Into The Void (Vampire Hunter Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

a voice hissed. I blinked and turned to look in the direction of
the sound. Vaguely I remembered being told not to look around. But I couldn’t
pinpoint why.
    “There you are.” Nicholas stepped in line in front of me. The fog in my
head started to clear.
    “What’s happening?” I whispered.
    Nicholas stood on his tiptoes, peering towards the front of the
warehouse. He stepped back so that we were walking side by side. “Okay, that
was a close one,” he said nervously. “They wrenched us apart and I couldn’t do
anything to stop it. I think we have a minute to talk. This warehouse is huge
and the gatekeepers and check-in machines are at the opposite end.”
    “How do you know?” I asked.
    “Just before the lights were turned on. Didn’t Lucas tell you that
vampires can see really far distances in the dark?”
    I shook my head.
    “We only have a minute,” Nicholas said worriedly. “There are two
gatekeepers. When we get to the front, just walk forward with me, even if they
try to usher you to the other side; we can’t get separated again.”
    “I’ll try,” I hissed. “I felt like I was going to black out before you
found me.”
    “Hopefully it will get easier when we’re at the actual meeting,” Nicholas
whispered. “Right now they’re herding us along as fast as possible. Emmett was
right – they need Matthews’ spells to keep everyone under the mind control.”
    “If I lose you, I’ll be useless. It wasn’t like the blackouts I used to
have – those were so sudden. This was gradual. But I couldn’t think; I could
feel my mind slipping away.”
    “We won’t get separated,” Nicholas said grimly. “I told my brother I’d
protect you, and I plan to do just that.”
    His brother. I was starting to
understand their connection, their loyalty to each other. “Has Lucas talked
about me much?” I asked Nicholas. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the best time to
ask the question, but what if I didn’t have another chance?
    Nicholas looked at me sideways and flashed his crooked smile. “You really
think I’m going to answer that?”
    “It was worth a shot,” I muttered.
    “Lucas cares for you, but I think you already know that. Anything else
you want to know is between you and him. I’m staying out of it.”
    “I know you wouldn’t betray his confidence,” I said. “I just had to ask…”
my voice trailed off.
    “I think we’re getting close to the front. No more talking,” Nicholas
commanded. “I’ll go first. Remember, just come straight through with me, no
matter what orders they try to give you.”
    “Okay,” I managed to choke out.
    After walking forward for several more minutes, I could finally see the
beginning of the line. There were two huge machines – they must have been about
ten feet tall. They were side by side and it looked like the gatekeepers were
leading everyone inside, a couple of bodies at a time. The top of the machine
was curved. All I could see inside was blackness. It resembled a dark, creepy
tunnel.
    Suddenly Nicholas was next in line. As soon as he started walking towards
the gatekeeper on the left, so did I.
    “Hold on,” a harsh voice commanded. Ignoring the gatekeeper, I continued
to walk forward, so close to Nicholas that I was almost touching his back.
    A hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I
resisted the urge to turn and look sideways, forced my body to stay relaxed.
“Stupid zombies,” the gatekeeper muttered.
    He pulled Nicholas’ hair back and pointed a huge handheld scanner at his
neck. It made a clicking sound and the gatekeeper stared at the display. “Go
on, Raymond,” he commanded, giving Nicholas a small shove into the dark tunnel
machine.
    I walked forward without being told to move. I was trying not to panic.
Nicholas was still close by, but would he be there when I stepped into the
machine? I couldn’t see anything past the entrance.
    The gatekeeper pushed my hair to the side and scanned my neck.