Page 48 (1/2)

Prologue

Massachusetts Bay Colony - Maine Territory

1665

“Where are you going, Trace?”

Trying not to panic, Trace shut the door before any sunlight could spill inside the s his suddenly dry lips, he turned around and held up the s after he’d returned from his trip into town

“I was hoping to go down to the river to read, Father,” Trace said, forcing a s was fine

Ethan sighed heavily as he sat up on the sh his unruly shoulder-length hair “Why don’t you stay here and read instead?”

“I don’t want to disturb you, Father,” Trace said, wishing he’d lit a candle since he couldn’t tell fro off if his father was still angry

“Trace, tellto see her after what happened yesterday”

“No, Father,” he said, lying to his father for the first time in his life, but he didn’t have a choice If he’d listened to her in the first place, no one would have found out that they’d been spending tiether He’d been too stubborn to listen and now, thanks to him, she was in real trouble

“Why do I have a feeling that you’re lying towearily as he pulled his breeches on

“I’aze to the dirt floor, because looking his father in his eye while he lied to him made him feel sick to his stomach

“We need to talk,” his father announced after a short pause,Trace’s eyes shoot up at the all too familiar announcement

“But we’ve only been here four weeks, Father You proer this time,” he pointed out almost desperately because he didn’t want to leave the only friend he’d ever had

While living with his father onderful, it was also very lonely For the first fourteen years of his life, his father had taken him all over Europe, desperate to keep him safe as they’d searched for answers When Trace was six years old, weak, sick, and barely bigger than a toddler, his father became desperate to save the child that his wife had so desperately wanted and did so no other vampire would have dared