Blood Ties Bundle: Blood Ties Book One: The Turning / Blood Ties Book Two: Possession / Blood Ties Book Three: Ashes to Ashes / Blood Ties Book Four: All Souls' Night. Jennifer Armintrout
I hoped he did.
Nodding grimly, he wiped his hands on his apron. “Them, and a few others he’ll lure in from out of town. Can’t get them all from around here or it’ll look suspicious.”
I shook my head. I wish Nathan would get his ass back here.
Every night, I’d faithfully checked for Nathan at the gate under the guise of walking the perimeter of the lawn. If I were still human, I would have considered the long distance as good cardio exercise. Now my only concern about my heart was whether someone would suddenly give it the Big Splinter. But Nathan hadn’t returned, and as the time of the New Year drew nearer and nearer, my nerves were pulled tighter and tighter.
“Don’t you worry about our boy,” Clarence drawled lazily. “He got himself in good with the Master. He ain’t on the menu.”
He pushed a sheet of paper across the island and I snatched it up.
It was a list of names. Nearly every one of Cyrus’s pets were on it, except two. “Ziggy and Dahlia are going to be spared?”
“Guess it’s not so bad hangin’ with the boss after all,” Ziggy said as he slipped a brick of cheese into the pocket of his baggy black jeans.
I relished the thought of Dahlia being selected for the Soul Eater’s consumption. But I guess she wasn’t much of a “pure soul.”
Two guards entered and I stepped away from Ziggy. “Excuse us, Doctor,” one of the thugs said curtly. He turned to Ziggy. “The Master would like to see you.”
“Duty calls,” he said with an apologetic smile. “Hey, we gotta stop by my room on the way ’cause I’ve got a book C wants to borrow,” he told the guards as they led him away.
C? I pulled one of the stools from the island and plopped myself down.
Clarence had gone quietly to work on the block of ice with a chisel and hammer, but he chuckled at my spite. “You still gonna help rescue him, even though he stole your man?”
“He did not steal my man.” I made an appalled face, hoping it would fool the old man. But I knew it wouldn’t. “I just don’t understand why Ziggy would have such an interest, after what Cyrus did to him.”
“The Master is a good one for winning somebody back after he’s wronged them. Look at you. He wrecked your life, and you still came back to him.” He turned the ice and started chipping away on the other side.
“That’s different. There’s a blood tie. You wouldn’t understand because you’re not a vampire. But it really makes a difference.”
Clarence bobbed his head up and down in agreement. “You’re right, I don’t know about blood ties. But I do know you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to be. You’re not that type. If you’ve got to tell yourself it’s some magical thing keeping you at his side through all his bullshit, I’m not the one to argue with you.”
His words cut me to the core. He was right. Yes, there was a blood tie, but that wasn’t why I was here. Sure I’d made a promise to return to Cyrus in exchange for Nathan’s life, but why hadn’t I called the Movement, or even asked Ziggy for help? I’d been Persephone, eating the pomegranate seeds with delight and blaming it all on big, bad Hades. I knew what I was doing when I’d committed myself to this Underworld. I’d resigned myself to accept my plight, and now I wanted to explore the life Cyrus had offered me, but I feared his interest in Ziggy might do something to usurp my place.
It sucks when your little palace o’ denial comes tumbling down.
The next night, Nathan waited at the gate.
“How’s Ziggy?” he asked as soon as I was near enough to hear him.
“He’s fine. Hello to you, too.” I stamped my feet, trying to get some feeling back in them. It had snowed during the day, and the depth of the stuff almost kept me inside.
Nathan’s hands were nearly blue where his gloveless fingers gripped the iron of the gate. “Is he on the list?”
“No.” I thought relief would register on his face.
Instead, it twisted with horror. “Tell me he’s not—”
“A guest of honor. I just don’t know which one.” I looked at my feet. “I know how you were turned.”
A muscle in his shadowed jaw twitched. “He told you?”
“I saw it.” I don’t know why I felt the compulsion to tell him how, but I did. “I drank his blood…from him. And I saw it.”
Nathan was repulsed, but I knew he was scared more than he was disgusted. Maybe he was afraid I wouldn’t help him. Or that I’d throw Ziggy to the wolves.
He cleared his throat. “That’s all in the past. I just don’t want it to happen to Ziggy. Who’s the other one?”
“Dahlia.”
“Dahlia and Ziggy, and they need to pick the one with a pure soul? Oh, that’s going to be a tough call.” Nathan looked away, but not before I saw the suffering in his eyes. “Are the Fangs staying for the party?”
“They were supposed to leave a week ago. I think they’re hanging around so Cyrus will have to invite them to the party. What’s going to happen?”
“He’ll probably invite them to the party.”
I glared at him. “You know what I meant. When you and your little friends show up. What’s going to happen?”
“We’ll bust in, I’ll grab Ziggy, and they’ll kill all the vampires.”
His pointed gaze added including you.
My heart constricted painfully in my chest. Did he really hold such a grudge? I’d thought we’d built a friendship of sorts.
That was before you left.
I cleared my throat. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It will be.” Still, he offered no assurance of my safety.
“Would it be easier to just sneak him out before the party? I could go get him. We could just boost him over the fence right now.”
“That has crossed my mind,” Nathan replied bitterly. “But I’m not allowed to do anything that might compromise the integrity of the mission. Movement orders. They think Cyrus would step up security if the compound was breached this close to the event.”
“Compound? You make it sound like I’m in some weird religious cult.”
That at least brought a half smile to his mouth, but it died quickly. “I’ve been playing host to a couple of full-time Movement guys. The terminology starts to creep in after a while.”
“Is that why you haven’t been showing up?” I sounded jealous, like a spoiled child whose playmate has made friends with the neighbor kids. It just crept into my voice on its own.
Nathan didn’t appreciate it. “I’m sorry, but you’re not a priority for me anymore.”
Anymore. That stung. Not because his feelings for me were gone, but that he’d confirmed he’d had some in the first place.
It was much easier to be angry with him than regretful over our lost friendship. “So you’re going to march in here on the night of the party and kill me, then?”
He shook his head. “Not me. I’m going to find Ziggy and get him out. But watch out for the other guys. We’ve been ordered to kill any non-Movement vampires on the premises.”
“You’re not going to tell them about me?” I hated the fear in my voice. “I took care of Ziggy, that has to be worth something.”
“It was worth the advance warning I gave you,” he snarled. “You put yourself on the losing team, Carrie.