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I hurried through the hallways, navigating the paths I’d made sure to memorize—
“You didn’t honestly think we’d allow you do this alone, did you?” Olivia’s voice was part laughter, part threat as she appeared before me just as I’d made it to the residence’s back exit.
“No,” I said, shaking my head as Avianna appeared at her side. I immediately cast a glance around for Hawke—the terrifying vampire was never far from the princess.
“Lyric is distracting them,” Avianna answered my unvoiced question.
“Quite like you did with Lachlan,” Olivia said, smirking just a tad. “If his hollering is any indication.”
She could still hear him screaming? I clenched my eyes shut, pain lancing through my chest.
“I have to do this alone. I can’t risk—”
“We don’t really have time for the morality speech,” Olivia cut me off. “Lyric can only distract them for so long. I studied Ransom’s intel. I can wend us there. I’m faster than anyone in the Order. With your inside knowledge of the facility, and my speed? We can get Daphne out before anyone even sees us.”
I swallowed hard, knowing she spoke the truth. “But Avi…you’re royalty—”
“And I have been for centuries,” she cut me off. “I’m not without some powers of my own. I’m going with you.”
My heart swelled in my chest—these two females had taken me in immediately and now were prepared to face my biggest battle by my side. I tipped my chin up, glaring at them both. “If either of you get killed, I’ll never forgive you.”
Olivia snorted. “Speak for yourself, human,” she teased. “Think about what Lachlan will do if we bring you back with even a scratch.”
I shivered at the thought, but slipped my hand into Olivia’s outstretched one.
And as the cold ether of the in between snaked across my skin, I didn’t bother voicing the thought in my head.
That a scratch would be the least of our problems—not when my brother was out for buckets of blood.
My blood.
17
Lachlan
This was not fucking happening.
Except, it was.
Valor had used my hunger, my lust, my weakness for her to her tactical advantage. If I hadn’t been chained to my own bed with iron shackles, I might have been proud of her. Instead, I was fucking livid.
She loved me? Fine way to show it.
Wouldn’t you have done the same?
Sure, if I’d thought of it first. I should have locked her up and thrown away the damned key to get through tonight. Instead, I’d made love with her like it might have been the last time and let myself get utterly, thoroughly distracted by my mate.
The mate I couldn’t even feel.
Iron was a bitch. It blocked the bond. Blocked my powers. Drained my strength. Turned me into a useless lump of vampire flesh…and she’d known that.
“Fuck!” I shouted again, using what strength I had left to pull at the chains.
They didn’t budge. Any other metal, and I would have torn through the bedframe, pulverized it, but not iron. I was stuck here, growing weaker by the second. How long had Valor been gone? Seconds? Hours? My brain fogged over.
The Order would be waiting, the trainees and soldiers mobilized, strapping up before we met at the rendezvous point to join with Xavier’s forces. And where was their leader? Strapped to his bed.
“Can anyone hear me?” I bellowed. For the first time since the construction of the Residence, I cursed at the nearly soundproof walls. Oh, it was a great feature when I was deep inside Valor, fucking her so hard her screams of pleasure came with every thrust, but not so much in this scenario.
“Anyone?” I tried again, pulling on the chains, but this time they barely moved. We only kept iron to subdue a vampire in bloodlust, or one driven mad by Night Thistle. In both those cases, our supernatural strength required it, but I didn’t have either of those conditions to help me here.
“Fuck me—”
My phone dinged somewhere to my left. It was still in my jacket pocket from when I’d stripped out of my leathers. That stupid, automated program went off all of the…
That’s it.
“Hey, Siri,” I called out.
“Yes, Locklend—” the phone replied.
“Call Benedict on speaker,” I said as clearly as possible, hoping my accent wouldn’t throw the bot off. That male had held secrets for centuries.
“Calling Benedict.”
“Oh thank fuck,” I muttered as it rang.
“Where the hell are you? We’ve already broken our fast and—” His voice came through muffled.
“Come to my room. Now. Just you. Emergency break the lock. Now,” I growled.
“Oh shit,” he replied, and I heard the pounding sounds of his footsteps through the speakerphone. “Nothing! I’ll be right back!”
I sagged against the pillow, knowing that the harder I fought, the faster the iron would drain my strength. All I could do now was wait for Benedict to break through. I grimaced as I glanced down my body. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time the male had seen me naked.
