Page 127 of Claimed By Blood

But this time they don’t.

They still cower in fear, pressing their backs against walls in their haste to keep us in view at all times. But as Frost and I slowly meander down the street, they don’t rush inside.

“Is this progress?” I murmur to him.

“I think so,” he agrees. “Should we try talking to them?”

“No. Silas and Finn said we should let them make the first move.” I was only too happy to listen to the two most personable members on the pack on this one.

After all, befriending humans isn’t my strength.

Frost grimaces. “I’d almost feel less awkward if we said something.”

He’s not the only one. Having the entire village line the streets and stare at us is more than a little creepy. I have no idea what we can do to seem less threatening, but I settle for hooking my arm in Frost’s and doing my best to seem like I’m doing nothing more or less than enjoying a stroll with him.

That illusion fades as we reach the end of the street, and I look behind us.

“They’re following us,” I hiss, instantly on the defensive.

Have the mortals decided we’re a threat, after all?

Frost turns back, following my gaze.

A human I don’t recognise pushes to the front of the pack. He’s short and dressed in worn clothing, like all the others, but he has an air of authority they seem to lack.

“What trick is this?” he demands. “What sick game is Cain playing with us now?”

I have to swallow to get rid of the dryness in my throat before I can answer.

“No game,” I promise. “We’re not with him.”

Frost grimaces. “You’re all too young to remember, but we were—”

“We know who you are.” That same man looks annoyed. “Evelyn and her mortal. The two of you brought Cain’s wrath down on our village in the first place.”

“That was an accident—” I protest, but Frost cuts me off.

“We both paid for that, so if you’re here to inflict some kind of mob justice on us, you’re a few decades too late.”

The man ignores Frost’s comment. “Why are you here?”

It’s clear from his expression that he expects an answer, and I also get the feeling that, should we decline to give one, this mob might try to force one out of us. The wrong words might incite their anger, and lying might not go down well if our relationship turns collaborative like the pack hopes it will.

They’re not a threat to us—they’re just humans, after all—but even defending ourselves might put us on the wrong foot.

Frost glances at me, then back at their spokesman. “We’re with the resistance,” he admits. “We came here in search of knowledge we think will allow us to kill Cain.”

The silence that falls over them is immediate. Both Frost and I are so tense that we might as well be made of stone. At any second, they could attack, and I have no idea what the right course of action would be.

But the villagers don’t attack. Instead, they turn around and… flee.

In seconds, all of them have disappeared. The street is deserted and the two of us are standing alone, rooted to the spot in shock.

“What the hell was that?” Frost asks.

“I think…” I whisper. “That was confirmation that thereissomething here.”

He swallows, and when he glances down at me again I see my own wary optimism reflected back to me in his eyes. “I hope you’re right.”

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