Page 153 of Kingly Bitten

“I think it does,” she whispered, her mind providing me with a glimpse into the analysis she’d already performed on the subject.

With the ties to theErositabonds inside her mind, she was strongly predisposed to become a vampire’s mate. And I was the first one to exchange blood with her, my essence the only vampire blood she’d ever swallowed.

She’d also never been fucked by a vampire.

Until me.

Making me her technical first, despite the lycan link.

Maybe it’s not about being a virgin so much as being untouched by other vampires,she whispered into my mind.Or I’m just unique.

Or it’s both,I told her, marveling once again at how her mind worked so similarly to mine. These were heart-wrenching reveals that would have brought most women to tears, but not Calina.

The video frightened her, but she didn’t cry. She just cataloged the memory as accurate while shivering in revulsion and immediately returned to her pragmatic consideration of what to do with the information.

“We need to go to Italy,” I said, our path clear.

“I think you should review Mira’s phone records and communications first,” she countered, causing my eyebrow to arch. “Because I don’t think it’s just Cam in Italy. I think we’ll find the liege there, too. But she should be able to confirm what we need to know.”

“Or we could grab her and demand she answer our questions,” Darius suggested from the doorway. “Of course, we’ll need Luka’s assistance with that. And he may not be keen on interrogating his mate.”

“He will be when he learns of her betrayal,” I said, my focus turning to the computer. “We need to download as many of these files as possible. And we’re running out of time to do it.”

I waited to see if Calina had any qualms about the potential of kidnapping and torturing her mother for information, but she didn’t display even a speck of emotion on the topic. As far as she was concerned, it was the right path.

Darius agreed as well and left to gather the equipment we needed from the jet.

Meanwhile, Calina went to work with gathering all the files into a central location for export.

I stood behind her and kept glancing at the camera, certain we were being observed.Why aren’t you doing anything?I wondered at the person behind the surveillance.What web have you created to ensnare us now?

Because letting us leave with all these details felt counterproductive to the end goal.

Unless Lilith had always intended for her research to be known.

I contemplated the potential of that revelation as Calina worked. Darius joined us again, saying something about Rae and Juliet returning to the jets to maintain a safe distance. I merely nodded, my mind working through Lilith’s plan and trying to decipher exactly what she’d intended here.

We’d been operating under the assumption that Lilith’s research would upset the alliance, thereby making it something we should share.

But what would she gain by us showing it to the lycans and vampires of the world?

Chaos, I heard Calina whisper to me.

Frowning, I considered that.

The lycans would be furious to learn what Lilith had been doing to their kind. Then to find out that Mira, the first lycan in existence, had helped… would just worsen everything entirely.

Unless Mira didn’t actually know. She’d trusted Lilith to continue her research, except they’d shared separate goals.

Can you run a search for our names?I asked Calina, curious if Darius or I was ever mentioned in any log.

I already did. There’s nothing about you in there. Not even in the files I found on Cam.

“You found files on Cam?” I was so surprised I spoke the words out loud.

“Yes. And the device Lilith used to incapacitate him.” She pulled up the logs to show me a video of him on his knees, screaming while Lilith spoke casually to him about what she intended to do to Izzy.

My blood burned at her taunts, my mind automatically replacing Izzy’s name with Calina’s.