Page 27 of Claimed By Blood

“I never asked for your opinion, Imogen,” Cain snaps, turning to her. “What reasoning could possibly have led you to come up with such an asinine idea?”

Immy flinches, but powers on. “She’ll be able to use her thrall bonds to narrow down Frost’s location. We’ll be able to follow them, even if they flee.”

The look of indecision which passes over his face is almost too quick for me to read. I’ve caught him off guard with this information, and for the first time, I catch a glimpse of what Cain looks like when his feathers are ruffled.

I don’t make the mistake of thinking this will make him easier to deal with.

No one hasevermanaged to back him into a corner before and lived.

“Fine,” he eventually snaps. “Evelyn, you will go. But you’ll take Draven with you.”

I nod, clenching my jaw for effect. “As you wish.”

I start to turn, but his voice stops me.

“Evelyn.” My eyes snap back to him, cursing as I realise he hasn’t dismissed me. “Take this. And bring me back his head.”

He holds out a familiar ancient blade, sheathed in modern leather, and I nod as I take it from him. The slight dent in the pommel is still there, confirming the weapon’s identity, and the familiar grooves worn into the handle still fit my hand perfectly.

Dramatic, as always. Any silver weapon would’ve done the job, but Cain is making me use this—the dagger that sealed my fate as a child—as a reminder.

I may be older now, and going on a mission half-way across the world, but I am no less under his thumb than I was as a girl locked in a ballroom with no way out except death.

“It will be the last thing he sees, sire.” I reply, bowing.

He doesn’t smile. “Make certain of it.” Reminder delivered, he turns his attention to my sisters. “Bellatrix, you’ll ensure no word of this leaves this room. Callista, I want you to investigate these rumours about Samuel. I want to know exactly who’s been spreading the idea that I might have such a ludicrous vulnerability. Then I want them dead—including Samuel’s progeny. I willnothave my empire undermined by hearsay.”

“With pleasure,” Callie purrs, strutting towards the doors.

Bella is already tapping on her tablet. “Sire, what reason would you like to spread to explain Morwenna, Evelyn, and Imogen’s absence from Court?”

Cain waves a hand at her as if to give her free reign, and Callie pauses on her way out to shoot a venomous glare at Bella. God, when will she figure out that Cain doesn’t allow her to question him because it never serves him for her to do so? Surely she should have figured that out by now?

“Wait.”

Callie freezes in place, and Bella stops typing.

My stomach drops when he says, “Come here, Callista.”

Callie’s footsteps echo, slower than before, and she stops as soon as she’s within arm’s reach. There’s a fine quiver in her frame, as if she expects him to hit her again.

When Cain reaches out to her neck, she doesn’t flinch, but her body is still tense as a board.

He rips away her scarf, then using both hands, tears the necklace around her throat in two. The silver coffin shaped locket drops to the ground with a clatter, landing in the pool of Morwen’s blood.

“I’m glad that I am able to count on the loyalty of my beautiful daughters,” Cain murmurs, tracing a finger along the burn mark on Callie’s throat while meeting my eyes. “Bellatrix, come.”

Bella’s locket joins Callie’s in the pooling blood seconds later.

“Thank you, sire,” she breathes.

Callie jerks like she’s just realised she never thanked him, then bows. “Thank you, sire.”

Cain doesn’t acknowledge them. “Evelyn, remove Morwenna’s when you see her,” he orders. “But make sure you remind her of the consequences of disappointing me.”

I bow and turn on my heel, dimly aware of Immy following me as we leave our sire in the empty throne room.

My youngest sister’s presence is something I wasn’t anticipating; a mistake I made purely because I was relying on the old way of doing things where Immy was invisible to Cain. I still don’t know if I can trust her, but at least this way I can keep her under close observation while I find out.

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