OBUMBRATE Sneak Peek, Part 2!

I know these kinds of unveilings are typically reserved for Tuesdays or Thursdays, but I'm going to do a little breaking of the rules here and give you guys a little teaser of Obumbrate that no one's seen yet! Also, don't forget Obumbrate's cover reeal will be April 20th! Trust me, it'll be here before you know it.

(Please note- I have nothing against sharing my sneak peeks, but please provide a link back to this blog and let me know. This way, I don't think you're stealing, and I won't come after you with rabid penguins and a rusty spoon.)

"Essallie, Essallie are you still there?"
"I'm still here."
"Listen to me, right now. You need to go to the police. Let them know what you saw. I'm getting in the car right now."
"Jayson, if I go to the police, they'll arrest me on the spot. It's too much like Chase's death. How coincidental can you get? The second I'm home, and they're dead?"
"Running from the police is the last thing you want to do-"
"And turning myself in is on the same list," I sighed. "It's me they're after, not Gram, not Grand, not Chase."
"Who's after you, Essie?"
I started to answer when another set of footsteps sounded behind me. I turned around to come face-to-face with the woman I'd spotted in the apartment. Slowly, I lowered the phone from my face, pressing it against my leg so Jayson couldn't hear.
"Who are you?"
"Now, must we start with all the tense formalities? Or can we skip them and get straight to the part where you come along with me?"
I held out my free hand and ignited a ball of brilliant blue flame. "Why does nobody answer my questions?"
She gave me a sharp, cryptic smile. "Who I am is none of your concern." She extended a hand out to me, flicking tresses from her long ponytail over her shoulder. "This can be done easily or painfully. I'd rather take you in whole, and not in a jar. But I can promise you that, voluntary or not, we will get what we want from you."
"What is it you want?"
"The same thing everyone wants. Your blood." Her fingers wiggled at me impatiently. "It'll be over before you know it, just come with me."
My eyes locked on her outstretched hand. I studied the curvature of her fingers, the slender black nails sharpened to small points at the top. Just at the peak, a fleck of dried blood clung to a single one. I thought of my grandfather and grandmother, fighting off the woman before me, her nails slashing through skin and muscle and veins, their blood forever on her hands.
I exploded.