Page 89 of Claimed By Blood

“Truth,” she whispers. “I think… there’s so much desperation it’s hard to tell.”

“We can assume he thinks we’re there already,” Mia mutters. “There are alotof vehicles on the satellite images. Enough troops that he must be anticipating three elder vampires at the very least.”

“There are other ways into the base,” Noha insists. “Secret ways. They’ll be using them to evacuate. We could get in that way. Find my son.” Her breath catches on the last word, and she dissolves into quiet sobs that fill the quiet.

Draven gives me another look, flicking his blade into the air and catching it in a silent request to kill her. I shake my head, reluctantly. The urge to shut her up is overwhelming. I want to see her staked for what she tried to do to my pack, but she might be our last chance to find Samuel and get him out of this.

Once he’s given us what we need to know—no excuses—then the decision about what to do with her belongs to him. Providing we all make it out alive, of course.

“We’ll go back through the tunnels,” I decide. “But the second you tryanything,” I spit the word at her. “I will stake youandyour family. Do you understand?”

Yes, it makes me a bastard, but she’s already put my pack in danger once. She won’t get a chance to do it a second time.

“Good thing we brought weapons,” Silas grunts, heading for the van.

“We’re going to need them,” Morwen says, sharing a grin with Mia.

Unfortunately, Vane notices. “Mia, Finn, you’re on support.” Mia glares at him, opening her mouth to object, but her eldest brother growls. “No arguments.”

“I agree,” I add, backing Vane because I’m not going to deal with infighting right now on top of everything else. “We need you two to get us in and out. Our priority is Samuel and getting our stuff. If Cain gets his hands on our tech, he might be able to hack into the resistance’s servers.”

We’re not here to rescue everyone. Evelyn gives me a dark look, but she’s been a general before. She knows what the tough decisions look like.

“Into the van,” I mutter. “We leave the other car here. Finn, I want a plane on standby to get us out of this country the second we have Samuel.”

“Done,” he says.

Good boy.

I glance at Frost, who nods. “There are a few ghouls in the vicinity—but not many, and the sun’s an issue. I’ll have them follow us when they can.”

I look at the rest of the team and nod. “You have five minutes to get everything together,” I announce. “After that, we move.”

They disappear immediately, except for Finn, who makes to get in the van, likely to take inventory of what he’s got to work with. I grab his arm before he can move past me.

It’s probably not the right time, but there’s a good chance I might die in the near future, and before that happens, I have to apologise. Emotional rejection is akin to torture for an omega, and I haven’t been seeing to his needs properly. Even before our relationship sank this far, I ignored him when he told me what he liked, convinced I knew better.

The extent of my own arrogant egocentricity only became clear in the middle of the night after Evelyn pointed out what I was doing. I shouldn’t have neededherto tell me that pushing Finn away after sex was worse in his mind than all the rough sex in the world. I should’ve known my omega needed cuddling and cosseting. Providing that for him should’ve been instinctive. But I was too caught up in self-loathing.

In trying to be my father’s opposite, I somehow became his clone.

After I’ve grovelled, I have to make certain Finn’s really okay with what Evelyn and I did. No matter what happened, he’s still my omega. I don’t want him to think I’m getting rid of him. Or worse, replacing him with her.

“We need to talk.” I keep my voice soft.

“No,” he whispers. “Youneed to talk because you think it will fix things. We’re past that, Gid. I tried to get you to talk for years and you refused. I… I’m taking a break, and I’m damned thankful that Evie offered herself up so it’s possible.”

I rub the back of my neck and stare at him. “A break?”

Is that…? What does that mean? Is that just something to soften the blow of the breakup that’s round the corner? Is it no sex? No touching? No talking?

Is he… kicking me from the pack?

The floor falls away beneath my feet, and it’s a miracle I manage to stay standing.

I never wanted a pack—I swore I’d never have one after seeing what my father did to his—but now that I have them, I can’t imagine life without them. They’re my purpose. My reason for living.

Finn gave me that, but I never thought he’d take it away.

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