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Wracking my brain in my half-asleep state, I try to come up with a plan to get out of this. Everything I think of ends in us dead or trapped back in the basement ... and then dead.

And Ireallydon’t want to die.

“You have to realize your little escape attempt has failed.” Genevieve slowly walks closer to us and Valen steps back in turn.

The ultimate chess game. What would be our next move?

Her goons go to follow her, and she holds up a red nailed finger to point at me.

“Grab the girl.”

“Over my dead body,” Valen snarls and I grip his neck in fear at the approaching vampires.

Desperate hunger contorts their features in a grotesque way. Barely hanging on by a thread they seem to barely listen to Genevieve. All they see me as is a fresh body of blood.

“You wish. Too bad we still need you.” She flicks a hand in my direction again and the vampires pursue.

Valen takes off back down the hall from where we came from, and it feels like each step we take is one further from escape. A whimper crawls out of my throat at the fact that we’re going backwards, not forward, but I’m not one to give up. Even if it’s getting harder to believe we’re getting out of this alive.

At least if I die, I’ll know I went out fighting for my escape.

Abruptly choosing a door and going inside, Valen breathes heavily and sets me against the wall to rest while he barricades the door. We seem to be in a storage room of sorts with filing cabinets which end up being perfect for securing us in.

“Are there any vents or secret doors in here?” I can’t sit still for long, starting to feel around the room for just those things.

“Secret door,” he snorts, rolling his eyes. “Doubt it.” His eyes dart around, and the door starts to groan under the weight of the vampires trying to get in. He looks up and points. “Air vent, though.”

I look up at it with a frown. “It’s small.” I eye his massive shoulders. “Can you fit?”

He swallows a lump in his throat. “Probably not.”

“I won’t leave you here.” It’s probably too noble of a statement to make in the face of imminent death, but I don’t think I could live with myself to leave him behind. The banging gets louder, and I know with that many vampires on the otherside it’s only a matter of time before they find their way in. As if conjured by my thoughts a split appears in the door. “Can you get yourself up there? We have to at least try.”

Valen purses his lips and nods. “We try,” he concurs. He’s tall enough that all he has to do is stand on a chair to rip the vent off the ceiling. “C’mere.” He lifts me easily and gives me a boost into the vent. “Go, Celine. If I can’t make it, promise you’ll keep going.”

I look down at him, my stomach churning at the thought of leaving him behind. “I’ll bring help. My mate?—”

He shakes his head. “Go.”

A shrill scream that has to be from Genevive has me crawling on all fours through the vent in record time. I hum softly to try to keep my breaths even. I fucking hate spaces this small. But if it gets me to freedom I’ll keep going.

The vent rattles as Valen joins me. “Fuck,” he groans, dragging behind me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but thank God they’ve been starving me or I would never be able to squeeze through here.”

We army crawl through the vent and I have the horrifying thought of what if I fart? Poor Valen.

There’s another scream behind us and I’m not sure how far we’ve made it from the room, but I move a little faster.

Get out. I have to get out.

The vent groans and I freeze near the next opening. “Hold still,” I whisper to Valen. “It’s?—”

My words are cut off when the vent gives way, falling from the ceiling to crash below. The metal breaks around us and my body screams in pain from the fall.

“Celine,” Valen says, my name laced with worry.

“I’m okay,” I grunt out, all the air having been expelled from my lungs with the fall.

Valen shoves the debris aside and helps me to my feet. I’m unsteady and sway in place. He holds my shoulders to steady me. Grunts and cries of pain can be heard not too far away, but where we’ve landed the coast is clear. There’s even a door at the end of the hall open for us like whoever came through it was on a mission and didn’t have time to make sure it was shut.