Page 90 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

Metal dug into my shoulder, then my hip, then back again as I rolled across the floor of what had to be a van. Zip ties bit into my wrists, twisted behind my back.

Bang.My forehead smacked against something solid. More rolling. The vehicle swerved, and I slammed into the wheel well. Everything ached.

How long had I been out? The van’s interior was pitch black, offering no clues. Each bump sent me tumbling, unable to brace myself.

At least the bone-deep cold had receded. Small mercies. Was the dark magic ready to harvest? Were they about to cut it out of me?

Another sharp turn sent me crashing into the opposite wall. Pain bloomed across my ribs, but it felt distant, disconnected. Everything felt distant. The terror that should have been overwhelming me just… wasn’t there. Instead, a heavy numbness had settled in my chest as I bounced from side to side like a forgotten parcel.

What a rubbish way to go. All those dreams I’d had about seeing the world, gone. Completing my solo sail across the Atlantic. Falling in love.

Mum would never know what happened to me. She’d be devastated. First Dad, then me. And Katie… God, Katie. She’d blame herself for not trying harder to get me to come home. Tom too.Fuck,he’d feelawful.

And Seb. He’d tear himself apart, convince himself it was his fault. He’d carry that weight forever—however long forever was for a vampire.

Now I’d never know what he might have said back, after everything at the bakery.

The van hit another pothole, and my head cracked against the floor. Deep-rooted pain bled across my skull. All I could do was hold on to an image of Seb’s face—that rare, genuine smile that felt like it belonged to me.

19

Sebastián

Cold blood trickled down my arm as I paced outside Rising Dough, feet crunching in the scattered glass from the bakery’s shattered windows, which leaked out the putrid stench of deadwalkers.

On my phone, I jabbed Kit’s button again. Straight to voicemail.Damn it.He’d gone to Undertone to get blood for me. Was there trouble there? I pushed the thought away.

My fingers found Felix’s contact. “Magpie! I need a car.”

“Like… an Uber?”

I clenched my jaw, fighting to keep my voice steady. “No! I need a car to drive. Flynn’s been taken. We were attacked by deadwalkers. I heard some sort of vehicle speed away. I need to follow,now.”

A sharp intake of breath crackled through the line. Then Felix’s voice, distant but urgent: “Peacock! Get over here!”

Her footsteps approached, followed by rapid-fire questions that grew louder as she reached the phone. “What’s happened? Where’s Flynn? I’ll call Terrier—he’s on a date in Shoreditch—”

“Poodle isn’t picking up,” I cut in, addressing Felix again. “Can you get me a car?”

“Like… delivered to your location?” Felix’s keyboard clattered in the background. “Not… anytime soon!”

My gaze locked onto a Volkswagen Golf parked across the street, its paint peeling around the wheel arches. Perfect.

“Magpie. I need you to talk me through hot-wiring a car. Pull up a video tutorial if you must.”

“What? I have no idea about any of that. We’ll be here all night!”

“How hard can it be?” I practically snarled down the phone.

“Hold on!” Felix’s voice brightened. “I’ve got an idea. Let me scan the street you’re on.”

The line went quiet except for rapid typing. Blood dripped steadily from my arm onto the pavement, each drop a reminder of my failure to protect Flynn.

“Peacock,” I called to Priya. “Call Teddy and tell him he needs to get a cleanup crew to Rising Dough ASAP. Two demobilised deadwalkers.”

She gasped. “Deadwalkers? That’s—”

“Just make the call.”

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