Page 28 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

A cry blasted from the speaker.Then a scuffle.Then angry shouts.

Nora grabbed her phone and shot to her feet.“Jared!”

I jumped up too, worry instantly extinguishing my rage.Jared was an ancient, arrogant vampire, but he was Nora’s husband.My ally.My friend if he’d pull his head out of his ass and remember he didn’t have to be a monster.

“Jared,” Nora demanded again.

Someone’s scream ended suddenly.Profanities crescendoed.

“Answer me!”Nora squeezed her phone tight.

More noise blasted from the small speaker.The cacophony blended together until I couldn’t make out individual words or voices.It sounded like a war or massacre.Maybe both.Was someone challenging Jared?He was Aged.He had Aged followers.Surely he could fight off an attack.The screams probably belonged to whoever was stupid enough to—

The phone went silent.If someone was moving or breathing, I couldn’t hear it over the pounding of my heart.

“Jared?”Nora’s voice was flat, a self-preservation tactic.

“Jared?”I don’t know why I said his name too.If he wasn’t able to answer Nora, he wasn’t able to answer me.

There was a soft scrape and then something else, maybe the swish of fabric or a soft exhale.

“I must go,” Jared finally said.

A whoosh of relief eased the tensed muscles in my neck and shoulders, and Nora’s death grip on the phone relaxed.

“What happened?”she asked.

“Satine is here.”The call disconnected.

Chapter Eight

Threesecondspassed.Theyfelt more like three hours.

“It’ll be okay,” I said.

Nora’s gaze darted from her phone to me.Her expression changed.Her fear, which she so rarely showed, disappeared.She leaped to her feet and ran.

“Nora!”I called.

She didn’t slow.

“Wait!”I yelled, sprinting after her.Melissa jumped out of my way.Christian cursed, turned off the stove, and chased me into the hallway.

Nora had already reached the narrow stairs at the end of the hall.I pushed myself faster.“Let’s think about this!”

“Kennedy…” I didn’t hear the rest of Christian’s words.I ignored the sharp, stabbing pain that reminded me I was still healing and took the steps down two at a time.

When I reached the lobby, I called out Nora’s name again.She was almost to the front door.Sullens and Thad stood close to her path.“Don’t let her leave!”

Not one damn person moved to intercept.Fortunately, The Rain’s heavy wooden doors slowed Nora a fraction of a second.I followed her outside, would have caught her on the porch steps if she hadn’t doubled her speed the instant she left the Null—

The Null.

I stopped so suddenly I nearly fell.My heart slammed against my chest.I looked over my shoulder, horror oozing over me head to toe when I realizedI left the Null.

If Canyon…

I cursed.Too late now.If Canyon sensed my memory had returned, I’d deal with it later.Right now, I had to stop Nora from getting herself killed.