We walked toward Furbough Street, and I was well aware of faces peeking out of windows at us. I had, at first, tried to keep our presence in Whitechapel quiet, but it became impossible. The undead were everywhere, and in time, news of the beings who had come to Whitechapel to hunt the undead had spread.
While many appreciated what we were doing, many more feared and hated us, recognizing that, if my team and I were able to kill the undead, we were clearly not just ordinary humans. And in the wake of all that had happened, the last thing any of the non-supernatural people of the world wanted was to see more non-humans running about.
In the past week, we had had stones and food thrown at us, had dogs set after us, and had been randomly cursed at too many times to count.
I did not blame them in the least. The fact of the matter was that despite the fact that Brennan, my New Guardians, and I were there to help, our kind, immortals, had been the cause of it all in the first place.
“This was not exactly the honeymoon I had in mind for us, Tink,” Brennan said, taking my hand.
I let out a short laugh and felt some of the tightness in my shoulders loosen. “Is this not romantic, Cub? Scenic, even,” I added. Garbage and other refuse had begun to collect, because trash collectors and other city workers refused to enter the area. It just made everything worse. The air stunk of rotting garbage, and the stench of death was everywhere. Rats skittered through the streets during the night, and stray dogs, those left behind after their owners’ deaths, now roamed the streets in packs.
All of this, in the matter of a few short weeks. And while I knew that my team and I were making a difference here, that we were slowly but surely improving things with each undead and each soul we took… the atrocities that had been committed in Whitechapel would take a very long time to repair. This area had suffered terror twice now at the hands of Eveline Noonan, better known as Jack the Ripper, and I was just glad that we knew for certain that she would not be back to cause any further damage.
We turned onto Furbough, another narrow street flanked by flats and shops.
“He is up ahead,” I said. “Undead, and he is stalking trailing a wandering soul.”
“Let’s get him, then,” Brennan said, squeezing my hand. “I’m not getting lucky tonight, am I?” he asked in mock depression.
I glanced at him, feeling a small smile on my lips. “If we catch this one quickly, I will pull you into the nearest dark corner and ravish you so completely you will forget which day it is.”
His face lit up, and despite how horrid everything was around us, I found myself laughing.
“Damn, I love you,” he said, grinning. He leaned down and kissed me, and then we headed down the street at a quick pace. I wanted to make sure we took him before he could create any more undead.
I also wanted to ravish my husband in the way he so obviously deserved.
Letter from the Author
Thank you so much for reading BETRAYER. I absolutely loved writing this book, and I hope you loved reading it! If you have a moment, your reviews on Amazon would be hugely appreciated. Of course, I also love hearing from you via Twitter (I’m @C_Vanderlinden over there) Facebook, or via email. Please let me know what you think!
I have several people I want to thank. First of all, I want to thank my readers for your enthusiasm and support. You make this so much fun for me, and I could not keep doing what I do without your support. Thank you!
I want to thank my husband Roger, who is an amazing partner and who is my first reader and layout genius and cover designer and… he is wonderful.
Thank you to my kids for reminding me to stop staring at the computer every once in a while, and for listening to Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” with me so often. That helped. A lot.
Thank you to Elizabeth Hunter for beta reading and assuring me that this book does not suck. Thank you as well for making me laugh and helping me feel a little less crazy. You’re an inspiration and a wonderful friend. The beards and man buns were, of course, for you.
Thank you to my amazing, wonderful beta readers. This book is much improved thanks to your feedback! Many thanks to the lovely Susan Cambra, Rachel Scott, Brenda Hopkins, Sarah Leenart, Jayna Longstreet, Kathie Littlemore, Kristin Driscoll, Jo Dawson, Sarah Wicks, and Amber Hegarty. Let’s do this again soon, ladies!
I want to give a final word of thanks to the authors of the many, many Jack the Ripper websites and articles I used as research during the course of writing BETRAYER. Ripperologists are truly a passionate group, and I learned many more details than I could have ever wanted to know about Jack the Ripper, but it all went into making my fictional embodiment of the Ripper as real as possible.
XO,
Colleen Vanderlinden
Detroit
June 24, 2015
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For backstory material, news, and upcoming events be sure to check out http://www.colleenvanderlinden.com
About the Author
Colleen Vanderlinden is the author and publisher of the Hidden series, which currently includes Lost Girl, Broken, Home, Strife, and Nether. She lives in the Detroit area with her husband, children, and two lazy cats. She enjoys reading, obsessing over comic book characters, gardening, and playing World of Warcraft.
Learn more about Colleen at her website, colleenvanderlinden.com, contact her via email at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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The Hidden: Soulhunter Series
Guardian
The Hidden Series
Book One: Lost Girl
Book Two: Broken
Book Three: Home
Book Four: Strife
Book Five: Nether
Hidden Series Novellas
Forever Night
Earth Bound
The Copper Falls Series
Shadow Witch Rising
Shadow Sworn
The StrikeForce Series
A New Day
One More Day - Coming January 2016
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Betrayer (Hidden Book 7) Page 24