much better.
She leaned back against the wall and stretched out her awareness. While she had been occupied with Nikolas, the humans in the house had fled—even the ones she had knocked out were gone.
Her stomach churned with the unpleasant nausea that comes with blood loss. After bandaging her arms as well as she could with the scant supplies she kept in the car, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Adianna.
CHAPTER 14
ADIANNA TOOKSARAHto Caryn Smoke’s house, to be patched up for the second time in less than a month. Sarah had managed to fend off her sister’s questions only with stoic silence so far.
“We’re going to have to wash the blood off before I can see the cuts,” Caryn explained as she unwrapped the crude bandages Sarah had made with the rough first-aid supplies she kept in her car.
She had cleaned most of the blood from the ivy before she could see enough to tell what the full design was.
“Oh, Goddess . . .” The healer looked up, her pale blue eyes wide with shock and full of question.
“What?” Adianna stepped forward to see what the healer had seen.
“Give me some room,” Caryn ordered, her voice steady.
Adianna nodded, and leaned back against the opposite wall.
Caryn turned to the rose. When she got to the other shoulder she cleaned around the wound, revealing more of the damage.
The hunter was on her feet instantly. “
Caryn’s face was grim as she said, “I’m afraid so. I can heal the deeper damage so there won’t be any permanent injury to the muscles, but the wounds are bad enough that I can’t do much more.”
“My little sister went after Nikolas,” Adianna stated with some surprise in her voice. “He got away, didn’t he?” Again Sarah had to nod.
“He’s had hunters on his tail for more than a hundred years, Adia—he’s clever, and he could feel when I tried to build power to fight him. I didn’t have a chance.”
Adianna just shook her head, making her feelings clear: If Sarah had not had a chance to fight, it meant she had screwed up somewhere. Again.
CHAPTER 15
CARYN BANDAGEDSARAH’S ARMSfor school the next day. Sarah didn’t want to explain the marks. Her story, when anyone asked, was that she had been in a minor car accident.
She was glad that Christopher was not in school again. She had no desire to confront her friend about her enemy. So at her locker that afternoon, she was surprised to see the newest gift. A single white rose and a small white florist’s card.
She read the words twice, not believing them.
She, youngest Daughter of Vida, had been invited to a bash . . .
Looking up, she caught sight of Nissa, who was talking with some of her human friends. Closing her locker, Sarah stalked over to Nissa and grabbed the vampire’s arm.
“What is this?” she demanded, flashing the card. Nissa’s friends all backed up, not sure what to do.
“It’s a—”
“I know
“I have no idea,” Nissa answered, her brows drawing together in a puzzled frown. “Christopher told me what you said, and I would never . . . can I see it?”
Sarah handed over the card and Nissa went paler, if possible, than her already unnaturally pale color.
“You can’t go. Tell me you won’t go.”
“Why not?”
Nissa looked at the card again. “Where did you get this?”
“It was in my locker. If it’s not from you or Christopher, then who would have put it there? And why does it scare you so much?”
Nissa looked back at her human friends, then dragged Sarah away, lowering her voice so the humans would not hear them. “I’ve been to a bash in that circuit before, but would never go back. Sarah, they’ll kill you. If they know who you are—”
“Who are
“It’s . . . it’s one of the harshest of the party circuits,” Nissa explained. “Tizoc Theron goes to these,” she added, naming one of the best-known vampiric assassins in the world. “Kaleo, Jessica Shade, Chalkha, Kamerine, Jega . . . even Kendra herself might be there.” Sarah took in the names, trying to match them with the faces she had seen at the last bash she had attended. Nissa continued, “Even
“Is Nikolas part of this group?”
“What?” Nissa asked, very softly.
“Will Nikolas be there?” Sarah demanded again.
“He—” Nissa’s eyes flickered to the bandages on Sarah’s arms. “My god, Sarah . . . do I want to know what’s under there?”
“I think you already do.”
“You’re going to go, aren’t you? To murder my brother.” Nissa leaned back heavily, hitting the lockers with a metallic clang. “That group will kill you, Sarah.”
“They didn’t manage to last time.” This was not a conversation she wanted to have. No matter how peaceful, Nissa would surely not appreciate hearing Sarah’s plans for her brother. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring friends.”
“
“I’m not going to let him get away with this.”
“Sarah, I . . . don’t bring anyone else in. You’ll—” Nissa took a breath to brace herself. “If Nikolas marked you then he’s watching you. Anyone you would bring with you, he already knows about—they would be fair game. If you insist on going, go alone.”
“Even I’m not fool enough to go into the crowd you’re describing alone.”
“They won’t hurt you,” Nissa said quietly.
Sarah laughed.
“Most of the people in that circuit are either afraid of Nikolas, or loyal to him,” Nissa argued. “If he marked you it means he’s claimed you. No one else will touch you so long as Nikolas is alive.”
“Fine—I’ll kill him and then leave quickly. How’s that?”
“Nikolas alone is dangerous no matter how much training you’ve had.” Nissa continued as her voice took on
