Page 18 of A Song in the Night

“Did my f-father send you?” I try to swallow the fear clogging my throat. More blood trickles down the side of my face, tickling my skin, but I make no move to wipe it away. As the silence stretches, anger ripples through my fear. “He had his chance to get rid of me. He sent me to the auction block instead. Why now?”

This elicits a short laugh comes from the stranger. It’s deep, masculine. I have no chance to react—in the space of a stuttered heartbeat, the male is in front of me, shoving me against the brick exterior of a building. Dizziness makes my vision blurry, and it’s clear the opponent I’m dealing with is not human.

Somehow, I stand again. But as I straighten, the male is already in front of me. He’s a solid wall of muscle that I have no chance of winning against. In that moment, I know that I’m going to die. Breathing heavily, I force out, “What do youwant? Get on with it, then!”

The male tilts his head, and not being able to see his eyes is almost as unnerving as him leaning in and inhaling deeply.

Fight him or you’re going to die in this disgusting parking lot, the monster snaps, startling me. I didn’t expect her to be good for anything other than driving me mad with thirst.

If I’m about to die, I’m not going to make it easy for my murderer.I am not weak,I told Noah once. Now it’s time to prove it.

Seizing the advantage of surprise, I slam my knee into the stranger’s groin and push him back with as much force as I can muster. Growling, he stumbles back just enough for me break into a run.

I should go back the way I came. I’m still close to Crimson, where there are witnesses and people who might be willing to help me.

But my bag.

If it were just filled with clothes, I wouldn’t think twice about leaving it. It holds Alexei’s box, though. The only thing left from my old life that I care about. I can’t leave it behind again.

I sprint toward it, snatch it off the ground, and throw it over my shoulder. At the worst possible moment, another wave of dizziness hits. It’s so powerful that I slow and sway a little on my feet. It takes a few seconds for the world to even out. There’s a good chance I have a concussion, but I don’t have time to be concerned about that right now, not with the masked man advancing toward me again. He’s walking at a leisurely pace, as if he’s not concerned about catching up to me. He knows he’s faster, that it would take no effort to catch me again.

I rush backward, wanting to keep my eyes on him as I aim for the alley. Then the male reaches down and pulls a long, wicked-looking knife out of a holster I hadn’t noticed at his hip.

I suck in a breath and spin around, running back the way I came. The alley feels ten times longer than it did when I walked through it before. The walls are suffocatingly close when I stumble through, my shoulder hitting the hard surfaces a few times. Nausea rolls through me in waves, and I fight the urge to stop vomit.Keep going, keep going, I chant to myself.

One moment I’m practically crawling toward the street, and the next, I’m pressed against the brick. Not painfully. No, it’s more as if I’m being held up. Panic claws through me, and I fight my attacker. It’s a weak, feeble attempt, but I can’t go down without something of a fight. That would be too damn sad.

“Charlie, stop.” The voice is firm but not unkind, and confusion rushes through my foggy brain.

I blink hard, willing my vision to clear, and when a familiar face comes into focus, I stop fighting. “Noah. What are you—”

“Later.” He slides his arm around me, using his body to hold me upright. “Can you walk?”

“Not well,” I mumble, leaning into him, my head dropping against his chest. It doesn’t even occur to me to look behind us and make sure that my assailant is gone. Not while Noah is here. “I think I hit my head.”

And now I’m probably getting blood on his shirt.Oops. Noah chuckles, but the sound holds no amusement. I’d bet all the money Valeria just gave me that he can smell my attacker.

As my terror begins to abate, I finally do glance backward. The alley is empty, of course. There’s no sign of that masked asshole—he probably bolted the moment he saw Noah.

“Wait. What are you doing out here?” I lift my head to look into his eyes, putting our faces close enough his breath tickles my forehead. The sharp, metallic scent of blood assaults my nose. “Are you following me?”

He arches a brow. “Yes, Charlie. I have nothing better to do with my time but stalk you around New Ve. You caught me.”

“No.” I shake my head with a sigh. Adrenaline is still pumping through my veins, but it’s quieter now. I can think clearly again. “Youcaughtme. And… thank you.”

The vampire’s eyes are locked on me, and for a moment, he says nothing. Then he takes the duffle bag, slings it over his shoulder, and guides me out of the alley. I spot Sylvia’s SUV a few blocks away. “What areyoudoing out here?” he asks.

I close my eyes again, because the world has gone blurry again. “I was having a drink with a friend.”

Not a complete lie. I did have a drink, and I did see a friend.

Noah helps me into the passenger seat and tosses my bag in the back. He gets behind the wheel, the keys flashing in his hand. “I don’t have to tell you how stupid that was,” he remarks.

It isn’t a question.

“I think you just did.” I rest my head against the seat. A beat later, I remember that I’m bleeding and I shift upright. Sylvia seems like the kind of person who would care about stains on the upholstery.

Noah starts the car without saying anything else, turns onto the main road, and heads in the direction of Ada’s. How does he know I decided to move back in?

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