Chapter 16 Spilled Blood #2
A firm hand grasped my shoulder from behind.
“Sage,” Jakob said, loud enough to be heard by those around us but quiet enough to seem calm. “Why don’t you go get a towel to help clean this up?”
The Premier was walking now.
“Sage, run!” Jakob whispered.
My legs unfroze, and I bolted out of the room, cracking a charm on my bracelet that gave me a boost of speed and agility.
I moved through the crowd like it was no obstacle, appearing to anyone watching as nothing more than a blur, cutting through to the kitchen and out the back door.
I kept moving down the alley, ditching my vest and bow tie as I ran.
Next came my button-down, leaving me in my T-shirt and black pants.
I heard yells and snarls behind me, but I couldn’t even pause to look. There would be no talking myself out of this one.
More charms clinked like bells on my bracelet, and I crushed another through my fingers.
This one masked my scent, disrupting the trail of omega perfume and blood the vampires were following.
Then I turned sharply to the right, cutting through a coffee shop and running through the back before the barista even noticed I was there.
I took a left through the small side street, then headed towards a pet store.
The animal smells would block me even further.
My first charm was wearing off, and I needed to blend in.
I entered slowly, examining the fish tanks and bird cages like a potential customer, keeping one eye on the front.
When I heard a stampede of booted footsteps approaching, I went down an aisle of small rodent cages, keeping me hidden from the large windows.
I held my breath as they rushed past, trying to calm my heart as their voices faded.
“Which way did she go?”
“Dammit, I lost the scent. You go left, I’ll go straight.”
I felt myself get lightheaded and dizzy. I wasn’t supposed to do this much cardio; I could pass out at any moment.
I backed up into the wall and slid down slowly to the ground, lowering my head between my knees to take big, gulping breaths of air once I landed on my butt.
I crushed another charm, this one sending a wave of blissful calm through my veins. It didn’t stop my mind from freaking out, but at least my heart didn’t feel like it was about to burst through my chest anymore.
The cashier yawned from the register up front where she was playing with her phone.
“Hey, you can go out the back if you want,” she called out in a flat voice.
I got up, peering around the corner. She was still staring at her screen.
“R-really?” I asked.
She finally looked at me, her ice blue eyes shining, sharp canines slipping through her lips as she smiled. “Yeah, I’m not a fucking snitch. Especially to vamps.”
I hadn’t been as inconspicuous in my entrance as I’d hoped, but I nodded my thanks to the werewolf and slipped out the exit at the back of the store, crushing one more charm on my bracelet to give me a bubble of incuriosity, keeping me practically invisible on the mile I had to walk to get home.
I used the time to think. First, I couldn’t believe I’d used so many charms in one day.
Those had taken me months to make, from saving to buy the expensive ingredients to preparing the spells and potions just right.
Ugh, maybe I could ask Mr. Calder at Hemlock it was just an accident.
The only thing that got hurt was some old lady’s ugly dress!
Your boss stalled him for as long as he could, but he’ll probably be here soon.
Come on, I ordered us a Chariot; it should be here in a few minutes. ”
“To go where?” I asked. “He’ll find me just as easily at your place. I have to get back to Cindralis. My people will protect me.”
“I know,” she hissed, looking over her shoulder. She said she hadn’t been followed, right? “We’ll go to the bus station, but we need to hurry!”
I leaned my head against the door, taking one last deep breath. Goodbye, my first apartment. My first taste of adulthood and freedom.
It pained me, but my fingers eventually found their way to the doorknob and I twisted, the worn brass cold and squeaking.
Nellie’s typically perfect makeup was smudged, and she tapped her foot nervously as I tiptoed out, eyes darting to every corner. She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me back to the elevator. “I told you, it’s fine. We’ve got to go!”
I couldn’t shake the sense of dread that fell over me as the elevator doors closed. A bead of sweat slid from Nellie’s temple, gliding smoothly down her poreless cheek.
“Oh, Nellie,” I gasped. “Did he threaten you?”
She sniffed, her eyes misting over. A glamour on her arms and neck began to fade, revealing a mosaic of bruises. Nellie slowly turned her head towards me. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
The elevator doors slid open to reveal the vampire Premier, Victor Corvane, standing alone in my lobby.
“Sage Hexwood,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue in a dark, sensual, warning tone. It crept over me like a fog, obscuring everything around me but him. He was all I could focus on, his power like a magnet for all of my senses.
I shivered, feeling my muscles seize as he narrowed his gaze on me. My stomach then cramped, and I bit back a whimper from the pain. A cruel smile turned his full lips up, revealing his deadly sharp fangs. “I’ve found you at last.”