Chapter 13

Lucy's POV Dawn was approaching, turning the desert sky into a deadly threat. We'd found shelter in a cave system beneath the rock formation, but we weren't alone. I could sense them coming – more vampires, stronger than the scouts we'd faced earlier. "Two from the east," Tasha whispered, her back against the cave wall. "No... three." "More from the south," Carrick added. "They're herding us." I touched the symbol we'd found carved into the cave wall – the nexus point marker. "They won't let us leave with this knowledge." "Then we die fighting." Tasha's smile was fierce. "Better than burning in the sun." The attack came without warning. Narla and Rodrigo appeared at the cave entrance, backed by a dozen desert clan warriors. Narla's blood-red hair seemed to glow in the pre-dawn light, while Rodrigo's massive frame blocked what little escape route we had. "Lucy, darling." Narla's voice dripped poison, honey. "Did you enjoy my little scavenger hunt?" The pain in my chest flared as