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Keeva’s eyes trailed down Amaros, a flicker of unease hitting her gaze. This was probably the first time she’d ever laid eyes on my father. She was smart to be nervous. Whatever he had planned was not fucking good for any of us.

“I knew you’d come here,” she sneered, waving her arm to motion behind her. “You want the Shadows.”

I swallowed my surprise when I spotted the high walls of a human city beyond the trees. Not only were the Shadows with Keeva a problem, but now we were near PARA with who knew how many soldiers inside those walls.

“You want him?” Amaros forced Rowan to his knees. “Then you tell your Shadows to stand down. And you’ll follow me.”

She scowled. “Follow you?”

“Obeyme,” he growled. “Or he’s dead.”

Instead of anger, dark amusement filled her face as she smirked. “Let him go, or my Shadows are going to shoot.”

“You think bullets can stop me,” Amaros sneered. “Did you not learn how old I am?”

Keeva nodded, and a moment later a shot rang out before a bullet hit the vampire who was standing next to me. He let out a groan and bent forward, clutching his stomach when blood began dripping from it.

“Your hawthorn bullets might harm them and my son,” Amaros murmured. “It would barely phase me. You standing there thinking you can defeat me is insulting.”

Her wicked grin only widened as a silent answer. I didn’t need to look at my father to know her reaction was infuriating him. The vampire suddenly let out a wail, falling to his knees before face planting into the grass. He rolled around, screaming in pain, his body rigid.

Realization had my lips parting as I stared at him. This wasn’t from hawthorn.

“Kali’s blood,” I said hoarsely. “They’re using her blood.”

“We have enough to change all your vampires,” Keeva said, hearing my words even though she was across the clearing. “Turns out, even just a couple drops are enough.”

Amaros hauled Rowan back to his feet, making sure to keep him in front so the bullets couldn’t touch him. I snuck a quickglance at my father, the rage simmering in his eyes making my blood run cold. He wasn’t expecting this at all.

“Give him to me,” Keeva demanded again. “Or the next bullet will be for your son.”

“If you shoot either of us, I’ll snap his neck,” Amaros threatened, his voice just as ruthless as always. She might have surprised him, but he wasn’t revealing it. “You hear that? My vampires are here. They outnumber your Shadows five to one. You think you can shoot all of them before they reach you?”

I tilted my head slightly, hearing vehicles coming up behind us.Thank fuck.As much as I didn’t want to be trapped at my father’s side, now I had to also worry about getting shot with blood that would turn me human. I’d take being stuck with his vampires over that happening.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Keeva said quietly, creeping closer. “Even the great Amaros Kane can’t beat Shadows and PARA together.”

His laugh was laced with danger. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

The Shadows around her lunged forward, and I heard running coming from behind me. Bullets began flying, and I darted behind the truck. Before I could do anything else, Amaros was in front of me, his eyes locking on mine. I let out a grunt, attempting and failing to fight against his entrancement.

“You will not enter the city until you hear my vampires,” he ordered. “I need time, and I know Kali won’t follow without you. Once you get into the city, you will find me.”

I didn’t have a chance to understand his words as I sagged back against the van when he tore away, racing into the darkness, pulling Rowan with him. Bodies were running past me, the air filling with gunshots and screams. It began to rain, the water coming down harder by the second. I patted my pockets, letting out a curse. No weapons. I had nothing on meat all. Lifting my head, I grabbed one of the vampire’s arms who was running past me.

“Give me—” I stopped talking when his scent hit me. “You’re not a vampire.”

He wrenched his arm from me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re the one we can’t kill.”

“No,” I choked out, my heart stopping. “Where is she?”

He wasn’t a vampire or human. He was a Shadow who wasn’t with Keeva. Meaning that Kali was here, and Amaros knew that. Not fucking good. I needed to get her as far from here as possible. The Shadow jerked, his face flooding with pain. Keeva appeared behind him as he fell to his knees. I spotted the gun in her hand, and I lunged forward when she raised it toward me.

I slammed into her, making sure she couldn’t get a shot at me. We tumbled to the ground, and I managed to knock the gun from her grip. Her elbow connected with my jaw, and pain spasmed across my face as I blocked her next hit. Her strength was equal to mine, and clearly PARA had trained her over the years. Her fighting style was vastly different from Kali’s, but she was still lethal.

“Where did he go?” Keeva shrieked, stumbling when I shoved her back. “Where the fuck is Rowan?”

My jaw clenched as I tensed, waiting for her to attack again. I couldn’t kill her. Not when it was written that she and Kali were connected. I wouldn’t chance it.