Page 32 of Entombed By Blood

“She might not see it that way.”

“I’ll make her see.” His voice shakes with a mix of anger and longing.

For an insane second, I’m glad that Evie is confined to the tower. She isn’t ready for the sheer force of Frost’s demons.

“Not that this chest-beating isn’t fun,” Finley interrupts. “But there’s a patrol headed our way. We have to move.” He takes a familiar thin tablet out of his pocket and hands it to me. “I unblocked her access to everything and created a program to fool the tracker Cain put in it. Evie should be safe to use it now.”

I nod and pocket it with all of the other tech. The tablet was provided by Cain to teach Evie about technology, but it was so heavily restricted that it only let her access a constant stream of propaganda.

Quiet chatter in the distance makes us all freeze.

Frost curses, looking over his shoulder. “Keep her safe.”

He doesn’t have to give the order, but it calms something in him to do it.

The ghoul has nothing to worry about.

This thrall bond may be locked down inside my chest, but it still has every protective instinct inside of me on high alert. Usually, I find it difficult to care about anyone outside of my pack, but Evelyn has somehow bypassed my carefully set boundaries.

As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, Frost raises a single brow. “You don’t want to know what it feels like to lose her.”

Finley makes the universal motion for silence, gesturing frantically for Frost to move back. The two of them slip farther into the darkness, but I stay put.

“Who goes there?”

“Fuck, can’t a man piss in peace?” I call back. “Gideon Lancaster, Cain’s Pack.”

The beam of light from their flashlight lands on me, and I make a show of pretending to zip up my fly.

Two guards. Lycan by the smell of them. I have a moment of gratitude that I’m downwind and they can’t smell the lie for what it is before I climb up the bank to where they’re standing.

“Sorry, sir. There’ve been reports of unusual ghoul activity.”

“In Eden Park? Don’t be stupid. This is the heart of the Court.”

The soldier just spreads his hands in surrender. “Cain ordered we sweep every inch of the park and respond to all sightings with a full death squad.”

Shit. “Good. Those creatures need to be eradicated. Keep up the good work, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

They turn and march away, leaving me alone under the streetlamp.

That was too close.

I stride back through the park thinking over what Frost and Finley said, barely noticing the streaks of dawn painting the sky as I go.

Somehow I need to keep them both a secret from Evie while convincing her to leave the abusive piece of shit that is her sire. I can already sense that isn’t going to go down well.

The problem of ‘how’ chases me all the way back to the Bloody Tower.

For now, all we can do is make Evelyn feel safe. The best people to do that are Silas and Vane. The betas will ensure she’s protected while she puts herself back together.

The guards in the lobby eye me silently as I step back into the elevator that serves the penthouse floor. I curse their presence for the hundredth time even as I thank whatever divine beings are listening that they aren’t allowed access to our floor.

Persuading Evelyn to leave is one thing. Getting her out of here is another kettle of fish.

The elevator dings open, and I walk out into the hall.