Page 18 of Blood Bound

My jaw sets. “I have to protect her.”

“More than that. You have to protect yourself.”

I nod slowly, processing Marcus’s words. “You’re right. Lucien’s not going to let this opportunity slip by. He’s always been too damn crafty for his own good.”

Marcus nods. “I think he’s been playing this game for longer than we’ve been aware. Things are slotting into place, setting the stage for him to gain ground. And now, with this witch situation…”

“He’s positioning himself as the solution,” I finish, a sour taste in my mouth. “Fuck.”

“Exactly. And if he finds out about your connection to Rowan…” Marcus trails off, but I can fill in the blanks.

I rub the back of my neck, suppressing my frustration. “He’d use her against me in a heartbeat. And she’s not exactly making it easy to protect her.”

Marcus raises an eyebrow. “How so?”

“She’s reckless, Marcus. Impulsive. She took me out without blinking.” I can’t help the hint of admiration that creeps into my voice. “And now she’s running around, stirring up shit with both the Conclave and the Blood Assembly.”

“Making herself a target,” Marcus concludes.

I nod, a knot forming in my stomach. “For Lucien, for any vampire looking to curry favor with him. Hell, even for her own kind who might see her as a threat.”

Marcus’s eyes narrow. “You think the witches might turn on her?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But power like hers…once it’s made public…it’s bound to make some people nervous. And nervous people do stupid things.”

“You think she’s that powerful?” Marcus asks, watching me carefully.

“I don’t think she’s even begun to scratch the surface of it.” I pinch my lips together. I’m starting to think I’ve created a monster. But then again, who knows how any of this shit works? The Bloodbane is an enigma to me. I haven’t heard of a power exchange between a witch and a vampire before, but not much is spoken of it.

“So what next?” Marcus is looking at me.

I take a deep breath, weighing our options. “We need to keep an eye on Lucien, first and foremost. Track his movements, see who he’s talking to. And…” I hesitate, knowing what needs to be done but dreading it all the same. “And I need to warn Rowan. Whether she wants to hear it or not.”

“Good luck with that,” he chuckles.

I sigh. “I need to figure out how to get her to trust me again.”

Marcus nods, his expression thoughtful. “What about approaching her family? Her grandmother seems pretty level-headed.”

“It’s worth a shot,” I admit. “But I doubt they’ll be too welcoming after what happened. I need something more…compelling.”

“What about the information on her sister?” Marcus suggests cautiously.

I pause, considering. The photo of Mia on my phone flashes through my mind. “It’s risky. I don’t know much beyond the fact that Lucien seems to be involved somehow. If I reveal that without more facts, it could backfire spectacularly.”

“True,” Marcus agrees. “But it might be enough to get her to listen, at least.”

I shake my head. “No, I need to learn more first. If I’m going to use that information, it has to be solid. Otherwise, I risk losing her trust completely.” I lean back against the nearby wall, eyes fixed on the wide flagstones in front of me. “We need to gather more intel on Lucien’s operations. There’s a lot more going on here than we first suspected.”

“This is about more than your witch.” Marcus is watching me.

“Yes.” I glance up at him. “I need to reach her on some level, of course. But we can’t take our eyes off the bigger picture. Lucien wants Clan Sanguis, no doubt about it. He’ll use me to get to it, or he’ll take me out if it suits him. But the Sanguistas will give him the military arm he needs.”

Marcus continues to look at me. “And he won’t stop with Sanguis.”

I shake my head. “I think he has his sights set on the Eterna clan. With Arabella out of the picture, he’ll set the stage for taking over as Grand Elder.”

“Now that would be a clusterfuck of note.” Marcus exhales deeply. “We have our work cut out for us.”

---