Page 13

I stepped forward on instinct, panic ripping through me. “Stop.”

To my surprise, they did. All of them froze, and Zan let go of the Shadow, shoving him away. Shock flared in his eyes as he looked at me. He stormed toward me, not stopping when the blonde stepped forward. I grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

“Leave him alone,” I ordered loudly.

“You belong here,” the blonde said stiffly, glancing at me. “Not him.”

I frowned. “He’s a Shadow.”

“A Kane,” she spat out. “He’s different.”

“Let’s go,” Amaros commanded, losing patience. “Now.”

Zan was finally next to me, and I didn’t fight when he gripped my hand, interlocking our fingers. The Shadows were all looking at us, their stares not bothering me like they should. Warmth and safety surrounded me here. Somehow, I knew they wouldn’t hurt me.

“I’ll be back,” I promised, looking at the blonde Shadow.

She didn’t respond, her glare pointed at Zan. We began to walk toward the exit, and they all backed up, letting us pass. Amaros was already at the door, holding it open, and waiting for me to go first. Zan’s grip tightened as he led me out of the room. My mind was racing with what just happened as he messed with the door to unlock it. Once we were back out in the night air, I went rigid as another wave of pain went down my back, this one worse.

“What’s wrong?” Zan asked, letting go of my hand to stand in front of me, his eyes trailing over me.

“Nothing,” I gritted out, not wanting to show weakness in front of his father. “I’m fine.”

“I want you back here tomorrow.”

I spun around, my guard going up when I saw Amaros right behind me. I didn’t respond to his order. If that was what he wanted, then it would happen. He nodded his head, a silent command to start walking back toward his house. Giving him a glare, I slowly headed for the small, worn-down trail.

Chapter 7

Zan

Icould hear him before the rotunda came into view. I snuck a glance at Kali, wondering if she could hear him. Her head was high, her stare staying straight ahead. Her senses might be improving but they weren’t perfect yet. If they were, she wouldn’t be able to hide her reaction to Warner’s yells.

I had no idea why her best friend was in the rotunda, but we were about to find out in a couple minutes. Amaros hadn’t said a word the entire walk back, looking deep in thought. I fucking wished I could get into his head. He had expected the Shadows to listen to Kali. And they did. I wanted to know why.

“What is that?” Kali breathed out, tilting her head.

My father chuckled cruelly. “Your hearing is improving daily.”

She ignored his comment, her eyes darting to me. “Is that Warner?”

When I didn’t immediately respond, she broke out in a run. I followed, and she rounded a curve on the path, disappearing from sight for a few moments before I caught up. She was getting faster too. I had a feeling her fangs would drop soon. She’d need blood when that happened.

The rotunda came into sight and Kali hit the glass window, a small cry escaping her. I stared into the room, seeing two of my father’s vampires taking turns hitting Warner. Gia was standing near the door, her expression tight.

Kali whirled around, but her focus wasn’t on me. Her eyes cut behind me where I could hear Amaros walking up.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “I’m doing what you want. I went to the Pen.”

“This is just a reminder of what happens if you don’t obey,” Amaros replied, threat dripping from his voice.

My heart squeezed while anger tore through me at the same time. Hearing him speaking to her that way had fury seizing me. The pain lining her face made me feel so fucking helpless. A foreign emotion to me until I met Kali.

“I am listening,” she screamed, her voice cracking slightly. “I’m not running. I’m doing what you want. Tell your fucking lackeys to stop.”

He was in front of her in a second, his hand going around her throat. He slammed her against the glass making her cry out. I let out a growl, reaching out and snatching my father’s arm before I even knew what I was doing. I managed to pull his hand off her neck before he used his full strength against me. Yanking his arm out of my grip, he swung me around, throwing me into the window. The glass creaked as it fractured, and I heaved out a labored breath, pain spasming through me. His fingers dug into my shoulder as he kept me against the glass, but I didn’t fight against him this time.

“You forget your place,” he murmured, his voice deadly calm. “I’m keeping you here because I want you to oversee the Shadowswithher. But I need to be able to trust you. Your feelings for this girl are clouding your judgment. I will use force if necessary, Zan. I don’t want to—but I will.”