Page 79 of Trapped for Her Blood
“Used to be.” He moves silently alongside me, not what I’d expect from such a large creature. And he’s clearly alert, listening for anyone who might overhear us.
“Does your bestial nature amplify your hearing beyond that of a normal vampire?” I ask.
“Bestial?” He glares at me.
“I mean no offense.”
“None taken,bloodsucker.” He shakes his head. “To answer your question, I have no fucking idea. Don’t know much about vampire hearing,normalor not.”
“I take it your Maker did not provide you with an adequate education?”
He makes a sound that could almost be called a laugh. “Education? Witch didn’t even tell me what she’d done.”
I find it unlikely that Octavia was this bear man’s Maker, but even if she was, she would not have required magic to do so. And while I do not fully comprehend magic—witches keep those secrets carefully guarded—magic seems an unlikely explanation for how Octavia gained her unusual powers so young.
“Are you certain that the CEO used the power of witches?” I ask.
“You tell me.” His eyes narrow. “Can vampires make someone move against their will? Do things they do not want to do? Will them to lock themselves in cages?” The hatred in his eyes is palpable.
“I know of no vampire who can.” Although when I was in the Royal library in Romania, I read of such powers amongst the Ancients.
Octavia certainly never exerted such control over me. And clearly she could not force Ryker to become her mate. Perhaps Axe is mistaken. Or perhaps her magic, if she has any, only works on some?
I make a mental note to explore further this area at a later time. However unlikely, it is fascinating.
“Why were you returned to this place?” Axel asks with suspicion in his voice.
“It is my hypothesis that everyone in this dungeon has done something to displease Octavia.”
“That’s not an answer.” His voice is so deep I feel it vibrating around me.
“I was returned because I was trying to shield Ember from the CEO.”
He growls. “It’s your fault she’s down here.”
My chest tightens. “I suppose that it is, but…” I shake my head. “The events that led to Ember’s capture were entirely motivated by my desire to protect her. I would give my life to keep her safe. Octaviacannotfind her. Not ever.”
“Damn straight,” the bear says. “If she knew…” He growls. “Can her blood really let a vampire…” He glances around and I am grateful that he has the intelligence to know he should not finish the sentence.
I nod. “Yes. I believe it is true.”
The circle of people who know about Ember has widened, increasing her danger of exposure, making it all the more imperative that I keep this shifter on our side so he is not tempted to use the information he knows as leverage.
“Thank you for helping Ember,” I say. “For hiding her and protecting her when I could not.”
“Believe me, it was my pleasure.” He looks down to the ground beneath our feet. “She is very…special.”
“That she is,” I reply. “That is why we must shelter her fromeveryonedown here. If other vampires found out—”
“That’s fucking obvious.” He glares at me. “That’s not what I meant by special.”
“Then what?”
“He shakes his head slowly. “Ember’s changed me. Awoken something. Something I thought was dead.”
“For me too.” My chest tightens with the shock that I have shared this intimate detail with a man I have only just met. And that we have something so profound in common. This hybrid clearly feels tenderly toward the same woman who has awoken feelings in me.
“You…” the bear raises his head “…you say you want to protect her. Do you havefeelingsfor her?”
