Page 68 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

His gaze drifted toward the south wing, where he knew Felix was being kept under lock and key until after the solstice.

The realization hit him suddenly—Adam wasn’t just keeping Felix locked away as a prisoner, but protecting him from overzealous relatives who might see another hunter as the perfect solstice sacrifice. The thought made his stomach churn.

“You’re looking pale,” Claudia observed. “Perhaps you need something stronger than beer.” She waved to a passing server. “Bring my brother’s claim something with a kick, would you?”

The server returned moments later with a tumbler of amber liquid. Leo accepted it gratefully, taking a large swallow. The whiskey burned a path down his throat.

“Tell me about the ritual tonight,” he said, determined to change the subject. “What happens then?”

Claudia exchanged a look with Emilia. “It’s a celebration of life and renewal,” she said, uncharacteristically serious.

“The vampires gather at midnight to honor the sun at its furthest point. It’s a paradox, you see—creatures of darkness recognizing their dependence on light.

We celebrate because the Mother does. Merytre was a priestess of Re before her transformation, and she continues to perform those rituals to this day.

That sunlight affects newer generations of vampires hasn’t stopped her devotion to the sun god. ”

“But you don’t participate?”

“I celebrate life through living it fully.” She gestured to her Court members, who had integrated seamlessly with the pool party. “My children understand this. Life and death, darkness and light—they’re not opposites but partners in an eternal dance.”

Leo wasn’t sure he understood. “Will Adam expect me to take part?”

“Know this—the ritual connects him to his origins, to Merytre,” Claudia said. “What he expects of you, only he can say.”

The mention of Adam’s maker sent a shiver down Leo’s spine. He’d heard stories of the Mother—the original vampire created in ancient Egypt. Adam rarely spoke of her, but Leo had sensed the complex mix of love, fear, and respect whenever her name was mentioned.

“Is she coming?” Leo asked, suddenly terrified at the prospect of meeting the being who had created Adam more than four thousand years ago.

Claudia laughed, the sound bright against the gathering shadows as afternoon began its slow slide toward evening. “No, beauty. Consider yourself fortunate—she can be... challenging.”

The pool party continued as the sun began its leisurely descent. Leo finished his whiskey, declining a second as he watched the festivities with growing unease. Tonight marked not just the solstice, but the height of whatever the hunters were planning.

As Claudia and Emilia fell into reminiscences about festivals past, Leo slipped away from the pool area. He needed to check on Felix and make sure his cousin understood what might be coming.

The halls of the mansion felt eerily quiet after the noise of the party.

Leo made his way toward the south wing, his mind churning with Claudia’s revelation.

A hunter had been sacrificed at noon, while he’d been sleeping, while Lander had been deliberately keeping him occupied.

The thought sat uneasily in his stomach.

As he rounded a corner, a figure stepped out of an adjoining corridor. Leo tensed, then relaxed as he recognized Oren’s familiar silhouette.

“Looking for someone?” Oren asked, his voice deceptively mild.

Leo straightened. “I wanted to check on Felix.”

“Your cousin is secure,” Oren said. “And will remain so until after the solstice.”

“I’d like to see him.” Leo’s voice carried more determination than he felt. “Please.”

Oren studied him, expression unreadable. “Adam is occupied with preparations. Does he know you’re wandering the halls alone?”

“I don’t need permission to move around my home,” Leo said, hearing the claim in his own words with a mixture of surprise and certainty.

Something flickered in Oren’s eyes—approval, perhaps. “No, you don’t.” He stepped aside, gesturing down the hallway. “Your cousin is in the third room on the left. You have fifteen minutes before the evening preparations begin.”

Leo nodded his thanks, hurrying down the corridor before Oren could change his mind. He paused outside the indicated door, steeling himself for what he was about to tell Felix. The absence of visible locks or guards struck him as significant. This was, in fact, protection, not imprisonment.

He knocked softly. “Felix? It’s Leo.”

The door opened immediately, revealing Felix’s familiar face. His cousin looked surprisingly well, clean-shaven, dressed in borrowed clothes that actually fit him, hair neatly combed. Better than Leo had seen him look in months.

“Leo!” Felix stepped back, allowing him to enter. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”

The room was comfortable, but nothing like the guest rooms—a bed, desk, chair, and a small bathroom.

Windows near the ceiling provided natural light, but they were barely large enough for a cat to squeeze through, Leo noted.

Probably magical wards, too, given what he’d learned about vampire protection.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Leo said, closing the door behind him. “But things have been... complicated.”

Felix sat on the edge of the bed, studying Leo with the sharp curiosity that had made him such a good researcher. “You look different. More settled, somehow.”

“I feel different,” Leo admitted, then hesitated. How did he explain that he was genuinely happy here? That the claiming had given him something he’d never known he was missing?

“The claiming?” Felix prompted gently.

