Extraits

The door is locked and guarded. The window is sealed and unbreakable. There are guards in the hall.

I was a prisoner all over again.

“What you’ve created shouldn’t be possible. The Deathless are made vampires with the longevity of a Last Seed but without their fertility limitations. They are capable of reproduction, and their children…” She drew in a breath that shuddered with pleasure. “They are true immortals, though their grandchildren are rumored to be mortal.”

“Call me paranoid, but I’m ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure tomorrow night will spell my doom in all caps.”

“Who?” I snatched the invitation while he was too stunned to fight back. “Clarice Woolworth Lawson.”

Maud’s not-so-younger sister was rising to power, and Dame Lawson was offering me a front-row seat.

Talking to Odette, with her hazy eyes and dreamy voice, helped loosen the words that wouldn’t come when I was around Amelie and Boaz. “The drugs used to subdue the inmates, to keep us quiet and content to lie in our own filth, drove us quietly insane.” Bile splashed the back of my throat, but I forced myself to keep going. “When the sentinels came for me, I didn’t believe they were real. What they promised sounded too much like a fever dream. One I’d had a million times since I was assigned a cell.”

Enhanced night vision came with the necromantic package. We had evolved alongside the vampires we created, both of us embracing nocturnal lifestyles.

“Boaz doesn’t come home often, and he never stays long.” Her casual shrug didn’t fool me for a minute. She was close to her brother, and she must miss him something fierce. “Part of me hopes having you back home will anchor him.” She rubbed the spot over her breastbone. “The other part knows in order for you to heal, you need to figure yourself out first.” She dipped her chin to hide the moisture pooling in her eyes. “But I know how determined he can be. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants. And it terrifies me that it’s you. I’m worried if he cuts and runs again, if he breaks your heart for real this time, that I’ll lose you both.”

The creation of psychopomps were a specialization as well. I won’t even lie. Necros who focus on pets make all the money. We’ve all seen people carrying teeny-tiny toy dogs around in designer purses. Offer a rich owner the chance to give Mr. Fluffy Lumpkins a second leash on life and cha-ching.