Page 88 of Entombed By Blood
Gideon’s head falls back against the wall, and Draven bursts out laughing while the rest of us can only stare in astonishment.
Finn recovers first. “You’re not serious?”
Evie nods. “There’s every chance she’ll tell you just to annoy our sire. Of course, there’s an equal chance she’ll kill whoever it is on sight, so I suppose it’ll have to be me.”
“No fucking way,” I object. “You’re not recovered yet.”
Even if the plan wasn’t crazy, she’s in no condition to go toe to toe with her sisters right now. She’s barely adjusted to the modern world, still recovering from decades of silver exposure and Cain’s mind games. Evie needs space, time to come to terms with what’s happened to her. Hell, if anyone deserves some R&R on a tropical island, it’s her.
She shrugs. “Morwen and I have never really been enemies. I believe she’ll be open to bargaining with me, at the very least.”
“Doll, you really do have no sense of self-preservation,” Draven purrs. “You just said this woman hates everything to do with your sire—who makes no secret of the fact that you’re his favourite—and you think she’snotgoing to kill you?”
Chapter Thirty
Evelyn
They think I’m mad.I can see it in their eyes. All of them think my plan is stupid, and perhaps it sounds that way.
But even after centuries apart, I know how my family thinks. That’s the thing about old vampires: over the centuries, we become set in our ways. Change is almost impossible for us, unless a major event—like being shut in a coffin—triggers it.
Morwen and I respected each other before I was locked away. We kept out of each other’s space, except in the cases where we were called to work together. On those occasions, I learned two very important things about my crazed sister.
First, she delights in doing the unexpected. And second, she can’t resist pissing our sire off. It’s a compulsion for her.
Keeping a resistance prisoner for herself rather than handing him over is exactly the sort of thing she’d do. Letting Vane run free to catch him again is exactly the kind of game she’ll be interested in playing if I suggest it. Once he’s loose, the pack will be able to extract him.
Cain believes I’m working as his agent to take down the resistance from the inside, and it won’t be hard to play that angle with Morwen. Figuring out how to bring up Samuel is going to be the hard part…
“That plan sucks,” Finn mutters apologetically. “Sorry, Evie sweetheart, but it does. We can check out the lycan compound and see if shehastaken him there, but there is no way anyone in this room is going to let you stroll in and politely ask your psycho sister about our only lead on the off chance she feels like pissing off your sire.”
“Exactly.” Despite Gideon’s angry outburst earlier, he’s quickly recovered his cool. The alpha shifts against the wall when he realises he’s become the focus of my attention, but he doesn’t meet my eyes. His stoic expression doesn’t change as he does his best to pretend I don’t exist.
I’m not fooled. Underneath that careful, blank mask is a whole lot of piping hot rage and a feral need to protect his people. I felt it when he threw me across the room.
Frost, however, is his mirror opposite. Where Gideon is practically a statue carved from granite, Frost starts pacing, running his hands through his hair, pinching the back of his neck as he walks. It’s like he can’t stop moving.
“It’s worth a shot,” he finally says, giving me a hopeful glance.
Oh great,I sigh mentally. Just what every woman wants; to be validated by a male because he hopes it will get him back into her bed.
“You’re only saying that because you’re grovelling,” Gideon echoes my thoughts with eerie accuracy.
“We worked so hard to free her because she knows her family,” Frost says.
“Knew,” Gideon retorts. “Sheknewthem, two hundred years ago.”
I shouldn’t have said anything, I realise, as I deflate against Draven.
Why did I even bother when I’m planning on running, anyway? Vane’s fate shouldn’t bother me. I should be focusing on freeing my sister and getting as far away as I can. Not trying to help this rag-tag pack of males on their suicide mission.
But… I do kind of owe Vane. The big, quiet male stopped me from staking myself that first night. It wouldn’t have killed me—he was right about that—but it would have hurt. The honourable thing to do would be to help free him. But then, he already has a pack coming for him, which is more than anyone can say for Immy.
If I don’t rescue my sister, no one else will. Every second I waste is another moment of agony I need to atone for.
I chew at my lip as I debate with myself, only to have my thoughts disrupted by a growl of frustration from Frost. The noise makes me aware that I’ve accidentally tuned out the argument between Frost and Gideon, and it seems like everyone else has too. Finn and Silas are snuggled on the sofa, watching it unfold without saying anything. They look so comfortable that I silently wonder if they’d let me join them. If I can convince Draven to release me, that is.
I give an experimental tug against the arms around me, and they tighten in response.
