And he wouldn’t. I loved Vlad, but I knew him. If only Gretchen’s life hung in the balance, he wouldn’t allow himself to be blackmailed by Mircea’s captors. Vlad would console me and he’d swear to avenge Gretchen, yet he would also let her die. And as much as I loved Vlad, I wouldn’t sacrifice my sister’s life for mine, even if my loss would be devastating to him.

Still, the ramifications of the enormous secret I’d be hiding from Vlad pierced me like silver in the heart. He’d take it as the most serious betrayal, and everyone knew that Vlad wasn’t big on forgiving betrayal. With a muttered comment that I needed a few minutes alone, I ran out of the house. When I was far enough away that they couldn’t hear me even with vampire senses, I screamed out my frustration at the gray December sky.

I now had more answers than I’d ever dreamed of, but part of me wished I’d never come here. Before, I had been tormented by my helplessness. Now, I was even more tormented by my choices. If I told Vlad this, he would do everything in his power to make me transfer the curse to Gretchen, yet if I did, it might end up killing her. But how could I not tell him?

It might not be today, but soon, I would have to pick between endless lies in order to protect my sister’s life, or being a participant in Vlad’s emotional torture. Yes, Vlad was strong, and he’d survived things that would have broken ninety-nine-point-nine percent of other people, but what if Mircea’s captors demanded something that would scar him forever? How could I add a crushing weight to the awful burdens he already carried?

The brutal truth was, I didn’t know if I could live with myself in either scenario.

Yet I couldn’t stay here screaming at the sky. I’d promised never again to let any emotional turmoil defeat me, however horrible my circumstances. This had knocked me down worse than anything had before it, but I had to find a way to push past my feelings and go on. Maybe things weren’t as bleak as they looked. Maybe I wouldn’t have to choose between my sister’s life and Vlad’s soul. Another solution had to present itself, if I fought hard enough to find one.

Yeah, my inner voice sneered. And maybe, you’ll meet a leprechaun who’ll lead you to a pot of gold, too!

My fists clenched. Goddamn my hated internal voice, and goddamn Mircea. If not for him, none of this would be happening. In sudden, explosive rage, I spun around and punched the nearest tree. My bones shattered from the force of the blow, yet the instant, searing pain was oddly comforting. For those few brief seconds before I healed, it distracted me from the far worse pain inside.

I took both my gloves off and punched another tree. Then another one and another, until blood flowed freely from both my hands. How I wished these trees were Mircea. If he were here right now, I’d tear into him so much worse—

What are you doing, Leila? Stop it!

As if I’d summoned him, Mircea’s roar echoed through my mind. Of course. He’d feel everything I was doing as if it were happening to him. Now I really enjoyed the pain.

Where are you, you miserable prick? I roared back at him. This is all your fault!

No, it’s your fault for not dying like you were supposed to! was his instant reply. Now, stop smashing your hands!

What, like this? I snarled, and whacked the nearest tree hard enough to send my hand all the way through it.

Bitch! rang through my mind so loud, I almost turned around to see if he was behind me. Our connection was somehow much clearer this time. And stronger, like if I concentrated really hard, I might be able to see him . . .

Stop it, Mircea said, the anger abruptly gone from his tone. You can’t find me this way, Leila.

Then why do you suddenly sound concerned? I thought back, stunned to realize that Mircea no longer felt like an unwelcome, invisible shadow in my mind. Somehow, he now felt like a thread, and I grabbed at that thread with both hands and pulled.

Stop it or I’ll leave! he thundered at me.

No, you won’t, I said, a fierce exaltation filling me as I still felt him on the other end of our connection. In fact, he was now even closer, as if a few more hard tugs on that string could bring him into focus. Mircea cursed me and continued to threaten to leave, but I knew him. If he really could leave, he would. That meant that things weren’t just a little different with our connection this time. Everything was different, and though it seemed impossible, there could only be one reason why.

Mircea hadn’t been the one to contact me. Somehow, someway, I’d finally managed to link to him.

Chapter 24

I’ve got you, I’ve got you, I chanted in glee as I continued to pull on the thread connecting us. A haze began to fill my vision, slowly blocking out all the bare trees around me. I knew what that was, and excitement flared as that haze formed into the unmistakable look of another place.

The sky changed into a thick slab where no light penetrated while the trees around me were replaced by tall, jagged rocks. Faint illumination came from torches somewhere out of my line of sight, but it showed that most of the rocks looked like naturally formed pillars. Mircea was in the middle of a tight circle of those pillars, and the glow from his eyes cut through the darkness like twin emerald laser beams.

“I’ve got you!” I crowed out loud this time. I was so caught up in my triumph; it took several moments before I noticed that someone was hitting me on the leg. Hard.

“Leila, come on, it might already be too late!”

Marty. He sounded upset, but he didn’t know I’d finally linked to Mircea after countless failed attempts. I wasn’t dropping this connection. Who knew if I could get it back?