Page 112 of Claim of Blood
Emilia’s hand came to rest gently on Carl’s arm, her presence a steadying weight. “Carl,” she said, and though her tone held gentle reproach, her eyes never left Felix. “Knowledge can be a weapon or a tool. The wielder makes the choice.”
She turned her attention fully to Felix, her voice carrying the authority of centuries. “The question is whether you understand that your notebooks aren’t just research—they’re a loaded weapon pointed at everyone in this room. And if they fall into the wrong hands again, we may not survive the trigger pull.”
Felix looked stricken as the reality of what his research could cost crashed over him.
Lander shifted restlessly, clearly uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere. “So what now?” His voice carried an edge of irritation rather than the venom of his earlier words. “You collected all this data—for what? Understanding?”
Felix nodded slowly, his voice subdued. “Yes.” His gaze flicked to Leo again, then back to Lander with that telltale spike in pulse that Adam noted. “I’ve spent my entire life surrounded by people who treat supernaturals like threats to be eliminated. But it never lined up. Leo wasn’t a monster before he disappeared, and he isn’t one now that he’s claimed. I wanted to know why the world our clan described didn’t match the world I saw.”
Adam studied him, weighing the potential against risk. Felix von Rothenburg was no ordinary hunter; he was something new. A scientist caught between warring paradigms, torn between the family that raised him and the truths he couldn’t ignore. And if Adam’s suspicions about blood compatibility proved correct, Felix might not have much choice in staying, anyway.
Lydia leaned forward, her amusement undimmed. “And did you reach any grand conclusions?”
Felix’s brow furrowed. “That the old classifications are useless,” he admitted. “That the difference between predator and protector isn’t what you are, but what you choose to be.” His gaze flickered briefly to Lander before skittering away. “That some of the most dangerous monsters I’ve ever met were human.”
Nathaniel stretched lazily, his grin all sharp teeth and knowing amusement. “And where do you land in all this, little hunter? Still searching for answers? Or are you ready to pick a side?” His tone carried mock concern. “Because housing one hunter was already pushing my pack’s tolerance. Two feels like we’re collecting strays.”
“Nathaniel.” Adam’s voice held a mild warning.
The pack leader raised his hands in surrender, but his grin didn’t fade. “Just saying. Next thing you know, we’ll have the whole clan camping in the guest wing.” Nathaniel’s gaze sharpened as he studied Felix’s expression. “So I’ll ask again, little hunter.” His voice carried a predator’s patience. “Where do you land in all this? Still searching for answers? Or are you ready to pick a side?”
Felix’s expression turned thoughtful, but it was Leo who answered, his voice quiet but full of certainty. “He already did.”
Adam smiled, slow and knowing. Strategic possibilities crystallized in his mind. Felix’s notebooks could provide invaluable intelligence, his genuine concern for Leo created natural loyalty, and the likely blood compatibility with Lander would ensure he stayed willingly.
“Then, welcome to Innsbrook, Felix von Rothenburg. I suggest you make yourself comfortable.” He stood from the couch, meeting Leo in the center of the parlor, fingers tightening around Leo’s hand. “Because you’re not leaving anytime soon.”
Felix blinked, then exhaled sharply. “Oh,” he murmured. “Oh dear.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lander
Landersatinthedark, the security tablet’s glow casting harsh shadows across his bedroom. He hadn’t moved in an hour, fingers flexing against his knee, grasping for something solid, something that wouldn’t slip through his grasp like everything else.
His wrist ached.
Which was impossible. The feeding had healed it completely. No injury remained, yet he could still feel Adam’s fingers wrapped around it. A phantom pressure carrying phantom memories. A reminder of how much easier it had been to just let go.
That thought churned through his stomach, bitter and unwelcome. He refused to scrutinize it, knowing the reflection might reveal a version of himself he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge, one that hungered for submission as much as he craved dominance.
The irony wasn’t lost on him. For all his talk of control, he’d made the choice that left him with the least of it.
When Adam had pinned him to the floor, asking if he wanted to leave, Lander could have said yes. Could have walked away from the Court, from his position, from everything he’d built here. It wouldn’t have been a good choice. No sane vampire would abandon an established Court to strike out alone, but it had been a choice. Adam wouldn’t have stopped him.
Yet the word had lodged in his throat. His loyalty wasn’t a question, it was a certainty carved into his bones. He knew where he belonged. To Adam. To Leo.
And then there was... him.
The second he’d laid eyes on Felix, something inside him had shifted. Not gradually, but with the decisive precision of a key turning in a lock that had always been waiting. He’d known immediately what it was.
Perfect blood compatibility.
His parents had hinted at this inevitability. Elisabeth and Johan had found each other early, then spent decades before Andreas joined their bond. Even then, it had taken Andreas years more to find his shifter match. The magic moved slowly, carefully, building connections over time.
And yet here Lander was, barely a month into whatever this thing was, and the universe had apparently decided to throw a perfect match at him.
A hunter. A chatty, overeager researcher who treated supernatural beings like fascinating lab specimens. He’d probably follow anyone anywhere if they dangled research before him, moral compass spinning uselessly against curiosity.
