“Yeah, I… When he blood bonded me, I was so high, and I… told him. I thought he was gonna kill me, but he just told me to keep it secret. He was scared you’d get yourself killed to protect me.”
“I will speak with my brother later,” Warin said, and from the tone in his voice I didn’t expect it’d be a pleasant conversation. At least not for Aleric. “For now, I will ensure no one who survived the slaughterhouse will speak of this. I will Compel the witches, and have my Guard and Carina swear a blood oath. You will be safe, my love.” He reached up to brush my tangled hair from my face, and in his eyes I saw devotion so deep it stole my breath away. “No one will know of your magic.”
“Well, well, well!” A mocking voice made both Warin and I jolt. Warin spun around faster than my eyes could follow, his back to me and his arms spread out to protect me. A low snarl rumbled out of his chest as we both stared into the darkness where the voice had come from.
Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, a male figure walked into my range of vision. He stopped a few yards from us, dark eyebrows raised in challenge. “The infamous Warin Waldlitch, promising his blood bonded witch he’ll keep her magic secret? How very naughty of you, my lord.”
Icy dread settled in my veins as I stared at the golden-eyed Ancient.
Zeth.
32
“What are you doing here?” Warin growled, not moving out of his defensive pose in front of me while I fumbled with my ruined pants to cover myself up.
“Let’s just say a little bird told me Chicago’s Night Lord was conspiring with witches, of all things.” Zeth smiled pleasantly, but the deadly danger in his eyes was unmistakable. “As the oldest vampire currently on the continent, it’s my duty to look into such serious allegations. And what do I come across? Warin Waldlitch, promising a dirty little witch he’ll keep her secret. The same witch I saw him feed his own blood to not two weeks ago. How very, very unfortunate.”
“You’re the Ancient behind the skinwalkers,” Warin said, dawning realization in his voice. “You came all the way from the Old World to orchestrate this. Why? Why do you care about my territory? Why risk involvement with skinwalkers?”
“Now, now, that’s a very serious allegation to level at an Elder,” Zeth purred. “One, you have no proof to support your hypothesis. Please, don’t tarnish your dignity, my lord. It’s all you have left. As an Ancient, you have the right to stand trial for your crimes.” His eyes gleamed as he stared Warin down, silently challenging him.
Warin growled—but then his shoulders slumped and his back straightened. “I will come with you willingly,” he said. “If you swear to leave Liv unharmed.”
“Warin, no! No, this isn’t his fault—please, he didn’t know.” I turned to Zeth. “Please, take me. Not him. He didn’t know what I am.”
Zeth laughed—a chilling sound that cut through the night. “Oh, how adorable. A witch trying to sacrifice herself for her master. I’m afraid I can grant neither of your wishes. The Lord learned of your persuasion and did not end your life. And your little witch, my lord… well, you and I both know what the only outcome is for a witch who’s tasted vampire blood.”
“No!” Warin’s voice was a furious snarl. “You will not put your hands on her!” He launched himself at the other Ancient faster than my eyes could follow.
But Zeth simply raised his arm and backhanded Warin, sending him to the floor with a sickening crunch of bones.
“Warin!” I cried.
My lover lay crumpled by Zeth’s feet. The Elder looked down at him, eyes glowing dangerously. “That was very, very stupid,” he whispered.
I didn’t think—the sight of Warin at this vile creature’s feet made me reach for the magic inside of me before I could reconsider. I hurled a ball of green energy at Zeth with a scream of rage. He’d hurt Warin—he was going to pay.
But my magic was as ineffective as Warin’s strength. Zeth merely moved out of the way of the ball of energy hurtling toward him, and the next second, I had a cold hand wrapped around my throat.
“It takes a lot more than a baby witch to take down an Ancient, little girl,” he sneered.
“Let her go!” Warin demanded from the ground. I saw him fight to get up and launch himself at Zeth again, but the black-haired vampire swept his arm out, knocking Warin to the floor with another crunch of bones.
“Warin!” I kicked at Zeth and clawed at his fingers around my neck to no effect. Growling like Warin had, I reached for my magic again, but Zeth shook me hard once, and the connection with my inner power slipped on a wave of pain.
“You son of a bitch!” I wheezed.
“Careful now,” Zeth said softly. “As you are the Lord’s pet, I am expected to extend you the courtesy of not killing you before his sentence has fallen. But, if you try that little magic trick one more time, I’m afraid I have no other choice than to end you now.”
“Liv,” Warin groaned. His voice was thick and hoarse, as if he were struggling to speak. “Don’t fight him. Don’t…He’s too strong. I can’t…”
The sound of defeat in my lover’s voice was what finally made me stop struggling.
Through our time together, Warin had been an unquestionable strength—he’d been my shield against the world and its horrors, and I’d known from the day I met him that there was nothing he couldn’t fight against.
Except this. Except a vampire many times his age.
Warin’s surrender drained every last vestige of fight from my body as true despair finally sank in.
We were lost.
“Zeth!”
The shout carried through the night, and as I saw Aleric approaching with long strides, a shimmer of hope bloomed in my belly. Maybe there was a way… maybe Aleric had found way out.
“Please. Whatever you think of the girl, it’s not true. She’s harmless. Barely a witch at all. Our Ancients are too few and far between as it is—don’t let a pathetic human be the reason we lose another.”
That hope withered and died at the desperate look on Aleric’s face. He didn’t have a plan—he hadn’t found a weakness in the Ancient we could exploit.
“Aleric Waldlitch… I know you’re not telling me you had any knowledge whatsoever of your brother’s blood bonded companion being a witch—weak as she may be.” Zeth leveled his disturbing eyes at Warin’s brother. “Because if you did… I would have no choice but to bring you to trial as well.”
“Zeth… please,” Aleric whispered. “He’s my brother. Please.”
“Which is it, young Waldlitch?” the black-haired vampire asked, voice hard. “Do you have knowledge of this witch you wish for to disclose? Or do you wish to live?”
Aleric stared at the Ancient for a long moment. Regret dimmed his blue eyes as he turned to Warin. “I’m sorry, brother,” he whispered.
And then he turned and ran.
Leaving us at Zeth’s mercy.
* * *