Page 2 of Blood Bound

Gran purses her lips. “You’re going to need to tell me what happened, Rowan.”

I pull in a deep breath. “We…we…” I shoot another look over at the bed. “After we…did…you know…” Shit. How do I say this to my flipping grandmother? “After we did it, we were talking. And he got a message on his phone. I looked at it.” I try not to choke on my next words. “It was Mia, Gran! He had pictures of Mia on his phone.”

Gran’s expression shifts in an instant. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. Her face was perfectly clear. And…and…she was chained, Gran. Like an animal!” I shudder as I remember Mia’s eyes staring back from those images. “The message said…said, ‘This one might be more to your taste.’” I’m fighting back tears again. “They’ve had her all this time, Gran. And they’re feeding from her!” The chill I feel seems like it’s sunk into my bones. Like I’ll never feel warm again.

Gran sinks onto the floor, oblivious to the fact that she’s getting dirt on her pristine white trousers. She rubs a hand over her face and remains silent for a time, thoughtful.

“What do I do now, Gran?” I whisper. I’ve never faced anything this traumatic before. My mind can’t process it.

Gran’s eyes meet mine, filled with concern. “This is…complicated, Rowan. The repercussions could be severe.”

“Repercussions?” My stomach twists.

“Once the others find out…the covens…the vampire clans…” She shakes her head. “There’s going to be trouble.”

My eyes fly wide. “But he had pictures of Mia! Surely they’ll understand?”

“It’s not that simple,” Gran interrupts, her voice gentle but firm. “Darick was a powerful figure among the vampires. His…disappearance won’t go unnoticed. The Conclave will want answers. And as for the vampires… They may want retribution.”

My breath catches in my throat. “Retribution? But I didn’t mean to—”

“Intent doesn’t always matter in these situations, sweetheart. Things are already so tense, and the covens…” Gran trails off, her brow furrowed.

“The covens?” I prompt, dread building in my chest.

Gran sighed. “Some will see you as a hero, others as a liability. This could cause a rift we can’t afford right now.”

Oh, God. This is worse than I could ever have imagined. “But Gran, I—”

“What the hell is going on in here?” A familiar chittering interrupts me. Poppy is on the windowsill, her tiny eyes taking in the scene. Her little nose twitches, then crinkles in distaste. “Well, well,” her tone is dry, “I go off and leave you unsupervised for one night, and suddenly there’s vampire dust everywhere. Honestly, Rowan, can’t you keep anything alive?”

“Poppy, this is serious! I just—”

“Just incinerated your vampire boyfriend. Yes, I can see that. Smell it, at any rate.” Poppy flicks her tail dismissively. “And here I thought your magical failures couldn’t get any more spectacular. Bravo.”

“That’s enough, Poppy,” Gran chides. She turns back to me. “We need to act quickly. First, we need to clean up this…mess. Then, we need to contact the coven elders before word spreads.”

I swallow hard. “Word?”

“We’re not going to be able to keep this quiet, child.” Standing slowly, she puts her hand to her back and grimaces as she stretches. It makes my chest tighten. I’ve made my grandmother feel her age today.

“Okay,” I reply, knowing that she’s right.

I watch numbly as Gran starts to clean up the ash. I feel sick.

“Come on, Rowan. We need to get this sorted quickly,” Gran says, her voice gentle but firm. “I can’t use magic to…to dispose of a body…without creating a ripple that the others might pick up.”

I nod, forcing myself to move. I self-consciously pull on a robe before joining my grandmother, straightening my bedclothes and sweeping up…the remains. As we work, Gran outlines our next steps.

“We’ll need to contact the Coven Conclave immediately. This…incident could have far-reaching consequences.”

“What do you think they’ll do?” I ask.

Gran sighs. “It’s hard to say. But we need to control the narrative before—”

A sharp knock at the door cuts her off. We freeze, exchanging panicked glances.

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