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Enjoy this preview of Bond of the Heart!
CHAPTER 1: WEN
The shit I get myself into...
The marketplace in Rosepoint pulsed with an energy that never failed to make my psychic senses tingle. Witch enchantments wove into everything they touched. Mixed in with the magic was the uncomfortable pulse of vampire power.
There were more vamps in the city tonight. It was the last thing I needed, especially since I came here to find a relic that could end my life on the run from the vampire council.
I loved Rosepoint. It was the only place I left I could breathe because the city was controlled by the Coven and not the vampire council, who wanted me dead. I wasn’t even sure why they had hunted me down for the past ten years. I hoped the relic would give me the answers I needed to break free. To never have to look over my shoulder again.
Pipe dreams. We shall see.
Tugging my hood lower to hide most of my face, I melted into the shadows and ducked into an alley. I kept my senses open and called to my psychic abilities that made me a little more than human. I wasn’t a strong psychic, and I couldn’t control my visions. It was like they weren’t actually mine, which sounded insane. Visions weren’t the only thing my mine picked up on. I heard other people’s thoughts like a low hum of voices. No, they were more like whispers. I’d perfected the ability to tune out the voices so the sound was more like white noise.
As I prepared to cross the street to head toward the river, a flash of movement caught my eye. A man in a long, black leather coat surveyed the market with a predatory focus. Ink-black hair brushed his shoulders, framing a pale face with midnight eyes. My breath hitched. Gealin, or Lin as his brothers call him. If Lin was here so was his twin, Kayden, aka Kade. I hadn't expected them so soon.
Damn it.
Instead of crossing the street, I turned and walked in the opposite direction from where Lin was. Out of the three Everett brothers, Lin was the cold, calculating one. Kayden like to play with his food. Most of the time that play was in the form of torture. The twin’s older brother, Tate was death personified. He didn’t always show up when the twins did.
Think, Wen. I scanned the bustling crowd for an escape route, knowing Lin's telepathic senses would be searching for any trace of me by scanning everyone’s thoughts. If I could just reach the river docks unnoticed, I might have a chance of losing him in the twisting streets beyond. Taking a deep, calming breath, I waited for an opening, ready to vanish into the throng of shoppers and merchants.
After a quick glance behind me, I darted across the street, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. Keeping my head down, I let my auburn hair curtain my face as I slipped between haggling merchants and distracted shoppers. The once vibrant energy of the marketplace now felt suffocating, every brush of contact sending jolts of panic through my body.
Come on, don’t panic now.
Risking a glance over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Lin's black coat, his tall frame cutting through the sea of people with unsettling grace. He was closing in, those piercing blue eyes scanning the crowd with ruthless precision.
How the fuck does he find me so fast every time?
"Where are you, little bird?" his voice whispered in my mind, a taunting caress that sent shivers down my spine.