Consciousness returned far too slowly and as I opened my eyes, my vision refused to focus for several long seconds.

We’d made it across the gap at least, was my first realisation and the second was that every damn part of my body ached. I reached for the shadows but they had gone.

“You alive?” Evie asked from somewhere nearby and I groaned in answer. It was too painful to try and move my head.

A hand grabbed my own and pulled me upright which brought fresh waves of pain rushing through me along with the urge to throw up as darkness clouded my vision.

“Damn! Enough already,” I said.

“We have to move,” she replied and I turned my head enough to note her worried expression as she looked over to the hotel roof. “They’ve seen us.”

“Great,” I muttered as I pushed myself oh so slowly to my feet. Wobbling for a moment and grateful for Evie’s steadying arm around my waist.

“Come on, there’s a fire escape just below the roof over here.”

She half led, half carried me across the flat roof to the far side where seven or eight feet below the roof lintel was the black steel framed stairs of the fire escape. She was being overly optimistic if she thought I could climb down to them.

One look at her though showed me that that was exactly what she intended and I stifled another groan as I dropped down to the rooftop and swung my legs over the side.

I’d like to be able to say I dropped gracefully to the fire escape but it was closer to dropping like a sack of potatoes. I hit the steel platform with a grunt and only barely avoided tumbling down the stairs.

Evie, with considerably more grace, dropped lightly beside me though she swayed and had to grab the railing for balance.

“Almost there,” she said as she pulled me to my feet, once again throwing an arm around my waist to help take my weight.

With slow, faltering steps, we made our way down the fire escape into an alley filled with refuse and general garbage from the shops the building contained. It stank to high heaven and more than one person had used the alley as a bathroom. Fairly recently too by the smell.

I was slowing her down but she held onto me for dear life as she practically dragged me along the alley and we paused at the end to peer around the corner. Directly opposite was the Convention Complex and a quick look to either side showed the way was clear. I guessed our attackers were either detained by the police or if working with them, still having to leave through the front entrance and make their way around. Since we’d taken a shortcut, we’d gained a little time.

The plaza before the complex was bustling with people, most of whom were dressed in suits or business attire. In jeans and t-shirts we stuck out more than a little but I hoped there were enough people to lose ourselves amongst them anyway.

We received a few funny looks from the crowd but no one tried to stop us as we slipped inside and waited, breathlessly by the doors as we scanned the crowd for signs of those who’d attacked us.

“I think it’s clear,” Evie said and I nodded. “Come on, toilets this way. We can get you cleaned up a bit.”

“Do I look that bad?” I asked and her smile faltered.

“You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”

“Great.”

A short walk across the open floor before the reception desks and we ducked into the ladies rooms. One woman in a pantsuit sniffed at our appearance and went back to applying her makeup but otherwise left us alone.

One look in the mirror was enough for me to turn my face away as Evie leant me against the sinks and reached for the paper towel dispenser. Taking several as she waved one hand beneath the tap to start it running.

Carefully and with a gentler touch than I’d expected, she set about cleaning the worst of the blood from the clearly broken nose, from my face. It hurt like hell and I bit my lip more than once to keep from crying out.

“Do you have your phone?” she asked as she wiped at my neck.

“No. You?”

“Dammit, no.”

“Then we’ve no way to find out if the others got away,” I said with a sideways glance at the pant-suited woman. “No way to let Marie know what’s happening either.”

“It all went to hell pretty quick, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, that’s as clean as you’re getting just now,” Evie said as she balled up the soiled paper towels and tossed them into the bin. “What now?”

“No idea,” I said. “Need to make sure we can get back without anyone following us.”

“What about the car?”

“Too risky.” I lowered my voice and leaned close. Partly to avoid the woman overhearing but also, to be close to Evie. “I could probably find my way back to Marie’s house but would be safer to try to get back to Jo and Patrik’s.”

“Time to go then,” she said.

We waited by the door as Evie stuck her head out and gave the all clear. No police, no one obviously looking for us and no commotion. It was as close to safe as it would get.

My t-shirt was, fortunately, black, so it wouldn’t be as obvious from a distance that the front of it was soaked in my blood. The cut on my side was pretty clear though, so I stuck close to Evie and made sure she walked on that side to cover it as best we could. It was fortunately quite shallow and though it was still bleeding, it wasn’t debilitating. Yet.

The complex had several entrances and over on the far side of the reception hall was a set of stairs that led down to an underground car park. We headed that way, through the door and down two flights of stairs.

It felt infinitely safer down amongst the shadowed recess of the car park. The bustle and noise of the people upstairs was gone and only the sound of the occasional car coming or going was audible.

I tried to keep up with Evie as best I could but it was clear from the outset that I was flagging. My strength all but gone. She saw it too and as we approached one of the exits she steered me between two parked cars and lowered me to the ground.

“What’re you doing?”

“There’s a couple of those suited guys by the exit,” she said and pulled me down as I strained to look. “Careful. They’re at the top of the ramp and keeping watch.”

“Great! What now?”

“I’m going to draw them away,” she said and I shook my head hard enough to sending pain pulsing through my skull from my broken nose. “I am! You’re in no shape to do much else. I can have them chase me as I head back up to the main floor. They can’t do much there and as soon as we’re out of sight, you get out of here and set off down the road. Find a place called the ‘Rain Bar’ just past the bridge, near the canal and I’ll catch up with you there.”

“Too risky,” I said as I gripped her hand tight.

“No choice,” she replied with a wan smile. She hesitated a brief moment before she leaned in, her lips meeting mine, soft yet firm and full of passion. Then she pulled back, her smile widening. “Wanted to do that for ages. See you soon.”

