by L.H. Cosway
“So, this Jeremy Whitfield declared war on North Tribane?” I asked.
“Not in so many words. He first set out to get revenge, but the battles became bigger and bigger until we were fighting for our very survival. Half our people were dead within the space of a few weeks. Six months on and we’re still being attacked by the vampires. They aren’t going to be happy until they’ve wiped us out completely.”
“What about your governor, Siegfried Pamphrock. Is he still alive?”
Finn looked away for a moment, then drew his eyes back to mine. “That’s sort of the reason why I’m here.” He fell silent.
“Because of Pamphrock?”
Finn nodded. “Jeremy Whitfield has kidnapped Pamphrock’s ten-year-old daughter, Rebecca. He’s holding her captive until Pamphrock stands down and allows him to take control of the entire city, north and south.”
“I don’t understand what that’s got to do with me.”
“We need someone who can get to Whitfield,” Finn replied.
“And that’s me? I’ve never even met him before.”
Finn grew silent, seeming to weigh his words before he spoke again. “No, you’ve not met Whitfield, but you are very well acquainted with his second in command.”
A clammy sweat slicked itself over the palms of my hands. “And that would be who exactly?” I asked.
Finn almost looked apologetic. “Ethan Cristescu.”
At this, I pushed up from the table. “This is ridiculous, Finn. I feel bad for your governor. Believe me, I do. I wouldn’t wish for anyone to have their child taken away from them. But I’m not the solution to this. I can’t go back there. Too many people know what I am.”
Finn’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? Nobody knows what you are. Almost everyone who was on Ridley Island that night is dead with a few exceptions. There’s only Ethan, Delilah and Lucas left, along with that other vamp, Dru. She works for Ethan now, and Cristescu would never have allowed any of them to reveal your secret. He’s far too infatuated with you.”
A shiver danced along my spine at that last bit. “What about Rita and Gabriel?”
“Rita and Gabriel are fine. I know for a fact that neither of them has told a soul about what you are.”
“What about you, Finn. Have you told anyone?”
Now he frowned. “Of course not. Do you think I want vampires knowing there’s a woman out there whose blood can make them nearly indestructible?”
“And you don’t want me dead because of that?”
“Jesus Christ, no. Why would you think that?”
“Because of what you just said. I can make your enemies stronger. Isn’t that the kind of threat you’d want to eliminate?”
He gaped at me, shaking his head. “Is this why you ditched me back at the art gallery? You think I’m here to kill you?”
“It makes sense.”
“I have a code, Tegan, a very strict one. I would never kill an innocent human, no matter the circumstances,” he said, sounding offended that I’d think such a thing of him.
Now I felt awkward. “Okay, well, that’s good. But I still can’t go back to Tribane. It’s not safe.”
“I’d protect you,” he replied, his words sincere. “If you were to help us, keeping you safe would be my primary focus. I won’t lie, after he sided with Theodore, I have my issues with Pamphrock, but this is a little girl we’re talking about. She’s only ten and is being held prisoner by vampires. I have to get her out of there. It’s the right thing to do.”
My chest squeezed. An innocent kid was being held captive and I could help. Something twisted inside me. I’d never met her, but if something bad happened to her I wasn’t sure I’d be able to live with myself. Especially since I was so tangled up in the reason why war broke out in Tribane to begin with. And Finn was right. Ethan and I shared a connection. If anyone could convince him to talk to his boss about letting the girl go, it was me. After all, I barely knew him when I managed to convince him to spare Finn’s life. Still, going back was a massive risk. I glanced at Finn.
“Why doesn’t Pamphrock hire a witch or a warlock to cast some kind of spell to find his daughter? You guys are allies with the magical families, right?”
Finn’s expression clouded. “I suggested that myself, but he doesn’t want to involve them in anything to do with Rebecca. He said he has his reasons.”
I wondered what those reasons were. Perhaps Pamphrock simply didn’t trust the magical families when it came to finding his daughter. With the city in turmoil, perhaps they’d use her as leverage so that they could put a witch or warlock in the governor’s position, rather than Pamphrock, who was a dhampir.
“So, are you going to help us?” Finn asked, eyes hopeful.
I blew out a breath. “Fucking hell, I think I am.”
His eyebrows shot up into his forehead. “Seriously?”
“I’m probably going to regret it, but yes. You’re right. We have to save that little girl. I’ll help in whatever way that I can.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice rough as he ran a hand through his hair. Finn had clearly been through a lot the last few months, and in that moment, I saw how much my help meant to him. He was barely holding it together.
“It’s late. We should probably stay put until the morning. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”
“Not yet, but I’ll find a cheap hotel.”
“You can sleep on the couch if you like,” I offered. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d started to feel for him. I didn’t agree with the DOH’s mission to slay all vampires, but I also couldn’t stand the fact that so many of his friends had been killed.
Finn glanced at the couch. “Yeah, sure. It looks comfortable enough. My van is parked nearby. I’ll just go grab my things.”
He left, and I stared at the seat he’d vacated as my heart raced at the prospect of returning to Tribane. It would be a flying visit, of course. I’d help Finn get Rebecca back and then I’d disappear again. I’d have to choose another city, starting from scratch all over again, but I already knew this was going to be my life. I had to stay on the move. So yeah, returning to my old city was a risk, but it was one I was willing to take.
I just had to stay strong, do what needed to be done, and make sure not to get sucked back in again.
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Meet the Author
Greetings! ‘Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is L.H. Cosway and I wrote the book you just read. I hail from Dublin, Ireland, where I live with my husband and two tiny dictators of the canine variety. My favourite things in life include daydreaming about fictional characters, eating in fancy restaurants, looking at dresses online that I’ll never buy, having entire conversations with my dogs, listening to podcasts and of course, reading books. I happen to believe that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.
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Books by L.H. Cosway
Contemporary Romance
Painted Faces
Killer Queen
The Nature of Cruelty
Still Life with Strings
Showmance
Fauxmance
Happy-Go-Lucky
Beyond the Sea
The Cracks Duet
A Crack in Everything (#1)<
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How the Light Gets In (#2)
The Hearts Series
Six of Hearts (#1)
Hearts of Fire (#2)
King of Hearts (#3)
Hearts of Blue (#4)
Thief of Hearts (#5)
Cross My Heart (5.75)
Hearts on Air (#6)
The Running on Air Series
Air Kiss (#0.5)
Off the Air (#1)
Something in the Air (#2)
The Rugby Series with Penny Reid
The Hooker & the Hermit (#1)
The Player & the Pixie (#2)
The Cad & the Co-ed (#3)
The Varlet & the Voyeur (#4)
The Blood Magic Series
Nightfall (#1)
Moonglow (#2)
Witching Hour (#3)
Sunlight (#4)