Prologue 19 страница

she spat out threats as vicious as they

were futile.

“Shut her up and hold her still, ” I said

quietly.

Vlad had her jaw in an unbreakable

grip before the last word left my mouth.

His other arm slammed across her waist

so hard that I heard several ribs snap.

Unlike the time Shrapnel pulverized my

rib cage, her pain would last mere

seconds until she healed. Unless she kept

struggling, that was.

I closed my eyes when I touched her,

glad my abilities let me relive a person’s

worst sins only once. Then I let my right

hand drift, seeking out other essences on

her skin.

There, on her upper arm. A fresh one

embedded with rage that I recognized

instantly as belonging to Vlad. My hand

roamed further, finding another one on the

back of her neck. I didn’t recognize the

imprint so I moved on, stroking her face

while ignoring the furious noises she made

in her throat.

Someone who loved her had left an

imprint on her forehead, and with a pang, I

recognized Shrapnel’s essence.

I continued on, not finding anything else

on her upper body. I’d reached her left

wrist when I felt it. A thread with a very

familiar essence, made from someone

touching her with enough threat to leave a

permanent imprint in her skin.

I dropped my hand and opened my eyes.

“It’s him, ” I said simply when I met

Vlad’s gaze.

His eyes seemed to burst into green

flame and a lava flow of rage poured over

my emotions.

“What must I do to kill that man? ” he

muttered.

Then he released Cynthiana. By the time

he strolled to the front of the pole, his

thunderous expression had changed to a

charming smile and that lava flow of rage

to a glacier of determination.

“Tell me about how you conspired with

Mihaly Szilagyi, and you can start with

how the hell he managed to survive that

explosion.”

“I think I know the answer, ” I said,

staring at Cynthiana without pity. “Burn

something on her.”

Both her legs went up in flames. She

screamed, thrashing in her restraints.

Shrapnel began to yell, too, pleading with

Vlad to stop. He didn’t until everything

from her thighs down was covered in

charred, blackened flesh.

As I watched Cynthiana start to heal

with only the regular abilities that all

vampires had, the final piece of the puzzle

fell into place.

“You didn’t work that fireproofing

spell for yourself. You did it for Mihaly

Szilagyi, the only vampire who was both

as strong as Vlad and as committed to

hurting him as you were.”

My gaze swung back to Vlad. “ That’s

why he didn’t hesitate to set off that

explosion when you had him trapped on

the mountain. He knew if you found him

there, the only way he’d get out alive was

if you thought he was dead. Just like he

did centuries ago.”

“The greatest trick the Devil ever

pulled was convincing the world he didn’t

exist, ” Vlad murmured, sounding like he

was quoting from memory.

Then he smiled at Cynthiana. “Now,

dearie, ” he said in his most genial tone.

“You’re going to tell me where he is.”