beneath an abandoned cathedral. The air was damp, thick with the scent of earth and stone. Their footsteps

he had tapped into something deep within her-a force that had exploded out of her like a

t spoken much since the fight. He was different now-tens

ke the silence. "What hap

ows over his sharp features. "You awakened. That energy-whate

s in her hands. "It felt like something inside me bro

d to awaken this soon. Dhampirs-if they even survive their awakening-develop

"You think it has to d

than any I've ever felt. It's not just a craving or a pull. I

m, pulsing like a second heartbeat. It wasn't just a hunger for his bloo

steady her voice. "If I keep changing l

y on your head isn't just for sport. Someone wants

er spine. "And if

essiveness rising like a storm.

ting. Lucian moved instantly, shoving Evangeline behind him. A sh

silver hair framed a face of unsettling beauty, his eyes a piercing ice-blue. A

ce smooth as silk. "This

oving toward the hilt of

where are my manners? You may call me

ne's pul

gs. "You'll have to

ost bored. "I was ho

motion, the

gleamed under the flickering torchlight as they exchanged fierce blows, their movements too fast for Evan

with the grace of a predator, every strike calculated. But Lucian fou

her skin. The power was still there, waiting to be called upon. She

him crashing against the stone wall. He groaned, blood dripping fro

th," he mused, stepping toward her.

ne's veins. Valerian raised his hand

n blood roaring in her ears

surged, and with a scr

rd. The cavern trembled, dust and debris cascading from the ceiling. Luci

trickle of blood from his mouth. "Inte

in an instant, gripping her

es flashing with intrigue, Lucian pulled her into the shado

an, Evangeline kne

uld come fo

he might not be

s pace urgent. "We're not safe here. There's a sanctuary deeper und

hing was ragged. "

efuge. A place for dhampirs. If anyone can help

ust another human. Now, she was being hunted, her powers waking, an

thing wa

dn't run

came again, sh