Page 74 of Clash of Sin and Secret

“Easy dude. I’m human. We aren’t made to withstand the same damage as you are.”

I take it from the lack of response that he doesn’t care.

Wrists bound, I press my hands flat against the table and draw a steadying breath. So far, so good. If they wanted to kill me, they would have. It seems that’s not the plan.

“Wait here and watch her. I’ll let him know we’ve arrived.” The click of Daeva’s boot heels marks her unhurried steps as she strides past me and through another door. I imagine it to be the back room of a restaurant or the door to an upper apartment.

Muffled voices in the distance have Daeva laughing, and then there’s a long beat of silence when a man’s voice cuts through. I can’t hear them clearly enough to catch the conversation, but something about the gravelly tone of his voice makes bile rise in my throat.

It feels familiar but I can’t place from where I recognize it.

Closing my eyes, I calm myself, focusing on the timbre of Lazarus’ voice. Do I know him? Have I heard his voice over a speakerphone call in Da’s office? I empty my mind, shaking loose the truth of how I know his voice.

It’s too faint to know for sure.

It’s fine. In a moment he’ll come out here, take the bag off my head and the mystery will be solved.

Any minute now…

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Zane

Ijolt awake to a sharp knock on my bedroom door. Huntley’s warm body is pressed against mine, his chest rising and falling into a deep sleep. The digital display on my phone reads 7 a.m.. Some asshole has a death wish, waking a vampire at this hour.

Sliding out from under the covers, I grab my black silk robe and tie it around my waist. Another knock echoes through the room. “I’m coming.”

I yank open the door, ready to eviscerate whoever stands on the other side. The fury dies in my throat. Jack’s face is ashen, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by grim determination.

My stomach drops. “Tell me.”

“Tucker and Scottie went back to the psychiatric hospital before sunrise. Daeva showed up with reinforcements. They took her.”

The world tilts on its axis. My fingers dig into the doorframe, splintering wood. “Where’s Tucker now?”

“On the phone. We need to move this to the security office.”

I follow Jack down the hall to Bran’s office. The Scotsman’s presence lingers here—in the worn leather chair, the wall of state-of-the-art security monitors, even the faint scent of his favorite whiskey.

Jack drops into Bran’s chair and boots up the system while I take possession of the phone.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I snarl at Tucker.

“Dial it back, Zane. Do you think I could’ve stopped her? You know how she gets when she’s determined.”

“You’re supposed to protect her!”

“She figured with your royal guard there, we’d be safe enough. And it’s not like she’s helpless. She’s a trained fighter and your Sacred Squire.”

“Exactly, so she shouldn’t go off and leave my side.”

“Like you left her all those times?”

The growl that rips from my chest is nothing I can control. “Be careful, shifter. I allow you a certain amount of leeway because Scottie cares for you, but you’re still a guest in my kingdom.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Huntley enters the office, pulling a T-shirt on over his shoulders. “And why is it going on in the middle of the fucking morning?”

“Scottie went off and got herself taken by Daeva,” Zane snaps.

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