Page 29 of Blood Caged

“Lord Daire.” Grayson is at my side. I turn my attention away from the empty cell and focus on him.

“Give me an update,” I say, not expecting to hear anything of consequence. In the time that I have been here, everything has run like clockwork. I’ve made sure of that.

Grayson begins his report, and I force myself to focus on the details of our security protocols. But my mind keeps drifting back to that empty cell, to what the woman must be enduring right now.

A needle. That’s all it is.

“We’ve increased patrols along the eastern perimeter,” Grayson says, his voice steady and professional. “Elena’s upgraded our surveillance systems to detect any magical signatures within a five-mile radius.”

Elena, our tech expert, chimes in. “I’ve also implemented a new algorithm to filter out false positives. We shouldn’t have any more alerts triggered by passing wildlife.”

I acknowledge her contribution with a nod, but my eyes are drawn once again to the monitor showing Mia’s vacant cell. The sight of it makes my stomach churn.

Viktor, that mountain of muscle, steps forward. “We’ve reinforced the magical dampening fields around the facility. Even if anyone somehow managed to break out of their cell, they wouldn’t be able to use their powers to escape.”

The pride in his voice grates on my nerves. I clench my jaw, reminding myself that they’re just doing their jobs. They don’t know the full story, don’t understand the weight of what we’re really doing here.

“And Dmitri?” I ask, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it confirmed.

Grayson’s expression tightens slightly. “He’s…occupied at the moment, sir. Conducting a…scheduled session.”

The euphemism hangs in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. I feel a surge of anger and disgust, both at Dmitri and at myself for allowing this to continue.

“I see,” I say, keeping my voice neutral despite the turmoil inside me. I turn back to the screens. Part of me feels that I shouldn’t be scanning the hallways in the hopes of spotting her, but somehow, I can’t help myself.

It’s only natural. She’s my main responsibility, after all. This facility was in existence before I arrived, and containing powerful beings is something this team understands. Mia Blackwood, however, is the reason I am here. It’s my duty to take a personal interest in her.

And yet, for some reason, I haven’t been able to bring myself to face her, telling myself that overseeing security protocols is more important. That’s not the real reason.

I’m a fucking coward, that’s why.

Now, it’s bothering me that I can’t see her. I frown as I continue to scan the monitors. The medical suite is empty, so she’s not there yet. That shouldn’t please me, but it does.

It’s only as I run a glance to the hall where the ablution facilities are located that I spot a flurry of movement. The burlyfigure of Mia’s female guard has just come barrelling through the doors of the washroom. She’s waving her arms as she speaks to the other guards.

What the fuck?

There’s some sort of conversation, and the males outside look uncertain – as if they don’t know what to do next. The female waves her arms some more, looking panicked.

Something’s wrong.

Very wrong.

I’m moving before I can even process what I’ve seen. My body reacts on pure instinct, vampire speed kicking in as I race through the facility. The world around me blurs into streaks of color and shadow, my heightened senses struggling to keep up with the rapid movement.

Corridors fly past in a dizzying rush. I dodge personnel and equipment with preternatural reflexes, my mind focused solely on reaching the witch. Urgency drives me forward.

I skid around a corner, my shoes squealing against the polished floor. The washroom doors loom ahead, and I can hear the frantic voices of the male guards more clearly now. Their words are a jumble of panic and confusion.

“What do you mean she’s not breathing?”

“I don’t know! Patty said just collapsed!”

“We need to get her out of there!”

“Boss is gonna kill us.”

“Gonna kill Patty, more like. It happened on her watch.”

---