Page 67 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

“Leo! I was hoping to speak with you.” She hooked her arm through his, guiding him toward a pair of empty lounge chairs. Her eyes immediately dropped to his hand. “My goodness, what a beautiful ring! It’s practically humming with magic.”

Leo glanced down at his grandmother’s ring, surprised. “Magic? Really?”

“Clear as day,” Emilia said, settling into her chair with obvious fascination. “The energy is quite strong. Where did you get it?”

“It was my grandmother’s,” Leo replied, flexing his fingers. The ring felt warm against his skin, just as it had all morning. “It’s been in my family for generations.”

Emilia leaned closer, studying the antique piece without touching it. “Interesting artifact for a hunter family to possess. Do you know its origin?”

Leo shook his head. “My grandmother never talked about it much. She just said it belonged to her grandmother, and hers before that.”

“Fascinating.” Emilia’s expression grew thoughtful. “The magical signature is quite old. European, I’d guess. Possibly witch-made.”

A chill ran down Leo’s spine. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“I don’t sense any malevolent intent,” Emilia said reassuringly. “But I’d need to spend time with it to understand what it does. Magic this old often has very specific purposes.” She smiled. “For now, I’d say it’s simply... protective, perhaps. Or meant to enhance certain abilities.”

Leo turned the ring on his finger, feeling the strange buzzing sensation he’d noticed all morning. “It has been acting strangely today. Fitting when it never has before, getting warm...”

“The solstice,” Emilia said knowingly. “Magical artifacts often respond to significant celestial events. You should keep it close today.” She settled back in her chair, her expression shifting to something warmer. “But enough about ancient magic. How are you?”

“It’s been a stressful few days, but it seems to be settling,” Leo admitted.

Emilia’s dark eyes studied him with unnerving intensity. “Adam seems calmer since your claiming. Less isolated.”

“You’ve known him a long time?”

“Many decades now,” she said, her New Orleans drawl more pronounced as she slipped into memory.

“I met him during my college days at WashU, back when I fell for Carl. His family had connections to the Court that went back generations.” She smiled fondly.

“I was this headstrong witch from New Orleans who scandalized everyone by marrying into the Anderson Coven.”

“Was it hard?” Leo asked. “Leaving your family behind?”

Emilia’s eyes clouded. “Yes. There’s no love lost between the two Covens. We both have French origins, but our practices differ in many ways.” She twisted the wedding band on her finger. “My family didn’t let me go easily, but Carl loved me. He was willing to do anything to keep me.”

“So you chose to stay in Porte du Coeur?”

“With Carl, and a Coven that didn’t just want me for my magical breeding ability.”

Leo frowned. “What?”

Emilia smiled tightly. “I’m quite powerful, dear. My family had already arranged a marriage for me, to a boar of a man who planned to place so many babies in me.” She laughed, but the sound carried an echo of old pain.

Leo stared at her, horrified. “That’s terrible.”

“Ancient history now.” Emilia’s expression softened. “I had two children with Carl—both sons. They’re happy, powerful witches with families of their own.” She waved toward the pool.

Leo followed her gesture to a man in his late thirties, accompanied by a woman on his arm. Two boys splashed nearby—one clearly a teenager full of angst, the other younger by several years, deliberately splashing his brother.

“That’s Garrett, his wife Leanne, and their children, Liam and Joseph. Joseph is the scowling one,” Emilia said with obvious pride. “Garrett is my youngest. My other son and his family are visiting relatives in Chicago for their solstice celebration.”

“That’s amazing,” Leo said. “Hunters don’t really celebrate the solstice, except maybe as a vacation day. Vampires usually stay hidden, so it’s considered safer for new hunters to practice.”

“And what about you, Leo? Do you miss the hunting life?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “Not the killing, but the sense of purpose, of knowing exactly who I was.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m finding a new purpose.” He glanced around at the celebration. “What about the Pack? How do they fit into all this?”

Emilia’s expression grew more serious. “While the Anderson Coven has maintained good relations with the Court, things with the Pack were strained until Nathaniel wrestled control from his grandfather.” She lowered her voice. “The old brute had Nathaniel’s father put to death, did you know?”

Leo shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

“A shame. Nathaniel’s father was a lovely man.” Emilia sighed. “The relationship became much stronger once Nathaniel took control. The Pack and the Court have a long, complicated history.” She waved her hand. “Innsbrook is a result of said relationship.”

