Read Online Vampire University (Book One in the Vampire University Series) by VJ Erickson - Free Book Online Page B

she said.
    “Wait, what? Hostage? How?”
    “With a knife.”
    “A knife? A real knife or a glamour?” he asked.
    Hannah looked at him impatiently.
    “Do you really think I would let him take a hostage with a fake knife? What do you take me for? Human?”
    The elevator door opened and Hannah rushed straight through the lobby to the sidewalk outside. Joseph was just a step behind. She looked around desperately for signs of them, but couldn’t see anything. She turned to face Joseph.
    “Where would he take her?” she asked.
    “I really don’t know."
    “THINK!” Hannah screamed at him.
    “Look, we just got here. I have no idea where he would go."
    “Well, you’re super helpful aren’t you?”
    “Well you screaming at me, doesn’t...” he began, but was cut off by Hannah shoving her hand in his face.
    “Wait...”
    She paused and sniffed the air.
    “You smell that?” she said.
    Joseph sniffed the air as well.
    “Blood,” he said.
    Hannah’s eyes widened and she took off in the direction of the scent, with Joseph racing to keep up.
    She stopped at the intersection at the end of the block and knelt down. Joseph knelt down beside her. There were a few droplets of blood on the ground. Hannah dabbed a drop with her finger and held it up to her nose.
    “It’s just Addison,” she said, relieved.
    “Just Addison?” Joseph asked. “So we’re only worried about Taylor here?”
    “You can worry about whomever you like. I have to protect Taylor.”
    With that she got stood up and kept walking in the same direction. Joseph followed close at her side.
    “Why Taylor and not Addison? I thought you two just met?”
    “We did,” she replied. “I feel protective of my roommate, okay?”
    Joseph didn’t respond; he followed her wordlessly down the street.

-8-
     
    Taylor recognized where Eric was leading her. He was taking her back to the pond where she had left him earlier. Her heart sank. The pond was completely hidden by a thick wall of trees. No one would see them there.
    She felt a glimmer of hope when she saw another student walking towards them on the opposite side of the street, however. Her mind raced with ways to get help from this other girl. At least, she thought, Eric would have to take a different path to avoid her. Perhaps she could get some sort of signal across.
    To her surprise, Eric did not change course. He whispered something into Addison’s ear as they continued to walk straight towards the girl, with the knife still pressed against Addison’s throat. Addison gave a muffled response that Taylor could not make out and Eric pressed the point of the knife into her skin, just barely piercing it. She whimpered, but did not say a word.
    As they continued to approach the girl, it became clear to Taylor that the girl hadn't noticed them. Taylor was sure the knife would draw her attention, but the girl continued to walk towards them and then right past them, never looking at them , much less stopping.
    Somehow Eric was preventing the girl from seeing them, Taylor thought.
    They continued their awkward procession, all three of them silent, until they reached the park they had been at earlier. Taylor saw the leftovers from their picnic. The brown bag and half-eaten subs were still on the bench where they had left them. The sun was beginning to set and the pond was darkened by the grey reflections of the trees around them.
    Eric stopped at the edge of the pond and pointed his knife towards Taylor and then towards the bench. Taylor obediently sat down on the edge. He let go of Addison.
    “Don’t even think about moving,” he warned her.
    He walked towards Taylor without looking at Addison, but Addison did not appear to have any intentions of moving. She stood rigidly in one place as if she was afraid that any movement at all would incite his anger. Tears were streaming down her face, but she remained quiet.
    Eric sat down next to Taylor and gently placed the tip of the blade on her arm and traced