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I’m finally free and now he’s asking me to risk it all to save a woman I’ve never met. A woman who’s both like and unlike me.

A woman who could be living in misery, being bled weekly.

It feels beyond foolish to take such a risk. We were lucky to make it out of the Boston cathedral. If there wasn’t a ceremony being held, escape wouldn’t have been possible.

We can’t count on getting lucky twice.

Staring at the green leaves that are slowly darkening to black, the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach grows.

Something is telling me we won’t succeed. That what he wants is impossible.

And we’ll be walking straight into a trap.

But after all that he’s done for me, how can I deny him? How can I be the one that stands between that unknown woman and her freedom?

Burning the images of the trees into my mind, because I’m afraid this is truly the last time I’ll ever see them, I say, “All right, let’s help her.”

Father McCall looks over at me in surprise, as if he didn’t expect that answer. “You sure, lass?”

No, I’m not sure at all. In fact, I believe this is hopelessly reckless and stupid.

But I swallow down my reservations and nod my head at him, regardless.

Father McCall smiles at me and the car begins to move faster. “Thank you, lass. Thank you. Today is a blessed day. I can feel it in my bones. God’s hand is guiding us and protecting us. With His help, we’ll be successful. With His help, we’ll save her and make it safely to Canada.”

Wrapping my arms back around myself, I slump in my seat and wish I could share his enthusiasm.

FOUR

RAPHAEL

The Present

New Elysium

Cradling my soulmarked in my arms, the terror in her eyes rips apart the insides of my very soul. The stars of my endless night sky should never feel fear when she looks at me.

Five hundred years of waiting and she looks at me as if I’m the spawn of a witch.

I want nothing more than to bury my face in her neck. To smell her scent as I mark her as mine. I want to rub my whole body against hers to slake my all-encompassing need to possess her fully and wholly.

If I was still a human, I would seriously consider kidnapping her, chaining her to my bed, and just staring at her delicate beauty until I withered and died.

I’m not a human, though.

I’m a monster she’s staring at in horror.

Tearing my eyes away from her, I glance around the dingy room I’ve brought us to and don’t recognize anything.

Everything over the past hour or more has just been one long red foggy cloud.

My inner beast took total control of my body. And I don’t know what the fuck he did while he had it.

He should have taken us back to our safe house, but he didn’t.

Why?I ask the beast.

But the berserking fucker doesn’t answer.