Free Evolution (Demon's Grail Book 2) by Amy Cross

can't make out the words as he drifts away, back to whatever dark void he inhabits while he waits to be freed at Karakh.
    Taking a deep breath, I realize that despite all his threats, Father chose to let me live. There's no way my own father could have failed to understand my feelings for Jonathan, so I can only assume that he still has faith in me, that he still needs me. Those errant feelings in my heart must be destroyed, and I must kill not only Abby when I get the chance but also her brother.
    I must embrace my full potential as a daughter of Karakh.
    Even though my body is still filled with pain, I set one trembling foot in front of the other and start walking, making my way as fast as I can manage toward the Navarian ridge. There, I will be united with the army and I will wait for our final orders to come, and soon we will march upon the vampires and crush them beneath our boots.
    Victory is coming. I can feel it in my bones.

Part Three
     
    The Mistake

Abby Hart
     
    While Jonathan and Absalom talk, I busy myself with the task of preparing a proper camp. We've been on the road for almost a month now since leaving Jagadoon, and our supplies have long since been used up. Still, I know how to start a fire, even with little more than a few sticks of swamp-wood, and I can already hear the tell-tale rustling sound of wild rabbits in the long grass at the edge of the clearing.
    At least we'll eat tonight.
    I've barely spoken during the journey so far, preferring to keep my thoughts to myself, even to walk a short distance ahead so that there's no chance of getting drawn into another pointless conversation. The truth is, now I know how Absalom really views me, I hate the idea of going anywhere near him. When he seemed to have faith in me back at Jagadoon, I allowed myself to trust him and to believe that despite all my uncertainty, he might know better. I began to see myself as much through his eyes as through mine, and maybe I allowed myself to think I saw a warrior emerging from my soul. Now I still see myself through his eyes, but as nothing more than a failure. For the first time in my life, I feel weak and helpless.
    The truth is, I never really thought I might screw this whole thing up. I don't mean that I was full of myself or over-confident, it's just that when I left New York and went to Jagadoon for my training...
    I honestly never considered the possibility that I'd fail so miserably.
    Still, there's time to turn that around. Not at Jagadoon, obviously, but out here in the real world. I can still make a difference. I'm going to prove Absalom and Oncephalus wrong.
    “Need a hand there?”
    Startled for a moment, I realize that I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I didn't notice someone approaching. I turn and see Jonathan nearby, but although my initial instinct is to smile, I quickly remind myself that there's no point. My brother must have realized by now that I'm not what I once seemed, that I failed to meet the standards asked of me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Absalom has told him the truth about my failure at Jagadoon,which would just make me feel even worse. I'd rather not speak to either of them too much, not until I've redeemed myself.
    “I'm fine,” I mutter. “I've got this.”
    “You can't be the one who sets up camp every night,” he replies. “We should all -”
    “Why not?” I snap. “It's what I'm good at.”
    As if to prove my point, I roll the swamp-wood between my palms and then drop the pieces into a nest of twigs and grass, and sure enough the first faint flicker of a fire starts to spread. Soon there'll be enough heat to keep us warm during the night and to scare away wild animals, and I can get on with hunting rabbits in the nearby forest. After all those years spent thinking about grander things, it feels good in a way to be concentrating now on more mundane, practical considerations. Every evening during this journey, I've busied myself with making a fire, catching