Page 88 of Claimed By Blood

“Did he know about Samuel?” Evie demands. “Did he tell Cain?”

Noha shakes her head. “No. He knew we were independent. I think he assumed we were runaways.”

“But our presence here taught him otherwise.” Morwen stands up. “If we want that information, we have to go back now and pray we get to Samuel before Cain does.”

“Cain won’t be there himself,” Immy mutters. “Even if he jumped on a jet within seconds of us landing in that club, he hasn’t had the time to get here.”

“But Armin will.” Morwen doesn’t look upset about that. “Along with plenty of others.”

“Please,” Noha begs. “You have to help them. He’ll kill my boy. My husband!”

I thought perhaps her entreaty might’ve elicited some sympathy from Evelyn, but a glance at her proves me wrong. Pure, unbridled fury is etched into her face, and Finn’s hold on her has switched from comforting to restraining. I don’t even mean to check the thrall bond, but I find myself reaching for it anyway. And her emotions are so strong they’re blasting across the space between us loud and clear.

Betrayal.

Self-blame.

Shock.

Panic.

Rage.

The potent cocktail is so strong that I have to let go or risk losing my own cool. It makes sense that Evelyn would have such a strong reaction to betrayal, but I have to keep a level head. Finn has no such urge. He tugs our vampire even further into his embrace until her smaller frame is completely surrounded by his.

Without meaning to, I subtly angle my body so I’m between the two of them and the threat.

At Noha’s back, Draven has withdrawn one of his silver-bladed knives, and he twirls it lightly around his fingers, ignoring the burn against his flesh as he waits for the chance to strike. It’s clear he doesn’t like how Evelyn’s feeling right now either, and his solution is simple: kill Noha.

I give him a warning look, then turn my gaze back to my co-alpha.

“Gid…” Frost looks at me, indecision warring on his features as he glances towards Finn, and then Evelyn.

I want to sigh.

He wants to return to the base. If it was just him, he wouldn’t have hesitated. But it’s not just him, and he won’t risk our omega, or Evelyn, without my agreement. So he’s asking me to make a decision that will either send us into a heated situation with little to no preparation or put the lot of us on a plane out of here.

It really comes down to this: is the chance to kill Cain worth more or less than the safety of our pack?

Are the two things even separate? How can my pack ever be truly safe while Cain still lives?

I shock them all by turning to Imogen. “Has she lied?”

The redhead jerks her head from side to side. “She’s in shock. Everything she’s feeling is real, and it’s painful.” She gnaws at her own lip, her large guileless eyes shining and haunted.

“Did Samuel know?” Evelyn asks, her voice hoarse. “Did my brother know any of this?” Her eyes gleam. “He didn’t, did he? That’s why you didn’t want a thrall bond. It would’ve exposed you.”

Noha weeps harder as she shakes her. “I didn’t tell him. I couldn’t. He would’ve left me.”

She’s a sorry sight, but all of my pity dried up the second she tried to hand over my pack.

“Is Armin going to set a trap for us?” I demand. “Does he know where we are?”

“I don’t know!” she wails. “Please…”

“Bullshit,” Morwenna grumbles. “You must knowsomething.”

Her anger is understandable, but if Noha is to be believed, she’s merely the victim of blackmail. Hardly the sort of person Cain or his generals would ever trust with anything of importance. I glance back at Imogen, seeking her opinion.

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