Page 62 of Rejected By the Shifter King

Inside the car, Estrella quickly explained her theory about how their brother, now a Sceleri, was able to still keep vampires in line even when he wasn't present. "He's been extremely cunning with these little scraps. They're easily overlooked because the dominant scent you'll get from it is the vampire's blood. But that blood isn't just for show," she said tensely. "I have a feeling all these vampires have been tortured, and that blood is to remind them of what they'll suffer if they dare disobey him."

"And Fina's blood?" Aluin demanded. "If you say it's not there because she betrayed us, then why—-"

"It's a basic reminder of whonotto kill," Estrella answered.

Alessandro had been quietly digesting the information his younger sister was feeding him, and at her last words, everything finally became clear.Fuck.He glanced up and saw the same fears in Estrella's gaze. "You're saying Fina's cover's blown."

"Y-Yes." Estrella could feel herself paling even as she forced herself to nod. "And worse - I think they've been on to her from the start, and Ivy was just bait to lure Lysander to their trap."

Chapter Twenty-Three

THE BEAST INSIDE LYSANDERwas pacing and prowling in agitation as his solders slowly advanced up the hill. Everything about the place smelled wrong, more so to the beast inside him, and it wanted Lysander to back down.

Trap.

The beast snarled the word out.

TRAP.

Growled it.

TRAP!

Lysander's teeth gnashed.Fuck this.The beast knew what it was doing, and what it sensed was the same thing he had sensed from the very start. He lifted his hand in the air, and his soldiers immediately halted at his gesture.

Fina saw the look on the prince's face and knew that he had sensed the same thing as well. Everything about this place...it didn't smell right. It reminded her of all those places she had been spying on and inadvertently become a silent witness to murder and mayhem.

Thatwas how this whole place smelled. It reeked of treachery, danger, and death—-

But when Fina saw the prince's lips starting to move.

She just couldn't do it.

If she let the prince call out a halt to their mission, it would mean admitting that this whole thing was a trap, would mean admitting that Fina herself had been played for a fool.

And she just couldn't do it.