Page 11

“I don’t know her name.”

Silence.

Then Daxen throws his head back and howls in laughter.

It’s only sheer force of will that keeps my Beast contained, but the longer his laughter continues, the harder it is to hold back. I’m seriously toying with the idea of shifting when Gavran’s hand lands on the table in front of us with a barked shout that cuts Daxen’s laughter off immediately.

“Enough!”

Gavran glares at Daxen for a solid ten seconds before exhaling a deep breath and turning to me.

“I believe that you believe your Mate is here,” he says. “And I have no intention of keeping her from you, but I need your cooperation. This situation isn’t exactly… normal.”

His words make sense, but the Bond in my chest doesn’t care about sense. I keep picturing the silhouette I saw in the window. It was impossible, even with that brief glimpse, to ignore how delicate she seemed. The whole situation feels… wrong. Why’s she in the attic? Why is she here at all? Is she a vampire? Staff? What’s her connection to the abandoned estate, and why was she in that basement?

The questions never end… and I can’t ignore the sense that something’s not quite right here.

I need to do what I have to do to get to her… whatever it takes.

“Start at the beginning,” Gavran suggests.

So I do.

I tell them about our Pack’s missing Omega. About searching day and night. About finding the estate thirty miles south of here. I tell them about the basement. The cells. The scent of silver and vampires and Severed.

And then I tell them about the moment my Beast caught her Omega perfume and the Bond that appeared. I even tell them about the trail that led me to the Bloodbound Estate, as fucking unbelievable as it sounds.

When I’m finished, no one speaks. The vampires exchange a long, heavy look that makes me think at least some of what I told them registered.

Then Daxen speaks.

“I was in that basement. In the same cells. I was there when everyone in that house was taken out. I didn’t smell an Omega.”

Is this asshole really insinuating that I’m lying?

“Perhaps you missed the part where I said my Beast scented her,” I snarl. “In human form, I wouldn’t have picked up on the scent at all—probably not even the day after she was there. It was faint. Hidden under thick layers of pain, rage, and fear. But for my Beast, it was enough. Enough for the Bond to snap into place.”

I know exactly what the next look Daxen and Gavran share means.

They know who she is.

Before I can demand answers, Gavran reaches into his pocket and slides out a phone, swiping a few times and raising it to his ear.

“Bring Idril to the downstairs Drawing Room in the East Wing off the small library.” He issues the Command and hangs up, not waiting for a reply.

My heart stops.

Idril.

When I hear my Mate’s name, something inside me slots into place; it’s… beautiful, like something from a story. I repeat it over and over in my head, like doing so will keep anyone from taking her from me.

“We have her on suppressants.”

Daxen’s tone is flat, and I narrow my eyes at him in a furious glare.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve already scented her. She only needs to scent me for the Bond to snap into place.”

Why the fuck are they making her hide her scent?