Before Leo could ask what she meant, the glass doors burst open and Claudia swept in, followed by her colorful Court.

Leo nearly choked on his beer. Claudia wore what might generously be called a bikini, though the small triangles of fabric seemed more decorative than functional.

Several members of her Court had dispensed with swimwear entirely, their nudity drawing appreciative glances from the pool crowd.

“Emilia!” Claudia shouted, arms spread wide. “My favorite witch!”

Emilia rose, meeting Claudia’s enthusiastic embrace with equal warmth. “Claudia! Still allergic to proper clothing, I see. There are children present.”

“Life’s too short for fabric prisons, and don’t lie to me and say your coven adheres to fully clothed rituals.

I’ll call you a liar,” Claudia declared, then burst into laughter at her own joke.

Her gaze fell on Leo, then immediately dropped to his hand.

“And my favorite hunter! Still fully dressed, I see. We’ll have to work on that.

” Her eyes brightened as she noticed the ring.

“Oh, beautiful! That’s a gorgeous piece. Keep it close today, won’t you?”

Leo felt his face flush at her clothing comment, glancing over to where a group of children were playing in the outdoor pool.

Neither they nor their parents seemed concerned about the nude vampires in their midst. “I’m good, thanks,” he said, then looked down at his ring. “And yes, I’ll keep it on.”

Claudia dropped onto the lounge chair beside him, somehow managing to make the casual movement look like a dance. “You two know each other?” she asked, glancing between Leo and Emilia.

“We’ve met a few times,” Leo said.

“Emilia and I go way back,” Claudia said, patting Emilia’s hand. “Remember that Rainbow Gathering in ‘33? Wyoming, wasn’t it?”

“Colorado,” Emilia corrected, her normally dignified demeanor softening with amusement. “You showed up with eight vampires, twelve shifters, and a handful of humans and claimed you were a commune from Oregon.”

Claudia laughed. “The energy that year was transcendent. So many beautiful auras!”

Leo looked between them, confused. “Rainbow Gathering?”

“Counter-culture festival,” Emilia explained. “Peace, love, and questionable hygiene.”

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” Claudia retorted good-naturedly.

Servants moved through the crowd, offering trays of food and drinks. Leo noticed some glasses contained a thick red liquid that was definitely not wine. The witches and shifters seemed unbothered by the vampires’ preferred refreshment, accepting their own drinks from the same servers.

“Where are the other vampires?” Leo asked, turning to Claudia. “I’ve only seen you and your Court, plus Adam and Lander earlier.”

Claudia stretched luxuriously, drawing more than a few appreciative glances from nearby party-goers. “Preparing for tonight’s ritual, most likely.”

“What ritual?”

“The celebration of Re,” Claudia said, as if it were obvious. “It’s a solstice tradition dating back to Merytre’s time.”

Leo frowned. “But you’re not taking part?”

“I do, in my own way.” Claudia shrugged. “The world hasn’t properly worshipped a sun god in centuries. I think the gods can’t be too picky about ceremony these days.”

“Will I be expected to participate?” Leo asked, suddenly nervous.

“That’s between you and my brother,” Claudia said, her tone becoming more serious. “The ritual is sacred to him.”

“Okay, but Adam hasn’t mentioned anything, and I’m curious. What is the ritual?” Leo pressed, leaning forward. “I mean, what actually happens?”

Claudia’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Blood. Lots of blood. Maybe a sacrifice or two...”

“Claudia!” Emilia scolded. “Stop trying to shock him.”

Leo stared at Claudia, genuinely disturbed. “Are you serious? A sacrifice?”

“Oh yes,” Claudia nodded solemnly. “A hunter Victoria brought with her from New York. Quite fitting, don’t you think?”

Leo’s blood ran cold. “I wasn’t told about this.”

“Adam probably didn’t want to upset you,” Claudia said, her tone softening slightly. “Given your background.”

“Are they—” Leo swallowed hard. “Are they sacrificing him now?”

Emilia placed a gentle hand on his arm. “No, Leo. That happened at noon.”

Leo’s mind raced. Noon. When he’d been waking up. When Lander had brought him lunch and distracted him with...

“You missed it entirely,” Claudia confirmed, watching his face. “Don’t be too upset. The man was planning to kill Adam, after all. To kill all of us.”

Leo nodded mechanically. She was right, of course. If Victoria had captured a hunter planning an attack, his execution was justified. Even so, the idea that it had happened while he slept, while Lander deliberately kept him occupied...