Page 3 of Marked By Him

No, no, no.

I knew by the color that it was fresh blood that he’d savored.

Other than my parents, I was the only human for miles.

If it’s not my blood...

No. I refused to believe it. I’d only been away from them for a minute.

The growl vibrated again, a deep, feral echo that rumbled all the way to my bones.

My heart throbbed with terror. Fear made me desperate. Grief threatened to swallow me whole. Pain latched onto me. It clawed at my skin, tearing me open.

He stood there, in the center of the road, focused and intense. Wind blew pieces of trash and debris over the gravel.

The moment I saw what he was staring at, I clasped a hand over my mouth to hold back a sob.

My mother stood across from him, motionless. Her gaze was fixed on him with absolute stillness. Unblinking. Brave.

I had her brown eyes. Now, I’d see them in this exact moment every time I looked in a mirror.

The vampire cocked his head to one side and clenched, then unclenched, his hands into fists. I knew about Letos, about their ability to hypnotize.

Look away, Mom. Please. Run!

I wanted to scream, to run, to throw myself in front of him as a sacrifice. But it would have been pointless. He’d finish with me, then chase after her, anyway.If he didn’t use his mind games to make her kill me.

He took a step toward her.

She didn’t move.

She wasn’t enthralled, not yet, anyway. She was baiting him, giving me a chance to escape. That was the plan. We’d gone over it a hundred times—every time we left the camp. If one of us got caught, we wouldn’t run.Become the prey. Make them take you first.

He took another step.

The thick silence fell again, and I took the opportunity to do the only thing I’d been taught to do.

Survive.

2

Eve

Darkness closed in around me.There was no moonlight. The forest seemed thicker, more nefarious than I imagined. My pulse roared in my ears, amplifying each of my pounding footsteps as I ran.

God, I ran.

The air burned my lungs. My calves were on fire. Pain clawed at my bare feet as I raced over dead leaves and crumbled stone.What happened to my shoes?

My ponytail had come loose, and the night wind whipped through my hair.

Not far behind me were footsteps that were heavier than mine, faster.

Someone was chasing me.

I sprinted harder.

Adrenaline was like blood, thrumming through my veins. Fear pushed me forward. The forest was merciless. Branches lashed my skin, slowing my pace.

---