shrapnel seeking his heart. I want to help Jeneta, too, but not at the cost of Isaac’s life.
I can’t force him to get help. I can’t stand by and watch him self-destruct. And I can’t leave, not without tearing Lena apart. I love her, but that love chains the three of us together, and if Isaac’s downward spiral goes on . . .
He bargained his blood and Lena’s for a chance. What was he thinking? And what else will he sacrifice?
If things don’t improve soon, I may call Jeff and Helen and have them lock Isaac in a damn kennel until he gets his head together.
—From the personal journal of Doctor Nidhi Shah
I HAD MADE ENEMIES of an entire species in exchange for a single vial of blood.
How long before they discovered the theft? Whatever alert had triggered the release of the guard within the satellite had likely signaled the vampires on Earth as well. They had an impressive security database, which presumably included records of known Porters and ex-Porters. All they had to do was match the video and scan from the satellite to their information on Isaac Vainio.
Trying to explain Mahefa’s part in it wouldn’t change the evidence. Whatever my reasons, I had broken into their secret satellite. Simply knowing the thing existed was probably enough to earn me a death sentence.
It was almost enough to distract me from our headfirst dive back to Earth.
“Where are we going?” My helmet muffled the wind rushing past.
“Copper River.” Mahefa sounded as happy as a kid going to Disney World. A drink of dryad blood would be the cherry on top of his bloody sundae.
“Not yet. First you’re taking me to Rome.” The bastard had made me a target for every vampire in the world. The least he could do was give me a lift.
“Do I look like a fucking taxi cab?” he snarled.
“How do I know the blood will work?” I shot back. “Once I’ve tested it, then we can go home.”
I half-expected him to drop me. It would be a simpler death than waiting around for the vampires. At this speed, I’d probably fall another hour, but I wouldn’t have time to feel the pain of impact.
“Sure, why not?” he said cheerfully, his annoyance seemingly forgotten. We veered to the right. “I haven’t been to Italy in years. It’s a beautiful country, full of beautiful, delicious women.”
Lower and lower we flew over the blackness of the Atlantic. My stomach lurched as Mahefa flattened out his path, skimming the waves so closely the spray hit my helmet. We had slowed a bit, but the air still battered my suit and helmet, and the harness felt like it was about to sever my legs.
We sped across the water for another hour, with nothing but the waves below and the stars overhead. Monotony dulled my thoughts. I was half asleep when Mahefa struck my shoulder and pointed to lights illuminating the coastline ahead. “Wake up, and welcome to Ostia Beach!”
He unclipped my harness from his, and I went from flying to falling. It was like being on a swing set and feeling the chains snap. I braced my head with my hands and doubled over. The first time I struck the water, I bounced like a stone skipping across a lake. The second time, my arm and shoulder sankbeneath the surface. I flipped heels-over-head and ended up underwater.
Mahefa hauled me to the surface. “Better to be seen swimming than flying. You
can
swim, yes?”
You didn’t grow up in the northern part of the U.P. without learning to swim. I pulled free of his grip. “Shouldn’t you have asked before you dropped me in the ocean?”
Hotels, nightclubs, and bars illuminated the beach ahead. Folded umbrellas lined the sand like soldiers at attention, guarding the nightlife against marine invasion.
By the time I was close enough to shore for my feet to touch bottom, I could hardly feel my legs, and my arms and chest felt like they were on fire. I staggered toward dry sand, one hand fumbling uselessly with the helmet seal.
“Be careful with that,” Mahefa snapped.
I can’t force him to get help. I can’t stand by and watch him self-destruct. And I can’t leave, not without tearing Lena apart. I love her, but that love chains the three of us together, and if Isaac’s downward spiral goes on . . .
He bargained his blood and Lena’s for a chance. What was he thinking? And what else will he sacrifice?
If things don’t improve soon, I may call Jeff and Helen and have them lock Isaac in a damn kennel until he gets his head together.
—From the personal journal of Doctor Nidhi Shah
I HAD MADE ENEMIES of an entire species in exchange for a single vial of blood.
How long before they discovered the theft? Whatever alert had triggered the release of the guard within the satellite had likely signaled the vampires on Earth as well. They had an impressive security database, which presumably included records of known Porters and ex-Porters. All they had to do was match the video and scan from the satellite to their information on Isaac Vainio.
Trying to explain Mahefa’s part in it wouldn’t change the evidence. Whatever my reasons, I had broken into their secret satellite. Simply knowing the thing existed was probably enough to earn me a death sentence.
It was almost enough to distract me from our headfirst dive back to Earth.
“Where are we going?” My helmet muffled the wind rushing past.
“Copper River.” Mahefa sounded as happy as a kid going to Disney World. A drink of dryad blood would be the cherry on top of his bloody sundae.
“Not yet. First you’re taking me to Rome.” The bastard had made me a target for every vampire in the world. The least he could do was give me a lift.
“Do I look like a fucking taxi cab?” he snarled.
“How do I know the blood will work?” I shot back. “Once I’ve tested it, then we can go home.”
I half-expected him to drop me. It would be a simpler death than waiting around for the vampires. At this speed, I’d probably fall another hour, but I wouldn’t have time to feel the pain of impact.
“Sure, why not?” he said cheerfully, his annoyance seemingly forgotten. We veered to the right. “I haven’t been to Italy in years. It’s a beautiful country, full of beautiful, delicious women.”
Lower and lower we flew over the blackness of the Atlantic. My stomach lurched as Mahefa flattened out his path, skimming the waves so closely the spray hit my helmet. We had slowed a bit, but the air still battered my suit and helmet, and the harness felt like it was about to sever my legs.
We sped across the water for another hour, with nothing but the waves below and the stars overhead. Monotony dulled my thoughts. I was half asleep when Mahefa struck my shoulder and pointed to lights illuminating the coastline ahead. “Wake up, and welcome to Ostia Beach!”
He unclipped my harness from his, and I went from flying to falling. It was like being on a swing set and feeling the chains snap. I braced my head with my hands and doubled over. The first time I struck the water, I bounced like a stone skipping across a lake. The second time, my arm and shoulder sankbeneath the surface. I flipped heels-over-head and ended up underwater.
Mahefa hauled me to the surface. “Better to be seen swimming than flying. You
can
swim, yes?”
You didn’t grow up in the northern part of the U.P. without learning to swim. I pulled free of his grip. “Shouldn’t you have asked before you dropped me in the ocean?”
Hotels, nightclubs, and bars illuminated the beach ahead. Folded umbrellas lined the sand like soldiers at attention, guarding the nightlife against marine invasion.
By the time I was close enough to shore for my feet to touch bottom, I could hardly feel my legs, and my arms and chest felt like they were on fire. I staggered toward dry sand, one hand fumbling uselessly with the helmet seal.
“Be careful with that,” Mahefa snapped.
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