Page 102 of Poison Sun

“According to the sun goddess,” I say instead.

"You're deluded," he counters, pushing harder against my blade. “Do you truly think Amber will be loyal to you? That she won’t turn on you the moment she gets a chance? That she’ll ever actually love you?”

I hesitate for a split-second, and that’s all he needs to use his magic to send me flying across the room.

I crash into the wall.

It cracks as it absorbs the force of my body.

With no time to spare, I dart out of the way just as he aims to ram his dagger through my heart.

The blade stabs the wall instead.

If I hadn’t moved away in time, Viktor would have gone through with it. He would have killed me.

He’s really and truly lost.

My magic floods my system as memories of our time together flash through my mind—a storm of emotions that howl through the room and keep Viktor from getting close to me.

The night I sired him in Cortlandt Alley, when he was exposed as a thief by infamous crime lords and left for dead.

Our first hunt together in Hell’s Kitchen, when I guided him in learning how to take only what he needs without losing control and becoming a killer.

Standing side by side at the edge of the Hudson River on the night he accepted his future as a vampire and left his human life behind.

Holding our matching daggers for the first time, a symbol of our unity and shared commitment to defend the clan against all threats.

The first time we saw a shadow soul in the subway, the seamless communication between us as we learned how to destroy it, and the realization afterward that the world as we knew it had changed forever.

Throughout all these decades, even during the toughest of times, I never dreamed we’d end up here.

But I can’t put this off forever. It’s time to get him to admit a truth he’ll never be able to come back from.

A truth that will seal his fate.

So, I lower my wind shield, ready to do what’s necessary to keep myself and the woman I’m falling in love with alive, to make sure the city doesn’t descend into darkness, and that the world as we know it isn’t lost forever.

Amber

“Little Island is far from the subway, and it’s on the other side of the highway,” Cassandra says after we get into the cab and start toward our destination. “The shadow souls will have to cross the highway to get to us. Hopefully the cars driving on it will keep them at bay for long enough for us to get this done.”

“Hopefully,” I agree.

“This is a hostage situation, so we’ll have to bargain with Lucas for Abigail and Yannick’s lives,” she continues, as if she’s barely aware of me here with her at all. “We have to be strategic. I have experience with this type of scenario, so you’re going to let me take charge. No impulsive moves. Their lives depend on it. Understood?”

She pauses, giving me a second to soak it in.

“Understood,” I promise.

“Good.”

She barely speaks a word after that.

I stay quiet as well, watching the city pass by as we make our way west, toward the Hudson River.

Finally, we reach Little Island.

The island itself is an architectural marvel. Its white, tulip-like pillars elevate it above the water, one end higher than the other, creating an illusion of a floating oasis. The entire thing is about the size of a soccer field, but with lots of hills and winding paths instead of being flat.

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