Needle

A flash of light flew.
About to pounce on Lina, Fern tumbled to the floor with wooden
needles piercing both knees. Making a desperate grab for the compressor-powered gun on his hip, his hand was nailed to the ground. Bess had her back up off the ground, but couldn’t move any further. The gaze she trained
on D was strangely feverish.

The bare blade was shoved in front of Fern’s face.
“Answer me—where’s the way into the ruins?”
His soft words, devoid of threats or coercion, froze the blood of a
fearless vampire. For the first time, it dawned on Fern that the dashing
youth before him was no ordinary dhampir.

6 - 2