Page 124 of Cruelly Bitten
Lilith wouldn’t have trusted mortals with a potentially lethal device against her own kind. She’d only given them weapons to use against other humans. And she’d taught them to be subservient to vampires.
What else did she teach them?I wondered as I teleported Ismerelda and myself along a familiar street. It was the same route I’d taken with Michael to the airport, the road as vacant as all the alleyways and buildings around us.
Gods, I’d been so irritated that day, the concept of having to drive to myErositafeeling degrading and below me.
“She should be coming to me, not the other way around,” I’d said to Michael. “Why the fuck am I standing here, waiting for a fucking toy?”
“Because she insisted,” Michael had told me. “I warned you, my liege. She’s not conforming like the other humans. She seems to think she’s some kind of queen.”
I’d been disgusted by the concept, and even more turned off when she’d run toward me on the tarmac.
All that hope in her eyes…
That happiness…
I swallowed, glancing down at her now. Blood and other fluids marred her pretty features, her naked body lifeless in my arms.
No more hope. Definitely no happiness.
No life.
My teeth ground together as I phased us another mile ahead. I paced myself, primarily because I was carrying Ismerelda. I didn’t want to risk hurting her. Not any more than I already had, anyway.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long to reach the city blockade—a fancy set of gates that had been installed on the road to force cars and bikes to stop upon entry.
Many of the other roads leading into Rome had been demolished or blocked by residential developments that housed Vigils and other mortal servants.
It served two purposes: a way to operate as a place for humans to sleep and a means to force anyone venturing into Rome to halt their process.
Vampires and lycans assumed it was in place to regulate access to the Coventus—and the sensually trained blood virgins housed within.
They were half-right. But their lack of investigation or questions caused them to miss what was hidden beneath it all.
A lab full of immortal experiments.At least I knew that part was true. Everything else remained to be seen.
Five humans leapt into action upon my arrival, their shock palpable.
Two of them instantly bowed.
One gripped his gun a little tighter.
And the other two gaped at me before remembering their roles and mimicking the bow the first pair had executed.
A chorus of “Sire” filled the air, the Vigils clearly uncertain of what to do.
They were meant to protect the city limits and report any arrivals—which likely always occurred by automobile or limo, not by foot.
“I need a car,” I told them. “And a phone.” I had no idea if the latter would even work—were the network issues a lie, too?—or what number I’d dial, but a communication device seemed like a sound idea.
Unless it would also be equipped with a tracking mechanism.
Fuck. What if there’s a tracker inside me?Michael had been so obsessed with the possibility of Ismerelda having one. Was that why? Because he knew I had one?
If that was the case, I needed to put as much distance between myself and this city as possible.
We need to cross a boundary. Go into a territory that Michael and Mira won’t dare enter.
Hazel Region,I decided in the next instant, recalling what Mira had said about Hazel.
