A Wind of Change by Bella Forrest Page B

the dial up high. He didn’t say a word as I sat in the corner, still trembling, until the sauna grew hot enough for the pain to begin to subside. The shock remained with me much longer, however. I was still breathing in rasps, my body still in some kind of trauma.
    He reached for a towel and handed it to me.
    I clasped it in my hands and buried my face in it. It was the only barrier I could form between him and me in that small room.
    “Now,” he said, after perhaps twenty minutes had passed. “Come here.”
    Even after the pain he’d put me through, I couldn’t find it in myself to give in. Instead I shot him a glare. “I know your type,” I spat. “Who were you before you became a vampire? Were you bullied at school? Unable to get girls based on your winning personality alone? Stay away from me, you creep.”
    He got to his feet slowly, and closed the distance between us. As he extended his fingers, claws shot out. He pressed his forefinger against my cheek, cutting a thin line. The blood seeped down my cheek, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing that I was in pain. I kept my face as expressionless as possible, even as my cheek stung.
    He bent down closer, his face mere inches away from mine.
    His lips parted and he was about to speak when instinct took over. Stiffening my fingers, I thrust them toward his right eye.
    I was shocked that I met my mark. I’d expected his reflexes to be too quick for me to do any damage. Perhaps he just thought me so weak that I wouldn’t even attempt to fight back.
    He groaned in pain and clutched his right eye, giving me the two seconds I needed to push past him and scramble toward the door. The door was closed, but the lock had been damaged thanks to that Joseph man who had stormed out of here earlier. I started dashing along the corridor, skidding and slipping on the shiny floors as I ran with speed that took my breath away. I headed straight for the exit of Michael’s apartment. My heart pounded as I slammed up against it. I gripped the handle and try to open it, but it was locked.
    Oh, God.
    I looked around frantically for a key, but found none. I couldn’t spend any more time looking. I kept expecting Michael to race up to me and grab hold of me at any second. I gripped the handle again and pulled down as hard as I could. To my shock, the handle snapped off and I was able to push the door wide open. I might not have had the strength of a vampire, but whatever I had become, I was stronger than I could have imagined. It was an uncanny feeling to possess such strength while having done nothing to earn it. It was like… magic. My whole body had transformed into this bizarre species that I hadn’t even known existed until only hours ago.
    I could hear Michael cursing in the background as I dashed off down the wide veranda. I must have hurt him quite severely.
    I’d had to defend myself once like this before, in my neighborhood back home. I’d gone out to the convenience store too late one evening, and on my way back, someone had tried to mug me. I’d jabbed him in the eye. God knew what would’ve happened that night had my reflexes not been so fast.
    I had no idea where I was running to. I just kept speeding as fast as I could.
    I threw a look over my shoulder, fearing that Michael would already be chasing me. Thankfully he wasn’t—yet. I ran round and round the circular veranda, and when I reached the elevators, I entered one and traveled upward to the very highest level—the one directly beneath the trapdoor that Michael had brought me down through. I hurried up the winding staircase and began fumbling with the latches. The metal clanked and was so noisy, it was a struggle to work in silence. Every time a voice came from down below, my heart jumped into my throat.
    Please, open up.
    I have to escape.
    I still had no idea where my sister was, but if I went looking for her, I would end up getting caught and then there would be no hope for either of us,