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And somewhere, there was blood

Too close

My eyes were on the vein throbbing on Pike’s neck

"No," I said, pulling back, pushing against his chest

"Don’t go" Pike pulled me back to him and I felt the word on my earlobe as his mouth opened and he nibbled

My body throbbed My need deepened I pushed away--tore myself away--from Pike and stumbled backward and then started to run

"I knohat you are" Pike’s words tumbled out and hit every wall of the dis about?"

He took a slow step forward, his eyes still hard, pinning me "I knohat you are, Nina"

I licked h ain, and cold "I don’t knohat you think you know aboutand red from our kiss "You’re a va alone in the alleyway

I walked the rest of the way hohts focused on the h my head A vampire I knew it, I flaunted it--in the Underworld, natch--but hearing the word come out of his mouth

I sunk my key into the lock and shoved into the apart lightly, illue on top of my mail slot The sender had used a whole spool of tape and twine and addressed the thing simply to "LaShay" I shoved it under my arm and carried it to my apartment

"Hey, where’ve you been?" Vlad wrinkled his nose "You sue"

I flopped down on the couch

"What’s with you?"

"Pike knows"

Vlad finished his blood bag with aposition "Pike knoho theis really ruining ht ahead "Pike knows aboutflashed across Vlad’s eyes "He knows you’re a va my head "I doubt it"

"So we have ameoing to go all Van Helsing on us, is he? Because we’d need special approval from the UDA to take hiht? Kale She’d never approve me Hell, she’d call Pike and leave a trail of breadcruht to me"

I sed "I don’t kno he knows He just--he just said it ‘I knohat you are’"

Vlad crushed his blood bag and tossed it onto the coffee table "Ominous"

"Vlad, what am I supposed to do about this? A breather knows aboutat the TV "I don’t know Kill hiood minute to realize that it was pain I didn’t want to kill Pike I didn’t want to be what I was

"I--I need soainstby the time I crested the steps down to the aparted

Two of the ancient ere cracked open; I could see there was a gentle breeze outside but the air in the vestibule itself was staid and heavy but crackled with a weird, electric energy I sniffed The metallic scent was sharp and distinctive andand elongating, saliva rushing toward ue

There was blood in the air

It stank of injury and heat with just the slightest tinge of soy-filled trail stopped dead on the botto slowly in the darkness, and finally cussing at irl And then I heard the whi in the single syllable that was anguished I stiffened