Vanquished by Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguié Read Free Book Online

leader.”
    “Alpha bitch,” Jamie retorted, and Holgar growled menacingly. “Just kidding,” the Irishman added, even though it was obvious that he wasn’t.
    “We need to find out what the black crosses are up to,” Antonio said. “What they know. What they’re doing.”
    “Exactly what I was thinking. We need to send someone to Budapest,” Jenn said.
    “I’ll go,” Holgar volunteered. It seemed like the logical choice. “If I’m gone, the werewolves should follow and leave you alone.”
    Jenn shook her head. “No. Noah should go. Greg’s only seen him once, and that was at night.”
    “I’ll do it,” Noah said. “It won’t be a problem that he’s seen me. This time, he won’t.”
    “Good, because that way we can focus on what is a problem,” Jenn said, her voice grim.
    Jamie lit a cigarette.
    * * *
    Antonio’s heart bled for Jenn. He would have given anything to comfort her as a man would comfort the woman he loved. But though Jenn had grown from a naive, self-deprecatinggirl into a strong woman, he had not changed. He wasn’t a man.
    As Antonio fretted, Jenn spent the next half hour laying out how they would get Noah to Budapest. They also talked about Holgar’s attackers.
    Then Jenn brought up Antonio’s grandsire: Lucifer, who had sired Sergio. Aurora had called out his name during the battle of Salamanca. Lucifer was truly the Devil, and if they had to go up against him, they would be damned.
    Antonio couldn’t concentrate. All he could do was stare at the gentle curve of Jenn’s lips, the way they shaped each word, and the wisps of her dark auburn hair.
    At last the meeting was over. Holgar’s eyes were glassy, and Antonio wondered how badly the stab wound was affecting him. They were all to pack, grab a quick nap, and get some food before leaving the monastery that night. All except for Noah, who would be leaving immediately for Hungary.
    As the others filed out, Antonio lingered, staring at Jenn. She loved him, despite what he was. Why couldn’t that be enough?
    It’s not a question of enough, he thought. I have promised myself to someone else. To God.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    It was a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay. But he needed to say something, anything.
    Jenn gave him a pained smile. He reached out to touchher cheek, but caught himself. He could see the blood rise to her cheeks, and desire swept through him.
    Then he forced himself to turn. He had barely any control over his dark urges. And he had rededicated himself to the priesthood. She was the woman he loved, a child of God in need of saving, a savior who could change the world. But only one thing mattered.
    She was forbidden fruit.
E PPING F OREST , E NGLAND
S KYE
    Vampires favored cities, where they could find plenty of warm bodies and sheltering buildings. The majority of them shunned the lonely and isolated places of the world. Which was exactly why witches had sought those places out. After her sister’s wedding, Skye’s entire coven had gone underground to avoid being caught up in the war against the vampires.
    Her family had moved deep into the heart of Epping Forest, where they maintained a tiny cottage previously used only for lunar celebrations and private family rituals. Skye knew that was where they would be, unless something had happened to them.
    Skye doggedly made her way through the brush, catching sight of a will-o’-the-wisp—a flicker of light. These flickers were said by some to be the burning coal carried bya minion of Satan as he lured the curious to their doom. In Skye’s family’s faith, the lights were sent by the Goddess to aid the lost.
    “Help me now, Lady,” Skye murmured, as she reached a familiar stand of oaks.
    One of Skye’s cousins lived on the outskirts of the forest. The cottage’s sloped roof was visible, and Skye followed a trail that was more memory than a physical landmark, until at last she was standing at the front door.
    She stared for a moment at