Eternal Shadows by Kate Martin Page A

me he was still waiting for my real answer. I shook his hand off my shoulder. “Look at this place.” I all but threw my arm in my grand gesture. “It sticks out like a sore thumb. Not a single house out here has this many lights on. I just—I just want normal. Can’t we at least pretend? Can’t we try to fit in?”
    Rhys never took his eyes off me, I could tell even though I stared at the ground. “Your point is valid. We should make the attempt to blend in. I’ll speak with everyone about it.”
    I raised my eyebrow when I looked at him. “That’s it? Simple as that?”
    “Yes. Not everything has to be difficult, Kassandra.”
    I scoffed. “Not in my life.” I let out a deep breath, then rubbed my arms a few times even though I wasn’t cold. I should have been. If I was human. I figured Warren’s blood still kept me warm. “Is there anything else you wanted to show me?”
    “I could find things.” He had hooked his hands into his pockets. His casual stance helped me relax. “But you were the one who wanted the walk. Is there anything else you need to do?”
    “I wouldn’t mind just walking.”
    “All right.” The coin reappeared. With it came a smirk which had become very familiar. “Follow me.”
    I bounded after him. He went just a bit faster than I could. “Can’t you just give me the damned coin?” I shouted into the dark.
    I heard his laughter down the street. He had avoided the glow of the street lights. “You’re going to wake the whole town.” He hadn’t raised his voice, yet I heard him just the same. Score one for me or him? I decided to award myself a pat on the back for my improved listening skills.
    However, he had a point. One I felt like trying out. “You’re the teacher. Remind me of all these nifty things I can do now before I screw up.” I spoke as though he stood at my side.
    Still invisible, he chuckled again. “I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I gave you all the answers to the test.”
    The ping of the coin flipping into the air accented his words. God, I wanted that stupid thing. I felt like a dog with a ball. I stopped walking and instead concentrated on trying to find him in the dark.
    Silence greeted me for only a second, then the peace was interrupted. A set of footsteps clicked almost inaudibly behind me. Then two. Then three.
    Then four.
    The skin at the back of my neck prickled. That feeling again. I felt it a lot lately. Most recently, the night Rhys and the others had invaded my home. The night my world ended.
    As always, I didn’t know if I should be thankful, or if I should curse my perfect intuition.
    “Well, well, well.” The voice came from behind me, a rich alto that chilled what warmth I still had. “Young blood. What fun.”
    I searched the dark for Rhys. Nothing. Not even the ping of the coin. He couldn’t have left me. Could he? Turning slowly, I put on a brave face and prepared to meet the owner of the voice.
    As I had suspected, there were four of them. Closest to me, a man with skin the color of burnt sand had his arm wrapped around a woman—the one who had spoken. Her hair hung to her waist, all but disappearing against the dark night. I’d never seen a more unfriendly smile. Two more men stood behind them, but between the lack of good lighting and the apprehension I felt I couldn’t get a good look. One thing was clear to me. They were all vampires, and they were all far older than me. And not just by human standards.
    The woman ran her hand along the man’s chest while she regarded me for a long moment. “Yes, you are the one I smelled. But Rhys was with you. Surely he hasn’t left you all alone?”
    A quick glance told me Rhys and I had ended up far from home. If I screamed, the others would probably still hear, though. But did I need to? My instincts said yes, but at the same time, I was confident Rhys would have come immediately if I were in trouble.
    “He’s here,” I said, glad I sounded far more self-assured than I