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My irritation over this whole situation increasing, I shoot Caden a glare. “I didn’t ask you.”

“He’s right,” Chloe says with a touch of sadness.

I turn my glare on her just as Ambrose decides to add his own opinion.

“The precious jewels are locked up tight in our chest and must be protected at all costs.”

“Is he calling me a jewel?” I direct at Chloe.

“With him?” Caden says with a shrug. “Who knows?”

I grind my teeth together, becoming even more frustrated.

I don’t want to be here. There’s no reason for me to remain here. Especially with all these crazy vampires.

I need to get moving… I need to find somewhere safe, preferably far away, and figure out what happened after Father McCall and I escaped the church.

He could be out there right now waiting for me or suffering some horrible fate he needs rescued from. What if those vampires that had me also have him?

The longer I sit here, the more I feel like I shouldn’t be here. There’s a need in me tomove, to go back to the city we were in, that’s becoming stronger and stronger every second that passes.

Andrei suddenly decides to lower the swab in his hand down to my hip, and I jerk back.

“I’ve changed my mind about the sample,” I say and push my hand against the floor to stand.

“You can’t leave, Alena,” Chloe says.

“Why? Raphael doesn’t even want me,” I snap as I get to my feet.

And even if he did, I still wouldn’t want to stay.

Not only because I can’t abandon Father McCall.

I don’t want to be turned into a vampire.

“He wants you, Alena,” Chloe says. “Believe me, he wants you more than anything.”

“Really?” I sneer at her. “You could have fooled me.”

“I know what he did looks bad,” she rushes out. “But I felt his emotions. I felt—"

“We need to leave right now,” a new vampire says as he steps into the room. “Asher’s orders.”

“Matthias?” Caden says, spinning around to face him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s no longer safe here,” Matthias says. “Maddox is pulling the cars up.”

Chloe frowns. “Should I start packing?”

Matthias shakes his head. “There’s no time. We need to leave immediately.”

“But the sun has fully risen. Won’t it hurt us?” Chloe asks.

“No,” Matthias answers. “The cars will protect us.”

Chloe stares at him for over a minute, as if she’s doing that silent communicating thing, then she nods her head in acceptance.

Walking over to me, she reaches for my hand.