Page 12 of Wolf Bitten

Of course they’d hidden the entrance, same as they’d done with the coven library, but at least I knew Raffe was near and searching for me. If I could find a way out, I wouldn’t have to go far to find him. A little bit of that hope surged within me.

“If he’s anything like his father, he won’t give up. I need to step up the timeline. I’d planned on letting Skylar get some rest, but we need to show her everything that the wolves have done to us in case something happens.”

She was getting nervous, which was both good and bad. Good that the threat of Raffe finding me had her on edge, but bad because that could make them desperate. I couldn’t have Warin attack me with the drug affecting my blood. There was no way I’d survive.

“Go keep watch while I talk to her alone,” Glinda said. “You make her uncomfortable.”

“If you want to waste your time on her, be my guest.”

The doorknob turned, and I opened my eyes and took the last bite of my food. I didn’t want to come off like I’d heard anything, so I tensed and glanced behind her as if I was expecting Warin to follow her.

“Don’t worry.” Glinda smiled and shut the door again. “Warin has some duties to handle, so it’s just the two of us.” Her gaze settled on the empty plate. “I’m glad you ate.”

“I was hungry.” I forced a smile. If I wanted them not to get desperate, I had to play along. Besides, it would be good for me to see their side. They had followers, and there had to be some merit to their grievances. I suspected I already knew some of them, based on things Hecate and Zella had told me.

She licked her lips. “I understand that being kidnapped makes it more difficult for you to trust us, but I swear we don’t mean you harm.”

I sank back in my seat, wanting to appear sluggish. “I find that hard to believe. Warin has threatened to kill me several times.”

“He’s the pessimist of the organization.” Glinda took a seat. “And vampires are known to lose their empathy over time. What the wolf shifters have done to them doesn’t help. In fact, it’s encouraged the vampires’ withdrawal and isolation.”

Thatwas how she was going to spin it. It physically hurt to keep my eyes from rolling. “I’ve seen vampires on campus. I even stumbled on one feeding.” I left out what had happened to Edward, knowing that would lead her in a certain direction. I wanted Glinda to guide the conversation.

“They can’t eat in the cities anymore because the wolves ran them out.” Glinda shook her head. “Vampires do best in large, populated cities. A vampire requires a substantial amount of blood, but the wolf shifters don’t care. They think vampires are at risk of outing the supernatural world despite their hunting skills. Wolf shifters began killing vampires who hunted in cities, forcing them to live and feed remotely, which caused many vampires to become bloodthirsty. At first, vampires resorted to keeping human prisoners to help with their needs, but the wolf shifters began patrolling vampire households and killing any that held hostages. They said humans would be searching for the missing people. So now, most vampires live on the verge of being blood-crazed and can be near snapping.”

The memory of Dave fighting his lust for my blood surged into my mind. Even though he’d helped kidnap me, I remembered the pain and hunger in his face when he’d fought for control while my blood was humming. “Is that why vampires struggle so hard when my blood hums?”

She nodded. “If they weren’t on the verge of starvation, they wouldn’t struggle as hard even though you would still be tempting.”

Although the thought of a vampire feeding off someone didn’t sit well with me, starvation wasn’t good for anyone. “If the shifters lose their influence, the vampires will flock back to the cities and resume their feeding practices?” I suspected it wouldn’t be that easy. If they were starving, they might go back and lose their minds and kill people.

“Of course. And if they’re no longer underfed, vampires will start reproducing again. Since this change, they’ve struggled to reproduce, and there hasn’t been a child born in fifty years.” Glinda clasped her hands in her lap. “And the covens could again gather and perform rituals to strengthen our magic and practice our craft together.” She inhaled dreamily. “I’ve heard stories of how all the covens used to meet and celebrate the solstices and scour theBooks of Twilightto learn ancient spells and form new ones. So much of our history has been stripped away from us, and people who do visit the Evergreen Elite coven library must be careful and come in low numbers to prevent detection. The information isn’t easily accessible, thus giving the wolf shifters more control.”

“Wait … vampires don’t turn people?” If that was true, my heart ached for them even more. It wasn’t fair if the wolf shifters were holding them back and keeping them from their history and their present potential.

Glinda mashed her lips. “No. Like wolves, vampires can’t turn people with their bite. The books have it wrong.”

Yet another element working against them. I hated that vampires were suffering and almost starving. “I understand. I want to know my heritage too, and I don’t have access to any of that knowledge.” Pieces of me were missing, and even though Raffe had filled a large part of the void, I needed to learn how to control my blood.

Glinda smiled. “See, I knew you’d understand. And the more we talk, the more you’ll see things differently. We just needed to get you away fromthem.”

My blood jolted, and I clenched my hands under the desk to hide my anger. “Raffe is different. If you’d talk with him and explain—”

She shook her head. “You’re letting your bond cloud your judgment. Wolf shifters don’t care about the covens and vampires. They care only about themselves and their packs’ needs. They covet power. There will be no getting Raffe tosee. He’s a puppet for his father.”

If I knew one thing about Raffe, it was that he thought for himself and didn’t only do what his father told him. “He’s not. He’s a great man. If you give him a chance, you’ll see—”

She stood and scowled. “That’s enough. You need your rest. We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow. I have evidence you need to see.”

I wanted to yell,wait, but I swallowed the word. She was already annoyed with me.

The door shut, and I heard the click of the lock. Even though the drug was wearing off, I was exhausted. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, pulling up an image of Raffe.

I’d do anything to be in his arms.

The anger in my chest molded into hurt, mirroring my own. I clung to it, hoping it was a true connection to Raffe and fell asleep crying.

The next twodays were the same as the last. The only difference was how much I was drugged. Warin was the administrator, and he enjoyed each injection time, using his vampire speed and strength to control me. I suspected they were using smaller and smaller doses because the medicine wore off faster each time.

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