Then she was up and away before I could respond. A short dash to the ramp that led up and out of the car park. She stood for a moment, peering up at the two men she’d seen up there and then turned and ran back the way we’d come. She didn’t look my way.

A dozen seconds later two men in dark suits ran past where I sat on the ground and I listened to the slap of their feet on the concrete fade away into the distance before I pulled myself up against the side of the car and made my all too slow way up the ramp.

I kept one hand pressed against the cut on my waist as I walked along the busy road, doing everything I could to stay upright and looking as ‘normal’ as possible. The road curved around the Bridgewater Hall, a modern building that hosted musical performances of all kinds. It was useful to me as it hid me from view of anyone at the complex I’d just left.

The going was slow and I looked back often, hoping to see Evie running to catch up with me. Even though I kept telling myself she knew the area well enough she’d come another way so as not to bring anyone following straight to me. Still, I looked and hoped.

By some miracle, I made it to the bar without anything more than the occasional curious look from a passer-by and rather than go inside, I slipped round the back and settled onto a battered wooden bench beside the canal.

My hope was that she’d find me sooner rather than later but as the minutes went by, worry began to gnaw at me. Fifteen minutes turned to thirty and then to an hour and she hadn’t turned up. My worry became panic.

As the shadows lengthened, the day drawing to a close, I sat and shivered on my bench by the canal. Afraid to move, to leave that place in case she turned up just after I had gone and found me missing. In my heart, I knew something had happened and hope slowly died.

“You’re bleeding,” a voice said and I didn’t bother to look as I replied.

“Go away.”

“If you stay here, you won’t survive the night,” the voice said. It was quiet and confident. The voice of a man who was used to being listened to. And obeyed.

“Leave me alone.”

“As you wish young lady,” the voice replied. “But your friend needs you and your death here will not help her.”

I twisted towards the voice, heart hammering in my chest and a question on my lips that died as soon as I saw him. His was a face I’d never be able to forget. Dark, brooding eyes and hook nose giving him the appearance of a vulture watching prey.

“Sephtis,” I said and trembled. My stomach lurched as I stared at him, mouth hanging open. I’m going to die!

He gave a shallow bow, a thin smile appearing on his sallow face. “I prefer Seth these days.”

“You killed my mum and dad…” I couldn’t think of anything else to say, though I did have a question. “Are you going to kill me too?”

“Not yet,” he said as his smile widened. His eyes gleamed as he stared at me and I screamed for my power to surface, for the hate to come, but it had been too much that day. I was spent.

“Why are you here?”

“You killed the man I set to watch you which has inconvenienced me somewhat.” His head tilted to the side as he watched me as though he were studying some new specimen that had done something unexpected. “And you’ve also raised the ire of a powerful enemy.”

“Anahella?”

“Indeed.”

“Where’s Evie?”

“She almost escaped those men, but they caught her,” he said simply. “I do not believe that they will have been gentle, but she does live. For now.”

“For now?”

“You very foolishly walked into a trap,” he said with a slight shake of the head. “She was so very irked with your attack at her club. She intends to punish you.”

“Where’s Evie?”

He picked a speck of dust off of the lapel of his suit jacket and took a moment to straighten his crimson silk tie. When his lips parted to reveal pointed and incredibly sharp incisors, I flinched away.

“Have no fear young lady.” His voice was full of humour that made my anger finally flare but still my powers were beyond my reach. “I have no intention of killing you today.”

“Then why are you here? To taunt me?”

“Not at all.” He reached into a pocket inside his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He paused for a moment before extending it towards me. “Take it. It won’t bite.”

“What is it?”

“The address where your friend will be tomorrow night,” he said. “Go there and rescue her if you wish.”

“Why’re you helping me?” I asked in a small voice. It felt like a dream or perhaps a nightmare where I sat on a worn old bench and chatted with my parent’s killer.

“You have a purpose,” he said and laughed. A sound full of malice. “Anahella is no friend of mine so I care little if you kill her. To do so though, you may very well unlock that which I desire. Then, I will come for you.”

“For what?”

“Be warned there will be many vampires there for the ceremony,” he said as he ignored my question.

“Ceremony?” I felt like a parrot repeating everything he said and the smug smile he wore told me that he knew exactly what I was feeling and how powerless I was to do anything.

“A blooding,” he said as he turned to leave. He looked back just the once and said, “you may not want to tell your hunter friends that though.”

“Why not? What does it mean?”

He ignored me and as I pushed myself to my feet with a groan, he disappeared around the corner of the building. I hurried to catch him as best I could but as I stepped out onto the street, he’d already gone.

A black town car was parked beside the curb and the driver climbed out as I came into view. He nodded politely and said, “Miss Lunn?”

“Yes…”

“I am to provide you transportation back to your current accommodation,” he said as he pulled open the rear door closest to me and looked my way. “Miss?”

“Who sent you?”

“That would be the man you just met with,” he said and waved one hand towards the open door. “He did say that you would have a pressing need to return miss.”

“He did…”

“Yes miss, now if you wouldn’t mind,” he said as he waved once more to the open door. Then seeing my hesitation he added, “if he had any desire to cause you harm he would have done so. I really will just take you home.”

Cause me harm? I almost shrieked the words at him. I’d had nearly thirteen years of utter misery because of that bastard and he just turned up out of nowhere and expected me to do as he wanted! I wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t possibly trust him

My gaze fell to the folded piece of paper in my hand and I heard again his words about Evie and the need for haste. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and got into the car.