The Bite That Binds (Deep In Your Veins 2)

You don’t get what it would do to me if something happened to you.

I do, because I get just as worried that something will happen to you. So stop with the bloody sulking.

Leaning across the table, I took the hand that Luther offered. “All I need to do is close my eyes and recall the dream?”

“Yes, let it play out in your mind.” So I did. A short moment after he had released my hand, his eyes flew open. “I need a pen and some paper.”

In vampire speed, Sebastian disappeared out of the room, only to return with both.

After scribbling down some numbers, Luther slid the sheet of paper to Jared. “Coordinates. If you teleport there, you will find the building from Sam’s dream.”

Jared folded the sheet of paper and tucked it into his pocket. He then went to stand, but Antonio’s words stayed him.

“There’s something else, Jared.” His tone made it clear that this ‘something else’ wasn’t good.

Jared stiffened. “What?”

Again, Antonio’s expression was sympathetic. “I had no choice but to grant her request. Understand that.” There was disdain in the way he spoke of this woman, and that was seemingly all it took for Jared to know who Antonio was referring to. I felt his surprise quickly give way to anger.

Jared’s words were spoken through clenched teeth. “I don’t want her here.”

Although I had no idea who this woman was, I strangely felt a prick of jealousy. “Who are you talking about?”

“Jared, you must have anticipated that she would want to meet Sam.” Antonio didn’t look pleased about that. “Given who you are, there was no way that she would not hear about the upcoming ceremony.”

“She’s not going anywhere near Sam,” Jared stated firmly. “You contact her, and you tell her that she isn’t to come here.”

Starting to feel a little unsettled, I pressed, “Who is not going anywhere near me?”

“I don’t think she will harm Sam,” said Sebastian reassuringly.

“I don’t care.” Jared set his jaw. “She’s not getting near her.”

That was it. I’d had enough. Sucking the energy around me into my palms, I released an air blast harsh enough to have everyone’s hair rising. “Who the f**k is ‘she’?”

Jared rubbed my nape soothingly, but I wasn’t soothed. “Magda is” – a heavy sigh – “the woman who Turned Evan and me.”

“A woman Turned you?” This time, jealousy bolted through me.

Sensing it, he gently squeezed my nape. Hey, you don’t have to feel even the slightest bit jealous. I f**king hate her.

Maybe that should have made me feel better, but it didn’t. To me, ‘hate’ wasn’t a measure of dislike, it was an emotion. A very strong emotion. To feel such a strong emotion for someone, they had to have affected you in a very deep sense. I had to wonder if she was more than just the woman who Turned him, if she was an ex-partner − maybe even the reason why he was so guarded.

Evan had once told me that Jared had never really liked a woman in more than a physical sense before me, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t. No matter how close you were to a person, there would always be something about them that you didn’t know. There was really no ‘knowing’ anyone. Well, in my experience anyway.

Sebastian sighed, flicking his peppery black hair from his face. “She heard the announcement that the Heir has claimed someone. I think we can safely guess that she has not taken it well, though she says she simply wants to meet the woman you have claimed and to…”

“And to what?” I prodded, though I was pretty sure what the answer would be.

“To be present at your Binding ceremony, as is her right as the vampire who Turned Jared.”

“And it’s such a bad thing that she’s present because…?” No one answered me.

“She won’t be present.” Jared’s nostrils flared. “Fuck her rights.”

“Why do you hate her so much?” He didn’t answer me. So I kicked him under the table. “At least tell me why you’re so determined to keep us apart?”

His eyes were sad. “Because she likes to hurt people who mean something to me.” Again, the shutters went down.

Oh he was a pain in my arse.

Jared stood, sighing. “I guess it’s time we go get the squad. First, I need to call Evan.”

I could guess why: he wanted to warn his brother about Magda. As he went to the corner of the room to take the call, I arched a brow at Antonio. “If he’s not going to tell me anything about this woman, can you at least shine a light on things?”

Antonio shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I would prefer not to involve myself in what may become a domestic argument.”

When I switched my attention to Sebastian and Luther, they both stood so sharply that the table shook and the pen came rolling down to me; I knew they were intending to scarper before I had the chance to question them. Cowards. Huffing at Luther, I handed him the pen. It was as he touched it that he gasped and his entire body tensed. The surprise in his eyes was quickly replaced with worry and unease.

“What?” I demanded, though my voice was shaky. He simply shook his head. “I know you had a vision, and it obviously spooked the hell out of you. What did you see?”

His smile was forced. “Yes, it was a vision, but it did not concern you.”

“Bollocks.” I leaned across the table. “You listen to me, Gandalf. I’m about to walk into what could potentially be a trap. If there’s something to worry about, I want to know what the bloody hell it is.”

“I’m sorry, Sam, but I fear that this is a path you must take.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Jared as he returned to my side.

I pointed at Luther. “It’s him over there doing his ‘riddle me this, riddle me that’.” And right then, I didn’t have the patience for it. “Let’s go before I set his beard on fire.”

Narrowing his eyes at the three Kejas opposite us, Jared linked his fingers with mine. There was a queasy sensation in my stomach, and then we were in the living area of his rather impressive apartment. He pulled me flush against him, locking his arms around me. “I’ll go pack my stuff so we can drop it at your place before we leave. Are you sure I can’t talk you out of going to check out the bungalow?”

“Nope.”