CHAPTER 3 #3
Faster than I can track, iron fingers encircle my wrist with crushing force. A ragged gasp escapes my lips as he wrenches my hand away from his face, twisting until searing pain shoots up my arm. With one casual flick, he shoves me, the impact of it sending me stumbling backward.
My stilettos betray me as I fight to maintain balance. Revenant adjusts the mask back into place with irritating ease, concealing his features once more.
“Memorize it well,” he cautions, each syllable laden with menace. “It’s the last thing many see.”
The sirens grow louder, their wail rising to a fevered pitch as more keepers converge on our location.
The Ravens shift in unison, their movements synchronized like a flock of birds responding to an invisible current.
“Don’t go with him,” I cry out to Saul, his hazel eyes meeting mine across the distance between us.
For a brief moment, I see the boy I grew up with, the twin who used to sneak into my room during thunderstorms because he was afraid of lightning.
Revenant places a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that seems almost paternal, the sight of it making my stomach turn.Without saying a word, Saul vanishes into the night like a wisp of wind, melting into the shadows along with the others.
Revenant is the last to go. I lunge forward, desperate to catch him, but grasp only air.
“Freeze! Hands where we can see them!” a keeper shouts through a megaphone. I drop my dagger and slowly raise my hands, watching as they approach with caution.
“I’m a Pennian citizen,” I call back. “My boyfriend needs medical attention.”
As they surround us, I kneel beside Max, brushing the hair from his face.
That’s when I notice it—two small puncture wounds on the side of his neck, partially hidden by his collar. My blood runs cold.
“No, no, no,” I whisper, fingers trembling as I trace the marks. They are fresh, the skin around them already showing the telltale redness of a vampire bite. My hands shoot out to his wrist, checking for a pulse.
Finding none, I press two fingers to his neck, desperately searching for a beat. Nothing.
“Ma’am, please step away from the civilian,” a keeper instructs, but her voice sounds distant, underwater.
“He’s been bitten,” I say, my voice cracking. “He’s transitioning.”
The keeper’s demeanor shifts instantly. She barks orders into her comm unit while two others rush forward with a specialized med kit. I watch in numb horror as they check Max’s vitals, confirming what I already know. Dead. With vampire venom coursing through his veins.
“Stage one transition,” one of them reports. “Estimated infection time: less than fifteen minutes ago.”
They load Max onto a stretcher, clipping monitors to him so medics can track his deteriorating human functions. As he’s carried inside the ambulance, I trail behind in a daze, ready to climb into the back without waiting for permission.
“You’re not allowed in there,” the keeper calls after me. “Medical transports are restricted to patients and authorized personnel only.”
Ignoring her, I watch the medics administer what I recognize as suppressants in an attempt to slow the turning process. Max’s body jerks, his back arching off the stretcher as the first wave of transformation pain hits him. A scream of primal agony tears from his throat.
“Hold him down!” the lead medic shouts.
I step inside the vehicle and grab Max’s hand, wincing as his grip tightens with inhuman strength. His eyes fly open, unfocused and wild with fear.
“Seraph?” he wheezes, his voice barely recognizable.
“I’m here,” I reassure him.
“What’s happening?”
The words stick in my throat like barbed wire. How do I tell him? How do I destroy the life we’ve built with three simple words? I search his eyes, still brown, still human, but already showing flecks of crimson around the edges—the first visible sign of transition.
“Max,” I say, my voice breaking. You died.
The monitors beep faster, tracking his accelerating heartbeat, soon to beat its last. There’s nothing stopping this, nothing I can do to save him anymore.
With my fingers tight around his, I feel the unnatural strength building in them as his body fights the inevitable change.
I force myself to say the words, “You’re in transition.”
His face contorts in shock. Before he can respond, a hand clamps down on my shoulder, yanking me backward.
“I said, step away from the civilian.” Her tone brooks no argument.
“He’s my boyfriend! I need to be with him!”
“What you need is to comply with direct orders.” The keeper forcibly pulls me away from the transport. “This man is in transition and you’re interfering with emergency protocols.”
Max reaches for me, panic in his eyes. “Seraph, don’t leave me!”
“I’m not leaving you!” I twist against the keeper’s hold, desperation making me reckless. “Max!”
Another keeper approaches. “Detain her!”
“What? No!” I protest, thrashing as both keepers work together to spin me around, wrestling my arms behind my back.
The cold metal of handcuffs snaps around my wrists with a damning click.
“You don’t understand.” I try to keep my voice steady as they lead me toward a separate vehicle.
“I’m a victim here. Those vampires, they were—”
“Save it for the interrogation room.”