Page 34 of Claimed By Blood

“Then give me your justification.”

“Because I wanted to help. If I just lived a happy life in Paris, while you died, I would’ve hated myself. And Iwasn’thappy there. You can’t just bribe a pack and expect them to like your sister! It doesn’t work like that. Once it was clear I wasn’t going to be an omega, they didn’t give three shits about me.”

Vane leans back in his seat, raising a single brow. “So your motivation was purely to leave that pack and help? Why not join another pack and help by maintaining safe houses, or another support role? Why undercover?”

“That was my idea,” Gideon admits, drawing the ire of both brothers onto himself without flinching. “There was a limited opening where I thought we could get someone in the Compound. Your sister was the perfect operative.”

“How many years?” Silas growls. “How many years have you been chained up for the full moon without a pack, Mia? You should’ve been running free in a forest.” He tugs at a handful of his hair. “Jesus, I thought you might have settled down.”

“Oh, I have.” Mia grins back at Morwen. “We’re quite happy, thank you.”

“I’m afraid you really don’t make the best spy,” Morwen mutters. “You’re lucky you’re cute or I might’ve turned you over.”

Mia snorts. “Then who would have solved all your technical hitches?”

“You werecausingmy technical hitches, brat. Remember that time you programmed my tablet to blast sex moans every time I tried to call anyone?”

I don’t think Silas or Vane know what to make of that. The idea of Mia being an operative is beyond them, but the thought of her having a blatantly sexual relationship with one of the most infamously crazed vampires in the world might just have broken their minds.

“And you’re welcome, by the way,” their sister continues. “I single-handedly convinced the world’s greatest tracker to continuously ‘lose’ the most infamous ghoul multiple times over.”

“Whatever happened, Mia is here now,” Eve interrupts the conversation before it can get any further derailed. “And we’re going to need all the help we can get if we’re going to kill Cain.”

“And Samuel magically has a way to do that?” Immy asks, speaking for the first time. “Are you sure?”

The youngest sister has taken the seat behind us at the back of the plane. Her hands are worrying the fabric of the dress she’s wearing as she squirms under all of our attention.

“It’s the only lead we have,” Silas admits. “If he doesn’t, then you’re all welcome to join us on the run for the rest of our lives, however short that may be.”

CHAPTERTEN

EVELYN

Even with allof the wonders of modern technology, the flight from New York to Egypt is long. We’re only two hours in and I’m already fed up with sitting around. I have too much energy and I have todosomething. So, to occupy myself, I start investigating the cabins of our latest jet.

After abandoning Cain’s plane in an airfield in Maine, Frost led us onto this opulent aircraft. He did it with such a cocky grin on his face, that I have to wonder if he owns it or if he stole it.

Given the coolers of champagne-flavoured synth blood and the four lavishly decorated double bedrooms, I suspect it’s the latter.

All of my snooping can’t stop the thoughts going round in a loop in my head.

We’re actively rebelling. Going against my sire. As much asIorchestrated this, it doesn’t stop my gut from churning or my chest from going tight every time I imagine him finding us.

Finn reassured me that this plane isn’t bugged, and I have things to discuss with him and the rest of my thralls, but none of us want to do that with my sisters in earshot. To be honest, I’m not sure the pack wants to confide in me. The level of trust between us is ambiguous at best, and I broke whatever fragile faith we had in each other when I decided to save Frost’s life by betraying them.

God, I am not looking forward to the tough talks we’re going to have in the next few days.

Do they even still want me? I spent all of our time apart just trying to survive, and there’s no guarantee that their feelings haven’t changed.

Finn was happy enough to see me, and his thrall bond proves that he at least still wants me around. None of the others have outright said anything, but—

The door snicks open behind me, and I whirl on the spot. The rest of the pack files into the bedroom, crowding the small cabin with their large bodies. My dread ratchets up a level as Gideon shuts the door behind them and locks it before leaning back against it.

No escape.

Apparently, those conversations are happening now, whether I want them to or not.

“Is this room secure?” I ask, tilting my head in the direction of the front of the plane, where my sisters are still sitting.

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