Page 9 of Crimson Bond

Still trembling with adrenaline, I eased my hand away from my weapon before Imogen took notice. Shewasangry with Abbi, but she’d taken it out on the poor soul suffering in silence beside her instead of on her daughter.

As for Abbi, she was clearly shaken. Her eyes were wide and dark, and her voice quivered.

“They’re not all bad. There’s a human boy who risked his life to help us get here. Shane. He took a bullet for me.”

It was my turn to be angry. There was only one reason the human would have done that. He was in love with her. I couldn’t prevent the low, involuntary growl that came out.

“Yes, I’m aware of that too,” Imogen said with apparent amusement. “In fact, when I was informed you brought himwith you—tomycourt—I almost didn’t believe it. You’re still capable of surprising me, little one. I’m told you actually asked our medical personnel to save his life.”

When she told Abbi how pointless it was, that she couldn’t allow the human to leave here alive, Abbi said, “You’re going to have him killed?”

She actually seemed shocked. She really was still naïve and innocent.

“Unless you’d prefer to turn him,” Imogen said.

Ah. That’s what this was about. It was the reason Imogen had stabbed Ciprian with his own dagger instead of stabbing Abbi. She saw this as another opportunity to get Abbi to accept her destiny.

If Abbi accepted, the human male would be connected to her for eternity. They’d share an unbreakable bond, andhewasn’t Bloodbound.

Another growl surfaced.

Abbi wore a tortured gaze, begging Imogen not to force her into turning Shane. So shedidn’twant that kind of bond with him. For a moment, I was happy. Until she spoke again.

“I’d rather die myself.”

No.The last thing she should have been doing was putting homicidal ideas into Imogen’s head. Or challenging her orders. But shehaddone it, and the queen appeared all too ready to take her up on her challenge.

“Very well,” Imogen said. “It will sadden me, but my primary responsibility as queen is protecting our people against any and all threats. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

She turned to Mason, the uninjured guard. “Seize her. Put her in a holding cell. We’ll have a public assembly in the Great Dome tomorrow night.”

She was going to kill her. In front of everyone.

Before I even realized what I intended to do, my feet moved, and I stepped forward.

“No.”

Realizing I’d directly interfered with the queen’s order—a deadly offense—I dropped to one knee and bowed my head. My brain scrambled for a way to save Abbi and myself.

“My queen, I think I may have a better solution, if you’ll allow me to speak.”

I felt her fingers on my head, the long nails delving beneath my hair to my scalp. A shiver of disgust went down my spine as it always did when she touched me.

If Imogen was aware of it, she didn’t care. Her tone was equal parts loving and menacing. “Of course you may speak. Youaremy favorite queensguard. You may rise.”

I stood and presented the strategy that had popped into my mind fully formed. “I see this as a great opportunity, my queen. Abigail could be useful on the mission you’ve assigned me.”

She smirked. “You mean the missionyouproposed and I approved. Yes, go on.”

“She can get close to Sadie like no one else. Spare her life, and I will personally supervise her to make sure she follows your orders and doesn’t get into more trouble.”And I can get her away from here, far from your reach.“You can keep the human male here as... motivation.”

“Wait,” Abbi said. “What is this ‘mission?’”

Imogen and I both ignored her. I knew the queen regarded the human male’s life as disposable, but he was clearly important to Abbi. Which Imogen now realized, thanks to my suggestion. Hopefully she’d consider him a strong enough bargaining chip to let us leave together.

Imogen turned to Abbi. “Reece has suggested, quite wisely, that there is strength in numbers. We are strong here at the Bastion, but there aren’t enough of us to wage war on the entirety of the human race. We need to bring vampire-kind together under united leadership. Even before the attack on the VHC, Reece volunteered to go to my sister and convince her of this fact.”

Now she glanced back and forth between us with a calculating gleam in her eyes. “He’s quite right. Sadie’s fondness for you will make her more receptive to meeting with him and listening to what he has to say. I’ll allow it.”

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