Page 19 of Blood Bound

“Yes. But we’re not alone in this. Selene and Elias are a start – a good start. We’ll find more. We can take him on if we work together.”

“Which means we’ll need you in fighting form, Darick.” Marcus looks serious. “You need to feed.”

I’m silent for a moment, knowing that we’ve circled back to the original issue. And he’s right. “Fine,” I say. “I’ll think about the right way to go about it.”

“Good point. You can’t just broadcast the fact that you need witch blood.”

“Exactly.” I nod at Marcus. “I’ll figure something out,” I assure him, though I’m not entirely sure how.

“Good,” he replies. “I’ll start digging deeper into Lucien’s activities. There’s got to be more we can uncover about his plans.”

As Marcus turns to leave, I call out, “Be careful. Lucien’s not one to leave loose ends.”

He gives me a grim smile. “Don’t worry about me. Just focus on getting your strength back.”

With that, he’s gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I turn back to the moonlit gardens, mulling over our conversation.

Drink from another witch…

I don’t know why the thought bothers me so much.

Rowan’s face flashes through my mind. I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve royally fucked things up with her. But maybe, just maybe, there’s still a chance to make things right.

Try talking to her one last time.

If she’s had a bit of time to cool off after the revelation of seeing me alive, she might be calmer. I could approach her. Explain everything, lay all my cards on the table. It’s a risk, but at this point, what do I have to lose?

Decision made, I push away from the railing. If I can just get her to listen, to understand the gravity of the situation we’re both in, maybe she’ll see reason. And if not…

You have other options.

I force myself to consider the alternative. If Rowan refuses to help, I’ll have no choice but to seek out another witch. I don’t like the idea, but I can’t afford to be picky. Not with Lucien breathing down my neck and the fate of my clan hanging in the balance.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. One last attempt with Rowan. If that fails, I’ll do what needs to be done to survive. It’s not ideal, but it’s the hand I’ve been dealt.

With renewed determination, I head back inside. Time to track down a certain stubborn witch and hope like hell she’s willing to hear me out.

7

Chapter 7

Rowan

“Please pass the salad, sweetheart.”

I give Mom a small nod and reach for the large glass bowl on the table in front of me.

God, this is awkward.

Our family meals are never like this. But then again, our family has never had to deal with a situation like this before.

Dad is scowling down at the perfectly prepared portion of salmon on his plate while Kara is trying to spear a cherry tomato off of hers. She’s not having much luck because she keeps shooting curious looks in my direction.

Gran, on the other hand, is eating with gusto.

“Rowan,” Dad begins, “I think it’s time—”

“Darling,” Mom interrupts. “Do we need to do this over dinner?”

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