“I must admit, you surprised me.” Jelisette tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with interest. She was a predator, and her progeny was her prey. “Tell me, my daughter, what would you do for your revenge?”
“Anything,” Brynleigh breathed without a second thought.
Jelisette pursed her lips.
“Alright.” She turned and wrote something out on a slip of paper. “Be at this address two nights from now. If you dare.”
She dangled the paper in front of Brynleigh as if taunting her.
Despite the blood on her fingers and the still-healing wound on her neck, Brynleigh grabbed the paper, careful not to smear her blood on the page.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t make a mess of my carpet.” Jelisette gave her one final stern look before turning and striding from the office.
Brynleigh stared at the paper clutched between her bloody fingers.
Midnight
16 Upper Red Road
Back entrance
Ask for Dimitri
Brynleigh had so many questions and not nearly enough answers, but this was better than nothing.
When her Maker was halfway down the hallway, Brynleigh finally stood. Tremors ran through her, the shock of nearly dying still coursing through her veins.
She needed to get out of here.
Her palm was extended, and she was about to call on her shadows when something caught her eye. A thin black book was by the door, squished between two ancient leather tomes.
The Night Will Rise Againwas scrawled on the spine.
The author was unknown.
Something about the book called to Brynleigh. It was out of place in the study, a far cry from the ancient tomes filling the rest of the shelves.
Before Brynleigh could stop and think about what she was doing, she grabbed the book. When no alarm blared, and Jelisette didn’t immediately reappear in the office to finish removing Brynleigh’s neck from her shoulders, she exhaled.
Tucking the address in the book for safekeeping, Brynleigh pulled shadows from within, stepping into the Void with blood dripping down her neck.
The obnoxious,shrill shriek of Ryker’s security alarm greeted Brynleigh when she stepped out of the Void. Of course, he would have the loudest alarm system she’d ever heard. It was like someone was clashing cymbals in her ears. She released her shadows and hurried to the front door.
Brynleigh dumped Jelisette’s book and phone on the nearest surface. Extracting the slip of paper Ryker had given her from her back pocket, she squinted and tried to decipher his terrible handwriting.
Her fingers trembled as she punched in the security code. It took three attempts to shut off the horrid sound. In the wake of the blaring alarm, the silence was deafening. Every heartbeat was a drum; every breath was a shout.
The quiet was too much.
The weight of everything that had happened slammed into Brynleigh like a fucking freight train. Her head, her heart, and her body hurt. It was too much to bear.
She slumped against the wall, grabbing the doorframe to remain upright.
“Fuck.”
Brynleigh had never been in shock, but that seemed to be precisely what was happening. Her head swam, her heart raced, and all her movements were sluggish. This wasn’t bloodlust—she was fully in control. A quick check of her neck confirmed that the wounds had healed.