Last Chance Read Online Free PDF

leaned in, taking in Aric's spicy cologne, and his heart did a funny dance in his chest. His urge overtook his common sense; without a thought to how Aric would react, he tucked a loose strand of Aric's hair behind his ear, letting his fingers linger at the nape. Two pinprick scars marred the otherwise-unblemished neck.

    Aric snapped his head to the side and stepped away. “Don't touch me.”

    “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.” Those two scars were enough for Stu to be certain.

    “Then leave me alone.”

    “You need a friend.” He meant protector, but he kept that to himself. Aric was too skittish for Stu to confront him about vampires or explain how he knew what the marks signified.

    Aric's eyes darkened. “You don't qualify.”

    “You don't have a choice.” And for that matter, neither did Stu.

    It was remarkable how his life was changing in just one day. A heavy weight fell from his heart. The inner calling of his ancestors was luring him into breaking the promise he'd made to his mother—to never follow his father's path.

    The shadow following Aric was most likely one of the unworldly creatures roaming the earth in obscurity. People didn't believe in such myths, but these creatures were real and alive and preyed on human blood.

    Aric backed away. “Don't mess with me.”

    “I can't let you fight this alone.”

    “How do you know—”

    A rash of goose bumps raced down Stu's arms. He dropped his satchel and then shoved Aric between two parked cars. Aric's backpack flew beneath the trunk as Stu pushed him onto his knees and shielded him with his body. Aric shook against him, if not from fear, then from anger at being pushed down and trapped beneath him.

    Aric jerked wildly. “Get off me, you id—”

    A shrill hoot cut off his words. Stu looked up at the night sky, and a spasm of dread pierced his heart. An impossibly huge bird fluttered dark wings as it swooped above his head. The silhouette of its enormous wings and curved talons was terrifying. He'd seen that image before in a textbook he'd studied when he was child.

    “Hold still,” he ordered. “That strix is after you.” His father had trained him on the varieties of the undead. Recognizing it as a vampire-strix flying above them, and knowing he had no means to kill it, made him feel powerless.

    The strix flew overhead, circling and shrieking its baritone call.

    Twit twoo. Twit twoo. Twit twoo.

    As it swooped lower, closing in on them, chills swept through Stu. He concentrated on camouflaging them, and their clothing shimmered into the color of the pavement. He could hold the illusion for only a few minutes, but that was enough time for him to summon his totem before the bird caught their scent.

    The creature shrieked as it paused in midair. Flapping wings sent a breeze through Stu's hair, and he looked up as its sharp gaze surveyed the parking lot. He closed his eyes and brought forth his spirit animal. When he opened them again, the majestic lynx he visualized appeared before him in physical form. The tuft-eared cat leaped lightning quick into the night sky. The strix squawked and swerved as the lynx lunged toward it.

    The strix clawed the lynx's cheek with a sharp talon.

    Stu cried out; the deep cut stung.

    Aric twisted beneath him. “What's going on? What's that noise? I can't see a thing with you on top of me.”

    “Stay put.”

    The battle between bird and cat played out, each taking vicious swipes at the other. Wind ruffled Stu's hair, and his body shook from exhaustion. Sweat broke out across his forehead. It had been too long since he'd invoked his totem. He couldn't hold on to the image for long. His breathing became labored, every breath fire in his lungs.

    The lynx's final leap shimmered into sparkling dust. But it had been enough. The strix cried out, streaked across the sky, and disappeared.

    His presence had saved Aric. For now.

    Stu wiped his hand down his face. His cheek throbbed, but the cuts were