Page 36 of Claimed By Blood

The room lapses into silence, and I can practically feel their unease at the idea of letting Immy—who is most likely a spy—stay so close to us. No doubt, if it was up to them, they’d burst into the next room and rip her head from her shoulders.

Perhaps it’s foolish, but I’m not ready to give up on her just yet.

There’s a chance I might still come out of this with my sister by my side. I’m going to take it,butI plan to be cautious about it.

“What on earth did you say to Cain to get him to let you go?” Silas asks, breaking the silence. “We were sure we were going to have to break you both out. And why is our sister mixed up in this?”

Both he and Vane are tense. How much of that is because of me, and how much of it is due to Mia?

“Mia came because she’s with Morwen and she’s not a child to be left behind. As for what I said to Cain… I told him the truth.” I grimace at their matching expressions of disbelief. “Not all of it, obviously. Just enough. He already suspected you were searching for a way to kill him. I simply laid the bait, by telling him that Samuel sired a vampire.”

“Shit.” Gideon’s head falls back against the door. “So you gave away ouronelead.”

“I gave him a modified version of the truth. Besides, his reaction told me what I wanted to know.”

Frost at least, seems willing to hear me out. “Which was?”

“He was afraid.” I stare each of them in the eye. “Whatever Samuel knows, it’s enough to scare my sire. Fear isn’t something Cain is used to feeling, and that will only make him more dangerous.”

Finn pulls me back to his arms and squeezes me in a reassuringly tight hug. I find myself leaning into his touch without meaning to.

“I really did miss you,” I whisper against his chest.

A feather-light kiss brushes over the top of my head. “We missed you too, sweetheart.”

“All of us,” Silas butts in, before quirking a brow at Draven, who scoffs. “Eh, kinda missed your silent brooding too, I guess.”

“Fuck off.”

“So eloquent. Isn’t it nearly your bedtime?”

Draven’s brows crease into a dark frown. “Mess with my sleep again, lycan. I dare you. I learned a few more tricks in Cain’s dungeon. Have you ever been cut open, had your organs doused in gasoline and set alight while they’re still inside of you?”

In my chest, his thrall bond is just as icy as before. Completely unaffected in a way that no one should ever be when they’re talking about such trauma. The robotic-ness of it disturbs me enough that my hand clenches on Finn’s arm for a second.

“We’re not there anymore,” I say, firmly, leaving Finn’s embrace to cross to Draven instead. “It will never happen again.”

As I face him, he doesn’t reach out to hug me like any of my other men would. The distance between us is only inches, but it might as well be miles.

What happened to make him like this? I could pry using our bond, but I’m not about to do that without his permission.

The emotional connection required to complete a thrall bond is different for each vampire, but it isn’t difficult to figure out that for me, it’s linked to trust. I refuse to violate Draven’s… especially since I suspect he doesn’t give it lightly.

“The instant Cain gets anywhere near this, we leave,” Vane insists. “I don’t care if it means giving up Samuel. Finn and Mia are involved now.” His eyes linger on me like he thought about saying my name, but then thought better of it. “The safety of the pack is more important than anything else.”

“Both Mia and I will gut you if you give up on this and use us as an excuse,” Finn argues. “We’re adults. We chose to be here, and we’ll deal with whatever if it means taking down that asshole. If you send either one of us away, we’ll just give your equipment so many viruses you have to bring us back.”

“No one is sending anyone away.” Frost runs his hand through his hair and shrugs at Gideon’s sharp look. “We’d be lost without Finn, and he’s been training with me for years. He’s not as defenceless as you think.”

Finn glows under the praise, but Gideon’s frown only grows deeper. “We’ll discuss that later,” he mutters, causing Finn’s smile to sink.

Asshole.

“We’re pack,” Silas agrees, and Gideon shoots him a quelling glare.

But eventually, even the alpha has to sigh in defeat. “Of course we are. I just hate the idea of Finn getting hurt.” He glances away as he says it, so he misses the way his omega’s face softens in response.

I back away, unsure where I’m going but unwilling to interrupt such a private moment. Vane surprises me by reaching across the space between us and freeing my lower lip from where I’ve begun worrying beneath my fangs without even realising.

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