A Shade of Vampire 28: A Touch of Truth Read Online Free PDF Page A

over its ledge and rolled over, disappearing from view.
    My heart was thumping as Orlando approached the wire. He released the hook from his own belt and proceeded to do exactly the same as Maura. But before he swung off, he cast a glance down at me.
    “I can’t risk traveling with you like this,” he said sternly. “If you want to come with us, you’re going to have to do this yourself.”
    I stopped breathing for a few seconds.
    “I’ll throw back my belt and hook to you once I’m on the other side,” he went on. “Make sure you catch it.”
    My heart was in my throat as he leapt off and glided the distance to the other building.
    I might be half supernatural, but I still had fears. This was… insane.
    Now that I eyed the buildings surrounding us, I realized that many of them had cables attached, interconnecting them just like this one. Maybe this was how Maura and Orlando—and whatever other non-Bloodless lived out here—got around. I guessed it was safer than traveling by foot on the ground… at least safer from Bloodless.
    As I neared the ledge, it sure didn’t feel like there was anything safe about what I was about to attempt.
    Once Orlando had lowered himself onto the opposite roof, he did as he said he would—removed his belt and hurled it into the air toward me. His aim was shockingly good. It came shooting toward me and I caught it with relative ease.
    My hands were trembling as I stood next to the cable. I dared not peer over the edge. I felt vertigo just imagining the height without gaining an actual glimpse of the distant ground.
    God. Am I really going to do this?
    How am I going to do this?
    But I had no choice. I couldn’t stay alone up here on this roof.
    I wrapped the belt around my waist and adjusted it to my size. The buckle was already opened, the hook ready to use. One less thing for me to do. One less excuse to procrastinate.
    I winced and raised myself to the slippery ledge. I pulled out the hook and fastened it to the cable. My palms were sweating as I trained my eyes on the opposite building.
    Well. Here goes nothing…

Grace
    I could have sworn that my life flashed before me as I went flying off the roof of the building. For several harrowing seconds, as I rocked violently from side to side from the force of my launch, I feared that I had not attached the hook properly and I was about to hurtle down to the ground in a gut-mangling freefall.
    What happened was only slightly less terrifying.
    Now that I was out in the open, exposed to the horrifying drop, my eyes could not help but shoot down to gauge the distance. It felt like my heart might stop.
    But then my feet hit against the other building, shooting agonizing pains up my already injured legs. Orlando reached down to me and gripped my forearms. He hauled me upward, over the edge, and rolled me down onto the roof. Onto a beautiful, hard, flat surface. And it was all over.
    As he dipped down to detach his belt from my waist, I realized that I was shaking all over—not because I was turning (at least, I hoped not)—but because of the shock. Even the leap I’d made over the IBSI’s fence had not felt as scary as that. For one thing, there had been water on the other side.
    It took me several moments to regain composure. Breathing heavily, I sat up straight and slopped back my wet hair away from my face. I gazed up at my two companions.
    Orlando was in the process of navigating the blade-wheel over to us from the roof we’d just left. And they had both removed their masks. For the first time, I had a full view of their faces. Faces that took me aback. It was clearer than ever that they were siblings—other than their eye color, they shared similar facial features: the same sharp, slightly hooked nose, thin, small lips, and longish faces. But that wasn’t why I was gaping.
    They were pale. Too pale to be humans. And their skin appeared thin. I could practically make out the veins beneath it, even through the gloom. Their dark