Leo nodded. “It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s not...” He struggled for words. “I’m not a victim here, Felix. I chose this. I keep choosing it.”

Felix was quiet for a moment. “Is it Stockholm syndrome if you recognize what’s happening and still want it?”

“I don’t think it’s Stockholm syndrome when you were never really a captive to begin with,” Leo said carefully.

“No?” Felix gestured around the room with a wry smile. “What would you call this situation, then?”

Leo took a deep breath. This was going to be the hard part. “You were caught infiltrating a Night Court, Felix. But this room? It’s not a prison.” He moved closer, lowering his voice even though they were likely being monitored. “They sacrificed a hunter today. At noon.”

The color drained from Felix’s face. “What?”

“Victoria brought him from New York. He was planning an attack on the Court,” Leo explained, watching his cousin’s reaction carefully. “They executed him as part of their solstice ritual.”

Felix swallowed hard, his academic detachment crumbling. “Who was he? Do we know him?”

“I don’t know,” Leo admitted. “I wasn’t told the details. I only found out because Claudia mentioned it at the pool party.”

“You weren’t told,” Felix repeated slowly. “They kept it from you.”

“Adam probably thought it would upset me,” Leo said, but even as he spoke, he felt the sting of being excluded from something so significant. “And they’re right. It does upset me.”

“But you understand why they did it?”

Leo was quiet for a long moment. “If he was really planning to kill them? Yes. I understand.” The admission felt strange in his mouth.

A few months ago, he would have been horrified by the idea of supporting vampire justice.

Now... “Felix, this room isn’t a cell. It’s a safe room.

Adam is making sure his more... enthusiastic relatives don’t decide they need another hunter for tonight’s ceremonies. ”

Felix looked around the space with completely new eyes. “A safe room,” he whispered.

“They’re protecting you,” Leo said firmly. “From vampires who might see any hunter as fair game.”

Felix slumped back against the wall, the full weight of his situation finally hitting him. “I could have been that hunter Victoria brought.”

“But you’re not,” Leo said. “You’re under Adam’s protection. My protection.”

“Your protection,” Felix echoed, studying his cousin’s face. “You really have authority here, don’t you? This isn’t just about being someone’s... companion.”

Leo felt the heat rise in his cheeks. “It’s complicated. But yes, I have a voice in this Court. Adam listens to me.”

“Are they treating you well?” Leo asked, changing the subject before Felix could probe deeper into his relationship dynamics.

Felix nodded, seeming grateful for the shift.

“Better than I expected. The food is excellent—better than I ate at most hunter gatherings, honestly.” He gestured to a stack of books on the desk.

“They’ve given me reading material about vampire history and culture.

Academic texts, not propaganda. And there’s a TV with streaming access. ”

Leo smiled at his cousin’s enthusiasm returning. “Still thinking like a researcher.”

“This is the opportunity of several lifetimes,” Felix said, his eyes brightening.

“I’m getting firsthand access to vampire society during one of their most sacred celebrations.

The anthropological implications alone..

.” He paused. “Though I suppose I should be more concerned about survival than publication opportunities.”

“You’re safe,” Leo assured him. “I promise.”

Felix studied his face. “You really believe that.”

“I do.”

“And you’re happy here? Truly?”

Leo considered the question seriously. “Yes. Happier than I’ve been in years, actually. Maybe ever.”

“Even knowing what they are? What they do?”

“Especially knowing what they are,” Leo said. “They’re not the monsters we were taught to hunt, Felix. They’re people. Complicated, ancient, powerful people, but people nonetheless.”

Felix nodded slowly, processing this. “I can see it in your face. You really mean that.”

“Do you need anything?” Leo asked. “I could try to bring you something.”

“I have what I need,” Felix said, gesturing around the room. “Books, entertainment, regular meals, and apparently a cousin who’s become part of vampire royalty.” He smiled. “Just... come back when you can? I’d like to hear more about what you’ve learned.”

“I will,” Leo promised.

A soft knock interrupted them, and Oren opened the door without waiting for a response. “Time’s up. The evening preparations are beginning.”

Leo turned back to Felix. “I’ll check on you tomorrow. After everything settles down.”

“Be careful tonight,” Felix said seriously. “Whatever this ritual involves, it sounds significant.”

“I will be,” Leo said, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was promising to be careful of.

As Leo followed Oren down the corridor, he was filled with anticipation and anxiety about the evening ahead. The ritual, the other vampires, his place beside Adam during whatever ancient ceremony they were about to perform.

“Lander is waiting to help you dress for the evening,” Oren said as they reached the main hall.

Leo nodded his thanks and made his way upstairs, the ring on his finger warm against his skin.

Whatever tonight brought, he was walking into it with his eyes open.

He was no longer the reluctant hunter who’d stumbled into this world—he was Leo von Rothenburg, claimed by Adam Matthews, and tonight he would stand beside his vampire at the most sacred moment of their year.