The dhampir
beneath an abandoned cathedral. The air was damp, thick with the scent of earth and stone. Their footsteps
he had tapped into something deep within her-a force that had exploded out of her like a
t spoken much since the fight. He was different now-tens
ke the silence. "What hap
ows over his sharp features. "You awakened. That energy-whate
s in her hands. "It felt like something inside me bro
d to awaken this soon. Dhampirs-if they even survive their awakening-develop
"You think it has to d
than any I've ever felt. It's not just a craving or a pull. I
m, pulsing like a second heartbeat. It wasn't just a hunger for his bloo
steady her voice. "If I keep changing l
y on your head isn't just for sport. Someone wants
er spine. "And if
essiveness rising like a storm.
ting. Lucian moved instantly, shoving Evangeline behind him. A sh
silver hair framed a face of unsettling beauty, his eyes a piercing ice-blue. A
ce smooth as silk. "This
oving toward the hilt of
where are my manners? You may call me
ne's pul
gs. "You'll have to
ost bored. "I was ho
motion, the
gleamed under the flickering torchlight as they exchanged fierce blows, their movements too fast for Evan
with the grace of a predator, every strike calculated. But Lucian fou
her skin. The power was still there, waiting to be called upon. She
him crashing against the stone wall. He groaned, blood dripping fro
th," he mused, stepping toward her.
ne's veins. Valerian raised his hand
n blood roaring in her ears
surged, and with a scr
rd. The cavern trembled, dust and debris cascading from the ceiling. Luci
trickle of blood from his mouth. "Inte
in an instant, gripping her
es flashing with intrigue, Lucian pulled her into the shado
an, Evangeline kne
uld come fo
he might not be
s pace urgent. "We're not safe here. There's a sanctuary deeper und
hing was ragged. "
efuge. A place for dhampirs. If anyone can help
ust another human. Now, she was being hunted, her powers waking, an
thing wa
dn't run
came again, sh