Page 2 of A Trial By Blood

“You dare speak to me like that?”

“I’m sure you’re more powerful than me, a lot more, but not as powerful as you pretend to be. How much did the angels take from you when they threw you from Heaven?”

Sir’s eyes flared.

I frowned, looking between Luna and Sir. “Is it true? Are you an angel fallen?”

“No,” he bit out. “The knights have done something to her mind. She’s confused.”

“You’ve seen the scars, Ronan, just like I have. He had wings once, but they tore them from his back,” Luna said.

The small cross necklace Luna wore glinted under the light. It had been our mother’s. A memory flashed through my mind. The last time I’d seen our mother wear it, it had been covered in blood. Luna had opened the floodgates with everything she’d been telling me, and the memories kept coming, like they’d been locked in a strong box, and all this time, my sister had held the key.

The sound of Luna screaming for her assaulted me once more. A vision of Azel carrying her away, gripping my hand, and pulling me after him. I’d turned back before we walked through the door.

Our mother lay on the floor. He’d removed her head. Her body in a pool of her own blood.

I’d called for her, crying and fighting. I remembered that now.

Luna said when a dhampir was taken from their human mother too early, their bond was broken, and they lost the ability to feel. Luna’s emotions had returned. She’d said it was because she’d found her mate.

I didn’t know for sure if that was true, but I’d felt emotions too once, before Azel had taken us; I knew that now to be true.

I turned to Azel. His face was red, the expression one I recognized as anger. He was about to hurt my sister.

Sir threw up a hand, firing his power at her.

Luna braced for the hit—

I threw up a block in front of her. Sir’s power didn’t reach her, didn’t even brush past her.

He spun to me. “What the fuck are you doing?”

I stepped away from him. He’d controlled me since I was a child, and I hadn’t considered there might be another way because he made sure I believed the things he’d said. But he’d lied about so many things. “You’re a fallen angel.”

Sir said nothing, his anger growing. I could tell by the look in his eyes.

“You lied,” I said. “Our mother. You killed her.”

Sir’s jaw worked. “It was necessary.”

Power vibrated through me, my protective block thickening and growing until it was so dense Sir had no hope of breaking through.

Hurting Luna was wrong. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want him to hurt her. “Go. Take Spencer and the other demi with you,” I said to her. We were holding another of the knight’s people here. He’d been loyal to my sister. He should be released as well.

“No,” Sir roared, again trying to use his powers and failing.

I shook as I fought against his power. I was stronger, but I hadn’t fed for long enough. Sir always left me hungry, never fully satisfied. I couldn’t hold him off indefinitely.

“Go,” I said to Luna again.

She hesitated. “Come with us.”

I shook my head as Spencer grabbed her hand and tugged her from the room. I used my powers to shut the door behind them and lock it.

“Don’t do this, Ronan,” Sir roared.

I shook harder as Sir’s powers relentlessly hammered into mine, but I had to wait until Luna was passed the block I’d created over this building, until I felt her lift her own shield, hiding herself from Sir.