Page 91 of Claimed By Blood

Maybe it’s just because he’s the most intimidating-looking of my thralls, but his threat seems to work.

The van skids to a stop, and Finn passes me my sword. “Stay safe,” he whispers as my hand clasps the leather scabbard.

I don’t reply. Not because I’m being deliberately cold. I’m just unused to anyone saying something like that before a battle. Fortunately, the thrall bond pulses with understanding between us, letting me know that he gets it.

“No time for dilly-dallying,” Gideon snaps, slamming the door behind him as he strides out into the desert.

I’m the last one in the van, and I give Noha one more look before glancing at Finn again, and then Mia.

“If she breathes wrong…”

Mia winks one heavily kohled eye at me, and that’s all it takes for me to feel fully reassured. With a grin, I disappear out of the vehicle and down the dune behind the others.

Morwen would never have fallen for someone who couldn’t defend themselves. I can trust that Mia will keep Finn safe—as much as Silas and Vane want to believe she’s delicate.

The tunnel Noha told us about is little more than a thin crevice among some rocks, concealed beneath a stone overhang in the desert. It’s barely big enough for one of us to pass through at a time. Frost goes first, followed by Silas, then Morwen. Draven ushers me through after my sister, but he’s right behind me, with Gideon and Immy bringing up the rear.

Beyond the initial entryway, the tunnel quickly widens out into the hand-carved, familiar style of the rest of the base. The air is clear here, but the farther we go, the more the smoke and sounds of fighting become evident.

Gideon and Frost take point, with Silas and Vane sticking close to my sides. All of us have our weapons drawn, and the tension is so thick that the appearance of the first tactically armoured vampire is almost a relief.

Frost takes him out without blinking and steals the vampire’s gun as he lowers him to the floor.

“I’ll head back to our rooms and destroy any evidence,” Morwen mutters as soon as we reach a fork in the tunnels.

“Silas, go with her,” Gideon growls, and I get a hint of irritation from his end of the thrall bond. “Pack up what you can.”

Because it’s clear, no matter what happens, we won’t be coming back here.

Draven moves up to take Silas’s position at my side as the two of them disappear.

“I’ve got footage from the command centre,”Finn says, his voice echoing from the earpiece.“They’re barricaded inside. It looks like Bakari is wounded…”I hear a small groan of pain from the background, and Vane curses.

“What was that?” he demands.

“Noha tried to leave the van as soon as you left,”Finn admits.“Mia’s got her staked to the seat for now.”

Savage, but effective. I knew Mia would keep them both safe.

“What numbers are we up against?” Gideon asks.

“It’s bad,”Finn replies, instead of answering directly.“Armin is there. The barricade is breaking. It looks like Samuel and his remaining men are preparing for a final stand.”

“Shit,” I whisper. “We have to get there before they open those doors.”

Our steps take on a new sense of urgency, only to stall at the sound of gunfire.

“Armin,” Immy mutters, her voice cold. “Cain humours his love for modern weapons, but it’s a point of contention between them.”

“I hate bullets,” Vane grumbles.

“Aww, are you still sore about that tiny little shotgun incident?”Morwen retorts.

“Fuck. You.”

I’m coming to realise that, even though the hybrid doesn’t speak often, his voice is a pure invitation to sin, and I’m not immune. Those two words, in that dark but controlled tone…

It’s far too easy to imagine him using a similar voice in bed.

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