Page 4 of Blood Secret

“And her blood isn’t magic?” I looked at the High Council, their lovely faces serene and blank. I wanted to drag my claws down those soft, unlined cheeks if only to get a reaction from them. “She’s human? You want me to guard a human?”

It was tantamount to guarding a child. A stupid, silly, brainless human with no knowledge of our ways.

“She’s my daughter, but her father was human,” Isobel admitted.

My nose wrinkled in disgust. Humans were good for one thing: food. And even then, I wasn’t permitted to feed from them. No Nightwarden could feed from anyone but his appointed charge, to keep the imprint pure.

This witch had mated with one? My opinion of her took a nosedive.

“Does she know who she is? I mean, who her mother is?”

Isobel shook her head. “I placed her for adoption immediately after her birth.”

“Then, how do you know she has no powers?”

“We found her,” Serena explained. “We’ve studied her for months. There is no evidence of her possessing magical power, and no sense of it from any of us who’ve come into contact with her. Even I ventured into the human world and brushed against her while waiting in line, and I felt nothing. Not only that, but she had no reaction to my presence. She sensed nothing from me.”

The way she talked about it, I would’ve thought she expected an award for posing as a human. Then again, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it unless someone was paying me a lot of money. Hell, who needed money? Maybe a handful of fresh, ripe bodies to feast on.

“Why do you need help with her? Wouldn’t a witch who presented powers be a much more dangerous prospect? If she has no powers, who could want to hurt her?” Another question occurred to me. “And why is this any concern of ours? What about the human police? Do they no longer exist? Can’t they keep their own safe?”

Isobel looked pained, delicate brows knitting together as she winced. She looked at the Council like she needed their help in explaining the problem.

There was something they weren’t telling me, and Isobel didn’t know how to say it.

“Without knowing much about her,” Serena said, speaking slowly, “the most reasonable theory is that she somehow… feels how special her blood is. Spending time with humans doesn’t interest her. She would rather wander through the underworld.”

“Witches, vampires, sorcerers, the occult… they all hold great interest for her,” Esme murmured with a glance in Isobel’s way. They all tried to be as delicate as they could for her sake. “We’ve tracked her to several rather seedy clubs in New York which she evidently visits quite a lot. They’re populated by characters she has no business spending time with. There’s no way she knows how dangerous this truly is.”

“The great concern, other than her well-being, is a powerful sorcerer sensing how special she is and using her against her mother and the coven,” Maeve explained.

To me, it seemed that her well-being was the true concern, since she seemed bent on her own destruction. But there had always been stupid humans who refused to listen to reason, who refused to believe there truly were creatures they’d only heard of in fairy tales.

I looked around the table with a resigned sigh. “What do you want me to do with her?”

“Keep her safe. Protect her.” Isobel’s intensity was almost palpable.

“Where? How so? What should I do? Wander the streets with her? Find her someplace to stay? Where does she live now?”

“She has an apartment in Brooklyn and works as an artist. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be safe there, if only she would stop putting herself in harm’s way.” She wrung her hands, rocking back and forth. “Why does she insist on being destructive?”

“It’s likely she has no idea,” Serena explained, going to her, patting her back. “The human world oversimplifies our world. Treats it like a game, like entertainment. Fun. She can’t help being drawn in. And, again, the pull is organic. In her blood. She doesn’t understand it. She only feels it.”

I wasn’t in the mood to discuss the underlying causes of a brainless human’s actions. I wanted to get to work. “I’ll need a supply of blood to keep me going,” I announced.

“Of course. We’ll provide anything you need.” Serena stood up straight. “You’ll need money, too, and transport. One of our drivers will take you out there—a long drive, but it will give you time to familiarize yourself with current times. You’ll be surprised what New York looks like now, compared to what it was when you were last there.”

“Fair enough. And when I find her? How do I imprint without explaining the need to feed from her?”

“You won’t imprint.”

I couldn’t disguise my surprise. “You expect me to hold true to my assignment when I have no blood bond with my charge? You must trust me.”

Just like that, Serena went from calm to stern. “I’ll remind you once, and only once, that the stakes have not changed. You are still bound to protect whoever it is you’ve been assigned, and any refusal puts your Sire and his progeny at risk of destruction.” Her hand landed on Isobel’s shoulder. “The blood you’re provided came from Isobel, not a laboratory, and has been enchanted so as to keep it fresh. Once you’ve depleted the supply, we will provide more. The imprint will be as strong as ever.”

It looked as though they’d considered everything.

As always, I had no choice but to comply.

---