over to the guy and takes a deep breath. “I got nothing.”
“Something was done to mask her scent. But I have it now. Follow me.” Karl takes off, running faster than any human could.
Super speed is not a trait familiars usually possess, but Karl wasn’t an ordinary animal when he became a familiar. He was a wolf shifter, the son of an alpha. That gives him extra perks. Despite that, he’s not faster than any of us. Vampires can move in a blur, like The Flash. We keep pace with Karl, though, because he’s clearly the one with the better sense of smell. The landscape rushes by, but I don’t pay too much attention to it. It’s not until Cheryl mutters a string of curses that I take in my surroundings. Hell and damn. We’re in dragon shifter territory.
That doesn’t bode well. Why would Jacques drag Manu here? He must be in cahoots with the scaly shifters.
Karl veers in the opposite direction of the busiest section, and soon, we’re nearing the outskirts of a wooded area. He stops abruptly, raising a hand to signal us to stop. His body is as tense as a coiled spring while he scans our surroundings. The forest is not dense, but on this moonless night, we’re staring at a pitch-black wall. I concentrate on all my senses, trying to control my breathing so it doesn’t make too much noise.
Cheryl stops by her brother’s side and they exchange a meaningful glance. There’s a sudden shift in the air. A chilly breeze hits us, bringing with it the unmistakable smell of spilled blood. Fuck.
Without words, we follow the scent of death, careful not to make a sound. Charging straight ahead would be foolish. We don’t know what kind of situation we’re walking into. Soon, we reach a clearing where two forms are laid six feet apart. It’s impossible to miss Manu’s white skin and hair contrasting sharply with the darkness around her.
“Manu!” Lucca says in a strangled outburst, right before he runs across the field without care.
Karl and Ronan follow close behind him, but considering Karl hasn’t dropped dead where he stands, it’s safe to say Manu is alive. When vampires gain a familiar, their life forces are linked together. It’s what allows familiars to live as long as they do, but it also means if the vampire bites the dust, so does their familiar.
I veer toward the second body sprawled on the ground, the one that reeks of death. Cheryl has the same idea as I do. At first, I thought the dead man was the human who left Havoc with Manu, but as I step closer and really pay attention to the scent of his blood, I realize my mistake.
“Son of a bitch,” I murmur.
Cheryl turns to me, showing in her eyes the same what-the-actual-fuck glint that’s probably glistening in mine. “This is bad.”
“What is?” Ronan stretches his neck toward us, and at the same time, Manu groans back to life.
“What happened?” she asks as she sits up.
“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Cheryl balls her hands into fists just before she walks over to her. Her body is shaking, and I’m not sure if she’s about to shift.
Fucking hell. I run after her, but Karl blocks his sister’s path before she has the chance to get closer to Manu. “Hold up, Cheryl. Don’t go jumping to conclusions.”
“Don’t go jumping to conclusions?” She points at the dead dragon shifter. “Take a look.”
Karl’s expression blanches. He rubs his jaw, and then looks at Manu, who is already getting up with Lucca’s help. There’s blood on her face, just like Rikkon had seen in his vision. But where are Jacques’s associates?
Manu, now back on her feet, walks around Karl. Her ashen face is glued to the young dragon who has been ripped to shreds by, no doubt, a vampire. The bite marks on his neck can’t be mistaken for anything else.
“Oh my God. You think I did this?” she whispers.
“You have his blood all over you,” Cheryl points out.
Manu touches her face, and then glances at her blood-smeared fingers. “How is that possible? I don’t know who he is.”
“You mean was. The dragon is dead,” I say.
“I didn’t kill him!” Manu yells.
“What is the last thing you remember?” Lucca asks.
“I left with a guy, a human. I was going to bring him back to Bloodstone. Then…” She pauses, frowning. “It’s all a blank. I don’t remember how I got here or what happened to him.”