Page 21 of Bitten, Marked, Obsessed

Then I step inside.

He’s waiting. Back turned. Hands shoved in his jacket pockets. Still as a statue.

“You know, there are less creepy ways to get someone’s attention,” I mutter.

“I needed you to follow.”

“You could’ve texted. It’s 2025, not 1825.”

“I figured you’d have questions,” he says without turning. “About the bite. About Adora. About what’s coming.”

“No shit.”

He finally turns.

His face is tired. More tired than I’ve ever seen. His beard’s patchier, his eyes sunken, but there’s a steadiness to him now. Like last night shook something loose and now it’s settled in place.

“I didn’t want this for you,” he says.

“Then maybe don’tbite your daughter in an alleylike a psychopath.”

His mouth twitches. Not quite a smile. “I had no choice.”

“Youalwayshave a choice.”

“Not when it comes to survival.”

I cross my arms, fingers digging into my elbows. “So what, this is survival now? Turning your kids into monsters?”

“You’re not a monster, Kendall. You’reBolvi.”

“That’s not a goddamn explanation.”

He takes a step closer. I don’t back up—but my pulse is rioting again.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” he says. “When it started. The senses. The heat under your skin. The... pull.”

My jaw tightens. I don’t answer.

“Adora felt it too. But she didn’t know what it meant. And when I tried to link with her—tried to guide her through it—it didn’t work.”

He hesitates.

“That’s when I realized she’s not mine.”

My breath catches.

“What?”

“She’s Margreet’s. She’s your sister, but not mine. I should’ve known. But I loved her like she was, and maybe that made me blind. When I tried to connect with her—to help her shift—it broke something in both of us.”

“Youattackedher.”

He looks down. “I lost control.”

“Youput her in the hospital.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her. I was angry when I realized that I’ve been lied to all of these years.”

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