Chapter 45

When I stepped out of my vampires' house, I'd noticed that the night had felt like it was bound by a rubber band. Silent. Still. Waiting for just the right moment to snap.

Later that night, while I lay inside a jail cell covered in my own pee, it did.

I jolted upright, hardly daring to breathe as I listened for what had awakened me, for how I knew that something had changed. The walls, floor, and ceiling of my cell were painted black, and I searched each crack and corner for answers. In between my bouts of unconsciousness, I'd thought I'd seen flecks of golden light rising off of my skin and disappearing into the ceiling. A dream, surely. But I remembered it had filled me with panic, though I had no idea why.

"Hello?" I called, but my cell seemed to swallow my voice. I tried again. "Hello?" Not much better.