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“Do you remember what happened before I took you?” I ask.

Shaking her head, she says, “No. I can only remember chains around me and… I don’t know… vampires like you?”

Another loud buzzing in my pocket and the sound of tires racing up the street nearly sends me into a rage.

We haven’t had enough time!

I’d crumple the cellphone to dust if I wasn’t worried it could be my family warning me of a possible attack incoming.

Yanking the phone from my pocket, I have to stop myself from smashing my finger through the screen.

Putting it up to my ear, my entire chest rumbles as I snarl,“What?”

If this isn’t important, so help me unholy gods…

Andrei speaks so loud even my soulmarked looks up in surprise. “We’re pulling up on your location now. Unless you’re actively turning your Marked, we need to move locations immediately.”

I wince when her heartbeat races with fright. “Now’s not exactly a good time.”

“Doesn’t matter, Raph,” Andrei says back. “You’re deep in the middle of the Order’s territory. I meandeep.”

Watching the other half of my soul, I see sheer terror filling her eyes before she jumps up from the chair.

“No!” she shouts into the darkened room. Her wild eyes searching every corner. “We have to leave.”

“She’s right,” Andrei says then disconnects.

That’s not exactly the reaction I thought would happen when the Order was mentioned.

And all of a sudden there’s a vise crushing around my ribs.

Squeezing so tight, I would struggle to breathe if I needed to.

My blood rushes hard and fast through my veins, as if I’m being flooded with adrenaline.

These aren’t my feelings, though. They’re coming through the taut string connecting us both.

Then a deep, emotional pain slams through what little fog I had in my brain, scattering all my thoughts.

Moving faster than she can react, I scoop her back up into my arms.

Her words slam into the thread.

Flee.

Hide.

Don’t speak or draw attention.

Am I supposed to feel her emotions this powerfully only to have them fade to almost nothing?

I wince when she shrieks in my ear, begging to be released. “Please let me go! They’ll find me!”

Shaking off her fears, I feel the beast inside of me wanting to be free again. He wants to run and sweep across this street, this neighborhood, this city like a fucking tornado.

He wants to leave death and destruction in his wake. He begs me to give him full control.

Not like when I went to hunt my beloved down.