Page 34 of Bad Blood (Monsters of London Book 1)

The smell of Kieran’s blood fills the air, and for a few minutes, that is all I can focus on. That and the too-fast thrum of his heart, which does nothing to soothe the panic clawing at my throat.

Sam is outside. We moved Kieran onto the sofa, resting his head in my lap, and then Sam raced for the door. I can hear him talking to some inquisitive neighbours. Others have likely called the police.

Vasile and Moreau can handle that. I hold a cloth against Kieran’s throat, but his blood has already soaked into my trousers.

I think it is starting to slow.

I run my fingers over Kieran’s forehead. He has lost so much.

No. Tristan took so much.

The thought helps me tear my eyes from Kieran’s face, if only so I can glare in the direction of Tristan’s corpse. Elle kneels next to him, brow furrowed as she examines what is left behind. Sam comes back into the flat and joins Adam, who has moved a still-unconscious Nora into a chair and fastened her arms behind her back.

Fury rushes through me again. Another liaison. Another attack. I am angry at myself, too, at all of us for somehow not seeing what has been before our eyes the entire time. How did we possibly not know she was a threat?

Adam wrinkles his nose, taking a step back from Sam and Nora. I think Sam is doing magic, though I cannot be sure.

Sam has to know what I do about Kieran. He is far too knowledgeable about magic to miss this most obvious sign. I am doubtful that Elle is in the dark still, as well. She knows wolves far better than me.

Despite the attack and the fact that Kieran is injured, the bond between us vibrates gently. There is no distress, no pain. I push Kieran’s hair back from his forehead, then move the cloth away, frowning at the blood on his throat. The wound is neat—which surprises me, what with all of Tristan’s hatred—and though it is red around the edges, I am certain it is less raw-looking than it was half an hour ago.

How did we all miss this, too? Every injury Kieran has taken… He still should not have. He should not put himself in harm’s way. How did we not notice how he was healing?

Voices on the stairs have the others moving, and Sam walks towards the door with distrustful eyes. I tighten my grip on Kieran even as I hear Vasile speak.

Sam looks at me. “I put a ward on the door,” he says. “Should I…?”

For a moment, I blink at him, unsure as to why he is asking me. It is his and Kieran’s flat, after all.

Sam simply gives me a hard look in return. Oh.

“Yes. Vasile will need to take care of Tristan’s body.”

There is a knock at the door, which has thankfully made it through tonight’s activities unscathed.

“And her?” Sam jerks his chin in Nora’s direction. “He’ll take her, too?”

“No. Hunter Moreau will need to fetch her. She said she was a hunter.”

Sam pales, and before I can correct myself, say that I will ask Vasile to handle it, he nods. “All right.”

I do not know when he lowers the ward. They moved the sofa before I lifted Kieran, so now it is facing the door, the window at my back. I still feel as though Kieran is exposed, but at least I can see any potential threats coming.

Elle steps in now. Sam moves away from the door, back towards Nora, and Adam shadows him. His gaze flicks between the three of us, though, as if he is not quite sure where he is supposed to be.

“What happened?” Vasile asks. His guards follow him over the threshold, their pale faces giving nothing away. One of them looks at Tristan. The other’s eyes sweep over us, lingering on Kieran for a moment too long.

“Nora’s the mage,” Elle says. “Tristan is dead.”

We all look at his body; I cannot resist the same electric pull.

“Ah,” Vasile says. He crosses over to Tristan’s body, leaving his guards behind with an imperious wave of his hand. Elle takes a minute step backwards, positioning herself between me and the guards.

My fingers sink into Kieran’s hair. “Crai, I—”

“I think it is clear what happened, Lucien,” Vasile says. The words are not a rebuke, but his tone is, and I flinch. “At least it is over, I suppose.”

He jerks his head, and his guards cross the room, one covering the corpse before they both lift it. They leave the flat as silently as they arrived and when I look back, Vasile has moved closer.

He is not too close, but I have to swallow a growl that threatens to vibrate out of my chest all the same.

“How is he?” Vasile asks.

I open my mouth, but I do not know what to say. I am certain he will not die, but—

“He’ll be fine,” Sam says, shifting from foot to foot as though he is nervous when Vasile looks his way. “Tristan took a lot, but rest will fix it.”

“What about her?” Elle gestures at Nora. I can pick out the scent of her blood too, and there is a different tang to it than I am used to. Is that her magic, or am I just imagining things because of what I think of her?

“I called Moreau on the way over,” Vasile says, and now he sounds angry. “He should have vetted her better than this—even if we did not know she was working with Tristan, Moreau should have known she could use magic.”

Sam does not move from his vigil at Nora’s side, though his eyes flick constantly between her and Kieran. Elle and Vasile move away from all of us, to my strange relief, and I rub my fingers against Kieran’s scalp.

“You will be okay,” I murmur, knowing that I am saying the words only to calm myself. Kieran is not aware enough to understand them.

I am not certain how much time passes before Moreau arrives. I only know he is in the building because of the way Sam’s heartbeat picks up; when I lift my head, his fingers are flexing on the back of Nora’s chair. Adam moves closer to him, and even Elle takes up a more defensive position, halfway between Sam and me.

“Well, this is a fucking disaster.”

Like Vasile was when he entered, Moreau is flanked by two others. Naomi is to his left and gives me the faintest smile when she sees me. It drops from her face when she sees the way I am cradling Kieran, but she does not move closer. The other hunter, I do not recognise. His expression gives nothing away as he surveys the damage in the flat.

“It could have been handled better,” Vasile says, inclining his head in greeting. “But Tristan is dead, and we caught his mage.”

