Page 104 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“Who knows?” Karius asks.

I drag in a breath as I deliberate whether my secret is something to hold on to, but if Julian already knows about the bond, then there is no reason for him to stick to his part of the bargain.

“Julian. The man who sent me to kill you. If they are here, then it means that he sent them, and he’s going to—oh gods, he’s going to kill her.”

“Kill who?”

“Her sister,” Ajax says as though he is just putting the pieces together. “That’s why you tried to kill Karius, isn’t it? He has her.”

My tears spill in answer, and sympathy twists his face.

“He found out what I could do with my blood, and he said that if I didn’t kill you, then he would kill her.”

Karius takes in my words, and I see anger flicker in his eyes, but oddly enough, it’s not aimed at me.

“How do you know that he sent these creatures?”

“Because I saw these things fighting with him before. They were cloaked, so I didn’t know what they were, but they moved and fought in exactly the same way. I think he controls them. After they fought, they just stopped as if they were waiting for his command again.”

Karius blows out a breath, and I watch as Iza crouches over one of the bodies, her eyes scanning the length of it.

“I think she’s right,” Iza says. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense. We’ve always believed that this is a virus that takes over the body, turning them into these creatures, but what if we’re wrong? What if magic is what’s turning them, instead?”

“That’s impossible, vampires are the only creatures with magic,” Kaia says.

“That’s not entirely true,” Iza says. She looks at Karius as if asking for permission, and I can tell that it is only to be able to speak freely in front of me. He nods. “If we feed from humans to siphon the magic in their blood, then it is not such a stretch to believe that he somehow uses the same magic to turn them into these things.”

“Wait, humans have magic?” I ask.

Karius looks at me. “It’s dormant. It can only be accessed by an external force.”

“So, when you say a human isextremelypotent?”Like me,I add silently.

He nods. “They carry an excessive amount of magic in their blood. Our powers, heightened senses, and extended lives all depend on a regular source of magic. The more potent the human, the more magic we can siphon in a single feeding.”

Wow.No wonder the nobles don’t want the sired to have too much.

“But you’re the exception. For whatever reason, you can access your own, it seems, and bend it to your will.”

I don’t mention anything about Athriel right now. That is still a secret I wish to keep to myself.

“So, these things are after Red now?”

“I think so, but I don’t understand why they’re so intent on killing Karius,” Eamon says.

“They obviously know that killing him will kill all of you.” All eyes fall on me in shock.

“Who told you about that?” Karius asks.

“It doesn’t matter, the point is that if I found out, it isn’t hard to believe that Julian knows, and now he’s trying to pick off the easier target…me.”

Karius’s jaw ticks at the sound of my words.

“Forgive my intrusion, but I believe she is right.” All our heads turn to the figure who has appeared in the library. Lady Bernice Faramond was who she was introduced as on the night of the welcoming meal. Wielder of shadow healing.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kaia spits.

The vampire holds up her hands in surrender. “I mean no harm. I suffer from insomnia and often find myself wandering at night. I heard the commotion and came in.” She pauses, and I can see her reliving the horrors of what just happened.