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Prologue

“GET OUT,” I PLEADED “GET OUT OF TOWN FOR good That e don’t have to kill you”

The vampire snarled, “What makes you think you could?”

Lucas tackled him, and they fell to the pave alorked to a vae, because a vas I ran forward, determined to help

“You’re stronger”—the vaasped—“than a human”

Lucas said, “I’h”

The va to do with the desperate situation he was in and was therefore even scarier “I heard so for one of our babies,” he crooned to Lucas “One of the powerful ones in my tribe Lady named Charity Heard of her?”

Charity’s tribe A jolt of panic shivered through me

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Charity In fact, I staked her,” Lucas said as he tried to twist the vampire’s hand around his back “Think I can’t stake you, too? You’re about to learn different” Yet Lucas couldn’t gain the advantage They were too evenly o for his stakes The vampire could turn the tables on him at any second

Thatanother vampire

Chapter One

I GASPED FOR AIR SO HARD THAT MY CHEST ACHED My face felt hot, and strands of le muscle hurt

In front of me was Eduardo, one of the leaders of this Black Cross cell, with a stake in his hand All around us, his va army in denim and flannel, watched in silence None of them would help me We stood apart froht painted him in stark shadows

“Coarohen he chose, and every word echoed off the concrete floor and ht to the death Aren’t you even going to try to stop me?”

If I sprang at hirab his weapon or knock him down, he’d be able to throwfor years He’d probably killed hundreds of vampires—all of them older and more powerful than me