Page 110 of Claim of Blood
Felix shook his head, looking troubled. “From what I understood, it was more than that. Though how much more...” He spread his hands helplessly. “I wasn’t exactly included in the strategy sessions. Family black sheep and all that.”
His gaze drifted to Leo, his face still pressed to Adam’s shoulder. “I wish I could be more help...”
“Your notebooks,” Leo murmured without lifting his head. “Do you have them?”
Felix straightened indignantly. “I never let those out of my sight! Well, often, anyway. Couldn’t exactly bring them on a stealth mission. They’re back at my room in the Fourth Cat.”
“Which hotel?” Oren asked.
“Not exactly a hotel...” Felix fidgeted. “It’s a brothel. A Union one!” he added hastily. “I support all unions, local and national!”
“Which brothel?” Oren’s patience was wearing thin.
“Red Brick Road.”
Oren rose smoothly. “Key.”
Felix hesitated.
Lydia casually withdrew her stun gun, examining it in the light.
Felix’s eyes went comically wide. “Are those runes? They look like they enhance the effect of—”
Lydia tucked the weapon behind her back. “Room key. Now.”
The card key appeared in Felix’s hand so quickly it might have materialized from thin air.
Adam made a mental note never to trust Felix with any secrets. Ever.
Oren accepted the key and stepped out, while Lydia continued rolling the stun gun between her hands, Felix’s muttered commentary a steady stream of appreciation.
“If you’re that curious about magic,” Emilia’s voice carried a smile, “I’d be happy to teach you about the runework that holds them in place.”
Felix’s face lit up like Christmas had come early. “I would love that!”
“Is that all it takes to buy your loyalty?” Lander’s voice dripped venom. “Things?”
Felix’s expression shifted to something harder, more defiant. “No. I would never betray those important to me.”
“You abandoned your clan easily enough.”
Felix gaped for a moment, like a fish suddenly finding itself on land. “I never wanted to be a hunter. I just... never had a choice.” His gaze found Leo’s. “But Leo was always kind to me, never treated me differently... kept my secrets.”
Leo sank further into Adam’s embrace, turning to face his cousin properly. “About that... I might have told Adam and Lander about your vampire fetish.”
The brilliant red that bloomed across Felix’s face could have given a stoplight competition.
Nathaniel and Charles snickered from their couch as Felix’s blush deepened to impossible shades.
“So,” Lander spat as he rose, moving with predatory grace to stand before Felix. “You like to study supernaturals and fuck vampires?”
Adam watched the patrol scatter—shifters drifting to flank Nathaniel and Charles, while Carlos and Lydia melted behind his position. Even his own people could sense the tension building.
Felix’s eyes went wide, his body swaying toward Lander. Adam’s brows rose slightly as he caught the subtle shift in both their scents. Interesting.
Lander took a step back, something dangerous flickering in his expression. “Was loyalty to Leo the only reason you came here?”
The hunter’s response came as if pulled from a trance, his gaze locked on Lander’s face. “Yes.”
