The next day came in a burst of bright sunlight and high expectations. Standing beside Vaughan's sleek mustang, we were packed and ready to head out. The werewolves were gathered a short distance away from it, wishing us good luck, their voices loud and loaded with hope. Vaughan nodded, saying a few words to them, then he got into the car. I did the same, settling into the smooth leather seats. Beyond the windshield, I watched as the pack's gates lifted. A part of me suddenly got hit with the direness of our situation. 'The vampire Link would play an important role in the coming war,' the Seer had said. 'A role that might not work in our favour.' If we didn't find this Link, we might as well kiss our chances of ever winning the war goodbye. After driving up the service trial, we hit the main road. We drove on in silence, with Vaughan staring up ahead, hands tight around the steering wheel. A few minutes passed by. The silence seemed to stretch on and taunt me, until I broke it. "

My eyes were teased open by bright sunlight. When I opened them, I groaned, feeling groggy and disoriented. I snuggled into the warm skin beneath m--I shot up, staring down at piercing grey eyes, my hand flying to my gaping mouth. In a split second I scrambled away from him, landing on my feet. I instantly put some space between us.Eyes wide, I stared at him, waiting for him to castigate me.His husky morning voice wafted through my ears as he said, "At least someone had a good night sleep."Taming my disorderly hair, I stuttered, "Y-yeah, well I--"His eyes flashed yellow, his tone dropping to dangerous notes. "Don't...try that again next time."My mouth opened and closed. "It wasn't like y--""Don't," he grated out. "I could have hurt you."Startled at the concern in his voice, I fell qui

My mind whirled with a million thoughts as I coated my lips with red lipstick. One was, what if the vampire wouldn't come to the party today? What if they knew we were on to them? Turning my face sideways at intervals, I checked that my two winged eyeliners matched. And who was the person letting the vampires into the pack?Satisfied, I turned away from the mirror and grabbed my silver studded clutch. On my way out of the closet, I paused when my phone pinged.Swiping it, I saw it was a text from Robyn. 'Any lead on the vampire yet?'It took a while before I texted, 'Yeah. Apparently they've been going around killing people. I don't think keeping a low profile is high on their list... (Pun unintended.)'For a short moment, I stood there waiting to get a reply. When one wasn't forthcoming, I put my phone back into the clutch and closed it, exiting the walk-in room.

I felt solid warmth behind me and turned, the smell of cinnamon filling my nose.Ever so perceptive, Vaughan took note of something on my face and became alert. "Is anything wrong?""No, no," I was quick to reassure him. "It's just"--I turned to face the auctioneer--"that necklace...""What about it?"I locked gazes with him. "I need to get it."Vaughan looked at it, his eyes calculative. People continued to bid loudly, "Ten million!""Ten point three!""Ten point five!""Twenty million," came the cool voice above me.My head snapped upwards and I widened my eyes at him disbelief. "I didn't mean you should pay for it!" I whispered harshly.He looked down at me, mildly confused. "How else were we supposed to get it?""I was go

Vaughan tore his gaze away from the road to throw me a quick glance. "What do you mean?""There was this other girl at the warehouse," I explained, confused myself. "When she'd looked at me I felt this... I don't know, some sort of familiarity. As if some part of me had recognized her as another Link."He continued to drive, digesting it all in. He suddenly let out a heavy sigh. "If that's true then you know what this means.""What?""We've achieved nothing.""Oh," I said absently, leaning back defeatedly in my seat. "But we could go back, there's st--" the plan that'd been forming in my mind died. With a deflated sigh I said, "Except they'll change their locations after today.""No," he said."No?" I asked."They won't do that," he said, easing into another lane."Well, why?"