red sun || lee felix

ch. 6 /// destiny

By the time Changbin and I got out onto the sidewalk, the two men were gone — up and vanished like magic. What the hell? Could they really have run away with all the human witnesses? Were they that afraid of us?

"I smell them," Changbin said. "They went that way, go!"

We charged down the sidewalk, shoving past the crowds. I could smell them, too, when I focussed. In a soup pot of human scents, a vampire's was obvious.

We followed their trail down the street, through buildings with big archways and past a grand church. It led us down another, less crowded street, but when we got to the intersection, the trail split off into two. One led along the river, the other over a bridge.

"Which do we follow?" Changbin asked, looking both ways.

"Maybe we should split up."

"Yeah, that couldn't possibly end in disaster."

"We'll run for twenty minutes and meet back at the hotel. I'll keep an eye on your futures, too. We just need to get close enough to explain ourselves."

He was fidgety. I took his hand and traced a little heart in his palm. "You go that way, I'll go this way, okay?"

He huffed out a breath. "Fine." He got up on his tiptoes to kiss me. My eyes fluttered closed, didn't open, even after he pulled away, raced over the bridge and disappeared. I palmed my temple and headed the other way.

I followed the scent, flew down the road till the river snaked along at my side. The sun was gone, the stars were out, only the occasional sound of engines backfiring to break the silence.

Suddenly there was a figure in front of me. I stopped a good thirty yards away, careful not to spook him. Fei had taught me to approach unknown vampires with extreme caution, especially when alone. His eyes were long and narrow, hair blowing in the soft wind, and his expression was unsettling and unreadable.

"I can explain myself," I said.

He pivoted and shot down the road, out of sight in a split second. I took off after him. His scent weaved in jerks and swerves across the road — I nearly barrelled into a tree. He led me onto another bridge over the river.

Then the trail disappeared completely. Where had he gone? Straight up? I sniffed the support cables in case he was hiding in the mechanisms.

Something flitted past me, just a breeze in my hair — I chased after it. I could see his back for a second, and then he was too far ahead. It wasn't the same scent as before. How many were following me? My eyes didn't have any trouble in the dark, but this guy was strong and fast — much faster than me.

"I need to talk to you!" I yelled into the night. "You're not in any danger!" There was no answer.

The road twisted and turned, and a third scent was added to the mix. They turned me around, led me through the bushes, and finally forked off in three separate directions. Goddamnit. I only ever saw the flick of a shoe, the glint of an eye, and then they were gone, always out of my reach.

A vision hit me in an instant, blinded me and bound my feet together. Changbin, unwitting, surrounded and attacked by our "family." He was on a small road I didn't recognize, a skirt of trees to either side. He was in danger.

I came to, panting, facedown on the ground.

"Changbin!"

I leapt to my feet and catapulted back the way I'd come. It was only a second before I could hear them behind me. They were chasing me now — three of them, far behind but gaining quickly.