Page 88 of Nearly Dead

I don’t think she would.At least not willingly.

“Anthony, I need you to get Paul to safety.”I grab my brother’s hand and squeeze.

“What?No, I’m not?—”

“Please, Anthony,” I beg.“Take him and come back.We’ll go see what Elizabeth wants.”

Anthony takes my arm.“I don’t trust her.”

“That’s because you’re smart.”I pat his hand.“Please.You’re the only one I trust to handle this.We can’t be in the sun.”

He sighs and nods, going back around the car.“Just be safe.”

Costin positions himself in front of me as we enter.Even though he said he didn’t find anyone when he searched the house, he’s tense and ready for attack.

The foyer is empty, but I can smell blood.I don’t know if it was from our fight with the zombies or something else.I listen to the silence.Most of the staff had been sent away when they brought me back here, and three of the servants were murdered by zombies.It’s possible the rest ran off from this house of terrors.I know I would have.

We move deeper into the home, following the scent of blood to the study.The door is splintered, hanging off its hinges.Inside, furniture is overturned, books scattered across the floor.Signs of a violent struggle are everywhere.

“This is where I found the pendant,” Costin says.

But no bodies.No Astrid or Davis.

I pick up a broken chair leg.“But why would she do this?What does Elizabeth want?”

“What she’s always wanted.”Costin’s expression darkens.“Power.Control.With the council in chaos over the unbalanced magic from her failed ceremony, she sees a power vacuum.”

“And she’s using my family as leverage?”

“Yes.”Costin nods grimly, examining a smear of blood on the wall.“She’ll want us to come for them.This is a message.She’s been waiting for an opportunity, and while we were dealing with Leviathan, she seized it.”

I move to the center of the room, closing my eyes.The new power I discovered in the crypt stirs inside me.Can I use it to find them?To sense where Elizabeth has taken them?

Nothing happens.

“What are you doing?”he asks.

“I honestly don’t know,” I whisper.I try a different approach.I think of Elizabeth’s cold beauty, her calculating eyes, and her centuries of manipulation and control.I imagine the sire bond she shares with Costin, similar to the one I share with him but older, darker.

A flash of insight hits me.It’s not a vision exactly, but a knowing.

“The underground city,” I say, opening my eyes.“She’s taken them to the vampire quarter.”

Costin’s eyebrows rise slightly.“How do you know?”

“I felt it in your sire bond,” I say, unable to explain the certainty I feel.

He studies me for a moment, then nods.“It makes sense.It’s the kind of theatrical gesture Elizabeth would appreciate.”

I start for the door, but Costin catches my arm.“Wait.You need blood first.And we need a plan.Elizabeth has had centuries to perfect her cruelty.We can’t just charge in.”

The wolf in me bristles at the delay, but the vampire acknowledges the wisdom in his words.“Fine.Blood first, then planning.But quickly.”

He guides me to the pantry, where emergency blood supplies are kept in a hidden refrigerator.I gulp down a bottle, feeling strength return to my limbs as the rich liquid works its magic.

Costin watches me with an intensity that makes my skin tingle.When I finish, he takes the empty bottle from my hands and disposes of it.Then he’s back in front of me, his movements so fast I barely register them.

“I thought I’d lost you today,” he says again, his voice rough with emotion.“When the church collapsed, and I couldn’t reach you through our bond for those first few moments...”

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