Page 9 of Oath of Blood and Joy

Keir frowned as he leaned back in his chair, the ancient wood creaking beneath him. Something dark and cold passed over his features—the look of a king whose authority had been challenged, a predator whose territory had been encroached upon. “Simon and Maximo continue to defy us. They know we’ve been looking for Joy. Her brother, Steve, is becoming quite…obsessed with her.” He paused, studying me with calculated intensity. “When are you going to take him off my hands? You’re the one who made him, after all.”

Newly made vampires were unpredictable and most of all…hungry, like a bottomless pit that couldn’t be satisfied. I sighed and rubbed the bridge between my eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache pulse behind them. The weight of responsibility for Steve—a responsibility I never wanted—pressed down on my shoulders. “Angelo isn’t exactly laying out the welcome mat for him.”

Keir released an exaggerated sigh, the sound heavy with frustrated weariness that seemed to pull the very shadows closer. “He can’t stay here forever, Enzo.” My name in his mouth was both a reminder and a reprimand. “You’re going to have train him or move him soon. His behaviors are becoming even more outrageous. My men are getting tired of having to constantly restrain him.”

The unspoken threat lingered in the air between us. If I didn’t handle Steve, Keir would—and his methods wouldn’t be gentle.

“I will,” I promised as I held up my finger. “But not until I find Joy.”

Keir’s expression softened, a flicker of something like compassion crossing his face before vanishing into resolve.

“Back to the auction,” he said, redirecting us to the more pressing concern. “I’m sure Simon thinks that he will make a fast buck. Ravenwood Estate hasn’t been the same since the vampires invaded it looking for Serenity’s stepfather. He’sreaching all-time lows. Something we can’t tolerate.” His fingers drummed once, twice on the desk—a rare tell from someone so controlled. “This needs to stop. Simon needs to learn a lesson from the Unseelie, vampires, and wolves.”

“Wolves?” My eyebrow arched, genuine surprise momentarily overtaking my rage. The different factions rarely worked together—too much bad blood, too many old grudges.

“Yes. We need to make an example.” His voice dropped to that deadly whisper that had preceded massacres. “You, Lorcan, and the wolf enforcer, Stalker, need to pay a visit tonight. We will not be defied. I will contact Trystan.”

Great, now I was going to owe the fucking wolves. The thought made acid rise in my throat. Wolf debts were worse than Unseelie ones—they collected with interest that was often paid in flesh.

But Joy was worth it. The certainty settled in my chest like an anchor—solid, irrefutable. I’d level cities for her if I had to.

Chapter Six

Enzo

Maximo’s limousine sat like a sentinel in front of the mansion, its black metal catching the last rays of dying sun—sharp and unforgiving like a blade poised to strike.

I drew in a deep breath, and there it was—Joy. A whisper of clove and smoldering vanilla curled through the air, threading itself around me, sinking into my veins. The scent was intoxicating, rich with heat and temptation. It stirred something primal, something hungry. Not just blood. For her.

She was inside. His prisoner.

But not for long.

Simon and Maximo had dared to cross the vampire, Unseelie, and wolf mafias by lying about having Joy, a serious mistake, a lie that would cost them dearly. All three enforcers were here tonight, and Simon and Maximo would pay.

I was here to make sure it happened.

Fog swirled around me, thick and ethereal, camouflaging me, Lorcan, and Stalker as if nature itself had risen against the auction about to take place. We stood beneath an ancient oaktree draped in Spanish moss that hung like ghostly curtains, providing us an even better hiding place from watchful eyes. The sun was slowly sinking beyond the horizon, its dying light casting long, ominous shadows across the grounds—shadows that seemed to reach toward us like spectral fingers.

Stalker stood beside me in his black wolf form, his yellow eyes gleaming with predatory focus through the mist, muscles coiled tight beneath his midnight fur. I could feel the rumble of his barely contained growl vibrating in the air between us, though no sound escaped him. His ears flicked forward, catching every whisper of movement from the estate.

The auction was set for ten o’clock, but Simon had planned an elaborate dinner for Maximo before the buyers arrived—wealthy monsters in human skin, coming to purchase lives as if they were collector’s items. The bastard planned to sell Joy—a foolish choice. If any of the buyers or even Maximo touched a single hair on her head, they were dead. My blood turned to ice, cold fury crystallizing into determination. This would be the best time to attack, when their guards were lowered by wine and false security, when the girls were still gathered in one place.

I curled my fingers against my palm, feeling power pulse beneath my skin—unfamiliar but somehow mine all the same. Tonight, we would either save Joy or die trying.

Something snapped behind us like a twig. I tensed and gritted my teeth. I recognized a scent of my own blood transformed—Steve. My creation. The fragrance was unmistakable, like looking into a warped mirror. Beneath the cedar and bergamot that had always been uniquely his, I could sense the echo of my own essence flowing through his veins—blood of my blood, death of my death.

The bond between maker and progeny tugged at something primal within me. No matter how far Steve ran or how long wewere apart, I would always be able to find him. This was the covenant of our kind, the chain that could never be broken.

Stalker growled, his ears flattened against his skull, body tensing for an attack. Lorcan unleashed his sword with a metallic hiss, his eyes scanning the darkness.

Steve emerged out of the shadows, his movements fluid and predatory. “You didn’t think you could come here without me, did you?”

I narrowed my eyes, anger flaring inside me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Lorcan frowned, shifting his stance to keep Steve in view. “How did you escape from Court of Thorns? It’s not easy to break through the wards.”

He cracked a smile, the moonlight flashing off his fangs, his confidence unsettling. “I have my ways. I’m getting stronger.”

---