Book 3: A Hard Place

Lydia

The vampire’s red eyes glare at me. Jesse struggles to escape from his grip, and he pulls at one of her paws. There’s a sickening crunch as bone breaks, and Jesse lets out a pained yelp. She goes limp from the pain, and the vampire holds her up with his superior strength. I’m antsy on my feet, wanting to jump back in the water and swim to the other side of the river.

“I’ll break her fucking neck,” the vampire tells me. “You try to run away, and I’ll kill her. Don’t try me.”

I growl at him, angry and worried. Jesse continues to whimper in pain. She shifts into her human form, falling to her knees on the ground. She cradles her broken arm to her, trying to make herself smaller.

This is my fault. The plan to escape was my idea. I’m the one that slit one of the Blood Taker’s throats. Jesse was only following my plan, and now she’s hurt and in danger. 

“I knew you were trouble the first time I saw you,” the vampire continues. “You