Page 264 of Cruelly Bitten
“How do you plan to neutralize the lycans? And do we know how many are coming?” I asked him, wanting more details on how this weapon of his would operate against this pending attack.
“It’s a funny thing, actually,” he murmured after flicking his fingers together to grab a nearby blood slave’s attention. “During the test phase, I upped the volume to max capacity and left it there for about an hour. The lycan lost his mind. Quite literally.”
He chuckled at the memory, like it was an entertaining moment from his past.
“He had to be put down,” Cane went on. “It seems that messing with supernatural wavelengths, like theErositabond and pack psyche, can cause permanent damage.” He winced then, glancing at me just as the female blood slave arrived. “Like memory loss.”
This time, I let him see some of my anger, just with a singular focused look. “You’re saying you damaged my head like you did the lycan’s. How fortunate that you didn’t have toput me down.”
“I was trying to cure you, brother. They’re very different practices, I assure you. And I used the utmost care when handling your mind.”
“How comforting,” I deadpanned.
He sighed and grabbed the blood slave’s slender arm in a bruising grip, then sank his fangs into the woman’s wrist.
Charming,Ismerelda muttered.
I squeezed her thigh, letting her know I heard her.
The female trembled as my brother continued to drink, his intention clear. “Stay standing,” he told her, compulsion underlining those two words.
If he was trying to elicit a response from me, he’d have to do something a lot worse.
Humans died every day.
To do so cruelly was just part of this world he’d crafted.
The woman’s skin turned ashen as sweat beaded across her brow. I watched with disinterest, giving my brother the attention he craved, while proving to him that I didn’t care.
He’d wanted to cure me of my humanity, and I was letting him believe that he had.
But this had never been abouthumanity. It’d been about Ismerelda. She was my heart. My soul’s anchor. Without her, I’d cease to care about anything at all.
Which meant thecurewas her death.
And I suspected my brother knew that. I’d managed to thwart him by claiming my desire to obtain her memories, but that reason would only last for so long.
Who knew what kind of time limit he’d put on it? A day? An hour? A week?
I couldn’t just sit here and wait to find out.
I also couldn’t simply take Ismerelda with me and flee.
My brother had proved his intentions, his desires, loud and clear. He wanted me to lead alongside him, and if I wouldn’t,he’d find a way to force my hand. Or at least attempt to. Andthatwas the problem.
He had to be stopped.
We can’t go on like this,I thought. His actions against the lycans would reflect on all of vampire kind.
The last thing I wanted was an army of wolves as an enemy.
Because not only would they blame vampires, they’d blameme. Cane was my brother. Myblood. The wolves wouldn’t want to punish just him, but everyone and anyone affiliated with his actions.
That included me.
And through me, Ismerelda.
Unacceptable,I thought, my jaw threatening to clench.Cane has to?—
