Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series by Erika Bradshaw Page A

trying to get out of the morning jog with Irena. “Where is she going to sleep?”
    Vladimir looked down at the kitchen tile when he answered me. “Ambrose left us last night. Nadia has been preparing the room and cleaning out all of Ambrose’s personal things.”
    That was it then. No more talk of Ambrose. No more thought given to Ambrose. His room was cleaned out and a replacement was on the way. Cattle, we were cattle. Herd us in and herd us out. We have no ceremony or special goodbyes when we fall. There is no body to bury or cremate. We vanish. It doesn’t happen instantly. Our bodies vanish within a few hours if we are killed, but if our partner is killed, it takes a couple of days for our bodies to fall. Of course, if a Beynok couple is full-spirited and one falls and the other doesn’t, the remaining partner receives the spirit of the falling partner.
    Forty minutes into our jog, not one word had passed between Irena and me. Our pace was comfortable and in sync. I was extremely at ease running with her. The thought of her cleavage didn’t bother me as much anymore. There was a slight overcast, but other than that, the weather was perfect. I decided to take her along the path up the coastline because I didn’t want to take the path in the woods I had taken a couple of days ago. My mind was somewhat clear of Sorin, and I wanted to do my best to keep it that way.
    Irena cleared her throat as if she was about to say something, and boy, did she ever. “So,” she said, “I’ll just say it. Vladimir doesn’t want me to discuss this with you, but you can tell how I view authority.” She paused, and I wondered why she was hesitating. I figured nothing she could say could be that damn shocking. I’d only known her for a day. “So, you’ve seen Sorin, from what we can gather. What did he say to you?” This was the first true question out of Irena’s mouth since she had arrived. How could a voice so high pitched sound so damned assertive?
    My body stopped. Everything came to a halt, my jogging, my breathing, my mind, and even my sight. When I say everything, I mean everything. The world went blank.
    “Anya, are you in there?” Irena had her hands on my shoulders shaking me when I came to. I was standing as stiff as a statue, and her red spiky hair and face were the first things that came into view. Slowly, my full vision came back. I started to walk, and Irena strolled right along with me. I didn’t want to talk about Sorin and definitely not with her. Talking about him out loud with another made him real but I needed answers.
    “So I’m right. You have seen Sorin.” She was ruthless, and I was embarrassed by my reaction to her questioning. I couldn’t believe I had just blanked out like that. No need in denying anything.
    “Yes. Who exactly is he? I met him the night of the werewolf hunt in Canon City. He hasn’t really told me anything. To be honest, Vladimir and that … Sorin have done nothing but confuse me … fill me with riddles and questions with no answers. I wish someone would be straightforward with me.”
    “Did you try to kill him when you first saw him?” She was so trying to get information out of me.
    “I’m not answering anyone’s questions until I have my questions answered.” We were still in our slow walking pace. Neither one of us looked at the other.
    “Okay. You want the truth? I’ll give it to you. Sorin is a vampire. I’m sure you’ve figured that part out on your own. He’s obsessed with you. He thinks he loves you.” She was speaking with a hateful undertone. She made a smug snort and said, “As if a vampire were capable of loving something other than their own kind. They thrive on killing and manipulating others.”
    “So, Sorin has tracked me down in the states to convince me he loves me and I love him? Something doesn’t sound right. The whole thing is unsettling.” Vampires don’t obsess over other species, and they surely don’t obsess on Beynok hunters