The Graves of Saints Read Free Page B

with any of her friends from San Diego, so she had started over in New York, hiding from
Cortez but also hiding from the rest of the world. Since she had not signed the Covenant, she was a fugitive. A rogue vampire. One of the reasons that she had come to New York in the first place
had been to register with the UN, but days had passed, and then weeks, and then months, and she had never gotten up the courage. They would want to know where she came from – who had made her
– and that would mean she would be questioned by Task Force Victor.
    Meeting Peter Octavian had changed everything.
    Charlotte had found herself inexplicably drawn to a small town on the north shore of Massachusetts, a place tainted by chaos which had been growing exponentially. Octavian could have killed her
the moment he found out what she was, but he had heard her out – he had trusted her – and she had helped him to take down the ancient chaos queen, Navalica. But Octavian had made it
clear that stopping Navalica hadn’t put an end to the danger the world was in. The chaos bitch had metaphorically planted a flag and tried to claim the world, and Octavian said that other
things – demons and the like – would know it. They’d feel it. And they would come to try to finish the job that she had started.
    As a young girl, Charlotte had had dreams. Now, for the first time in her life, she had a purpose. But if she was going to help Octavian, she had to make sure Task Force Victor wasn’t
going to kill her on sight.
    ‘Shit,’ she rasped, holding up a hand to block the wan morning light seeping through her blinds.
    A glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was going on ten a.m. She hadn’t been so completely brainwashed by Cortez that she had actually believed the sun would burn her to
cinders. The whole world knew the history of Shadows, so when he turned her into a vampire, he couldn’t make her afraid of the daylight. The closest he could come was making her afraid of
him. Still, four months of sleeping during the day and shying away from the sun had taken its toll. She stayed up well into the night and dozed through most mornings.
    Not today. Charlotte wouldn’t be going back to her job at the theatre, but she had an appointment to keep.
    She threw back the covers and slid to the edge of her bed, sitting up and burying her face in her hands.
    ‘Oh, shit,’ she mumbled again into her cupped palms.
    Crazy powerful as she was – and there were times when, despite the horror of how she had become like this, she reveled in it – the idea of walking up to the UN Shadow Registry Office
scared the hell out of her. The typical person off the street would have no idea how to even hurt her, never mind kill her, but those guys had to have figured out half a dozen ways to obliterate
vampires by now.
    She felt sick just thinking about it, but Octavian had promised her that she would be all right. He had coached her on what to say and how to approach them, and had asked her to call him as soon
as it was done so that he could tell her where he wanted her next. In her human life, Charlotte had never liked authority, always bristling when anyone tried to tell her what to do. But she was
joining Octavian’s fight and she wanted to help him. He would know best how to use her.
    A tiny smile ticked up the edges of her mouth. Then she shook her head, chuckling softly.
No naughty thoughts
, she chided herself. She had always liked older men, and Octavian looked
maybe thirty-six or so, but the guy had been hundreds of years old even before he’d been to Hell. No, there’d be none of that.
Not that he’d even try
, she thought.
To
him, you’re a kid
.
    She stood and stretched. Glancing at herself in the mirror above her bureau, she wrinkled her nose in distaste.
Looking like this, even dirty old men aren’t gonna give you a second
glance.
    Charlotte shot her reflection the middle finger and laughed as she headed for the bathroom.