Page 50 of Crimson Bond

I’d been tugging back, resisting him, but I froze in mid-pull. “What do you mean?”

“The Crimson throne is yours now—at least until Imogen wakes and we find out if she’s still a vampire. If she isn’t, then someone has to rule.”

“Well, it won’t be me. I don’t know anything about leading people.”

“Look, Imogen’s incapacitated. Sadie is dead. The world outside is a mess. This place is in an uproar—rumors flying everywhere about what really happened during the feast and why no one’s seen Imogen. Kannon and I gave the Bloodbound orders to keep the peace, but it won’t last long without leadership. Our people need a queen, and you’re perfect for the job.”

“No—” I tried to protest.

He cut me off. “Yes. You learned diplomacy at Sadie’s feet, and you’re Imogen’s child. You clearly inherited her power—or did you not notice your own strength the other night when you stood up to her? Besides, you’re the only one who has the pheromone thing necessary to lead a hive.”

Everything he said was true. It was also terrifying.

“I... can’t think about it right now, not until Shane wakes up and I know if he’s a vampire or not. And until I know whether the cure will work for him.”

Reece didn’t like that answer. “I should have let the stupid human die. What kind of idiot makes sure the competition stays around?” he muttered as he turned and left the room, clearly sulking.

I was disappointed in his attitude toward the human race, but then hehadsaved my friend’s life. Based on his parting remark, he was misreading my concern for Shane’s well-being as something more than friendship.

After Shane woke and I was sure he’d be okay, I’d have to go find Reece and straighten things out with him.

The door opened again, and I thought I’d get the chance sooner than expected, but it wasn’t Reece standing in the doorway. It was a young female vampire. She was lovely, with smooth brown skin and a short, curvy build.

“Hi,” she said shyly. “Are you Abigail?”

“Yes. Hi. Can I help you?” I darted my eyes over at Shane’s helpless form, suddenly feeling protective.

The young woman’s gaze went to him, too, and there was a rush of blood to her face. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Wow,” she breathed. “It really is him.” Stepping farther into the room she said, “I’m an old friend of Shane’s. One of my friends is friends with Ellie, who’s a nurse here at the clinic. My name is Marjorie.”

A fluttery feeling of euphoria lifted my stomach. “You’reMarjorie?”

“You’ve heard of me?” she asked with a growing smile. “Did Shane... did he mention me?”

I returned her smile. “Yes. He spoke of you when we were traveling here together from California. He said you were once very important to each other. Would you like to see him?”

“Oh, yes. That would be wonderful.”

I gestured for her to come closer, and she hurried across the room to Shane’s bedside. She gazed down at him with such obvious affection and concern I wished he were awake to see it.

“Do you live here at the Bastion?” I asked her after a few minutes.

She turned to me as if just remembering there was another person in the room. “Yes. I came here about a year ago after breaking up with my boyfriend—not Shane—the guy I dated after him. Actually, I went looking for Shane before I came here. His house had been sold, and no one knew where his family had moved.”

She blushed again. “We dated in high school, but his parents disapproved. I guess I wanted to see him again and see how he felt now that we were both older and more independent. But I couldn’t find him...”

Her eyes went back to the sleeping guy. “When I heard my friend talking about Ellie’s human patient from California, and that he was bitten by an Arch Vampire, and that his name was Shane Eastwood, I dropped everything and literally ran here.”

She turned to me, hugging her own ribcage tightly. “Do you think he’ll wake up?”

I stood and placed a comforting hand on her arm. “I believe he will. And when he does, I think you two will have a lot to talk about. He never got over you, you know.”

Her eyes glistened again, and she seemed to swallow back a lump in her throat. “I never got over him either. He was the love of my life. Do you think... will he be sad to be a vampire when he wakes up?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “If he is, we have a possible cure for him. It could reverse the transformation.”

But now I wasn’t so sure he’d even want to take it. Once he was reunited with Marjorie, Shane might want tostaya vampire so he could be with her eternally.

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