Free Darkness Before Dawn by J. A. London Page A

right. Even if he said no, I’d think he was lying. He knows me so much better than I know him. I’m at a disadvantage. One I’ll stay at, because I have no desire to become familiar with him.
    “I have to tell the Agency about you,” I say. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let an Old Family vampire walk the streets without alerting them.”
    “What will you tell them?”
    “About the attack. The rescue. The theater.”
    “I can just move. They’d never find me.”
    “Still, I have to.”
    “I saved your life that night. If I’ve earned a measure of trust, no matter how small, then keep the theater a secret. If you have to tell them a Valentine is within their walls, I understand. But don’t tell them you know where. If you do, any deaths that happen as a result will be on you.”
    I don’t like the implied threat, but I think about Victor staking those vampires, how quickly he saved my life. He saved Tegan, too. He took us into his home. I think about the warm feeling that ran through me as we talked, and how good it felt knowing he was protecting us from the night. All these pictures and emotions rush through me, and I can’t believe what I’m about to say.
    “Okay. The theater stays between us. For now. But if I suspect you’re killing humans…”
    “Thank you, Dawn.” He takes two steps, stops, and looks back. “A bit of advice: When you’re dealing with my father, let him see the Dawn Montgomery who’s facing me now. He doesn’t realize how strong you are. I didn’t either.” He appears uncomfortable admitting that. “I—he—thought you were just a puppet. Learning differently will unsettle him. Give you an edge.”
    “Why would you give me advice?”
    “Maybe I don’t like my father any more than you do.”
    Before I can think of a response, he steps out onto the balcony and closes the door behind him. I rush across the room and open the doors wide. He’s gone.
    But I have a feeling I haven’t seen the last of him.

Chapter 8
    I walk into the kitchen to find Rachel staring at a small TV on the counter. The few available channels show news or some very, very low-budget soap operas. They’re recorded in small studios using ancient equipment that barely works. One of the stations shows reruns of old television series made before the war. I wish a comedy were on the screen now, but unfortunately, it’s Roland Hursch, the wealthiest man in the city, and the most antivampire. He’s ranting outside of a blood site, protesting against those going in to donate.
    “This is our enslavement! This is our curse!” he shouts, holding up two empty blood bags. “We give to those monsters, and for what? They still violate VampHu; they still find their way into our city; they still abduct our citizens and drain them dry. It’s time we stand up against the Agency; it’s time we make our voices heard. It’s time for Dawn Montgomery to step down as delegate, and let someone with actual experience, actual knowledge, take charge at the negotiating table with Valentine.”
    I must have made a sound, because Rachel suddenly jerks around. “Sorry.” She clicks off the TV.
    “That’s okay. It’s not anything I haven’t heard before,” I say as I reach into the fridge for some orange juice and pour myself a glass. I try not to wonder whether Roland Hursch is right. Abductions are on the rise; blood donations are down. What good am I to the city? Then I remember what Victor said—that I’m stronger than he realized....
    I shake my head. I’m not about to start taking compliments from a vampire to heart. They’re notorious liars. Anything to get what they want, Victor included.
    “Kids aren’t bullying you at school, are they?” Rachel asks, her voice filled with concern.
    “Nothing I can’t handle.” It’s not so much political with them as it is jealousy. Working for the Agency, I get a nice apartment, clothes, anything I want. Plus I’ve acquired a sort of celebrity status—even if most