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Authors: Pamela Palmer
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ruined monstrosity, wishing for some light. Suddenly, Arturo’s voice spoke telepathically in her head.
Two Gonzaga guards approach on our right, cara. And they are the real thing.
Chapter 8
P retend to be injured and keep your head down.
At Arturo’s telepathic words, Quinn tensed. They’d discussed this earlier, that Egor, like almost all vampires who’d been around for more than a century, was an excellent rider. And while she might look like him, she certainly didn’t ride like him. They’d decided she needed to pretend that she—or Egor—had been injured by a bolt of magical energy thrown at him by the sorceress.
Quinn curved around her arm as if she’d been slammed hard in the stomach. As the adrenaline pumped through her veins, she squeezed her eyes closed in case they began to glow as they often did when she felt threatened, triggering her magic. In the dark of Vamp City, glowing eyes would give her away in an instant.
Do not be afraid, cara. All will be fine.
Quinn scowled. Easy for him to say.
“The sorceress!” Arturo called in a voice belonging to the vampire whose face he wore. “We came upon her not five minutes ago. She attacked us and fled, but she cannot be far. That way!”
She couldn’t see which way he pointed, couldn’t see the vampires he spoke to, but she heard the pound of additional hoofbeats. Her heart thudded, her body tensing even as she told herself she was safe. Nothing bad would happen, no one would realize she was really the sorceress under glamour. But the words did little to calm her.
As the vampires’ mounts began to retreat, the earth began to rumble—another earthquake, as strong as the one before. And suddenly noise burst all around her, a cacophony of sound that didn’t exist in this world—traffic and electricity, rock music and laughter. The real world must have broken through nearby. If she weren’t forced to keep her eyes closed, she’d be able to see it and, if she chose to, walk right back into the real world through the breaks.
Thanks to her Blackstone magic, she alone could travel both ways between the worlds in that manner. Although a number of humans had apparently walked into Vamp City that way, to her knowledge, she was the only one able to escape. If she wanted to. And she alone could hear and see the real world when the two worlds bled together.
The temptation to take a look was strong, but she forced herself to keep her eyes closed, her body hunched, and her head down. She was glad she had when she heard, once more, the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
“Any sign of her?” Arturo called to, apparently, the same pair of guards.
“None. She’s disappeared again.”
“Come, then. We will report the sighting to Cristoff together,” Arturo told them.
Quinn tensed, wondering why he’d invite them to join him. But a moment later, she understood.
“ We? ” The other vampire’s voice shot too high. “No, no, my friend. You were the ones who fought her. You must report the sighting.”
From what Arturo had said, Cristoff was as likely to kill the messenger these days as listen to him.
A moment later, Quinn once more heard the sound of retreating horses.
“You did well, cara ” Arturo said quietly. “Keep your eyes closed. I’ll find some place to safely release your magic.”
At one time, that release could only have occurred through an explosion that could have possibly brought the roof down on top of them, but with her Blackstone magic mostly free now, she’d discovered other avenues of release that wouldn’t alert nearby vampires of her proximity.
She felt Arturo take the reins of her horse and begin to lead it. Several minutes later, he said, “You may open your eyes, cara .”
She did and could tell from the odd light in front of her face that her eyes were still glowing with power. A quick look told her they were in a small, empty building of some kind, maybe an old storage shed. Dismounting, she put distance between
Two Gonzaga guards approach on our right, cara. And they are the real thing.
Chapter 8
P retend to be injured and keep your head down.
At Arturo’s telepathic words, Quinn tensed. They’d discussed this earlier, that Egor, like almost all vampires who’d been around for more than a century, was an excellent rider. And while she might look like him, she certainly didn’t ride like him. They’d decided she needed to pretend that she—or Egor—had been injured by a bolt of magical energy thrown at him by the sorceress.
Quinn curved around her arm as if she’d been slammed hard in the stomach. As the adrenaline pumped through her veins, she squeezed her eyes closed in case they began to glow as they often did when she felt threatened, triggering her magic. In the dark of Vamp City, glowing eyes would give her away in an instant.
Do not be afraid, cara. All will be fine.
Quinn scowled. Easy for him to say.
“The sorceress!” Arturo called in a voice belonging to the vampire whose face he wore. “We came upon her not five minutes ago. She attacked us and fled, but she cannot be far. That way!”
She couldn’t see which way he pointed, couldn’t see the vampires he spoke to, but she heard the pound of additional hoofbeats. Her heart thudded, her body tensing even as she told herself she was safe. Nothing bad would happen, no one would realize she was really the sorceress under glamour. But the words did little to calm her.
As the vampires’ mounts began to retreat, the earth began to rumble—another earthquake, as strong as the one before. And suddenly noise burst all around her, a cacophony of sound that didn’t exist in this world—traffic and electricity, rock music and laughter. The real world must have broken through nearby. If she weren’t forced to keep her eyes closed, she’d be able to see it and, if she chose to, walk right back into the real world through the breaks.
Thanks to her Blackstone magic, she alone could travel both ways between the worlds in that manner. Although a number of humans had apparently walked into Vamp City that way, to her knowledge, she was the only one able to escape. If she wanted to. And she alone could hear and see the real world when the two worlds bled together.
The temptation to take a look was strong, but she forced herself to keep her eyes closed, her body hunched, and her head down. She was glad she had when she heard, once more, the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
“Any sign of her?” Arturo called to, apparently, the same pair of guards.
“None. She’s disappeared again.”
“Come, then. We will report the sighting to Cristoff together,” Arturo told them.
Quinn tensed, wondering why he’d invite them to join him. But a moment later, she understood.
“ We? ” The other vampire’s voice shot too high. “No, no, my friend. You were the ones who fought her. You must report the sighting.”
From what Arturo had said, Cristoff was as likely to kill the messenger these days as listen to him.
A moment later, Quinn once more heard the sound of retreating horses.
“You did well, cara ” Arturo said quietly. “Keep your eyes closed. I’ll find some place to safely release your magic.”
At one time, that release could only have occurred through an explosion that could have possibly brought the roof down on top of them, but with her Blackstone magic mostly free now, she’d discovered other avenues of release that wouldn’t alert nearby vampires of her proximity.
She felt Arturo take the reins of her horse and begin to lead it. Several minutes later, he said, “You may open your eyes, cara .”
She did and could tell from the odd light in front of her face that her eyes were still glowing with power. A quick look told her they were in a small, empty building of some kind, maybe an old storage shed. Dismounting, she put distance between
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