Scarlet ran down the stairs of the tower as fast as her legs would carry her. She held the precious vial of immortal blood tightly in her fist, and prayed that when she found Sage he would still be alive.Her mind was swirling from her encounter with the three sisters. The experience was like nothing she’d ever had before and it left her reeling, feeling disconcerted and confused. Part of her felt like she couldn’t trust the women but the other part of her felt she had no other option. If she didn’t get Sage to the vampire city then he would die anyway, so she may as well cling onto the last sliver of hope the women had given her.When Scarlet burst out of the tower door, she found that the forest was in complete disarray. The storm had torn up leaves and branches, strewing them haphazardly around. It was almost impossible to find a path through the dense foliage, and Scarlet was frequently blocked by a fallen tree. The stream she’d leapt over on the way here had burst its banks to b

Vivian soared through the sky, her veins on fire with exhilaration. Thanks to Scarlet’s idiot of an uncle, she was within a hair’s breadth of ending her nemesis’s life. As she flew, she could feel the stake in her back pocket, urging her to kill again, reminding her of just how powerful and addictive that sensation was.As Vivian flew she wondered whether Blake would have turned yet. Nothing would be sweeter for her than having him by her side as she ended Scarlet’s life.She decided then to take a quick detour past his house. If he had indeed turned, she could bring him along for the ride. That way she’d witness his all his firsts—his first feed, his first flight—just like a good sire should.When she reached Blake’s house, the first thing she noticed was the sprays of blood on the window. She leapt onto his porch roof and peered in through his bedroom window. Her heart dropped. Blake wasn’t there. His bed was messy, as though he’d thrown off the covers she’d placed over him in has

Kyle sauntered along the road. Shady walked by his side, his right hand man. Together they’d turned a dozen men from inside the prison and had let another fifty loose on the streets. By the time they’d finished their rampage on the prison, there wasn’t a single guard left alive.Now they were ready to unleash terror on the streets of this town. They followed the trail of destruction that had already been left for them by the escaped inmates, passing over turned cars and burning houses on the way, Kyle leading the small band of newly turned vampires. His group comprised all the men he’d been closest to whilst behind bars, the ones who’d backed him in scraps or who had beaten up another inmate on his behalf. They were men who were loyal to him and grateful for the freedom and power he had gifted them with. It was a gratitude that extended far beyond the usual sire bond. These were men who would lay their lives down to serve him.Kyle wanted to make sure his followers got a good show on

Vivian chased Scarlet through the skies, right on her tail. Scarlet must have known she was being chased because she kept looking back over her shoulder. Blake was lagging behind but he still followed Vivian dutifully on her quest to cause pain.No matter how fast Scarlet was as a vampire, she couldn’t out fly Vivian, who had been more athletic in her human form than Scarlet. Scarlet had just reached the roof of a mansion when Vivian caught her by the ankle.The two girls went skidding across the rooftop, scraping a path over the tiles and making them fly up all around them. Vivian was immediately in fight mode. She grappled with Scarlet before pinning her down by her arms. Scarlet thrashed like a woman possessed.“Let go of me!” she screamed.Vivian laughed maniacally. This was the moment she’d been dreaming of all along—and she was going to squeeze every ounce of pleasure out of it that she could.“What the hell happened to you?” she sneered. “You look like crap.”Scarlet was w

Scarlet was bereft. She was so engulfed by grief she didn’t even care when she heard the hammering on the front door of the mansion or the sound of glass smashing. It was only the sound of chaos and anarchy, the jeering, screaming sounds of murderous rage, and the thudding sound of hundreds of boots on the marble floors that made her turn around.As soon as she did, she took in the sight of a vampire army. Amongst them were kids she knew from high school, the jocks and cheerleaders still in their uniforms, the goth kids from freshman year, the glee club. Then behind them was a savage looking group of thugs, with shaved heads and tattoos all over their faces, necks and arms. They were wearing uniforms, and it dawned on Scarlet that they were escaped prisoners.Scarlet had no idea what was going on but she knew instantly that it had something to do with her. This army, made up of kids and convicts, was here to kill her.She sprung into action, leaping into the air and heading towards