Page 88 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

Sweat glistens off her silky skin as she finishes her battle with her static opponent. She drops her fists and shakes out her shoulders, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

After patting her face and neck dry, she plucks out her earphones and exchanges them for her water bottle. When she turns to catch us watching her, she freezes. “What?”

“Nothing, beautiful. We were just admiring your form.”

My dad throws me a look and laughs. “He made that sound creepy. I was focused on yourfightingform. I can’t speak for my son.”

She wipes a bead of sweat from her brow and saunters over to join us. “Oh, I have a fairly clear idea of what your son was admiring.”

I wink at her and grin. “Guilty on all counts.”

Jack takes a swig of his sports drink and lets that subject drop. “How are things going in the basement?”

Scottie grunts. “Zane’s ready to rip Jaxon’s throat out. He’s too used to getting what he wants. He has no patience for spinning his wheels.”

“And he’s spinning them on several fronts,” Jack adds.

Scottie shrugs. “That’s on him. He made his choices.”

“No argument, kid. He fucked up. But right now, he needs his Sacred Squire to step up and set him on the right path.”

Scottie lowers her water bottle and swallows. “So, what’s the play?”

“You are. It’s time to start Sacred Squire 101.”

Her eyes widen. “Are you feeling up to training me?”

“I’m on the right side of the daisies, heart beating and lungs breathing. What more could a man need? Besides, your lesson for today won’t be physical. It’s the mental game you need to conquer.”

She hesitates for a moment, then nods. “All right. Show me the path, wise one.”

Jack looks over at me. “Would you mind making some sandwiches for lunch, son? There are some things bound in confidence that Scottie and I need to discuss.”

I take that as my cue. Gripping Scottie’s jaw, I give her a chaste kiss. “Good luck, grasshopper.”

She giggles. “I’ll take turkey on rye, extra mayo.”

“On it. See you in a bit.”

Scottie

When Tucker leaves, Jack reclaims his seat on the weight bench, and I cop a squat on the floor mats. “All right, Jack. Give it to me. What do I need to do?”

He takes a moment to gather his thoughts, his eyes sharp and focused despite the worry marring his expression. “Scottie, I’m going to be blunt. Part of your new role, as Zane’s Sacred Squire, is helping him stay in control. Vampires have a darkness in them and from the time they grow into manhood, they are constantly battling to tamp down their darkest urges—reining in the beast inside him. It’s what your father and I each did for Francesco, and it’s what you’re going to have to do for Zane.”

Zane mentioned something about this when he was giving me his excuses about dumping me and pushing me away. “And what does reigning in his beast mean, exactly?”

Jack’s expression softens as he looks at me. “It means that you’re more than a bodyguard, lass. You need to anchor him when his emotions take hold and bloodlust hits. You need to connect with him and rebuild the trust you two once shared.”

I glance down, tracing the filigree of the Vasari squire’s mark etched into my forearm. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I wouldn’t put this on you if it weren’t essential, kid. Fondatori are powerful and that pure-blooded energy is dangerous if not contained. You need to be his humanity, his conscience, and his soul or his reign will be over before it starts.”

No pressure.

Jack reaches forward and places a hand on my shoulder, his grip surprisingly strong despite his weakened state. “Your fatherbelieved in you. He knew you could handle this, even if you don’t believe it yourself yet.”

The image of my father lying on the floor of his office is etched into my soul forever. How his gaze met mine as if he could see me through that mirror.

---