Page 11 of Claim of Blood
He was still turning the thought over when he realized where he was.
The sidewalk had curved inward, sloping gently toward the estate at the center of the cul-de-sac—the largest structure in the neighborhood, looming quiet and stately behind its low wrought-iron fence. He hadn’t meant to walk this close.
He should’ve turned back half a block ago.
This wasn’t observation. This was exposure.
And yet, each step had come without thought. The closer he got to the estate, the quieter the world became. Not empty—just... waiting.
The house stood like a sentinel: tall, elegant, utterly unmoved by his presence. A relic out of time. And Leo couldn’t shake the sense that something inside already knew he was there.
Inside one of the grand front windows, movement caught his eye—shadows crossing against lamplight. A cluster of figures stood talking in a room framed by silk curtains and high ceilings. He couldn’t make out the words, but one silhouette moved like it had weight. Gravity.
Leo’s breath caught.
Was that… Matthews?
He couldn’t tell. Didn’t wait to confirm.
He pivoted on his heel and walked away, heart hammering, not looking back.
Chapter Four
Adam
AdamMatthewsstoodatthe floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse office, watching the sun rise over Porte du Coeur. The city sprawled beneath him like a living thing, rivers cutting through its heart like ancient arteries. Even after millennia, watching the dawn still filled him with a quiet joy—a simple pleasure denied to many of his kind. He rarely felt this kind of stillness anymore. Not around his Court. And certainly not around Leo.
His fingers traced the glass as his mind drifted back to freckled skin beneath his touch. He hadn’t meant to touch the boy. Not really. But there was something in Leo that invited disruption, some instinct he didn’t recognize, didn’t want to name. The hunter’s pulse had jumped so beautifully, those amber eyes widening in surprise.
A familiar presence interrupted his morning contemplation.
“Brother.” Raj’s voice carried centuries of warmth. “You’re looking well for someone under hunter surveillance.”
Adam turned from the window, a genuine smile crossing his features. “Just passing through?”
“A brief stop between meetings. Singapore calls.” Raj’s dark eyes sparkled with familiar mischief.
Maja appeared in the doorway, her blue eyes narrowing at Raj’s presence. Even in Louboutins, she moved with a warrior’s grace. “I wasn’t aware we were having a family reunion.”
“And my dearest niece, you’re looking radiant as ever,” Raj greeted, clearly enjoying himself.
Maja’s glare could have frozen hellfire. “Uncle.”
“Oh, come now,” Raj continued, spreading his hands in an expansive gesture. “Is that any way to greet your favorite uncle? You grow more beautiful with each century. That fierce glare becomes you.”
“I have work to do,” Maja said flatly. “Important work that doesn’t involve your particular brand of... entertainment.”
“You wound me.” Raj pressed a hand to his chest, grinning. “Centuries of devotion, and still so cold.”
“Centuries of rejection,” Maja’s voice could have frosted glass, “and you still haven’t found a new hobby.”
Adam watched the familiar exchange with barely concealed amusement. Raj had been needling Maja like this since her turning, and her increasingly creative rejections only seemed to delight him more.
“Bai sends her love, by the way,” Raj said, his expression sobering slightly. “She also mentioned she hasn’t heard from Mother. None of us have, it seems.”
Adam turned fully to face his sibling. “I haven’t seen her. Not since Isabella...”
Maja bowed her head, touching her heart at the mention of the name, her earlier irritation with Raj forgotten in shared grief.
