Page 13 of Claimed By Blood

“You’re welcome to try,” I whisper. “But your loyalty should remain to our sire, for your own self-preservation, if nothing else.”

Because if Cain ever hears her say something like that, he’ll kill her. If—by some miracle—she’s being sincere, I don’t want that to happen.

And if she’s lying, my response will go back to Cain, who will approve of it more than some emotional display of sibling forgiveness. I’m not even sure I have the acting skills to pull off such a performance.

Because taking her at her word would be stupid. She’s been locked inside Cain’s office for the last month, and she’s had too long to perfect this story.

Immy wipes her eyes again and offers me her arm. “Come, let’s stop talking about such heavy things. I missed you. Let me tell you about what you’ve missed. Did you know they renamed the Old Country twice while you were gone?”

CHAPTERFOUR

DRAVEN

I wakeup with half-regenerated hands in a strange bed that smells of Evie, but the vampire herself is nowhere to be seen. The room is silent and I stiffen as I realise I’m alone, and out of a cell, for the first time in a week.

Curious. This isn’t the kind of oversight I’d expect from Cain.

I’m also… a lot less messy than I would’ve anticipated. Someone has washed the worst of last week’s dried blood from my body—though they haven’t been thorough in it. Now all that remains is the fresh stuff from the half-regenerated hands.

Ah, there’s a shower. I can see the tiles glistening from here.

I stumble towards it and hiss as I trip, stumble forwards, and land against the wall. My oversensitive hands make contact with it and the already stinging flesh turns into an inferno.

I sigh in disappointment. Regrowing limbs is such an inconvenience.

Working the dial with no hands is interesting, to say the least, but I manage. Freezing cold water pummels me. Eventually, it gets to work, and numbness sets in. I can’t really wash myself with stumpy, barely there fingers, so I settle for just sitting under the spray until I can bring myself to move again.

It gets the worst of the remaining blood and gore off, but I can’t wait to be properly clean once more.

There’s a glass of half-finished blood on the table, and I down it before going on the hunt for more. The more I can feed, the faster my hands will return to normal. I need them back if I’m going to have any hope of defending myself.

Just because I’m no longer in a cell, doesn’t mean my punishment for letting Frost escape is over.

I’m willing to bet it’s just begun.

Blood. Finally. Why do modern decorators insist on hiding the fridge inside false cabinets?I sink my fangs into one and almost immediately the stinging starts to worsen.

My new nerves are functional. Good.

I snatch a second bag and close the fridge in favour of investigating Evie’s space. Red furniture, black walls, little luxuries like inbuilt speakers and a top-of-the-line television. She’s got it all.

An outsider might believe she’s been welcomed back into the fold.But the coffin neatly made up in the corner, the bugs and cameras hidden in every lamp and socket, and the wardrobe full of dresses tell a different story.

There are no personal touches here. Even her desk is bare except for the tablet. That’s telling. She’s not made herself at home, which tells me more about where her loyalties lie than anything else.

My poor doll has been just as much a prisoner as I have.

I cross to the window and look out. It’s a miserable night, and rain pelts against the glass. Cain has given her a room which overlooks Eden Park, although the view is mostly hidden by thick fog.

Where is she? Back at Court?

The other guards gossiped that she was there almost every night, slaughtering Cain’s unlucky chosen one after the other. Once again, he’s building her reputation among his people as a heartless executioner. Isolating her.

Behind me, the handle turns. I spin on my heel, chastising myself for putting my back to the door. I’m normally more careful than this, and I blame blood loss for the lapse.

Whoever is on the other side opens it the slightest crack and keeps it there. I hear Imogen’s voice on the other side, but I can’t make out her words.

Then Evie herself slips through the opening and shuts the door between her and her sister.

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