Page 169 of Cruelly Bitten
She glanced at me.Humans? Killing vampires?
I dipped my chin in confirmation, then refocused on the conversation flowing around us.
Ryder had just called Emine an assassin in Arabic, something that made Khalid grin. “That, too,” he agreed.
“So you turned her, thus creating a lethal pet,” Ryder translated, sounding amused by the prospect.
However, he seemed to be the only one at the table who was entertained by this development.
Cedric wasn’t surprised, confirming he already knew. Although, Hazel’s eyes radiated astonishment, suggesting Khalid hadn’t shared all of this with her. Which was interesting, considering everything else she appeared to know.
And Cam maintained an air of indifference. He hadn’t once glanced my way, which was decidedly unlike him.
It’s like I don’t even know him,I thought, befuddled by his behavior.What the hell did Lilith do to you?
It had to go deeper than mere memory loss.
Although, I suppose our past is what defines us. Without our history to guide us, we lose ourselves.
But he can regain some of those memories from Izzy, right?Juliet asked.At least the ones they share?
Yes,I thought back to her.Perhaps that’s what has allowed them to remain connected.
And why he was maintaining such a protective position beside her now despite being in a room of allies.
He might be exuding an aura of disinterest, but the way he watched Ismerelda betrayed a very different emotion where she was concerned.
If I were in his shoes, I’d be protective, too. Not just because of her being hisErosita, but also because she was his only link to the last millennium.
“I wasn’t going to risk losing my dragoness to the Blood Day shenanigans,” Khalid murmured, his reply capturing my focus once more.
He seemed to be responding to some question about interfering with Blood Day. Or maybe about why he’d turned Emine—something that was a direct violation of the Blood Alliance rules.
I wasn’t sure who had asked the question or what exactly it was about—I’d been distracted by the slayer reveal—but Khalid’s answer intrigued me.
“As it is,” he continued, “I have a much better use for her in my region.”
“Doing what exactly?” Jace asked, his voice calm despite the fact that he was sitting closest to the supposed vampire slayer.
Of course, Emine seemed far more interested in killing Khalid than engaging with anyone else in the room.
Does she even know how to use her natural gifts?I wondered.Does she still have them now that she’s a vampire?
The latter answer seemed to be ayessince she’d been able to sense bloodlines at the table. But how far did those talents extend?
“She’s leading the revised Vigil training in my territory,” Khalid replied as he turned toward the translucent screen. “Although, we don’t call them Vigils in Khalid Region. We call them Slayers. And their sole purpose is to protect the mortals within my borders from vampires and lycans.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
IZZY
Silence blanketed the room.
Trained slayers protecting humans from vampires and lycans.
But they weren’trealslayers. Not like the ones I knew of—the supernatural humans with abilities to track and kill vampires.
They didn’t normally pursue shifters, but they could. That was what Cam had once told me, anyway.
