Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Her foot hit the container as she went over backwards, sending the contents exploding across the sidewalk. She felt a moment of
outraged despair for her ruined lunch before the detached fearlessness took over. She reacted with a numb calm, taking in the situation as if she were watching it happen to someone else from far
away.
The stranger’s emaciated body crouched over hers, arms wrapping round her and hoisting her upwards. He was shockingly strong, which solidified Chloe’s confidence that stimulants of some kind contributed to his current condition. With snarling grunts, he bega dragging her into the dark of the parking ramp. With an unflustered, pragmatic sense of survival, Chloe thought mildly to herself, Welp. Can’t let him get me in there.
She tried to scream, but a big hand quickly covered her mouth, the skin shockingly cold. She bit at it, sinking her teeth into dirty, salty–tasting flesh. Her attacker hissed in pain, but kept his freezing hand firmly clamped over her face. She kicked at his shins and thrashed against his hold, doing everything in her power to delay what seemed to be inevitable. The mouth of the parking ramp was getting closer, the sharp edge of darkness waiting like a knife.
That terrifying snarl sounded again, so much closer now, and a dark shadow passed beneath the dull, yellowy lights of the parking garage. It moved so swiftly, Chloe barely registered its presence before it was on top of them.
Suddenly, she was free. She hit the pavement hard, pain jolting up her spine. Above her, two dark silhouettes were locked in a violent struggle. Chloe scrambled back from them, praying they’d keep each other occupied long enough for her to get away.
But then they broke apart. One of them, the leaner of the two, hissed
No Escarfor
Chapter 98
like an enraged cat as he disappeared back into the darkness of the parking garage. The remaining figure spun to face Chloe. The lights were at his back, shadowing his face in darkness. She had an impression of broad shoulders and strong arms–enough to know he was dangerous. Chloe struggled to get her feet beneath her.
“Are you okay p>
She froze. That voice-
“Chloe?” The stranger drew nearer and the light shifted over his face until he was no longer a stranger. He crouched in front of her, his pale face taut with worry.
“Amos p>
“Are you alright?” Amos repeated, reaching for her. Chloe was unresisting as he pulled her to her feet. His hands slid to her shoulders, bracing her as he looked her over. “Did he bite you p>
“Bite me? No,” she answered faintly. Realization dawned slowly. “Wait. That was a vampire p>
“Not quite. Let’s get off the street p>
She let Amos walk her to a diner a few blocks over. She’d eaten there once before and been unimpressed, but with her soup splattered all over the sidewalk, it’d have to do. Taking a booth as far from the diner counter as possible, they sat in relative silence until after the sole waitress on duty had taken their orders. A BLT for Chloe, nothing for Amos.
“You’re sure yo
‘tress had
walked away.
Swipe again to go back
“I’m fine. What did you mean, that guy was ‘not quite‘ a vampire? ”
Chapter 98
In the fluorescent lighting of the diner, Amos’s blood–red irises looked especially unnatural. When he spoke, the tips of his fangs were much more noticeable than in the cozy lighting of his home. His pallor, his rigid posture, his watchfulness–all of it screamed predator in a way that she hadn’t fully appreciated before.
“He was a thrall,” Amos said. “A sort of half–turned vampire. Only very old, very powerful vampires can make them–and it’s never done on accident. It’s not an ethical practice. Thralls are little more
than slaves to their sires. ”
“That’s horrible.” Chloe said, brow furrowing. “Can something be done to… help them p>
“There are only two choices for a thrall to escape their enslaven Find a vampire who will turn them fully, or…die p>
The waitress reappeared with coffee. Chloe and Amos were silent. Even after the waitress left, Chloe was quiet, taking in what Amos had told her while she added cream to her coffee. She winced as she sipped it–burnt and bitter–and reached for the sugar packets.
“So if thralls are slaves… did someone order him to attack me p>
“I doubt it. He would have kept fighting me instead of running off if he was under orders to attack you. Thralls can’t resist an order from their master, but they aren’t mindless. If their master has no task or order for them to obey, they can act on their own will. Most likely, the thrall who attacked you was half–starving–neglected by whatever asshole created him–and just trying to find a meal p>
A meal–her. Like she was for Amos. Chloe looked up from the half–opened sugar packet, meeting Amos’s gaze. Despite the terrifying encounter that had led up to this moment, pleasant heat spread through her veins. Amos’s jaw clenched, his pupils dilating wide as he held her gaze. But she had more questions that needed answers, and she couldn’t let herself be distracted. She broke eye contact, dropping her gaze back down to her coffee. She poured the
Chapter 98
sugar in with overly–attentive focus.
“Do you think he might have been following me for a while?” she
asked.
“Possibly. Why? Have you seen him before p>
“No. But the thing is, I’ve been feeling sort of…paranoid? All weekend, I’ve just had this feeling that I was being watched. It’s probably just stress, but p>
Chloe lifted her gaze and caught Amos’s expression. At first, she thought he was feeling fear on her behalf. But then she realized, no That was guilt. He looked guilty.
“Oh my god.” Her hand clenched on the coffee mug. “Have you been following me p>
The guilt deepened, his pale face stark with tension. But he held her gaze, unflinching. The hungry intensity faded from his eyes as his pupils slowly returned to normal, blood–red iris reappearing. “Yes,” he answered in a low voice.
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