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I nodded, taking a deep breath, putting my fear aside as best I could for Reid. Clearly, Colt knew something I didn’t, and I needed to trust that he knew what was best for Reid and whatever was going on here.

Colt wouldn’t lead us here unless he was desperate, or out of options. That thought did nothing to calm my nerves. Damp air clung to my lungs as I descended the staircase, a brittle cold sinking into my bones. At the bottom of the landing, I wrapped my coat tighter around my neck, worried for Reid. He was in a bad way, barely coherent, and wearing nothing but jeans. Concrete walls lined the underground tunnel we stepped into, lit by the odd lantern secured every few meters.

We silently fell into line behind Callan, until he stopped suddenly. Fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a key. Long and antique-style, it unlocked another door, opening into a small cell.

Oh, shit.

Colt lowered Reid to the ground, and it played out in front of me like a buffering Wifi connection–distorted and slow. Attached to the wall were two chains, and my mouth fell open at the sight of the cuffs attached to the ends. I smothered a cry, watching in disbelief as Colt cuffed Reid’s hands to them.

Reid jerked against the chains.

“Is that really necessary? He’s no harm to anyone. Gods, he looks like he’s dying.” This all felt so wrong. I didn’t understand why Colt felt the need to apprehend him this way.

Colt kneeled beside Reid, eyeing him with concern. “He is dying,” he said grimly.

I frowned. “What?”

“Stop,” mumbled Reid, his eyes lifted, brow glistening. “Don’t tell her,” he rasped. His gaze finally moved to me. “Leave.”

“Dying.” I repeated, like my tongue wouldn’t accept the word. “No.” I shook my head, refusing to believe him. I turned my attention back to Colt. “It must be poison. If we can figure out what he’s taken, he’ll be okay. All we need is the antidote.”

Colt’s hands gripped his hips. He didn’t look at me. I felt his energy shift suddenly, like he’d been running on adrenaline and it had suddenly worn off. “There is no antidote for this.”

“I’ll make another tonic,” I argued, mentally considering every combination that could possibly create an alternative.

Colt finally turned to me. “Scar…”

I threw a hand in the air. “What about the roots. There must be something.”

“Scar.” His face said everything he didn’t need to. “He was bitten.”

“Bitten?”

“It’s true. I’ve spent years keeping him alive.”

I shook my head. “What? No, that’s absurd. He has no bite marks on him. No blood at all.” My eyes drew back to Reid’s body in chains, and, suddenly, my thoughts registered to the fact he had asked for this. For chains. None of this made sense.

“Bitten by what?” Tyler’s voice came out cautiously as he moved to stand beside me.

Colt gestured back to me. “A month after I introduced you to him, he —”

“I bit him.”

My gaze flew to Callan, and the ugly aftertaste of his admission lingered on my tongue. I shook my head, screwing up my nose. “You bit him?”

Tyler steeled himself beside me, cursing under his breath.

“I had a moment,” he offered, as if merely reading the appetizers off a menu. His perfect-as-shit posture straightened even further as he smoothed over his suit jacket this time.

“Excuse me, what?” I exclaimed. I studied Colt’s face, searching it for any clue that this was a joke. “This can’t be true.” I shook my head, dismissing such a wild accusation, but as I spoke, dread filled the pit of my stomach. “I don’t understand. I would know.”

When Colt didn’t offer a response, it finally sank in. I instinctively lunged at Callan, my hands striking his chest hard. “You had a moment?” I leered at the vampire in front of me, all pretty cheekbones and perfectly styled hair. Fuck him and his expensive suit. Fury boiled inside of me, and I let him have it. “Biting someone is not having a fucking moment, you disgusting piece of shit!”

He held his hands in the air, his frozen gaze locking onto mine. “Calm your racing heart, darling, or I may have another.” His eyes darted to my neck, making me fully aware of the current hammering of my pulse.

“Fuck you,” I spat, not willing to break first.

“Scar.” Tyler’s hand gripped my shoulder.