Page 157 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

His mind sharpened. He needed a plan. He pulled at the iron shackles restraining him against the wall. Bindings like these had once been easy to rip apart when Lily’s blood coursed through his veins. Not now. Not in his weakened state⁠—

A staccato of footsteps sounded on the stairs.

“Ah. You’re awake.” He flinched. There was a time when that voice had brought him joy. Now it brought only anger, betrayal, and even a little fear. His heart began to strain, his body weakening further as Lio entered the room.

Laurent’s eyes homed in on the source.

A red ruby glinted in the dim light. It was set into a bronze casing, strung on a chain around Lio’s neck. With each step closer, his blood began to slow, making his movements sluggish. The Blood Ruby. This was how it weakened its victims. Left them helpless and vulnerable.

It’s how Lio had overpowered him. Even with Lily’s amplifier blood flowing through his veins, the ruby had been superior. The thought frightened him when it shouldn’t have. He’d thought that with her blood, he’d be unstoppable. He was wrong—another grave miscalculation.

Lio had used the weakness to drain him of blood, stealing everything Lily had given him and more. He’d fallen unconscious, only to wake strung up in chains. There’d be little hope of escape as long as Lio kept him weak.

“This is madness, Lio,” he rasped.

“Deukalion,” Lio corrected. “I don’t go by that name anymore.”

“This is madness, Deukalion,” he repeated. “Free me. I am your sire.”

“You think your commands mean something to me, sire?” Lio sneered. “I have no intention of freeing you. Not even if you beg, though I am sure you will be soon enough. I shall enjoy that.”

His heart gave a painful tug. He’d never loved any of his children the way a father should, though Lio and Zola had come closest to earning that devotion. He’d always been fond of them. Seeing Lio like this… He couldn’t deny that it hurt more than he cared to admit. Possibly made worse by the way Lily had changed him. “Why are you doing this?”

“Should have thought that was obvious.”

“Revenge? Are you truly so angered by my decision that you would destroy your entire family.”

“They aren’t my family. You aren’t my family.” Lio scoffed, throwing a glance in Marco’s direction. His boyish face, once so lively, turned ugly. Lio had been a light unto their family. That light was gone.

“So you have forsaken us, just like that? All because you didn’t agree with Marco’s position.”

“It should have been me,” Lio hissed, his expression fracturing. “I was your pride and joy. You moved across the world for me. I thought—“ He schooled his features. “Never mind. None of that matters now.”

“No, you’re right. What matters is that you are murdering my family.” He didn’t bother hiding the anger seeping into his tone. “That’s your intention, then? Eliminate us as repayment for my decision? It hardly seems like an eye for an eye.”

Lio tutted. “My intention? I haven’t decided yet—maybe it was. Your new little pet changed things.”

Laurent stiffened.

“She’s so very lovely. I admit, you had us all fooled. Thinking you were saving her for the right moment, when you’ve been feeding on her repeatedly. I had such fun sifting through your memories when I fed from you earlier.”

A surge of fear turned his stomach rock hard.

“I especially enjoyed watching you please her, learning all the things she likes, all the ways to make her moan. Those little sounds she makes right before she comes? I committed them to memory so that when I take her, I’ll make her just as happy, if not happier than you ever did.”

He snarled, lunging forward. The burst of strength was short lived. His proximity to the ruby and the length of his iron chains made his movements nothing more than a weak attempt. “Touch her and you die.”

Pain exploded across his face as Lio backhanded him. “Pathetic,” his spawn hissed. Laurent sagged, letting the irons support him. Slowly, he found his feet again, then backed against the wall.

How could he go from caring for someone to hating them so deeply?

“I’ve been wondering,” Lio casually said, as if he hadn’t just shown an outburst of violence. “What is it that she has that I don’t? Why is it that after all our time together, you never loved me? It’s been mere months since you found her and you’re smitten. Is it what’s between her legs? Her blood?” When Laurent remained silent, he roared, “Tell me!”

Lio’s hand wrapped around Laurent’s neck, squeezing. Their faces were so close that he could see the rage dancing in Lio’s eyes. And something else. Something that had always been there, that he’d ignored even when he’d given Lio the gift of immortality. A desperate longing. Lio hissed, then released him with a shove, backing away.

Laurent’s heart began to beat again, the rhythm slow as the distance between him and the ruby grew.

“It’s no matter,” Lio decided. “I’ll continue to drain you until I find the answer. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll observe the two of you together when she arrives.” Laurent’s blood turned to ice. Lio noticed his expression and a chilling smile split his lips. “She will come to me. I’ve made sure of it. I offered your family a trade, you see. Lily, for you. They would be stupid to refuse.”