Page 8 of Bite of Vengeance

I fell onto the bed, my head spinning with this new information. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I wrappedmy arms around myself, hunching over. It was all too fucking much. I didn’t want to be a part of this.

“I’m sorry, Kali. I know this is hard to hear.”

“How did I end up in Project Hope?” I choked out.

Gia went still for a moment before silently crossing the room. I watched her with a frown when she quickly opened the door. My heart stuttered when my eyes fell on Zan, who was standing right outside the doorway. Surprise was on his face when he met Gia’s gaze, but she didn’t speak to him before she turned to face me again.

“I don’t know how you got off the property,” she said, tilting her head. “It was my job to watch you, and I failed.Someone—” Her eyes shot back to Zan. “—snuck you off the property. By the time I realized it, you were long gone.”

I went utterly still. Zan’s eyes widened, his stare locked on Gia as shock covered his features. His jaw clenched as if he was forcing himself not to say anything. Gia gave him a comforting smile before she walked back toward the bed and sat down next to me.

Did Zan save me as a baby? Was that even possible? He was a kid himself when I was born.

“Listen to Amaros, Kali,” Gia said, pulling me from my thoughts. “You don’t want to disobey him. There’s no escaping this. Don’t make it more difficult for yourself. I don’t want to see you suffer.”

This time her words were loud, and I had a feeling this conversation wasn’t private anymore. Her words sounded like the truth. But why did I feel like she wanted me to do the exact opposite? She didn’t want me to be a pawn for Amaros. A chill ripped through me as I imagined what Zan’s father wanted from me.

“Rest, Kali.” Gia’s hand landed on my knee, and she squeezed it gently. “If you behave, then you can see Warner tomorrow.”

I bristled, anger scorching my veins.Behave. I wanted to drive a stake through Amaros’s heart. I wanted to burn this entire house down until it was nothing but ash. When Gia moved to stand, I grabbed her wrist.

“I have more questions,” I said hoarsely.

“I can’t give you any more answers.”

Without another word, she swept out of the room. Zan was still standing outside of the doorway, and he met my eyes for a split second before the door was shut. The lock turning had defeat crawling through me.

I stayed on the bed, lying down on my back, staring at the ceiling. Noises from outside the room held my attention, and I tilted my ear, trying to hear any voices I recognized. But then I froze. Last time I was locked in here, I hadn’t been able to hear anything. Goosebumps skated across my skin when I realized what was happening.

My hearing was changing.

I was transitioning.

How long would it take until I was more Shadow than human?

Chapter 5

Zan

Giaknew. I wasn’t sure how, but she was aware I’d gotten Kali off the property when she was a baby. I paced the rotunda again, my eyes darting to the door. I could hear Amaros’s heavy footsteps approaching, and I blew out a long breath, trying to steady my nerves. I fucking wished my brothers were here. It was taking everything to stay quiet. I wanted to talk to Gia about the past. More than anything, I wanted to go to Kali. But with my father in earshot, there was no way I could take the chance. Not when she might blurt out questions I couldn’t answer.

“Zan,” Amaros greeted me as he strode inside with Jasper and two other vampires walking behind him. “Where’s Kali?”

I wasn’t sure why he was asking since he knew exactly where Kali was. “In my bedroom.”

He nodded as he sat at the head of the giant table. I took the seat to his left, knowing he expected it.

“Don’t be angry at me for what I did,” he said, annoyance in his voice. “It was necessary.”

I ground my teeth, staying silent. We both knew he was talking about his entrancement forbidding me from sleeping with Kali.

“I’m still not sure I believe Shadows can bond,” he continued, resting his forearms on the table. “But it’s something we can’t risk. For vampires, the bond solidifies once they are both turned and engage in sex. If the same is true for Shadows, I can’t allow that to happen.”

“I know,” I clipped out.

He sighed. “I’ve never had to question you or your brothers. Your loyalty has been to me since you transitioned.”

His words had my skin prickling, and I shifted in the chair, trying to figure out why I was suspicious there was some underlying message I was missing.

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