Page 10 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

Leo’s body tensed. “I heard them mention the Summer Solstice,” he breathed. “They were frustrated. Said they couldn’t find the celebration site.”

His eyes flicked around the room, and Adam saw it click.

“It’s here, isn’t it?” Leo whispered. “In Innsbrook. Underground.”

Lander’s smile turned sharp—all teeth and danger. Adam didn’t like it. He didn’t like that look directed at Leo, not now, not ever.

“What do they know about the celebrations?” Oren asked, his voice steady but intense.

“Almost nothing,” Leo said. “The branch in Germany has been... disappointed with what we’ve returned. That’s why they embedded so many of us. They want more than sightings. They want patterns. Weak points. But we couldn’t find any. The Court’s movements were unpredictable.”

“Because we’re below,” Lander said mildly.

“Yes,” Leo breathed. “That’s why we couldn’t track you. We watched the surface. And when you did come up...” He looked around at them all. “You just looked like... people. Wealthy, beautiful people out enjoying the nightlife. You blended. Too well.”

Adam felt pride stir in his chest—not arrogance, but satisfaction. His Court had adapted. Hidden. Perfected the art of invisibility. And Leo, even with all his training, had only seen the shadows they allowed.

“Your family will expect contact soon?” Maja asked, her tone clipped but focused.

“Yes,” Leo said, voice still rough. “If I don’t check in, they’ll assume something’s wrong.”

“What’s their protocol?” Oren asked.

“They’ll wait another hour for secondary contact. After that, they’ll begin sweeping my last known location.”

“Which would be here,” Nathaniel said.

Leo nodded. “I left my car at the rec complex.”

Adam glanced at Oren, who was already typing into his tablet—no doubt dispatching a recovery team to retrieve Leo’s car.

Without being prompted, Oren stepped forward, silent and imposing as always. He came to stand just beside Leo, casting a long shadow over the kneeling hunter.

“Keys and phone,” Oren said quietly.

Leo blinked, as if the words took a moment to register. He fumbled at his pants, movements sharp with lingering adrenaline. His hands trembled as he dug into his pocket and pulled out both items.

“Here,” he said, voice uneven as he held them out. Oren took them without comment.

Leo’s hands went back to his pockets, patting again, slower this time, more frantic. “My wallet’s gone,” he muttered. “I—shit—I must have...”

“It’s in the golf cart garage,” Adam said without looking at him. “Oren?”

Oren tucked the items away and gave a small nod. “I’ll have it retrieved.”

“We need to move quickly,” Ilona said, leaning forward. “Before they realize what’s happened.”

“And what will they think happened?” Gaspard asked.

“That you killed Leo,” Emilia answered softly. “You may be about to start a war.”

“War is inevitable now,” Nathaniel said, blunt as a blade. “They’re here for Adam. And when they realize Leo’s gone, they’ll start killing. We should send him back.”

“With the claim still on him?” Emilia asked. “Do you think they’ll miss that?”

“Then we cut it off,” Nathaniel growled.

“No.”

The word left Adam like a shot, not shouted but devastating. The air shifted. His control broke.

Power flared through the chamber, ancient and absolute. His eyes darkened to bottomless black, claws extending, fangs bared.

They felt him.

The Council members instinctively looked down, postures turning deferential. Even Nathaniel, Alpha-born and fire-forged, lowered his chin in submission.

Leo gasped, sharp, startled, and Adam’s gaze snapped to him. The bond surged again. He could smell the claim mark burning and watched as Leo crumpled, crawling toward him on shaking limbs.

He collapsed at Adam’s feet, forehead pressing to his knee, one hand gripping his ankle like a lifeline.

“Yours,” Leo whispered, voice fraying. The word trembled through his whole body.

Leo’s other hand clutched at the claim mark, fingers shaking.

The sound cut through Adam, stilling his rage. Not like this, he thought. He shouldn’t have to say it like this.

He forced the power back down slowly and deliberately, his features remaining monstrous even as the oppressive weight in the air began to lift.

He reached down and threaded his fingers through Leo’s damp hair. Leo flinched at the touch, then stilled beneath it.

“Mine,” Adam hissed.

He raised his head to face the Council, eyes still black.

“The claim stays,” he said. “The hunter stays. Anyone who challenges that will answer to me.”

Leo pressed closer to his leg, as if anchoring himself in Adam’s words. Adam felt the pulse at Leo’s throat slow—still fast, but no longer panicked.

Around the table, the Council was silent. But he saw the shift in their postures. Fear transmuted into grudging acceptance.

“Then we need a new plan,” Maja said after a beat, her voice low and careful.

Adam nodded but didn’t look away from Leo. “One that doesn’t involve sending him back.”

“Indeed,” she said, her spine straightening despite her still-lowered eyes. “Suggestions?”

Adam’s fingers found Leo’s hair again, the touch steady and reassuring rather than claiming, grounding them both.