Page 23 of Blood Bond

“How will we take her with us?” I ask, referring to Layla. His stare unnerves me, but I'm also acutely aware of his nature.

“She will come with me in my car. Killian will take you on his bike, and Naneve will take Tasha,” he replies softly. “If she wakes while we travel, I want her to be with me so she doesn't cause you any harm.” He steps out of the glass box but leaves it open. “We must move swiftly, for the night won’t last forever, and I don’t want to be on the road when the sun rises.”

“If we move in the dark, won’t the thirsty come after us? More precisely, me?” The thought of them descending on us fills me with dread, and I doubt our ability to fend them off outside.

Seth steps closer, and I flinch, but he gently lifts my chin with his finger. His eyes are now a deep blue, infinitely deep. “You're scared again,” he observes softly.

I try to deny it, but my words falter with him so close. “Not afraid of them.”

He holds my gaze a moment longer before stepping back, allowing me to breathe again. “We’ll stay on the road through the city. That will keep us safe from them. Once we reach the border, there won’t be so many of them. They just want something to eat. They won’t go out of their way to get that.”

“My heart is beating faster now,” I whisper weakly.

Seth seems to notice my discomfort. “Nothing to hunt,” he reassures me.

Suddenly, the door opens, and Naneve enters with Tasha, gripping the other woman's arm tightly. Killian follows, his face expressionless.

Tasha’s eyes dart between me and Seth, likely wondering if I revealed what she did. Part of me wants her to feel the fear I felt when she left me, but another part feels pity.

Seth steps closer to Tasha, his height towering over her. She swallows hard, her breathing hitching. “It was foolish of you to think you could find help by seeking me out,” he says sternly.

Tasha stammers, searching for an explanation. “There were too many of them ... I’m sorry, I?—”

“You certainly will be,” Seth responds softly, his tone not reflecting the harshness of his words.

Turning to Killian, Seth outlines the plan. “We must leave now if we are to make it to my home before sunrise.” He describes who is going with whom and other details that I don't fully grasp, but they do, and that’s all that matters.

As I watch them, they look every bit the fighters they are, prepared for whatever lies ahead in the night.

ChapterSeventeen

Seth carefully carries Layla to his car, placing her in the back seat with a gentleness that contrasts his formidable appearance. As I approach to help, he gently pushes me back “It is better you maintain distance.”

Despite my desire to help, part of me yearns to touch her, to ensure she's okay. Layla was kind and gentle to me, sacrificing herself to protect me from Donovan. I feel a sense of duty to return that kindness, yet I'm powerless to do so. I do as he says, and keep back.

Naneve and Killian, with Tasha in tow, have gone to retrieve their bikes, leaving me at the entrance of Skin Trade's car park. The car park is quieter than usual, a silent testament to the lives lost here tonight. I can't help but notice a few cars parked, likely belonging to patrons who will never return.

I can see the doors on the main part of the foyer. A few people stop by a look inside, some dressed in gowns and suits, others in very little. The world carries on as if nothing has happened—vampires and humans living together, slave and master—and for some reason that shocks me. I remember feeling the same when my mother died. It seems odd to me that everyone would just carry on as normal skin. Skin Trade is closed, in darkness. Everyone inside it, dead or running for their lives, yet the world moves on.

It feels like a dream.

Lost in thought, I think about Seth and Donovan, their complex relationship, and then my mind shifts to my father and the unresolved issues there. My head feels cluttered with questions and uncertainties.

“What are you thinking?” Seth's quiet voice startles me from my reverie.

Hesitantly, I answer, “I was thinking about Nico.” My voice lacks conviction, betraying a shadow of fear. “Do you think your brother will kill him?”

Seth’s response is sombre. “I would like to tell you for certain he is safe, but Donovan is capable of anything.” His words send a chill down my spine.

The sound of motorcycle engines breaks the tension. The distinct rumble of the bikes signals Naneve and Killian's return, and the street instinctively clears a path for them. Their presence, once harsh and barbaric to me, now seems a necessary part of this new world I'm learning to navigate. Seth has opened my eyes to realities I never understood, and while it’s still alien to me, I'm gradually piecing it together.

It’s Killian's voice that cuts through my thoughts. “I managed to get Des on the radio. The place has been secured, and they’re waiting for your orders. It should hold for now, but she wants to move them, especially the women with children.”

Des is Dessie. A woman I met at the Death Bringers compound. She was the one who gave me the clothes I now wear.Look after these,she’d told me.

I think I owe her an apology.

Seth nods in response, his gaze firm and focused. “I’ll provide them with instructions tomorrow. Tonight, we rest.”

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