Page 57 of Midnight Kiss

The woman’s lips parted into a vicious smile. “You don’t know? But that’s impossible. Your entire apartment is covered in vamp magic.”

“Huh?” She was crazy. I didn’t know what the pain had been about, but that didn’t matter. I opened my mouth to scream for help, but she was on me instantly.

She pushed me against the wall, her hand over my mouth. “No noise, my sweet, darling mortal.” The woman ran her finger over my throat. “My name is Yulia, and you will be mine for the rest of your natural life, and when that is coming to an end, you will become a vampire like me.”

Vampire? She had to be crazy. This was?—

“Quiet your mind,” Yulia whispered. “I want you to focus every thought on me and the pain I am about to inflict on you, my little lamb.”

I struggled against her grasp, but it was futile. It was like she was made of rock. I bit on the side of her hand and my teeth hurt.

Yulia laughed at me. “So feisty,” she said. “I was supposed to save you for Santorin, but you will have to be mine. They won’t blame me for taking you. I’ll say that you fought too hard and made too much noise. That I had to subdue you.”

She pressed her hand tighter over my mouth, crushing my head against the bathroom wall, the sickly scent of her perfume filling my nostrils.

Yulia ran her nose up the side of my face then pulled back, frowning. “You are … different. There is something affecting you.”

My only thoughts were of escape, and I kept glancing past her at the door, hoping that someone, anyone, would come to the bathroom and see us.

“The door is locked, little lamb,” she said. “No one can save you now. Not your mortal friends or your dear Alexander.” Yulia pressed a finger to my lips then removed it. “Now, tell me what’s wrong with you?”

“Let me go! Help!”

She slapped me across the face, and stars burst behind my eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong with you.”

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Your scent is delectable from afar, but it’s tainted. What’s changed about you? You are impossible to resist but you smell—” Yulia inhaled my smell again, pressing her nose flush against my cheek. “Poison. You smell like death.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on or what you want, but just let me go,” I said. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“What is wrong with you? Are you sick? Dying?”

“I was sick,” I said, trying to keep her calm with words so I could plot my escape. “But I’m not any more.”

“You’re still sick. You’re spoiled.” Yulia sighed and stepped back, releasing me suddenly. “How unfortunate. I’m going to have to kill you instead. I can’t afford to bring back a tainted body.”

“H-Help!” I screamed, but a wedge of nothing blocked the noise. My feet lifted off the ground, and I rose into the air above her. My head swam. This was impossible. It was— Was I dreaming? Was this a nightmare?

My insides twisted with terror at the height, at the view of the sinks, her standing beside them, the empty stall.

“Time to die,” Yulia said.

20

ALEXANDER

“This is it?” Haldren placed his hand atop the leather cover of the copied book. The pages were appropriately blood-stained, the writing faded with age, the words in French. Everything had been done to perfection.

A copy that was indistinguishable from the original secreted in my car. Bringing it into U.C. headquarters would have been a grave mistake, given that they monitored everything and everyone.

“Alexander?” Haldren prompted, his fingers still resting on the cover of the book.

“Yes?”

“You’ve acquired the book.”

“Correct,” I said.