Page 72 of Claim of Blood (Blood Bound #1)

Claudia immediately stepped back, her dancing forgotten. “I need to get you back to Adam,” she said, no longer pretending casual interest.

“Claudia, what’s happening?” Leo asked, but she was already moving, guiding him off the dance floor with urgent efficiency.

“I’ll return you before you collapse,” she said, though her wink seemed forced now. “Thank you for the dances, Leo.”

She disappeared into the crowd before Leo could demand answers.

Leo made his way unsteadily toward the edge of the dance floor, the room swaying more noticeably now. He’d lost sight of Adam but spotted Lander’s tall frame near one of the marble columns, a welcome anchor in his spinning world.

He stumbled on the last step, pitching forward only to be caught by Lander’s steady hands.

“Whoa, easy there,” Lander said, his voice warm with amusement. “Claudia got you drunk.”

Leo straightened, trying to look dignified despite the fog in his brain and the way Lander seemed to shimmer slightly around the edges. “I’m not drunk. Just... enhanced.”

“Completely plastered,” Lander finished with affection, steadying him. “I watched you down at least seven glasses.”

“I only remember three.” Leo squinted, trying to remember through the pleasant haze. “She kept handing them to me. Like magic.”

Lander laughed, the sound warming Leo’s chest. “She’s testing you. Seeing what you’re made of.”

“Did I pass?” Leo leaned against Lander slightly, grateful for his solid presence in the floating world.

“You’re still standing, so I’d say yes.”

Leo glanced around the room. Everything felt glassy and stretched thin, like a world seen through wet glass. “Where’s Adam?”

“Still with his siblings.” Lander nodded toward a far corner where Adam stood, deep in conversation with Bai. “Court politics.”

Leo checked his watch, squinting to focus on the numbers. Just past 11:30. The party showed no signs of slowing down, with the dance floor more crowded than before.

Leo winced as another wave of burning sensation shot up his arm, trying to maintain his composure.

“You know,” Leo said, his voice slightly strained as he fought through the pain, “I didn’t expect to fit in here so easily. With vampires. With—” He broke off, gritting his teeth as the ring sent a particularly vicious shock through him. “With you.”

Lander’s expression softened at the first part, then sharpened with alarm as he noticed Leo’s obvious discomfort. “What do you mean? Are you alright?”

“The ring,” Leo managed, his words coming out tight and breathless as he flexed his fingers desperately.

The burning sensation that had been building all evening suddenly spiked to an agonizing crescendo.

“It’s been getting worse for hours. Like it’s—” He gasped, doubling over slightly as pain shot up his entire arm.

Lander immediately wrapped an arm around Leo’s waist, steadying him as he swayed. “Leo, what’s happening? Take it off!”

“I’m trying,” Leo panted, frantically tugging at the ring with his other hand. But it wouldn’t budge. The band that had slipped on so easily that morning now seemed fused to his finger. “It won’t come off. It’s stuck.”

Lander grabbed Leo’s hand, trying to help twist the ring free, but it was as if the metal had become part of Leo’s skin. “What the hell?”

Leo made a choked sound of pain as another wave of burning sensation tore through him, making his knees buckle. Lander caught him, supporting his full weight now.

Oren approached at that moment, his face tight with concentration as he checked his phone. His usual calm demeanor had cracked, showing deep worry underneath. He looked up and immediately noticed Leo’s distress and Lander struggling to support him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Oren asked, as he pocketed his phone.

“His ring,” Lander said, his voice strained with worry. “It’s been hurting him for hours, getting worse. Now it won’t come off.”

Oren’s eyes immediately focused on Leo’s hand with alarm. “Show me.”

But before anyone could examine the ring further, Oren’s phone buzzed insistently. He glanced at the screen and his face went pale.

“Security alerts are triggering from multiple news sources,” he said grimly.

Leo noticed that other people were checking their devices around the room—first one or two, then a dozen, and then more. The mood shifted, tension spreading like ripples in still water. The ring’s burning reached an agonizing peak, then suddenly went cold and still.

“What is it?” Leo asked, noticing how the ring’s burning pain seemed to be retreating as more people around the room pulled out their phones.

The agonizing heat that had built for hours was slowly ebbing away, leaving behind only a warm pulse that beat in rhythm with his heart.

