Page 19

The smell of blood was unmistakable, and the sound of the dishes hitting each other as they piled up at the end of the dishwasher was the only sound in the area.

If I go to confirm my suspicions, I will be putting myself out there to be the next victim.

I wish I would have told someone where I was going.

But I didn't.

My friends and Viggo would be safe with Sentinels keeping guard on the upper levels where they were sleeping, so that made me feel slightly better. I didn't see my parents though, and that worried me that they were wandering around unprotected. Father was a talented Wizard and wouldn't be caught off guard, and Mother was terrifying in her ways.

Sentinel training, that had been instilled in me since childhood, kicked in and I looked around the area, pinpointing each means of escape, memorizing the layout, and looking for anything that could be utilized as a weapon...

While I ate my Jell-O of course.

There were no wooden chairs, only metal, and I wasn't strong enough to break them.

Contrary to what lore might suggest, Vampires and Upír are rather easy to kill, it just takes the right tools to do it. Take the head off, and they die. White oak or silver to the heart will kill anything with a heartbeat. Upír are highly allergic to silver, Vampires not so much, and with the right amount of force, you can shear a head or limb off with very little effort with the right tool made of silver. Fire will kill most things; however, I couldn't conjure fire like Elementals or Wizards could.

I was empty-handed and in hostile territory.

After a dozen cups of Jell-O, and no one had come to check on the missing cafeteria staff or to make their rounds, the reality truly set in that we were in trouble.

"Think, Ari, think!" I whispered, my knees anxiously bouncing under the table, my free hand sliding the pendant I wore back and forth on its chain. I pulled one of the pencils out of my hair and spun it around my fingers, trying to figure out what to do...

I fidget when I'm trying to organize my thoughts, so I have to preoccupy my hands; my brother always teases me about it and how I'd make a guy very happy one day.

Then something occurred to me.

I looked at the pencil in my hand and smiled.

"Huh, that might work," I mumbled.

Wood alone wouldn't kill whatever it was, I was guessing Upír because I didn't smell Werewolves and they would have made a big mess, but a pencil alone wouldn't work.

"I need silver. Silver, silver, silver..."

I stopped sliding the pendant in mid-slide and smirked.

"Improvised stake with the right amount of force and if I got it perfectly between the ribs, I might be able to hit the heart."

I took the necklace off and carefully wrapped it around the three pencils, making a makeshift stake.

"It'll only work once, and only in soft tissue, but I won't go down without a fight," I said, getting to my feet.

I traveled along the wall, back the way I had come because it seemed like the safest route.

As I was about to round the corner, I knew someone approached.

The gentle beat of their heart I heard over my own racing heart, and their smell flooded my nostrils the closer they got.

Just as they were about to round the corner, I grabbed his arm then spun him around, and smashed him against the wall, pressing my body against his, chest to chest, my free hand covering his mouth and I pressed my finger to my lips telling him to be quiet.

Our precarious position made me hyper-aware of the contact of our bodies.

Viggo's eyes smoldered, burning into mine, he looked relieved, but the stake pressed against the side of my ribs made it more than obvious that his relief would be short-lived.

I pulled my hand from his mouth and forced a smile. "Hey you," I whispered. "Permission to touch you?" I teased since I was practically straddling his muscular thigh.

Viggo removed the stake from my side then caressed the top of my head, tucking my hair behind my ear for me. "Always. You should not have wandered off," he scolded in a whisper.

"I know, but I was hungry," I said just as quietly.

He sighed in resignation. "Of course, you were."

I tried to fix his hair since it looked worse than mine. "You look like a homeless Jesus with your hair like that," I said when he gave me a look. "Oh, and they're dead in the kitchen," I told him.

Viggo nodded as if he already knew. "I know, and I am sorry," he apologized.

Why is he apologizing... Oh no!

"Where is Harper, Slevin, and Jolyn?" I demanded. "Where are my parents?!"

Viggo covered my mouth with his free hand. "They are upstairs, but we have to get out of here now," he warned, then started pulling me towards the fire exit, but I pulled away from him. "Ariadne, we cannot wait. We must make haste."

"No, I'm not leaving my friends," I argued and started back the way I'd come, but only got three steps before Viggo was grabbing my arm. He pulled me around then smashed me into the wall and pressed his body against mine, pinning me to the wall with his strength.

"Sorry," he started to apologize, so I clamped my hand over his mouth to silence whatever he was about to say.

I hated how much I liked how this felt, regardless of the situation being what it was.

My issues are truly therapy-worthy.

"Viggo, I will not leave my friends; they are like family to me," I whispered. "You may not understand what that means since Sentinels are nothing but fodder for Royals, but I have to get to them, to try to save them. Come with me or not, either way, I am going back."

My tone was determined, but my eyes were pleading.

Viggo could easily throw me over his shoulder and get me out of there, I would fight him of course, but he'd win and we both knew it.

I couldn't compete with Vampire strength.

"I would come back for you, always would I come back for you," I whispered, ignoring the tear that rolled down my cheek. "And so would they."

Viggo wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled my hand from his mouth, his eyes moving over my face. "Stay behind me no matter what, and if I tell you to run, you will run. You will do as I say, do you understand?"

"I will make an effort," I offered.

Viggo growled, pushing me back against the wall again, and glared at me.

"It kind of turns me on when you growl like that," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Huh?" he asked, dumbfounded, with wide eyes, leaning back.

"Never mind," I said. "Which way?" I asked, trying to peer around the corner.

Viggo continued to give me a look, trying to figure out if I was medicated or not, I'm sure.

The hospital was big, so there were many places that'd make for ideal ambush spots.

Why would an Upír, or a nest of them, attack a hospital? They had to be looking for something or someone of importance. That could be the only reason why they would attack a heavily protected medical center like this...

Damn it.

I have to protect Viggo!