Page 83 of Blood Caged

I’m scowling as Istride down the hallway to my quarters. What happened with Mia put my head in a spin, and the hours I just spent going over security protocols with the team didn’t take the edge off my mood. Normally, I can settle my mind when I occupy myself with mundane tasks. Probably a throwback to my human life, when I could spend days poring over scrolls and tomes and ancient texts. Many of those still fill the shelves of my library back home.

Home.

There’s a joke. It’s been a long time since anything felt like home to me. Although, now, as I close the distance between myself and the infuriating woman in my rooms, something inside me feels like it’s settling into place.

I key my pin into the access pad beside the door and take in a breath, bracing myself for what I’ll find on the other side.

It’s not what I expect.

I freeze in the doorway, my vampire senses immediately picking up on Mia’s distress. Her scent is sharp with fear and anguish, a jarring change from her usual defiant fragrance. My eyes lock onto her huddled form on the couch, taking in every detail of her distraught state.

“Mia?” I ask as I cross the room. “Mia, what’s wrong?”

Mia’s face is streaked with tears, her eyes red and puffy. Her hands tremble as she clutches a pillow to her chest like a shield. The sight of her so vulnerable sends an unexpected pang through my chest.

“Hey,” I say softly, approaching her with caution. I’ve seen her angry, frustrated, even scared before – but never like this. Something is terribly wrong.

I kneel beside the couch, fighting the urge to gather her into my arms. “What happened?” I ask, keeping my voice low and gentle.

She doesn’t answer; just shakes her head and buries her face deeper into the pillow. Her shoulders shake with silent sobs.

Concern floods through me, surprising in its intensity. I’ve spent so long guarding my emotions, yet this witch has somehow burrowed past my defenses. Seeing her in pain affects me more than I care to admit.

“Mia, please,” I murmur, tentatively reaching out to touch her arm. “Tell me what’s wrong. Let me help.”

The moment my fingers make contact, she flinches away. The rejection stings, but I push the feeling aside. Her well-being matters more than my wounded pride right now.

I remain kneeling beside her, torn between giving her space and wanting desperately to comfort her. The urge to protect her wars with my duty and everything I’ve believed for centuries.Yet, as I watch her shoulders shake with each ragged breath, I know I’d do anything to ease her pain.

“Speak to me,” I say more firmly, raising her head with the tip of my finger under her chin. Her eyes are lakes of emerald misery when I look into them.

“They’re taking her,” she finally chokes out.

“What are you talking about? Who’s taking whom?” I press for more details, but I’m starting to get a sinking feeling.

“My sister.” Her shoulders heave with more sobs. “They’re taking her and bringing her here. Like me.”

By Blood!

“Who told you that?” I ask sharply.

“Heath. He came here and—”

“Heath Moonshadow was here?” I interrupt her.

She nods, chewing her lip. She’s clearly been doing it a lot because she’s nicked the flesh; it’s raw and bleeding. “He came to tell me.”

Anger burns hot in my chest, threatening to consume me. How dare that traitorous weasel come here and torment Mia?

“He said they’re going after Rowan next,” Mia chokes out between sobs. “That they don’t need me anymore because her power is stronger.”

Motherfucker!

I fight to keep my expression neutral, but inside, I’m seething. Heath has no right to reveal such information, true or not.

“What am I going to do?” Mia sobs, her eyes shimmering with tears as she looks up at me. “I don’t know what to do! I can’t let them take Rowan, too.”

Her desperation claws at me. I want nothing more than to reassure her, to promise that I’ll keep her sister safe. But I can’t. I’m bound by my duty, by the blood bond that compels me to follow Maxwell’s orders. And yet…

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