Page 9 (2/2)

The crowd parted around Charlie, and a few people whispered to one another in hushed tones of recognition They all stood back and watched I was no longer blessing their callous, cynical New York hearts

"So, this is the great Secret McQueen Death herself"

"The one and only" I griirl?"

This was a favorite insult a the vampires I knew they used it behind my back, but it was only the really stupid ones who called irl tohand in hand with overconfidence He believed he hadon my back on the floor of a subway station? If I didn’t know better, I would have bet againsttheir n they should swoop into action But for the tiht up close, then placed a foot overive him a reason to press down

My flat expression ed his approach He stepped down hard to see what kind of reaction that would get hi reat, but broken bones don’t heal right away, especially when you keep injuring the you are, if someone steps on your broken shoulder, it hurts

As I looked up at hi from my eyes

"It’s too bad I’ll have to kill you I would have liked to taste you again" He put ht onthe whi you?" I said in a strained gasp "It’s not like I’ anywhere"

He let up on the pressure on rateful for it The crowd behind hi restless andI guess my pain was too real for the again, but the whispers were getting louder, and there was a frenzied tone to them The train we’d arrived on had left the station, and with it all my hopes of a rescue fro my arms to my sides with his Prada-clad feet He turned my face towards him with a hard jerk so I was forced to look hi you," he toldwas lost on him He was too focused on my neck and the blood exposed from where I’d been scraped A vampire with the smell of blood in its nose is like a shark in chunore it, it was only a o primitive

A Queens-bound train pulled into the tunnel just as Charlie’s weight collapsed on top of ht in along with the subway rockedit well outside ofit away from me with each rotation I watched helplessly as my plan fell to pieces, and winced as Charlie’s teeth piercedunder the herabbed hold of the holstered switchblade and gripped it firht be able to open the knife without accidentally cuttingits loud, metallic spin I hadn’t noticed a second Times Square train arrive, but one was here now Some of the crowd had decided they’d rather move on than watch one, I could see Tyler standing on the concrete platform, my sword under his shoe

I couldn’t read the look on his face, but I could have kissed hirabbed it withat Charlie froun to lap at the open wound like an eager dog, which meant he wasn’t clamped on to me I tookcrack

I saw stars but didn’t let et slowed down Charlie sat back, shocked but not pered My ar on et hi the sword properly fro click I snapped open the switchblade, rotating the handle back on itself and avoiding the silver end I slashed out and caught a still-dazed Charlie across the throat

"Bitch," he spat

He stumbled backwards off me, one hand latched to the neound I’d opened I hadn’t nicked anything serious, because he was still able to fors up, , and landed in a crouch with the sword pointed behindI wanted to do was commit accidental seppuku if I broke a heel Charlie and I rose to a standing position in athe katana in front offor hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>