The sudden absence of the intense warning made him feel more sober and infinitely more afraid.

Lander pulled out his phone, frowning at the screen. “Something’s happening in Detroit. Social media is exploding with—”

The music cut off abruptly. In the sudden silence, conversations grew louder, punctuated by gasps. Heads turned toward the wall-mounted screens that had been showing abstract light patterns all evening.

Someone turned up the volume on the nearest television. A news broadcast replaced the art, showing footage of what looked like a massacre. The reporter’s voice was tense with barely controlled panic.

“—live from Detroit, where reports confirm at least two dozen dead in what witnesses describe as an attack by ‘inhuman creatures.’ Police are advising residents to stay indoors as—”

The camera panned to show bodies on the ground, then cut to shaky phone footage of a figure moving too fast to be human, fangs clearly visible as it turned toward the camera.

“Oh god,” Adrenaline pushed aside his intoxication. “This is coordinated. Look at the attack pattern—they’re herding the pack toward the cameras, making sure everything’s visible.”

Adam appeared at Leo’s side, his face hard and controlled. “Oren?”

“CNN is broadcasting it live,” Oren said, his voice tight. “Local stations are picking it up. Hunters attacked during a solstice gathering in Detroit.”

Leo’s blood ran cold as more details emerged.

“They picked tonight deliberately. Maximum attendance, everyone relaxed and celebrating. But they wanted witnesses.” He turned to Adam, his mind racing despite the champagne.

“This isn’t just an attack—it’s a declaration of war.

They’re forcing the supernatural world into the open. ”

“They wanted to be caught on camera,” Lander realized, his voice hollow.

“Worse,” Leo said, his voice growing stronger as his analytical mind took over. “They’re creating evidence. Building a case for public support. Show the world that monsters are real, then position themselves as humanity’s protectors.”

Nathaniel pushed through the crowd, his expression dark. “The Detroit pack is one of the largest in the country. They control that entire area. No Night Court there, only a small coven, so they’ve grown for generations.”

Leo felt sick as more pieces clicked into place. The ring had gone completely still now, its warning fulfilled. “They know about tonight. About gatherings like this one. Someone’s been feeding them intelligence.”

Leo watched as the party disintegrated around them. Vampires huddled around phones and screens, faces tight with terror. Witches formed protective circles, hands clasped in urgent spellwork. Shifters paced with predatory tension, bodies ready for fight or flight.

Lander’s phone rang. “It’s Erik,” he said, stepping away to answer with obvious worry.

Leo turned to Adam. “They picked the solstice deliberately. When they knew everyone would be together, celebrating, their guard down.”

Adam nodded, his eyes fixed on the screen where new footage showed a shifter mid-transformation, captured in horrifying detail for the world to see.

“The world knows now,” Adam said. “Everything changes tonight.”

On the screen, a reporter was interviewing a man claiming to have been tracking “these monsters” for decades. Leo’s stomach plummeted as he recognized his uncle’s hunting partner in the background, and worse, his brother Friedrich’s distinctive profile at the edge of the frame.

“My family,” he said, the words barely audible. “They’re part of this.”

The moment Leo spoke those words, the ring finally went completely still and cool against his finger, as if its purpose had been fulfilled.

Adam turned to Leo, taking his face in both hands. “Your family abandoned you.”

The simple truth of it crashed through Leo’s remaining defenses, but also sparked something else—a fierce, protective anger.

“They did,” Leo said, his voice steadying.

“They made their choice. Now I’m making mine.

” He looked around the room at the faces tight with fear.

“I know their methods, their training protocols. I know how they think.” His jaw tightened with determination.

“They raised me to hunt supernatural beings, but they never expected me to use that knowledge to protect them.”

Adam’s thumbs brushed away the tears on Leo’s cheeks, his eyes fierce with pride. “You’re one of us.”

“I’m your hunter,” Leo corrected, the words carrying the weight of absolute commitment. “And whatever I know, whatever I can figure out—it’s yours.”

Adam’s hand found his, fingers intertwining with a possessiveness that sent warmth through Leo’s chest despite the circumstances.

As midnight struck on the summer solstice, Leo von Rothenburg made his choice. The shortest night of the year was ending, but the real darkness was just beginning. And this time, he wouldn’t be facing it alone.