Page 92 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

I wave away his regret. “I’m your Sacred Squire. According to Jack, our bond will build until we share thoughts and emotions. I’ve always known you had mind tricks and I’m sure, as we train together, I’ll need to learn all about them.”

He exhales. “All right then, squire. What’s our next step?”

I tip my head toward the interrogation room. “We take another run at Jaxon. Jack thinks you haven’t been able to override the blocks in his mind because your emotions are alltwisted up and your beast is volatile. I’m here to settle things down.”

Zane gives me a faint nod of acknowledgment and then gestures toward the closed door. “It’s worth a shot.”

Zane

The air in the interrogation room is sweet with the scent of vampire blood and sour with the tang of fear. Jaxon thought he was smart enough to not get caught. Or, if he did, that he was charming enough to explain his deception away.

He’s neither.

And yes, I’ve been stymied by the blocks in his mind, and he’s been enthralled or spelled so he can’t tell me anything, but with my familial gifts, that shouldn’t stop me.

Jack’s explanation for my failure is a balm to my injured pride. I was so tangled up inside over the events of the past week and the chasm gaping between Scottie and me that my my focus was shit.

Now that a huge part of that conflict is sorted out, we’ll get it done. My darkest impulses have been soothed. The pain of Scottie’s rejection has been released.

I’m no longer distracted. Not anymore.

Scottie pulled me back from the edge, her embrace holding me together, her forgiveness lifting the crushing pressure off me.

Huntley is standing near the corner, his arms crossed, his eyes dark with frustration. We’ve been at this for hours, trying to get information out of him without him passing out.

“All right, let’s end this, shall we?”

Huntley pushes off the wall, looking worried. “A dead Jaxon tells us nothing, Z.”

“I don’t plan on killing him until we have what we need.” I step closer, my boots shuffling against the concrete floor. “You’ve wasted enough of our time, traitor. I’m done.”

Jaxon’s jaw tightens. Despite his fear reeking up the air, he doesn’t speak.

“What I don’t understand is how the vampire in charge coerced you to go against your family. Benoit, I can sort of understand. He was a transplant from Montreal. But you were born into Clan Vasari.”

I lean in, my fangs barely peeking out as I let my power rise to the fore. “You think this usurper vampire is worth dying for?”

His lips tremble, but he stays silent, his gaze dropping to the floor.

I crouch in front of him, so close he can’t avoid me, can’t look anywhere else. “Who is he, Jaxon? Who is in charge? Where are they gathering? What do you know?”

With my questions firing, I slip into his mind, coming up against the first of the blocks placed to keep me out. It’s not a simple task, but as I continue to bombard him with pointed questions, his memory flares and I continue to slice through the obstacles.

I’m doing long-term damage to his synapses, but ‘long-term’ isn’t something he needs to worry about. Cutting through the magical warding isn’t subtle or gentle. It’s barbaric, but we’re past the point of ethical means.

“Hold him still.”

He stiffens at my command, his eyes widening as I gouge my way through his memories. They’re a mess, swirling with fear, confusion, and twisted loyalty. Still, through the chaos, I see him—the vampire behind all this.

Lazarus Kaza.

The name hits me like a bullet to the chest, and I push deeper, forcing the image of him to come into focus.

Lazarus is tall, imposing, with a presence that makes the air in the room heavier just by him standing in it. His blue eyes are sharp, piercing, like he sees right through you. And his suit—tailored, flawless—makes him look like he’s always in control, always one step ahead. There’s an aura of danger around him, the kind that makes everyone else wary, makes them second-guess their decisions.

I feel the admiration in Jaxon’s mind—but also the fear, the genuine fear of what will happen if he betrays Lazarus.

That won’t be a problem.

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