Page 81 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

“Fucking hell.” I lean forward and drop my head into my hands. Scottie didn’t deserve my anger and if Bran were here, he’d kick my ass for lashing out at her. But Bran isn’t here. A fresh wave of grief rolls through me. He’s gone. He’s really gone. And I never got the chance to say goodbye.

“Dammit, Bran.” My whisper is swallowed up in the empty room. “Why did you leave this mess for me to sort out?”

I stare at the screen for a long time, the words he left me playing in an endless loop in my mind. There’s nothing left but to move forward.

I owe Scottie an apology.

And I owe it to Bran to find a way to make this right.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Huntley

Jaxon betrayed us. I laid awake for most of the night and let that ugly factoid take root in my reality. The realization that he’s been feeding information to Daeva and her crew makes me angry. The knowledge that he set up Zane to be captured and likely have his head cut off fills me with a white-hot rage that feeds my most violent impulses.

I’ve known Jaxon for years, trusted him with my life and with Zane’s, and he fucking lied to our faces.

Zane paces the living room in front of us, his clawed fists clenched, his scarlet eyes burning with barely contained rage. “I want blood. I will bathe in Jaxon’s blood and call it a spa day.”

Scottie chuckles. “Colorful.”

I get it. Every instinct I have is screaming to rip his head off and to make him pay for what he’s done.

But Scottie—damn her—has a better idea.

She stands between Zane and me, her voice calm but firm. “This will work, boys. Call Jaxon and play him at his own game. Instead of him informing Daeva, we’ll pressure him into tellingus what he knows about her, and hopefully, the true-blood who sired her.”

“Even if we knew where she and her army were nesting, that would help.” Tucker finishes sprinkling fruit over the top of the angel food cake he made and wipes his hands on his apron.

Scottie chuffs. “Our bar is much lower than that. If we knewanything, it would help.”

“And as soon as we verify anything he says, I get to kill him.” Zane stares all of us down. It’s not a question. Our mighty king is coming apart at the seams and when he gets like this, he’s an apex predator that needs to kill.

“Let the hunt begin,” I say, pulling out my phone and calling up his number. I hit the call button. It rings twice before he picks up.

“Huntley,” Jaxon’s voice comes through the line, casual, like he hasn’t just betrayed everything we stand for. “Where the hell are you guys? I’ve been trying to reach you.”

My grip tightens on the phone, and I have to remind myself to stay calm. “Where the hellam I? Where the hell wereyou? You left us high and dry at DonorWatch, Jaxon. What the fuck happened?”

“I had to move the car. You remember those Watcher dudes you told me to steer clear of? The fuckers with the tats and those black wings? Well, three of them were scoping me out, and I didn’t want to risk getting them mad at us or having the vehicle compromised. I circled back as fast as I could, but by the time I got there, you guys were already gone.”

I exchange a glance with Scottie, and she gives me a nod. She knows he’s full of shit, just like I do, but we have to play along. For now.

“Yeah, well, you missed the party,” I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. “We got hit hard by Daeva’s crew. Zane and I barely made it out.”

Jaxon whistles between his teeth. “Damn, Huntley. I’m sorry. I didn’t know things were going to go down like that.”

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay focused. “Well, they’re in the wind now. The moment they realized they were getting their asses kicked, they bugged out.”

“Where are you now?”

“We’re heading down to the Lower Bay sanctuary. After we’re done checking on everyone, we’re going to hit the streets again. We’re hoping to grab someone we can interrogate and will need a driver.”

There’s a beat of silence, then Jaxon’s voice comes through, sounding more skeptical than usual. “The subway tunnel? It’s creepy AF down there, dude. How about I meet you when you come topside?”

I check in with Scottie and she nods, gesturing with her hand to signal somewhere close to here. “Sure, that works. Give us twenty minutes and then meet us at the south entrance, near the old switching station.”

“Got it,” Jaxon replies. “I’ll be there in twenty.”

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