Blood Awakening by Jamie Manning Read Free Book Online Page B

reaching that horrible yet necessary goal of killing a hundred vampires. My life pretty much sucked.
    “That’s it!” I heard Kayla practically squeal as we drove down Commonwealth Avenue. The university was split into two parts by the Charles River, and the air coming off the water was near freezing—if not below—once we parked and climbed out of the car. The campus looked massive even from the road, so I could only imagine what it must be like to navigate as a student. A quick flash of memory invaded my mind again, this time of me and several other children playing together in a park that looked eerily similar to the area I was now standing in. Though I desperately wanted to get all of my memories back, these tiny snippets of my past life were really annoying. What did this one mean? Had I been here before? Was my family here? The possible answers were endless, and I didn’t have the time or energy to focus on finding the right one just now. This was Kayla’s time, and I was determined to be there for her if it killed me.
    “So what are we looking for?” I asked as we made our way across the university campus. A strong breeze rushed by, and I could tell by Kayla’s tiny, shivering frame that it was far colder than what I felt. I was suddenly grateful for my semi-resilience to the elements.
    “I’m not really sure,” she answered. The three of us cut through groups of students who were zipping in various directions across the dingy lawn of the campus. “I guess I just want to find out if my dad actually made it here or not.”
    “I thought you said he didn’t?”
    “I said I thought he didn’t. I don’t know for sure.”
    “So what happens after you find out?” Erik asked, his eyes scanning the oncoming pedestrians. I knew instantly he was searching for more vampires; always a hunter.
    “Does it look like I have a manual? I’m winging this, you know.” Kayla forged forward, and Erik practically stopped walking, staring at her as she headed toward the archeology department building.
    “Don’t pay attention to her,” I said, catching up to him. He fell in step with me as we followed Kayla. “She’s just frustrated trying to find her dad.”
    Several seconds passed before he finally spoke. “Does she seem different to you?”
    “Different how?”
    “I don’t know. Stronger, more outgoing. It’s not a bad different. Just, different.” I knew exactly what he meant. I had noticed a change in Kayla over the past couple of weeks, and something in the back of my mind kept trying to tell me that it wasn’t a good thing.
    “She’s good,” I said, though unsure of the validity of my words. “I think that night changed her, you know?”
    “It changed all of us.”
    Open mouth, insert foot.
    I had once again managed to tear another tiny piece out of Erik’s already shredded heart by reminding him of that night and Lila and her death. I should be muzzled. “I’m sorry, Erik. I didn’t mean to—”
    “It’s fine. I’m the one who can’t deal.”
    “You shouldn’t have to. Nobody should have to deal with something like that. If I could go back and change things, I would.” And I meant it. If I could change anything about that night, it would be that Lila survived. That she walked out of there with the rest of us, battered and bloody, but still breathing. As we slowed our walk, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was entirely true, if, given the opportunity to change only one thing, it wouldn’t be saving Chance’s life and not turning him into a monster.
    “Yeah, I know,” Erik said, looking off into the crowd of students cloistered beneath a grove of tall pines. They seemed oblivious to the two of us, busy with their books and conversations and lives. “But you can’t. I can’t. Nothing can change it. I need to learn to accept that. Accept that she’s not coming back.” He eyed the meandering students, his thoughts obviously on Lila and the life they’d shared. My heart felt