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The safehouse smells like old leather and gun oil. Lynn's wrists are zip-tied to a kitchen chair. Adrian's standing by the window with his phone pressed to his ear, talking too quiet for her to hear.
She twists her hands. The plastic digs in. The crescent mark on her wrist is still there—black ink that wasn't there an hour ago. It doesn't hurt. It just sits under her skin like something watching.
"Don't bother." Adrian hangs up and turns around. His face is blank again. Whatever he felt when he saw the mark, he's locked it down. "Those are rated for vampires. You're not getting out."
"Where's my phone?"
"Turned off. In the other room."
"Rachel's gonna call the cops."
"No she won't." Adrian pulls out a chair and sits across from her. There's dried blood on his shirt collar. Hers. "I sent her a text from your phone. Said you're staying at a friend's place tonight."
Lynn stares at him. "You went through my phone."
"Your password's your dad's birthday. Wasn't hard."
Her jaw locks. She wants to spit at him but her mouth's too dry. "What do you want?"
"Answers." Adrian leans forward. His eyes catch the overhead light and go red for a second. "That mark on your wrist. When did it show up?"
"You saw it show up."
"Before tonight. Did you ever see anything like it before?"
Lynn shakes her head. She doesn't know why she's answering. Maybe because he looks serious. Maybe because the mark's scaring her more than he is right now.
Adrian pulls a knife out of his jacket. Silver blade, black handle. He sets it on the table between them.
Lynn goes cold. "That's—"
"Your father's." Adrian taps the handle. There's an engraving on it. Small letters. She can't read it from here but she knows what it says. Mu family. Third generation. "Victor had it. I took it off one of his men two years ago."
Her throat closes up. "You're lying."
"I'm not."
"Victor killed my dad?"
"Yes."
The room tilts. Lynn digs her nails into her palms. The zip ties cut deeper. She doesn't care. "Why?"
"I don't know yet." Adrian picks up the blade and turns it over. There's a dark stain near the hilt. "Your father came to the Council six years ago. Alone. No backup. He wanted to make a deal. Victor met with him privately. Your dad never walked out."
Lynn can't breathe. "The Council said it was a rogue. They said—"
"The Council lied." Adrian sets the knife down again. "Victor's an elder. He controls half the votes. If he wanted your father's death buried, it got buried."
She wants to scream. She wants to flip the table. She can't do anything. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because Victor's going to come for you now. And I need to know what he wants."
Lynn laughs. It comes out wrong. "He wants me dead. Just like my dad."
"No." Adrian points at her wrist. "He wants that. Whatever your father sealed inside you."
Before she can answer, the window explodes.
Glass rains down. Adrian moves fast—too fast—and slams Lynn's chair to the floor. She hits the ground hard. Her head bounces off the tile. The zip ties snap.
Someone lands in the kitchen. Boots crunch on glass. Lynn rolls onto her side and sees him. Tall guy, blond, wearing a long coat. His eyes are solid black.
"Adrian." The guy's voice is flat. "Step aside."
Adrian's standing between her and the blond guy now. "Kane. You're off territory."
"Council orders." Kane pulls something out of his coat. A blade. Silver. The same design as her father's knife. "The girl's a contamination risk. She doesn't leave this building alive."
Lynn scrambles backward. Her shoulders hit the cabinet. Adrian doesn't move.
"She's blood-bonded to me," Adrian says. "Kill her, you kill me. That breaks treaty law."
Kane shrugs. "Victor said you'd say that. He said to tell you the bond's not registered yet. Doesn't count."
Adrian's shoulders tighten. "It activated. That's enough."
"Not according to Council vote. We took a poll an hour ago." Kane steps closer. "You're outvoted, commander. Move."
Adrian pulls his own blade. Not silver. Black metal, long and thin. "No."
Kane stops. For a second nobody moves. Then he smiles. "You're breaking Council law for a human. Victor's gonna love this."
"Victor sent you here without a warrant. That's exile-level."
"He's got six elders backing him. You've got two." Kane flips his blade. "Do the math."
Lynn's heart is slamming into her ribs. She looks around. There's a drawer next to her head. She reaches up slow and pulls it open. Knives inside. She grabs one.
Kane moves. He's fast but Adrian's faster. They collide in the middle of the kitchen. Metal screams. Lynn sees Adrian's blade catch Kane's wrist. Blood sprays. Kane twists and slams Adrian into the fridge. The whole thing dents inward.
Lynn runs. She doesn't think. She just moves. Kane's back is to her. She raises the knife and goes for his spine.
Kane spins. He catches her wrist and squeezes. The bone grinds. Lynn screams. The knife falls.
"Cute," Kane says. Then he yanks her forward and puts his blade to her throat.
Adrian freezes. He's halfway across the room, his blade raised. Blood's running down his face from a cut over his eye.
"Drop it," Kane says.
Adrian doesn't move.
Kane presses the blade in. Lynn feels it bite. Warm blood runs down her neck. "I said drop it."
Adrian drops the blade. It clatters on the tile.
Kane smiles. "Good dog." He looks down at Lynn. "Let's see what you're hiding."
He grabs her wrist—the one with the mark—and twists it up. The crescent mark starts to burn. Lynn gasps. It feels like something's trying to claw its way out of her skin.
Kane's eyes go wide. "Holy shit. He actually did it. He sealed a—"
Adrian hits him. Lynn doesn't see him move. One second Adrian's across the room. The next his fist is in Kane's face. Bone crunches. Kane lets go. Lynn drops.
Adrian doesn't stop. He drives Kane backward into the wall. The drywall cracks. Adrian's hand closes around Kane's throat. "Who sent you? Victor?"
Kane laughs. Blood pours out of his nose. "You're dead, commander. You and the girl. Victor's got the votes. He's calling a tribunal tomorrow night."
Adrian squeezes. Kane's laugh cuts off. His face goes red, then purple. "Where is he?"
Kane's mouth moves but no sound comes out. His legs kick. Adrian holds him there for another five seconds. Then he drops him. Kane collapses and doesn't get up. He's still breathing but it's shallow.
Adrian turns around. His eyes are full red now. Blood's smeared across his knuckles. "We're leaving."
Lynn's still on the floor. Her wrist is on fire. The mark's glowing now—faint, but there. Like something lit up under her skin. "What did he mean? What did my dad seal?"
Adrian pulls her to her feet. His grip is careful. "I don't know. But Victor does." He picks up Kane's blade from the floor and holds it up to the light. There's blood on it. Not Lynn's. Older. Dried. "This is your father's knife. The one Victor took."
Lynn stares at it. The engraving's there. Mu family. Third generation. But there's something else. Another mark. Carved into the hilt. A crescent moon.
The same shape as the mark on her wrist.
Adrian meets her eyes. "Your father didn't just seal something in you. He marked you with Council blood. That's why Victor wants you dead. You're evidence."
Lynn's legs give out. Adrian catches her. "Evidence of what?"
"That someone inside the Council helped him." Adrian shoves the blade into his jacket. "And whoever it was, they're still alive."
Lynn's head is spinning. She can't think. Her wrist won't stop burning. "How do you know?"
Adrian picks up his own blade and heads for the door. "Because that mark? It's not just a seal. It's a tracker. Whoever gave your father Council blood can feel it activate." He looks back at her. "They know you're alive. And they're coming."