Page 144 of Claim of Blood
Claudia released Leo and turned to Lander, her expression suddenly shifting to something more knowing and intense. “And you... well, well.” She studied him with a scrutiny that made everyone uncomfortable, her usual bubbly demeanor replaced by something ancient and perceptive. “The magic is changing indeed.”
Adam tensed. “Claudia—”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, waving a hand dismissively as her bright personality returned. “I won’t say anything inappropriate. But we should talk, brother. Soon.” Her serious expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “But first! Where are we sleeping? The bus gets a bit cramped with all of us, and we’ve been traveling for DAYS!”
Gaspard appeared, looking slightly shell-shocked by the spectacle. “I’ll... show you to your rooms. We’ve had to make some adjustments due to the number of guests...”
“We can share!” Claudia declared cheerfully. “My people are very good at cozy arrangements. We’re like one big family!”
As Gaspard led Claudia and her lively Court into the mansion, Leo turned to Adam with wide eyes. “She’s... not what I expected.”
“Claudia defies expectations,” Adam said dryly. “Always has.”
“She knows about us,” Lander said quietly, his voice tight with concern. “About the bond between us.”
Adam nodded grimly. “Claudia has always been more attuned to the deeper magics than most. If she senses changes too...” He didn’t finish the thought.
The implications were vast and unsettling. If the magic that governed vampire existence was truly shifting, if the rules that had defined their kind for millennia were changing, what did that mean for everything they understood about themselves?
Later that night, after ensuring Claudia’s Court was settled (and that none of them were smoking anything inside the mansion), Adam found Claudia waiting in his study. She had changed from her travel clothes into a simple wrap dress, but her feet remained bare, and her hair still held its collection of charms and braids.
“The magic is different,” she said without preamble as soon as he closed the door behind him. “You’ve felt it too.”
Adam moved to his desk, pouring himself a glass of bloodwine but not offering her one. Claudia rarely drank during serious conversations. “Yes.”
“It started with your claiming Leo,” Claudia continued, settling cross-legged in one of his leather chairs like a child despite her ancient age. “But it’s more than that now. The blood bonds are changing. Expanding.”
Adam sat across from her, studying his sister’s face. For all her eccentricity, Claudia possessed an intuition about vampire magic that even he respected. “Lander and I—”
“You claimed him, too,” Claudia finished matter-of-factly. “Without meaning to, perhaps, but the bond is there. Weaker than with your hunter, but growing stronger daily. I can feel it humming between you like a live wire.”
Adam was quiet for a moment, processing her words. “Is it dangerous?”
Claudia shrugged with characteristic casualness. “Change is always dangerous. But necessary, more often than not.” She leaned forward, suddenly intense despite her relaxed posture. “This is only the beginning, brother. Something much larger is coming.”
“The hunters—”
“Are a symptom, not the cause,” Claudia interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. “They sense the change too, in their own limited way. It frightens them because they don’t understand it.”
Adam set down his glass, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think is happening?”
“Evolution,” Claudia said simply. “Our kind has remained static for millennia. The same rules, the same limitations, the same careful balance between power and restraint. But magic isn’t meant to be static. It grows, adapts, transforms.”
“And Leo is the catalyst?”
“Leo is the key that opened the door,” Claudia corrected. “But the door was always there, waiting. You’re the First, Adam. Your magic runs deeper than any of ours. When you formed a true bond with someone outside our kind...” She gestured vaguely, then paused, her expression growing thoughtful. “Though perhaps ‘outside our kind’ isn’t entirely accurate.”
Adam’s attention sharpened. “What do you mean?”
“There’s magic in him,” Claudia said simply. “Dormant, buried deep, but it’s there. Old magic. Witch blood, I’d guess, though he probably doesn’t know it himself.” She tilted her head, studying Adam’s reaction. “Your bond didn’t just connect you to a hunter, brother. It connected you to someone with their own magical heritage. That combination created possibilities that didn’t exist before.”
Adam studied his sister, noting the certainty in her voice. “You sound like you’ve been expecting this.”
Claudia smiled mysteriously. “I’ve been feeling the stirrings for decades. Small things at first—bonds forming more easily, magic responding differently to emotional connections. But your claiming accelerated everything.”
“What should we do?” Adam asked directly.
Claudia’s expression grew serious. “Exactly what you’re doing. Follow the blood. Trust the bond. Don’t fight the changes.” She stood, stretching like a cat. “And prepare for resistance. Not everyone will welcome evolution.”
