Page 100 of Taming His Vampire Mate

She pulled out her phone, tapped a few buttons, and held up the screen. The photo she’d been sent was identical to the markings above Quinn’s heart—and mine.

“Those are the same as well,” Simone murmured, eyes widening. “But you haven’t cast the spell a third time.”

“I really haven’t. I’m betting if you checked any vampire in Rookwood, they’d have the same markings.” She turned back to me. “Think about it—when I cast this on you, it triggered visions. You said you saw a bunch of vampires. They were all in your bloodline, right?”

“Well, I couldn’t be sure, but—”

“The ones you knew shared a common ancestor,” Poppy cut in.

My brother. Godric. Both of us turned by Magnus.

Slowly, I nodded.

“This spell doesn’t just affect one vampire,” Poppy said softly, still halfway stunned despite being the one connecting the dots. “It targets the entire bloodline. Anyone your maker ever turned. Anyone they turned. Anyone you’ve turned.”

“But that’s probably hundreds—maybe thousands—of vampires, right?” Jeremy asked.

Poppy nodded solemnly. “Yes. It probably is.”

“Wait,” Derek said suddenly. “If that’s true, then how would this even work? Thierry wasn’t in Rookwood until way later. He didn’t turn Quinn or any of the others.”

“No,” Poppy said, gaze fixed intently on me. “You didn’t do this. But someone in your bloodline did.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN || JEREMY

Iknew from the look on my vampire’s face that something was very wrong. Fear flashed in his eyes—realfear—that made my wolf whine low in my chest. His mask wobbled for an instant, just long enough for me to know her words had shaken him.

Godric,Thierry thought.I knew it all along. The reflection in the window, the dream—it wasn’t coincidence. He’s here. He’s circling me. He did this.

Then his strange electric-blue eyes—my favorite shade now, like topaz lit from within—met mine, and the mask of nonchalance slid neatly back into place. At the same moment, a wall slammed down between us, blocking his thoughts completely.

“How odd,” he said aloud, managing to sound bored. “Though I’m sure my bloodline is rather robust and widespread. Perhaps it’s not so unusual that a vampire related to me did this.”

Smooth. Practiced. A lie.

“I saw you,” Quinn said suddenly, turning to Thierry. “During the spell. I saw faces—lots of them—going past me, one after another. I saw yours, and I saw someone else who looked just like you. Except he was wearing a black leather jacket. He was with a middle-aged man. And he was—”

Quinn broke off, grimacing.

“Right,” Thierry said coolly, without missing a beat. “We don’t know what those visions mean.”

“Don’t we?” Simone demanded, giving him a sharp, disbelieving look. “They are clearly other members of your bloodline. You have seen them, and so has Quinn.”

“Magnus,” Quinn breathed, fear edging his voice. “And Godric. He was looking right at me. Like he knew I was there.”

“They’re both dead and have been for centuries. You were seeing ghosts,” Thierry snapped. “And it’s time for you to go back to the dungeon. Playtime is over.”

I stared at him. If I hadn’t heard his thoughts about Godric, I’d have believed him. Thierry was a very good liar when he wanted to be.

The others seemed to buy it. Worse, they let him change the subject.

Poppy sighed, then nodded. “I guess it makes sense not to push the envelope. We should take him back downstairs and revisit this tomorrow.”

“Absolutely not! The young one is doing well!” Sadie snapped, scandalized. She shot a narrow-eyed glare that bounced between Thierry and Poppy. “We must know how quickly his humanity reasserts itself—especially if this spell will spread through his entire bloodline. Our next test is how he fares in a room filled with humans.”

Quinn’s eyes widened. He stepped back and bumped into Derek, who caught him by the shoulders. “Uh. Ha.” His voice climbed in alarm. “That’s—err, no? Can we not do that?”

From across the room, the college-aged human—Jason—sighed. He’d been silent through the whole exchange, and I’d almost forgotten he was there.