Page 49 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

A little distance does me good and I pull in a steadying breath, feeling more myself. “You have nothing to prove to me, Zane. We had our chance, and you destroyed me. Once the attack is resolved, I will transfer Da’s powers to the best candidate to be your squire and return to my life. You’re not good for me.”

The color in Zane’s face drains as his expression drops. “You can’t mean that.”

“I do. You wrecked me, and the decisions I made after that moment in your bedroom almost killed me. It took years for me to find myself and grow strong and whole on my own. I won’t risk the woman I’ve become, not even for you.”

I’ve said more than I meant to, but it doesn’t matter.

It needed to be said.

He needs to move on and so do I.

Straightening, I continue down the platform in the direction Zane was leading us and am quickly swallowed by the shadowed darkness.

Vampire sight isn’t perfect in the dark, but they don’t have trouble seeing in the shadows. My squire powers will give me heightened sight once they truly take hold and I train with them, but for now, my phone torch will do the job.

My flashlight lights my way for another ten feet before a second glamor tingles over my skin. Pushing through the brief resistance of witch magic, the spell pops and I pass to the other side.

In an instant, the dark and dingey tunnel morphs into a bright and welcoming home away from home.

The fallback Vasari compound.

The space is vast, the glow of ten crystal chandeliers casting thousands of tiny light prisms around the open living room. The floor is a highly polished stone, and the walls are silver with oxblood fabric swags hanging in lazy swoops around the ceiling line twenty feet above.

The Vasari colors are both welcoming and grounding.

“Why are the lights on?” Zane mumbles, moving to get in front of me. “We should be the first here.”

I tense, searching the space for intruders.

Instead, I spot the man lying battered and beaten on one of the many leather couches fifty feet away.

“Jack!” My shoes beat out a frantic rhythm as I close the distance, running with my heart pounding against the base of my throat. When I get to the couch, a gasp rips from my chest. Should I be horrified or relieved?

I settle on a mixture of both.

“He’s alive, beautiful.” I spin at the deep rumble of Tucker’s voice behind me. “He’s just heavily doped up so he can heal.”

Tucker gives me a lopsided smile and I lose all sense. My emotions spill over, and I launch. A mid-air assault barely registers to him, and he catches me without even staggering back. His massive arms wrap around me as he holds me off the ground.

“You saved him. Thank you.” I link my arms around his neck and press my mouth to his. I intend it to be a quick kiss to thank this gorgeous stranger for saving me from mourning another member of my patchwork family, but something takes hold.

He tastes like safety and sunshine, and I melt into his arms. There is no fight or hurt or anguish in his arms. There is only comfort… like a part of me recognizes him.

I groan as our kiss deepens and every cell in my body fires to life. It’s crazy and carnal. It’s sexy and seductive. It’s magic.

No. Literally… it’s my squire magic.

The powers my father gave me swirl within me and heighten my sensations. Zane might’ve wound me up, but Tucker has sparks snapping off my skin.

I pull back and gasp. “I’m so sorry.”

Tucker’s eyes have gone from their usual rich caramel color to glowing gold. “No need to apologize. It’s good to see you, too. And the kiss was more than welcome after the night we had. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“You won’t live long enough to do anything if you don’t put her down and take your fucking hands off her.”

Oh, shit. I forgot about Zane.

CHAPTER TWELVE

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