Page 37 of Bitten By Desire

Everyone, aside from Tabitha, who remained sleeping on the thick carpet near the balcony, gathered on and around the white sofa in the main room. We clutched cups of strong coffee. Hazel had gone out and returned with a box filled with macarons of varying flavors, which we also pecked at as we talked.

“What was the demon dimension like?” Zoe asked around a bite of cookie.

“They’re into the color white for some reason,” I said, recalling the sterile atmosphere of the building that had sat amidst such violent chaos. “I think they crave order. That woman, Sirena, and this huge guy named Grival were discussing the murders and, well, me.”

Julian leaned closer, tightening his grip on my shoulder where he’d thrown a protective arm. “What did they say about you?”

I frowned. “They called me the vampire slut.”

Hazel snorted, then tried to pass it off as clearing her throat.

“They also called me the key. They said they needed to harvest my blood and talked about DNA sequencing. She said she’d come for me herself.”

“She cannot have you,” Julian stated.

“Why me, though?” I said, sinking back into his embrace.

“You’re special,” he said.

“I think it has to do with whatever Dad did to us when we were kids,” Zoe’s soft voice floated through the room. “Maybe I have whatever it is too.”

The idea that they might be after my sister made my throat tight. The screen the general put on had shown the glade where she’d used a portal to send us in, so the hope that no one knew of her powers was almost impossible. Between that and the blue of her portals… I took a sip of coffee.

“Oh.” I sprung up in the seat. “The general is a golem.”

Murmurs and exclamations buzzed around me. “The demons stole some recipe and created him to do their bidding. I can’t believe SHADE is a demon-run organization.”

“All these years, I’ve been a spy and never knew who I worked for.” Julian looked away.

I patted his knee. “You aren’t the only one who’s been fooled. None of the vampires know, as far as we’re aware. No one is. And didn’t you say the general didn’t start until five years ago?”

Julian looked up. “That’s right.”

An idea wormed its way into my consciousness, and I shuddered when my intuition flared, telling me it was right.

“That’s why the general didn’t like you. They knew you were my mate even before you found me. And they knew you’d make whatever they wanted to do difficult.”

“I’ll do more than that,” he promised, eyes ringed in fiery red. “I’ll make sure they never touch you again.”

“We’ll all make sure they’re stopped,” Sam added in a deep, growly voice. Zoe and Hazel both stood and joined me on the other side.

“Thanks.” My heart warmed with their support, but another part of me clenched with fear remembering what happened when Daphne had intervened on my behalf.

“Wait. Is Binx okay? Has anyone figured out a way to get him back?” I asked, looking around.

Their silence made the answer obvious.

Another person to add to the My Fault If They Get Hurt list.

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I focused once again on the truths I’d uncovered in the other dimensions.

“Sirena and Grival were annoyed but not as worried as I thought they’d be about the murder of the other board member. They had theories but ultimately dismissed them since the more of the others that were killed, the less they’d have to share power afterward.”

“Now we know where demons get their reputation from,” Zoe mumbled into her cup.

“Then I went to the fae dimension,” I continued. “I found Em. The queen has her. But she’d sent someone for me. Someone named Bres. Or rather, she made a deal with him. He was supposed to create something that could kill the board members then get rid of them. And he was supposed to bring me to her.”

“This is horrible,” Zoe, grabbed my hand. She’d helped take care of Em while she stayed with us, so she had to be hurting at the news.

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