Chapter 19 · Blood in Ryan's Hands

Ryan's apartment smells the same. Coffee grounds and that stupid bergamot candle he used to light when he wanted to apologize without saying sorry.

I don't sit down.

Kade's leaning against the door we just came through, arms crossed, jaw tight. He hasn't said a word since we left the warehouse, but I can feel the bond humming low in my ribs. Disapproval. Maybe anger. I don't care.

Ryan sets a glass vial on the kitchen counter. It's smaller than I expected. Dark red, almost black in the dim light.

"That's it?" I ask.

He nods. "Wolf blood. Old line. Theron's pack kept it locked up for decades."

"How'd you get it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah. It does."

Ryan exhales through his nose. He's wearing that look. The one that used to make me think he was being careful with me. Now I know it just means he's deciding how much truth I can handle.

"I traded for it," he says.

"Traded what?"

"Lena."

Kade's voice cuts in from behind me. "She asked you a question."

Ryan's eyes flick past me. His expression hardens. "Stay out of this, Locke.