Page 132 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

“I can’t stay up here,” I answer. “Crimson needs to know where the witches are working. When the sun comes up, they could do their magic without the vampires even knowing!”

Lily bites her lip. Her eyes are wide and fearful, but she seems to know I’m right.

“Take a stake, and some silver from the drawer,” she says. “Find a vampire and tell them what’s happened, and then come right back, Paige!”

I nod, although I’m feeling a little shaky. “I…I don’t know what a stake will do, though. I’ve never fought a vampire before…”

Lily gives me a fierce look. “Paige, listen to me.” She takes a deep breath. “Renata didn’t stake Xavian Night. I did. He was distracted, and I jumped between him and Renata and I staked him.”

I gape at her. “Youwhat? But I thought Crimson said it was…”

“Renata and Celine lied, in case anyone wanted to get revenge against me for ending Xavian,” she explains. “But what I’m trying to say is thatyou can do this, Paige. You’re incredible. You don’t need to be magical, or powerful, in order to be brave. The vampires will underestimate you, but you have to use that to your advantage. Just because they think you’re weak, doesn’t mean you have to believe that you are.”

I take in her words, and a strange, new sense of strength washes over me.

Icando this. Over the past months, I’ve done things I never could have imagined. I’ve become someone that I’m really proud of.

I open the drawer and find several silver chains. I put them around my neck and wrists, and stuff them in my pockets. Finally, I take out a smooth wooden stake.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell Lily. “Try to get some rest, if you can.”

“Be careful down there, Paige,” Lily says.

My throat feels tight, but I manage to give her a nod, before I open the door to the security room.

CHAPTER 47: NOT A WITCH

Paige

The hallway is dark, lit by glowing orange safety lights. The elevator button doesn’t work, of course, so I hurry down the stairwell at the very end of the floor. I’m worried the alarm might get activated, but luckily, there’s no sound as I run down the concrete stairs.

As I hurry down, I hear a loud shout, and I see a flash of red light. Tentatively, I peek my head out to see what’s going on. On the platform below, I can see Alin, his long blond hair whipping around him as he pins a figure up against the staircase wall. It’s a woman with curly hair cropped close to her scalp. She’s wearing a flowing blue cape over a matching dress. Her neck and arms are adorned with silver jewelry.

Alin’s nostrils flare, and he snaps his head around. His eyes widen and turn red when he sees me.

“Paige!Whatare you doing here?”

“I have to get a message to Crimson!” I reply, passing him quickly on the platform before he can stop me. Luckily, he’s busy restraining the woman, who thrashes angrily against the wall.

“No way, you’ve got to get back upstairs!”

“I’ll be fast!” I answer, clutching my stake in my fist as I run down the next staircase.

“Paige!” Alin shouts. But the stairway fills with red light as the witch uses her magic to fight back.

I’m worried for Alin, but I can’t slow down. If this attack is going toend, I have to find Crimson. Alin will need to go to ground in a few hours, and then the witches will be able to fully infiltrate the hotel. I don’t like how close she is to Lily and her children.

I race down the remaining stairs, practically flying. My feet are aching in my impractical shoes, so I kick them off, feeling the cold, concrete floor under my bare soles.

I reach the lobby floor quickly, and I throw myself through the door.

The lobby is inabsolutechaos. I saw it on the monitor, butnothingcould have prepared me for the overwhelming clash of magical people spread out throughout the large space. Blood soaks the marble floors and limp corpses are tossed over the two long lobby desks. Blurry, supernaturally quick vampires pile on top of each other and whiz around the room, locked in combat. A few of them can fly or hover, and they circle around the chandelier, chasing each other and diving into groups of struggling vampires.

Before I can catch my breath, I feel a cold hand on my wrist.

“Paige,ah,” gasps a familiar voice. Crimson pulls her hand away, burnt by the silver chain I’m wearing.

“Crimson!” I reply, turning to her. Her eyes are bright red, fangs like long tusks across her chin. She looks more animal than human, soaked with blood, her shirt ripped and hanging in tatters across her chest. “I’m sorry, I wanted to come prepared…”