Blood Ties Bundle: Blood Ties Book One: The Turning / Blood Ties Book Two: Possession / Blood Ties Book Three: Ashes to Ashes / Blood Ties Book Four: All Souls' Night. Jennifer Armintrout

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СКАЧАТЬ wind blew us both against the wall in a shower of wood splinters. Ashes exploded from the cold fireplace as flames leapt up seemingly from nowhere, and the remaining furniture turned over from the magnitude of the blast.

      A tall, sickly vampire slid into the room. His eyes burned red, and his long white hair trailed behind him as he floated effortlessly above the ground. Although he looked much older, and though I was nearly overcome by the stench of decay, I recognized him.

      It was Cyrus’s father.

      The Soul Eater.

      “Carrie, run!” Nathan shouted. He sprang toward Ziggy’s body.

      I grabbed him by the arm. “No, Nathan, there’s nothing you can do for him!”

      The ancient vampire slowly came closer, his bloody, dripping claws outstretched.

      “Don’t go. I’m so hungry,” he said, the sound of many voices speaking all at once.

      “Fuck you!” Nathan screamed, and for a moment I thought he’d charge him without a weapon. “You took everything from me!” He’d totally lost it. I’d never seen anyone so angry. All the resentment and rage that Nathan had been holding back from the world finally surfaced as he howled at the Soul Eater.

      The vampire cocked his head, like a child who couldn’t understand why he was being punished. “Just let me have a taste. A little taste.”

      The Soul Eater pointed to me. “You. Come to me.”

      “No!” Nathan grabbed my hand and ran for the door.

      “Don’t run from me, boy!” The Soul Eater’s tone was like fire. “I smell my blood on you! Why do you not serve your master?”

      “I will never serve you again.”

      The assassins poured down the stairs. Some had removed their hoods, and they high-fived each other on a job well done.

      “Get out!” Nathan shouted. “The Soul Eater’s awake!”

      It had never occurred to me their plan might have hinged on the Soul Eater’s vegetative state, but power had radiated from the old vampire. Logic and instinct collided in my brain, and I knew even this large number of assassins were no match for his awesome strength.

      They knew it, as well. It didn’t take them long to move. They ran for the back door, some jumping over the stair railing to save time.

      But Nathan had a different exit planned for us. I tripped over my ridiculous shoes and wrenched my ankle. Nathan never missed a beat.

      “Hang on,” he ordered, scooping me up in his arms. He slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ran out the front door, down the steps and onto the driveway, then across the snow-covered lawn.

      “Just a little farther,” he repeated over and over, a determined mantra more for his benefit than mine.

      I held on to him for dear life with my one usable arm as he struggled to keep his footing on the grass.

      Please don’t fall and break both of our necks. Not now, not when we’re so close to getting away.

      The front gate was closed. “Can you climb?”

      I wiggled my good arm. “I can try.”

      “Good enough for me.” He boosted me up. I scrambled to the top, but slipped going over and fell to my feet on the pavement. The wicked heel of my shoe slid from beneath me, further twisting my injured leg. I swore loudly at the pain.

      Nathan was at the top when he heard me. He jumped and landed next to me, rolling to his feet. “Can you walk?”

      I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

      He lifted me into his arms and ran across the street, where Ziggy’s van waited.

      Nathan unlocked the door and dumped me onto the passenger seat. He hopped into the driver’s side and started the engine, and I braced myself against the dashboard as he stomped on the gas.

      I looked in the rearview and watched as we sped toward safety. Behind us, three black helicopters rose into the night air as the tiny, flickering lights of distant police cars approached.

      “You’re going to be okay,” Nathan said hoarsely. “We’re gonna be fine.”

      I took the assurance at face value, and since there was nothing left for me to do, I slumped against the seat and closed my eyes.

      Nineteen

      The Assassins

      I woke beside Nathan in his bed. The last rays of sunlight were fading from the sky, and all around us the room glowed a rosy pink.

      I sat up, careful not to disturb him or jostle my wounded arm. He’d taken the time to fashion a makeshift sling out of an old T-shirt before we’d both collapsed with exhaustion, but I still wasn’t healed. I might have been in a lot worse shape if Nathan hadn’t helped me.

      His eyes were closed, his face smudged with dirt and sweat and blood. He still wore his black uniform, but the shirt had come untucked as he slept. His flat stomach was exposed, and I lay my hand there, taking comfort in the feeling of another body beside me.

      “Please tell me you’re in the process of giving me the best wake-up call I’ve had in a long time,” he mumbled sleepily.

      I smiled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

      “It would have happened sooner or later.” He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, frowning at the boots he still wore. “You want some breakfast?”

      “Maybe in a little while. I think I want to go back to sleep.”

      He got to his feet. “We’ve a busy night ahead of us.”

      I groaned and shuffled my feet as I followed him down the hall. My injured ankle caused me to limp pathetically. As we entered the bathroom, Nathan halted at the sight of two half-used bottles of blue and magenta hair dye.

      The giddy relief I’d felt at escaping death had filled me so completely that I hadn’t had room for anything else. But this reminder of Ziggy created plenty of space for sorrow, anger and, above all, guilt.

      “I’m so, so sorry,” I whispered. I wanted to touch Nathan, to comfort him. But as usual, he seemed untouchable.

      With an unconcerned shrug I knew he didn’t mean, he pulled his shirt over his head. His body looked less tempting than usual, as though pain and exhaustion had sapped him of some of his perfection. Or perhaps my body wasn’t in any shape to fool around.

      “We’ve got to meet with the assassins tonight. Cyrus is still out there.” Nathan turned on the shower and unfastened his belt as if I wasn’t there, as if he didn’t care I was. Debating whether it would be more awkward to stay or make a fuss about leaving, I pretended to look for something in the medicine cabinet. His belt buckle jingled as he kicked off his pants, and I waited to hear the rattle of the curtain rings before I allowed my gaze to СКАЧАТЬ