrina said softly, silently slithering back into my shirt. “It is too late. Much, much too late.”
Rounding the corner out of the hallway, Radu disappeared, and I slammed into a hard chest.
“No!” I shouted, flailing wildly. “Get off! Get off!”
“Whoa, chill out.” Firm, warm hands gripped my wrist. “And seriously, what are you?” Tristian shook me like a tambourine. “Why are you so weak?”
I broke free, breathing hard. “What’s up? What’s going on?” I couldn’t say it, but I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life. Superhuman speed or not, Tristan fought and killed dozens upon dozens of demons in one night. If there was anyone I wanted by my side right then, it was him.
Even if he was covered head to toe in black blood.
“Radu... let us out early. Class is over.”
“I ain’t here about that. It’s something else.” Tristan combed his hair back from his eyes. The wetness on his hands slicked it back—turning his wild look into a sleek one. If my knees weren’t already shaking, they would’ve been then. “I was taking the trash out when I saw something that you need to see.” He turned his back and strode off. “Follow me.”
Confused, I dithered for half a second. What in the world do I need to see in this place?
“You coming?” he called.
I sighed. “Yes,” I replied, picking up my feet. “I’m coming.”
We were a silent pair weaving through the dimmed, maze-like corridors. I put half a mind to mentally charting the route so that I could map it in my notebook, but I had to give up after the fourth time we somehow ended up walking back in the direction we came from.
Finally, we came up on a pair of large, double doors. Once again, the dancing skeletons joined hands around the doorknobs—beckoning us through.
Tristan grasped the knob and stopped. “You said you were looking for a couple of guys, right? One with a scorpion tail, one with a lion’s maw, and one with a horned frog head? Plus a snake and a tiger demon?”
I frowned. “Uh, yeah. Why?”
He threw open the door. “See for yourself.”