Page 125 of Claim of Blood
“It’s not possible,” Elisabeth said, her voice barely above a whisper. “One vampire, one claim. That’s—”
“How it’s always been,” Lander finished, feeling the weight of those words. “Yet here we are.”
He resisted the urge to touch the marks on his neck, to confirm they were still there. He could feel them anyway, like a phantom sensation beneath his skin.
“We never claimed Andreas,” Johan said, still looking stunned. “The bond was there, but not a claim. This is unprecedented.”
Leo reached for a pastry, seemingly less fazed by the revelation than anyone else at the table. “That explains why I stayed more present this morning,” he said, biting into the flaky crust. “The connection feels... diluted somehow. Clearer.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Adam agreed. “I still feel the bond, but it’s not as desperate. Like it’s found its balance.”
Leo sighed softly. “I kind of liked the desperation,” he admitted, then blushed when everyone looked at him.
A low growl rumbled in Adam’s chest as he turned to Leo. “I’m still perfectly capable of making you forget your own name whenever I want, beauty.”
The possessive promise in Adam’s voice sent a jolt through Lander, a combination of secondhand embarrassment and something deeper, more primal. Something he wasn’t ready to examine.
“For God’s sake, my parents are sitting right there,” he hissed, feeling his face flame.
Elisabeth laughed, the sound breaking the tension. “Your father used to say similar things to me, you know. Long before you were born.”
“Mother, please,” Lander groaned, covering his face with his hands. Two hundred and fifty years old, and still mortified by his parents discussing their sex life.
“The secondary claim is fascinating,” Johan said, mercifully steering the conversation to slightly more theoretical ground. “It may explain why Leo maintains more awareness. The magichas another outlet—it’s not all concentrated between just two points.”
“Like a circuit completing,” Lander murmured.
“Exactly,” Johan nodded. “In our case, Andreas provided balance but wasn’t directly plugged into the circuit, so to speak. This is... different.”
“Because Adam is the First Son,” Elisabeth said quietly. The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. “The rules have always been different for you, haven’t they?”
Adam’s expression shifted, something ancient flickering behind his eyes. Lander saw it—that brief glimpse of the millennia Adam had witnessed, the weight of time that both he and Leo could never fully comprehend.
“Not different. Just... less tested,” Adam replied. “I’ve lived long enough to know that many of our ‘rules’ are simply observations we haven’t challenged yet.”
“So what does this mean for the three of us?” Leo asked, practical despite his youth.
“It means,” Adam said, “that we’re navigating uncharted territory together.” His hands found both Leo’s and Lander’s under the table. “But I suspect this is only the beginning.”
Lander felt a chill run down his spine at Adam’s words. His mind flashed to Felix, secured in the south wing under Oren’s watch. The pull he’d felt when their eyes met.
Adam caught his expression, head tilting slightly in question. Even without the claim bond, Adam had always been unnervingly perceptive.
“Just thinking about what comes next,” Lander said, not quite meeting Adam’s eyes.
“Council meeting later today,” Adam reminded him. “Security updates and solstice preparations.”
Johan looked at Adam. “The Council meeting is at eleven?”
“Yes,” Adam said. He took his hand off Lander’s leg. “We need to discuss security for the solstice.”
Leo sat up straighter. “What about Felix?”
“We’ll talk about him too,” Adam said. His voice was firm but gentle when he spoke to Leo.
Lander felt better now that they were talking about work. The Council and security plans were safer topics than feelings and bonds.
“I need to prepare the reports before the meeting,” Lander said. He wanted to escape this conversation.
