Page 5 of Blood Bought

“You look like her,” Brander said simply. “But young.”

I didn’t miss the way he spat the word, like someone my age wouldn’t taste the way he wanted.

“Let Alaris do what he pleases then,” Idris’ wife chimed in. “He is the reason she lives, after all.”

Alaris. All I knew about him was that he was next in line to Discipline’s throne and never ventured out of the castle unless we found ourselves in a war.How was he the reason I was still alive?

“His blood, girl. The whole reason you’re here. Alaris gave his blood to your mother to heal you when you were a child,” Idris said with an air of annoyance. “At his Alpha’s command, but still.”

“Oh.” I still couldn’t stand — Dregan’s hold was too strong and I felt ridiculous down there like that, but wouldn’t show it. “Then—”

“Hush,” Brander snapped. “I’m thinking.”

My heart hammered faster as I imagined one horrible thing after the next that he might do to me or let his son do to me, and none of it was helping anyone.

All it did was make Dregan laugh. “She’s terrified. No way she lasts for the rest of the oath.”

“If she’s terrified, she’s no use to Alaris,” Brander said. “He has that sweet tooth that’s always gotten him into trouble.”

“Last thing we need is more drama with Hivell,” Aerin muttered from behind me.

He waved his hand. “Let her think about it for a night or two. If she doesn’t find a way to get on board, kill her and fetch the sister. Alaris will get over it eventually.”

“Wait!” I said quickly, struggling to keep my eyes on him when Dregan was doing his best to make me look down. “You can’t take her. I’ll fulfill the oath, I can do this for ten years. I’m sorry.”

“Ten years?” he asked. “What do you mean, ten years?”

I blinked, struggling once again to move but my body wouldn’t obey. “The bargain my mother made was for thirty and she died after twenty. I’m here for the final ten and then I’ll be released.”

“Oh, that,” he mumbled. “Not quite. What Malik, Aerin and your father didn’t know was that your mother’s service was only part of the bargain. She didn’t need to be here at all, truly, for your life belonged to Alaris the moment he gave his blood to save it. We should’ve taken you outright then, but Senna was... eager. Convincing. She offered herself to me for thirty years in exchange for us allowing you to grow up at home. Since we had no use for a human infant and Alaris wouldn’t have touched you until you’d fully matured anyway, it was a deal I was willing to take. Senna was so...prettystuffed full and sucked dry.”

Anger on her behalf rose in my chest until I had rage tears in my eyes. To be so selfless and reduced to nothing but a toy — I hated them. I hated all of them.

“Hatred will only get you killed faster,” Brander said in a bored tone. “It’s not original or edgy to hate us, but it will render you useless to Alaris.”

Bent over with my hands still behind my back, I felt exposed and humiliated and none of that was helping me to hate them less, but I had more questions. “So all she did was buy me time?”

The irritated sigh Brander let out made me wish I hadn’t asked. “In the interest of getting you out of my face and giving you a fraction of hope, I’ll explain this one more time.Oncemore. You’d have belonged to Alaris whether your mother died before her time or not, whether she’d stayed here or gone back home to live a miserable life. The oath was simply a violence-free pretense to get you here when she died ahead of schedule. He saved you, and therefore your life belongs to him. I’m afraid you’ll die here too, it’s simply up to you as to when and how. If Alaris is feeling generous, he’ll give you the same deal all humans get here. You’ll be given the choice between becoming bait or becoming a bloodwhore. I don’t think he’d deign to actually claim you as his mate. He’s picky.”

All hope vanished as Dregan finally let me go and I slumped to the floor, only to be picked up one-handed by Aerin like she wasn’t skinnier than I was.

Live, die, bloodwhore, bait... those were all words that made sense in my head, words that held a lot of meaning once — but now, here, being carried past the room full of strung-out human blood banks and taken to a damp cell with no light other than the torch on the wall and some weird glow coming from the corner... they lost all meaning.

The only word that mattered at all now was‘prisoner.’

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