Page 19 of Claim of Blood
A few quiet chuckles stirred, but Adam didn’t hear amusement. He heard the challenge, subtle and pointed. Maja’s narrowed eyes suggested she heard it, too.
“Continue,” she said icily. “What did you see?”
“I drove over to the rec complex. Parked in the lot and waited for Adam’s car to pass. After an hour, I’d move to the edge of the subdivision to watch for comings and goings. We were trying to establish a pattern.”
“And what pattern did you establish?” Maja’s voice was ice.
“Just that Adam and a few others leave in the morning and return by nightfall. There was always some movement, butnothing suspicious—dog walkers, runners, the occasional cyclist. People coming home late. It all looked... normal.”
Leo hesitated, then added, “Too normal. That’s what felt off. Innsbrook is beautiful, expensive, meticulously kept—but it didn’t breathe like a real neighborhood. It felt like a backdrop. Like the setting for a show where the cast never quite makes it to camera. There were never kids. Never any noise. Just... stillness, beneath the movement.”
Lander’s smile turned predatory. “That’s because while we may live in the homes built to protect us, most of the Court’s life happens here. Beneath.” He spread his hands, gesturing to encompass the underground space.
“The First’s Night Court designed Innsbrook from the foundation up, including the subterranean city. Offices, guest quarters, emergency bunkers, a night-market grocery, a lounge... even a smaller rec complex for those who don’t—or can’t—spend much time topside. Some prefer the surface. Others stay below.”
Lander leaned back in his chair. “And vampire children are rare. Infertility is common, and successful births are celebrated, but few. You wouldn’t see them outside because most families don’t have them.”
His gaze flicked back to Leo. “What you saw was only the stage dressing.”
Adam watched Lander speak with that same casual irreverence—but his eyes kept returning to Leo. Measuring. Testing. Enjoying the way Leo squirmed under the attention.
Adam didn’t like it.
He told himself it was protective instinct. But that wasn’t true. Not entirely.
Nathaniel’s fist crashed against the table again. “Why are you sharing all this information?”
Lander smiled. “He’s one of us now. He should know.” The words were mild, but the edge was deliberate. Lander rarely said anything without a blade tucked behind it.
“A hunter will always be a hunter,” Ilona said, her voice sharp. “No matter whose marks they wear.”
“I didn’t choose this,” Leo snapped, his hands clenching into fists against his thighs.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Gaspard cut in smoothly. “You’re claimed. The only way out is death.” His tone suggested this was simply a fact—neither threat nor comfort.
“How many hunters are currently in Porte du Coeur?” Maja asked, leaning forward. The betrayal in her eyes had shifted to something more calculating.
Leo shifted uncomfortably on his knees. “Eleven, including me. My parents, uncle, sister, brother, and five cousins.”
“All von Rothenburgs?” Nathaniel asked.
“Yes. We... we work as a family unit.”
“All in Innsbrook?” Emilia asked.
Leo shook his head. “Eight of us are. The rest—my father and two cousins—are in an apartment in the First Cat. Near the cultural district.”
Adam stiffened. The First Cat was dense with supernatural presence—Court-run businesses, coven shops, even pack-connected galleries. Thousands lived and worked there, both mortal and not. Any embedded hunters presented serious risk.
Lander leaned forward. “Which building?”
Leo’s jaw clenched, shaking his head. “No.”
A weighted pause filled the space.
“You’ve already admitted they’re in the First Cat,” Maja said. “You think withholding the address keeps them safe?”
“Yes,” Leo snapped. “Because if I give it, you’ll move on them. They don’t know I’ve been taken. If I betray them, I’m done.”
