Page 49 of Blood Bound

“We’ll find a way to expose him,” Marcus assures me. “Speaking of which, about that message I sent you…”

I sit up straighter. “Right. The activity you’d picked up on.”

Marcus nods. “We’ve confirmed it was a witches’ magic circle, but none of the Blackwoods were involved.”

I frown. “A magic circle? On our land? What the hell are they playing at?”

“We’re still trying to get to the bottom of it,” Marcus says. “But it’s clear something’s brewing. The witches are getting bolder.”

I purse my lips. “This complicates things. We need to find out what they’re up to without escalating tensions.”

Marcus nods. “Agreed. And we need to do it before Lucien uses this to his advantage.”

I rub a hand over my face. “God. The last thing we need is to have him getting free access to them. Whatever he’s playing at, it seems that witch blood is pivotal.”

“About that..” Marcus crosses an ankle over his knee. “I’ve invited Selene and Elias to come around.” He glances at the heavy Breitling on his wrist. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

I stifle a groan. There’s been so much going on that I haven’t had time to clear my head. But I know this is important. “Have they made any headway?”

“Selene says she’s uncovered something interesting. And Elias has more details on those figures.”

I raise an eyebrow. “That sounds promising.”

“It does.” He nods just as there’s a light tap at the door.

“My Lord,” Sebastian calls in. “Your guests have arrived.”

“Send them in,” I respond, rising from my seat. Marcus mirrors the movement.

Elias and Selene enter the room, their presence immediately shifting the atmosphere. Elias, ever the healer, has a calm demeanor that belies the gravity of our situation. His silver-streaked hair catches the firelight as he nods in greeting.

Selene, on the other hand, exudes an aura of controlled power. Her raven-black hair falls in perfect waves, and she takes in the sight of us with sharp intelligence. I’ve known her for centuries, but she still manages to keep me on my toes.

“Darick,” Selene says warmly. “I trust we’re not interrupting anything important?”

I gesture for them to sit, and we all resume our seats. “Nothing more important than this. What have you found?”

Elias settles back into his chair, his serene blue eyes meeting mine. “I’ve been analyzing the blood consumption patterns of Clan Umbra,” he begins, his tone measured. “As we noted before, the discrepancies are concerning. But it appears it may have been worse than I believed.”

I lean forward, intrigued. “How so?”

“Their Synth blood figures are down because at least an eighth of the Umbran clan has been stricken by the Bloodbane.”

Selene sucks in a breath.

“You’re kidding,” Marcus says.

“Do you have proof of this?” I ask.

Elias nods. “I have all the files to back it up.”

“So…this means he’s lying about his people being weakened,” Marcus says.

I slump back in my seat, steepling my fingers beneath my chin.

“What’s wrong?” asks Marcus. “This is great news.”

“Not unless it helps our cause,” I say. Who am I to judge other sufferers of the curse when I have it myself?

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