Page 59 of Claimed By Blood

The silence which falls between us is awkward, but she doesn’t let it linger.

“You’ll have to tell me some stories of Samuel when you knew him. He barely ever talks about his past, or his family—though I know it’s not a conventional one. I’ve been so curious.”

I can see why he hasn’t told her. Our family isn’t exactly easy conversation. But still, it’s a lot to keep from your spouse for…

“How long have you two been together?” I ask. “Obviously a few centuries, given you’re awake in the daylight…”

“We just celebrated our six hundredth anniversary a few years ago.” She smiles fondly.

Has it really been so long since our brothers were killed?I suppose it was longer… Cain set each of them the task of creating an empire of their own and maintaining it, but none of them managed it. One by one, they conquered, and then one by one they lost their grip on power. Failure was the excuse Cain needed to order them executed—or hunted to death if they tried to run.

The process took centuries.

Samuel lasted longer than the rest of our brothers. I was at least a thousand years old before he ‘died.’

I can’t remember why his toy empire failed, but I remember suspecting foul play. I felt that about all of our brothers’ failures, come to think of it…

It was just a little too hard to believe that such old and powerful vampires were incapable of building and ruling a mortal empire for longer than a few decades. I remember wondering if the ‘humans’ responsible for their undoing were actually placed there by Cain.

But Icannotremember how Samuel’s empire fell. His gift is so infuriating.

“Cain ordered him killed when he failed to defeat the Byzantines…” I muse, trying to focus on the specifics for a few seconds before I give up. “So that meant he was alone for four centuries before he met you?” That’s a long time to be on the run, even for a vampire. And Samuel said he was hiding in a cave.

God. It’s a miracle he didn’t go insane.

“Yes. Our village thought he was a spirit. The number of elders who tried to exorcise him before they declared him benevolent was ridiculous,” Noha babbles. “What was he like before then? Any less serious?”

I shake my head. “Sorry to disappoint you, he was always the most cautious of our brothers. It’s probably how he survived.”

“Bakari takes after him,” Noha agrees. “Too serious, both of them. And I get the feeling you’re going to be the same, aren’t you?”

Am I?

I bite my lip as I consider her question. “I’ve never thought about it—”

But I’m cut off by the shuffling of feet and the grumbling of some familiar voices.

They’re finally here.

“When I get free…” That’s definitely Vane’s baritone threatening them.

“Shut up,” Frost retorts. “I scent Eve. Is she here? What the fuck have you done with her?”

Bakari arrives first, pulling his mother to one side to allow the other vampires to wrestle my thralls and sisters in through the doorway. All of them are struggling, and there are bags over their heads to stop them from seeing anything. Their hands are bound behind them in silver cuffs, and their movements are sluggish. Samuel’s men must have drugged them like they did me when they picked them up.

Draven is the worst of the lot. It’s still daytime, and the effects are obviously wearing on him. His feet drag on the floor, and he wobbles as they release him.

“The cuffs aren’t necessary,” I insist, watching as everyone’s attention snaps straight to me.

“If they become violent,” Bakari begins, glaring at me as some other men arrive and start lining up our luggage and equipment against the wall.

“They won’t.”

Noha shakes her head in exasperation. “Did I teach you no respect for your elders?” she asks her son. “Listen to your aunt. She knows a lot more about them than you do. And two of these women are your family.” She rubs at her temples. “Release them. Then we can leave them in peace for Evie to get them up to speed.”

Becausethat’sgoing to go well.

I’ve had plenty of time to think about how the others are going to take this. I’m pretty sure Finn and Silas will leap on the opportunity, but the others…

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