Chapter 24

STEFANO My heart plummets right into the depths of my stomach. I hold out a hand to stop Eden from doing anything or making a single sound, but I myself want to scream. The vampires continue to pick on his body, licking the flowing blood from his torn skin. They're smiling and enjoying their meal, and the scene is so gruesome that I know it's going to be embedded in my mind for a very long time. Still, I try to think of a way to get Jake out of there. I can see that he's still alive. His chest is still rising and falling, although barely. He's losing a lot of blood. I can tell that he doesn't have long. If I don't get him out of there now, he will— "Hello there." The deep, raspy voice brings me out of my reverie. One of the vampires noticed us, and he's now shifting back into his more humanoid form. He stands up straight and looks at Eden and me, his eyes hungry. We back away, but the vampire steps forward and smiles, slowly licking Jake's blood off his teeth. "Hello, childr