Free The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1) by Krystle Jones Page B

apparently become upon turning into a vampire. His warm, gentle brown eyes looked me over, as if not quite believing what he was seeing.
     
    I shrank back, searching for any sign of anger or resentment, but a bright smile warmed his face as he rose from the table and wrapped me up in a bear hug, laughing. “It is you!”
     
    Rook was much taller than me – he and my brother had both been giants, standing at 6’5” – and after my initial shock at having him there, hugging me, alive , I threw my arms around him and laughed, tears stinging my eyes.
     
    He pulled away, placing a hand at my back and gently pushing me toward the booth. “Here, please,” he said, taking his seat and motioning for me to sit beside him. I glanced at Aden, who looked a bit perplexed by our sudden camaraderie, and slid into the booth by Rook. (His name was actually Jerome Crecey, but when he had first joined my brother’s hockey team, everyone had called him “rookie” until he proved himself otherwise. Their first game, he stopped nearly every goal of the opposing team. Despite his triumph, the name had stuck, and everyone had affectionately called him “Rook” from then on.)
     
    Aden slipped into the booth beside the girl, who scooted over to make room for him. I could feel Rook’s excitement at seeing me. “How… when?” he asked.
     
    “ Um…” I bit my lip, and looked at Aden expectantly, who just shrugged and steepled his fingers together, looking slightly amused by all this. I took it as my cue to continue. “I went into the Red Sector to look for Orion,” I said quietly, feeling a new stab of pain at mentioning his name. “And I was attacked.” My palms began to sweat as I faltered, unsure whether or not I should tell them the truth.
     
    “ I saw her fighting off a Rogue, and thought she could make for a good recruit,” Aden inserted smoothly.
     
    “ Rogue?” I interrupted.
     
    “ A wild vampire, more animal than human,” Aden said absently. I had more questions, but he didn’t give me a chance to ask before he went on. “Anyway, I opted to change her myself. Though her combat skills and determination were impressive, she was badly bleeding and didn’t have long.”
     
    I gave Aden a look but quickly masked it. Why was he lying for me? These were his friends, or at least, I thought they were. What secret did he have to hide from them?
     
    Rook nodded, laughing softly. “Sloane always did have a penchant for fighting. I told her brother that we should let her on as one of our defenseman so she could get out some of that pent up aggression on the ice.”
     
    The blond girl sat quietly, listening and observing, though her face remained open and friendly.
     
    “ A penchant for fighting,” Aden murmured. “Yes, I could see that.”
     
    I scowled at him, leaning back into the seat and crossing my arms. So what if I had a record for brawling? My father hadn’t exactly liked it, but he had taught Orion and me to look after ourselves, to not let anyone push us around. We were far from being bullies, and though we never started the fights, we could certainly finish them.
     
    “ I’m sorry about Orion,” Rook suddenly said, his voice no louder than a breeze.
     
    “ So you saw him, then? Before…” I asked.
     
    Rook nodded, his eyes growing distant. “It was like something out of a nightmare… there was so much blood and the Rogue… its thirst was too out-of-control.” He blinked, shaking himself free of the memory. “He didn’t suffer long, I’m sure of that.” He gave me a small smile, trying to be sympathetic.
     
    So much blood. I closed my eyes, seeing my brother’s horror-stricken face as he called out to me. And now, seeing Rook was like visiting with a ghost, and a wave of guilt crashed through my chest. “I… I’m sorry.”
     
    Rook’s smile faltered. “For what?”
     
    “ For what I did,” I whispered.
     
    He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I don’t blame you, Sloane. I