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“He knows on both counts, and he’ll be here in about twenty minutes. He might take Marius back with him, but something tells me he won’t be anxious to leave Zoey. I think she might have fed him, as weak as she was. She has recent, unhealed puncture marks in her throat.”
“What does that mean?” Claire asked.
“When the holes don’t close up, death is near. Don’t worry, we got her in time.”
He watched her swallow hard and nod several times in a row.
“Oh, and one more thing, Lucian. Gabriel said he thinks you should join Adrien in the Amazon system. Catch your breath and we’ll all figure out what to do about Marius and Zoey, okay?”
Lucian met Claire’s warm brown eyes once more. How does that sound? Could you handle going underground for a while? With me?
I don’t want to be anywhere else right now.
This time, before he kissed Claire again, he ended the call then turned his phone off.
* * *
“What happened to your hair?” Josh asked the obvious question and it was such a young-boy thing to do that Claire ran to him and picked him up in her arms. Despite how big he was, she swung him in a circle. Siphoning Lucian’s power had a lot of advantages.
So much had happened in such a short space of time that it was hard to remember she hadn’t been separated from him for very long at all, just a few days.
He’d reached that age, however, and pushed her away, his cheeks reddening. “Stop it, Auntie Claire.” But he grinned, and his eyes shone. “I want you to meet my mom.”
Claire turned toward Lily, and a stream of understanding and affection flowed between the women. They were family now, bonded to brothers.
An embrace followed, and Claire’s shoulder grew damp really fast. “Thank you for taking care of him,” Lily whispered. “Thank you, Claire, from the bottom of my heart. I owe you so much. I can never repay the blessing that you were in Josh’s life while we were separated.”
Claire drew back, her own emotions threatening to stampede her, but she didn’t exactly think it would help Josh if the two women in the room dissolved into tears.
The Amazon cavern system, though deep underground, had the most humidity of any of the caves Claire had been in. But a breeze blew through, so that the large living area, decorated in bright colors like Lucian’s Uruguay cave, was very comfortable.
Lucian and Adrien were deep in conversation, each wearing a scowl and standing with his arms crossed over his chest. They would have a lot to discuss, maybe even plans to make where Marius was concerned—or more important Daniel.
Claire kept her attention fixed on Josh and Lily. She wanted to hear their stories, especially what had happened to Josh after she left the Florida compound. Josh related being taken by Daniel and gave a brief description of what had to have been horrifying events at the Pit, that place of execution where Lily and Josh, as well as Adrien, had almost lost their lives.
“You should have seen Adrien.” Josh’s eyes were wide, his voice hushed. “He looked like something out of a movie.”
Lily explained, “He fully embraced his Ancestral power in that moment and saved both of us because of it.” Her large hazel eyes glowed with affection as she slipped her arm around Josh, then glanced at Adrien. Love lived there now, in this newly created family. “I still can’t believe it was only a few days ago. I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime.”
Claire understood exactly what Lily meant. “Same here.”
“So what happened when you left the compound?” Lily asked.
But Claire glanced at Josh. There was no way she would launch into a description of everything that had happened, not in front of a child and especially not Josh, who had suffered enough.
Lily picked up on the cue and told Josh he could play video games for half an hour, if he wanted to.
Claire had never seen a boy leap so fast off a couch, but he came to a screeching halt at the doorway. “Claire?”
She turned to look at him, her eyes once more wet. “Yes?”
“You’ll still be here, right?”
Claire glanced at Lucian then back at Josh. “Absolutely.”
“Good. Adrien bought me a new game. You’re gonna love it. Wanna play now?”
“Maybe in a little bit.”
“Okay.” Then he was gone.
Claire met Lily’s gaze once more, and as before understanding passed between them. She suspected Lily’s journey had been similar to her own, since they’d each bound a powerful vampire to them with blood-chains.
When Lily asked Claire if she’d like to sit down and share a glass of wine, Claire agreed readily. It seemed so normal a thing to accept a glass from Lily—like talking the day’s events over with a girlfriend. In this case, however, events had to do with the monster that was Daniel and the hell he’d put all of them through.
Claire outlined all that had happened, and Lily did the same.
When each fell silent, enough of their histories shared for now, Claire turned to Lucian and Adrien. They still stood together, still scowling.
“Lucian does that a lot. The line between the brows, I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
“But he laughs more now.” Claire smiled, glancing at Lily once more. “I can at least do that for him.”
Lily reached over and took hold of her hand, squeezing gently. “I’m glad you made it and I’m so glad you stayed.” She spoke quietly. “These men, what they’ve been through…”
“And they’re so deserving.”
“Yes, they are.”
“What’s going on?” Lucian called out.
Claire set her wineglass down and rose to her feet. On impulse—maybe because she was so grateful to be here, to be alive, to be with him—she crossed to him and put her arm around his waist. He held her against him, his expression somber.
The chains at her neck vibrated heavily and she felt a tremor pass through him. He still wasn’t past his blood-madness, but he was holding steady. “We’re just sharing, that’s all.”
“Oh, that’s all.” His lips curved a little, then he kissed her forehead.
She glanced at Adrien. “Please tell me you’re not laying plans to go after Daniel.”
But Lucian’s chain vibrated and carried an edge of rage, something Claire also recognized. “Can’t be helped,” Lucian said. “With Marius free, we have to do something and we know our brother will go after him.”
