Page 158 of Claim of Blood
“Why are you so interested?” Leo asked during another dance, his instincts occasionally piercing through the alcohol fog.
Claudia’s smile became increasingly strained. “Just curious about family heirlooms.” But her eyes never left his hand, and Leo noticed she kept glancing around the room as if looking for something.
By the time they’d been dancing for what felt like hours, the ring had become almost unbearably hot. The tingling had spread to his shoulder, pulsing in urgent waves that made Leo increasingly uneasy despite his intoxication.
“Claudia, what aren’t you telling me?” Leo asked as she spun him again, but the ring suddenly flared with heat so intense he gasped.
Claudia’s expression grew deeply troubled. “How bad?”
Before Leo could answer, the sensation suddenly intensified to an almost overwhelming degree.
Claudia immediately stepped back, her dancing forgotten. “I need to get you back to Adam,” she said, no longer pretending casual interest.
“Claudia, what’s happening?” Leo asked, but she was already moving, guiding him off the dance floor with urgent efficiency.
“I’ll return you before you collapse,” she said, though her wink seemed forced now. “Thank you for the dances, Leo.”
She disappeared into the crowd before Leo could demand answers.
Leo made his way unsteadily toward the edge of the dance floor, the room swaying more noticeably now. He’d lost sight of Adam but spotted Lander’s tall frame near one of the marble columns, a welcome anchor in his spinning world.
He stumbled on the last step, pitching forward only to be caught by Lander’s steady hands.
“Whoa, easy there,” Lander said, his voice warm with amusement. “Claudia got you drunk.”
Leo straightened, trying to look dignified despite the fog in his brain and the way Lander seemed to shimmer slightly around the edges. “I’m not drunk. Just... enhanced.”
“Completely plastered,” Lander finished with affection, steadying him. “I watched you down at least seven glasses.”
“I only remember three.” Leo squinted, trying to remember through the pleasant haze. “She kept handing them to me. Like magic.”
Lander laughed, the sound warming Leo’s chest. “She’s testing you. Seeing what you’re made of.”
“Did I pass?” Leo leaned against Lander slightly, grateful for his solid presence in the floating world.
“You’re still standing, so I’d say yes.”
Leo glanced around the room. Everything felt glassy and stretched thin, like a world seen through wet glass. “Where’s Adam?”
“Still with his siblings.” Lander nodded toward a far corner where Adam stood, deep in conversation with Bai. “Court politics.”
Leo checked his watch, squinting to focus on the numbers. Just past 11:30. The party showed no signs of slowing down, with the dance floor more crowded than before.
Leo winced as another wave of burning sensation shot up his arm, trying to maintain his composure.
“You know,” Leo said, his voice slightly strained as he fought through the pain, “I didn’t expect to fit in here so easily. With vampires. With—” He broke off, gritting his teeth as the ring sent a particularly vicious shock through him. “With you.”
Lander’s expression softened at the first part, then sharpened with alarm as he noticed Leo’s obvious discomfort. “What do you mean? Are you alright?”
“The ring,” Leo managed, his words coming out tight and breathless as he flexed his fingers desperately. The burning sensation that had been building all evening suddenly spiked to an agonizing crescendo. “It’s been getting worse for hours. Like it’s—” He gasped, doubling over slightly as pain shot up his entire arm.
Lander immediately wrapped an arm around Leo’s waist, steadying him as he swayed. “Leo, what’s happening? Take it off!”
“I’m trying,” Leo panted, frantically tugging at the ring with his other hand. But it wouldn’t budge. The band that had slipped on so easily that morning now seemed fused to his finger. “It won’t come off. It’s stuck.”
Lander grabbed Leo’s hand, trying to help twist the ring free, but it was as if the metal had become part of Leo’s skin. “What the hell?”
Leo made a choked sound of pain as another wave of burning sensation tore through him, making his knees buckle. Lander caught him, supporting his full weight now.
