Blood From a Silver Cross (Kat Redding) by E.S. Moore Page A

A huge arm clamped around my arms, trapping them, and another hand covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream. I was yanked off my feet and dragged into the shadows of the alley where the noise and light was dimmed to almost nothing.
    My fangs instantly dropped, spraying blood into my mouth and onto the hand that held me. I tried to pull away so I could open my mouth enough to bite down, but was held so tightly I could barely move my head. Whoever had me sure as hell wasn’t a Pureblood.
    I growled deep in my throat and tensed. Tonight was not a night to fuck with me.
    “Quiet,” Adrian’s breath was hot on my ear. “Don’t scream. I’m going to let you go. I want to show you something.”
    Anger flared through me, but I nodded anyway. Screaming wouldn’t help. No one would bother checking on me here. I was on my own and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do because of the Oath.
    Adrian waited a moment longer before releasing me. I immediately spun, hands going for my weapons, but I didn’t draw. It would do no good.
    “Look,” Adrian said, pointing past me. “Watch.”
    I glanced over my shoulder, but saw nothing. People were walking the streets in groups, and cars coasted down the street, but otherwise, I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking at. I was too pissed to even care—pissed at Adrian for jumping me and pissed at myself for not realizing how close he’d been when I’d felt him through the Oath.
    I turned back to him, anger bubbling over. I’d promised myself I’d stop verbally abusing my friends, but Adrian sure as hell wasn’t a friend.
    “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I didn’t quite scream the words, but it was close.
    He glanced at me, face blank as ever, and then looked past me again. I honestly think he didn’t understand why I was so pissed.
    “You must watch if you want to see what I have to show you.”
    “You were following me, weren’t you?”
    He didn’t respond. He simply continued to stare.
    I cursed under my breath and turned the way he was facing. We were deep enough into the alley that no one would notice us. Our view was likewise limited so that all I could see was a short stretch of road, a sidewalk, and the building across the street. I tried to catch faces as they passed, thinking there was someone in particular whom he wanted me to see, but if there was, I didn’t. Everyone looked the same to me.
    I was about to turn on him again when the door to the building across the street opened. A woman stepped out, looking harried. She wiped at her mouth and I noticed her lips were a little redder than they should be. She checked to make sure no one was watching and then headed for the street where she waited for traffic to ease enough for her to cross.
    “Who is that?”
    “Wait,” Adrian said. Anticipation was heavy in his voice.
    A moment later, the door opened again and someone else walked out. The man was wearing a long, brown trench coat and carrying a brown briefcase. He looked quickly around until his eyes fell on the woman. He started toward her, but just then, there was a break in the traffic and she started crossing. He hurried after her.
    My breath caught in my throat. Had Adrian actually led me to a member of the Left Hand? If so, how had he known I was looking for them?
    I didn’t have time to ask. The woman reached our side of the street with the man hot behind her. They both passed our alley without a second glance.
    “Let’s go.”
    Adrian moved forward before I could protest. I was left with little choice but to follow. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.
    It wasn’t hard to follow the two. Adrian kept a good couple of yards between us, which he really didn’t need to do. He could have come up right behind the man and no one would have noticed. The streets were so crowded, it was impossible to tell if someone was following you or just heading in the same direction.
    I stuck close behind Adrian, not wanting to walk next to him. He might