Chapter 24 · Untitled Chapter

"Lynn." Adrian's hand locked around my arm. "We need to move. Now."

I couldn't. Mom was dead. Again. This time, I'd felt her heartbeat stop through the bond.

Victor stood ten feet away in his gray coat, six soldiers sealing off every exit. He glanced toward the burning church and smiled. "Sarah bought you three minutes. Maybe four. How touching."

Adrian stepped in front of me. His shoulders were rigid, his breath rough. Hunger scraped through our bond, sharp enough to make my stomach twist.

"Move," he said.

The ritual blade pulsed in my hand. Mom had said it could cut the bond without killing either of us. Adrian's mark first. Mine second. A clean break.

My fingers stayed still.

Victor's eyes dropped to the blade. "She gave you that? Sarah always loved a tragic choice. Go on, Lynn. Cut him loose. You get your freedom. He gets to starve."

"Shut up."

"Or finish what she started." He spread his hands. "Complete the second exchange. Bind yourself fully to a vampire and become exactly what your family spent three generations hunting."

One soldier shifted left.

Adrian tracked him without turning his head. "Lynn. I can take three. Maybe four.