Page 77 of Claim of Blood
Something flickered in her ice-blue eyes. “I sent my analysis beforehand. The data was clear.”
“The data, yes.” Adam set his glass down with deliberate care. “But data without context is just numbers on a screen. You taught me that, if you recall.”
Her fingers tightened fractionally around her own glass. “Did I? How fascinating that you remember such things, given your recent distractions.”
And there it was—the first crack in her careful facade. Adam leaned back, studying the daughter who had stood beside him through centuries of change. “Ask me, Maja. Whatever questions are burning behind those eyes, ask them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” The words burst forth like water through a breaking dam. “A claim bond isn’t some minor corporate hire. It’s not something to be handled through official channels after the fact. I deserved to know before—” She stopped herself, pressing her lips together.
“Before I gave a hunter that level of access to our world?” Adam finished gently. “Before I trusted someone who represents everything we’ve fought against for millennia?”
“Before I gave a hunter that level of access to our world?” Adam finished gently. “Before I trusted someone who represents everything we’ve fought against for millennia?”
“Before you replaced me.” The words echoed with raw hurt, loud enough that nearby conversations stuttered to a halt. Maja closed her eyes, visibly gathering composure. When she spokeagain, her voice was barely a whisper. “I’ve stood beside you for centuries. I’ve helped build Nocturne from the ground up. I’ve been your right hand in everything. And now...”
“And now you think I’m casting you aside for a pretty face and an unexpected bond?” Adam reached across the table, catching her hand before she could withdraw. “Oh, my brilliant, terrible child. Is that what you truly believe?”
Her fingers trembled in his grip. “You look at him differently than you’ve ever looked at any of us. Even Oren.” She took a shuddering breath. “I’ve never seen you like this. Possessive. Almost... threatening when anyone questions him. It’s not just about the claim, is it? You’re different with him.”
“I am,” Adam acknowledged. Lies had never served either of them.
“And that terrifies me,” Maja continued, her voice gaining strength as the words poured out. “Because I don’t know what that means for us. For me.” Her eyes met his, vulnerability replacing her usual cool composure. “Will you still come to me when you need to think through a problem? Will we still have our late-night strategy sessions? Or will Leo be the one you confide in now?”
Adam’s chest tightened at the raw fear in her voice. “Maja...”
“I don’t know what I’m going to lose,” she pressed on, her control finally cracking. “That’s what makes this so frightening. For a millennium, I’ve been the one you trusted with everything. Your thoughts, your plans, your doubts. I’ve been your confidant, your advisor, your—” She gestured helplessly. “And now there’s someone who could be all of that and more. Someone who shares your bed and your bond and your—”
“Stop.” Adam’s voice was firm but gentle. “You think Leo will take your place as my confidant?”
“Won’t he?” The question came out small, vulnerable. “He’s brilliant, you’ve said so yourself. He thinks strategically. He seespatterns. And he has your heart in a way none of us ever could.” Her voice broke. “How do I compete with that?”
“You don’t compete,” Adam said softly. “There is no competition. Do you think Leo has any interest in quarterly reports or market analytics? In the intricate dance of international intelligence gathering?”
Maja’s fingers traced the rim of her glass—a gesture Adam recognized from countless negotiations. “You say he’s not trying to take anything from me, and yet...”
“And yet?”
“He’s already taken you.” The words fell between them like shards of ice. “Not your body—I was never interested in that. But your thoughts, your trust, your attention. The parts of you that used to be mine.” She looked up at him with eyes that held centuries of shared history. “Am I wrong?”
Adam was quiet for a long moment, studying her. “You’re not entirely wrong,” he said finally. “Leo does have parts of me I’ve never given to anyone else. But Maja...” He leaned forward, his voice low with the weight of millennia. “That doesn’t mean there’s less of me for you.”
“Doesn’t it?” Her laugh was bitter. “Time is finite, even for us. Attention is finite. And now you have someone who commands both in ways I never could.”
“You’re right that things will change,” Adam said carefully. “They already have. Leo is part of this Court now, whether either of you likes it or not. He stands second only to me.”
Maja’s grip tightened on her glass. “Second only to you.”
“Yes.” Adam’s tone was firm. “Which means you need to know him, Maja. Not for my sake, though I would ask you to. But for the Court’s. For your own.”
“I don’t—”
“You do.” Adam’s interruption was gentle but implacable. “Because like it or not, his decisions will affect everything we’vebuilt. His strategic thinking, his insights into hunter methods, his growing influence—it all impacts the Court. You can’t advise me effectively if you don’t understand the person whose voice now carries that weight.”
Maja stared at him, panic flickering in her eyes. “You’re asking me to accept that a hunter—a former hunter—now has more authority in our Court than vampires who’ve served you for centuries.”
“I’m asking you to accept reality,” Adam said. “The claiming happened. The bond is real. Leo isn’t going anywhere, and neither is his position.” He reached for her hand again. “But neither are you. Nocturne will always be yours. The intelligence network, the corporate empire—that’s your domain. Leo has no interest in it.”
“But the Court—”