Moreau’s expression darkens when he sees Nora tied to the chair. “She’s alive?”

Vasile looks at Sam, who nods. “Yeah, I just—”

He moves his hand and Nora takes a sudden breath, her eyes snapping open. I frown. Moreau is not looking at her anymore. His gaze is focused on Sam and Sam drops his hand in response, taking a step back.

Pride blooms in my chest when Adam steps slightly in front of him, staring Moreau down.

Moreau shifts his attention to Nora. She appears to have her wits about her somewhat and scowls up at him.

“You’d better not try to give me the run-around on this, girl.”

Nora sets her jaw. Shock crosses her face when she turns her head and catches sight of Kieran. Twisting in her seat, she searches the room, a plaintive cry escaping when she comes up empty.

“Where is he? Where’s Tristan?”

“Dead.” Moreau’s voice is flat.

“No, that’s—How?”

Vasile speaks before any of us can. “Kieran staked him,” he lies. “His ashes are on the way back to the clan house as we speak.”

“No, no, no…”

Moreau crouches, bringing himself to eye level with Nora. “What was the plan? You were going to help Tristan get his revenge, then what?”

She bares her teeth. “Fuck you.”

“The real question is who sent you? Who were you both working for?”

Nora strains against the ropes holding her and I see Sam move his hand again. She lets out a gasp as she is slammed back into her seat, and her face flushes with anger when she turns and sees him.

“He’s going to fucking kill you,” she snarls. “You think just because you know vampires and hunters, you’re safe? You’re going to pay for what you did to our family!”

“Get her out of here,” Moreau says with a sigh. His attention is on Sam again, who has gone sickly pale at Nora’s words. Only the fact that Kieran is still unconscious—still starkly vulnerable—has me remaining in my seat.

Naomi and the other hunter approach Nora, who is glaring at them both, but the male hunter hesitates, a frown crossing his face.

“She’s got magic, right? How do we know she won’t…?”

“She can’t. Her magic’s bound,” Sam says.

Nora swears. Naomi’s eyes widen. “That’s…”

“Impressive,” Moreau says, and the hardness of his voice leaves no room for more conversation. “Take her out.”

They scramble to do what they are told, and then they are gone. I still watch Vasile and Moreau. As much as I trust our crai, I want him out, too. I will feel safer once it is just the five of us.

“What’s your name?” Moreau asks Sam.

“Sam Ware.”

“That’s not a family name I’ve heard before.”

Sam shrugs, but his desire to leave the conversation is written all over his face. Adam shifts almost entirely in front of him, and I can see the way Sam is holding on to the back of him, how white his knuckles are. Elle moves closer, too. I tighten my grip on Kieran.

“There are plenty of magic users you have never heard of,” Vasile says offhandedly. “You cannot know them all.”

Moreau shoots him a look I cannot interpret. Sam’s pulse is almost too fast, but there is a hardness in his eyes that I worry about more.

“The Council is always looking for new talent,” Moreau says, and as the words leave his mouth, something shifts along the bond between me and Kieran. Irritation, maybe? He is creeping towards wakefulness.

“No, thanks.” Sam swallows hard and straightens his shoulders, meeting Moreau’s gaze steadily. “I’m really not as powerful as all that.”

“On the contrary…” Moreau takes a step closer and Adam growls low in his throat. Moreau grins, dismissing him with little more than a glance. “I think you might be one of the most powerful magic users I’ve met in a long time.”

“Moreau,” Vasile warns.

Kieran shifts in my lap. He blinks up at me, dark eyes bleary, and I let out a sigh of relief when one of his hands catches mine, squeezing tightly.

He turns his head, looking at the stand-off happening in the middle of his destroyed living room. I rub my thumb over the back of his hand.

“Leave him the fuck alone,” Kieran growls.

There is an undercurrent of something else in his tone, something I have only heard once before. Moreau freezes mid-step, turning all his attention to Kieran.

“Sleeping Beauty wakes.” His gaze lingers on the fresh bite mark on Kieran’s throat. “You should go to a hospital.”

“And you should get the fuck out.” Kieran pushes into a sitting position, all the while never letting go of my hand. “You got what you came for. Leave.”

Adam and Elle close ranks on Sam, and from this angle, I can see the relief on his face.

Moreau huffs out a laugh. “Seems like there are plenty of strange things going on in this flat. Secrets everywhere.”

“And you think you’ve got them all figured out?” Kieran doesn’t drop Moreau’s gaze, his eyes sharp. “Then listen to your instincts, hunter. Get away from what’s mine.”

Vasile sighs, closing his eyes briefly. There is shock on Elle’s face, confusion on Adam’s, but I suspect Sam’s feelings are closest to my own—he presses his face between Adam’s shoulder blades as his shoulders finally relax.

Moreau never loses his smile. “Fair enough.” He points at his own neck, indicating the spot where Kieran was bitten. “Nice work. Vasile, see me out?”

Vasile sets his jaw and looks at us. “Very well. I will speak to you all tomorrow night.”

The door closes and Sam darts out from behind Adam, falling to his knees before Kieran. He hugs Kieran around the middle and Kieran lets out a heavy sigh, wrapping an arm around him even as his head drops onto my shoulder.

“Come over here,” Kieran says to Adam and Elle. They are standing there as though they do not know what to do with themselves.

Adam sits cross-legged next to Sam, his arm pressing against my shin. Elle perches on the arm of the sofa, legs dangling as she watches us all, still clearly confused.

“I don’t think I can tell you everything, not yet,” Kieran says, voice strained and tinged with exhaustion. “But there are some things we need to talk about.”