“What’s not?”
“The c-coven. It’s not about Foxx anymore.”
“We already know Orem is in charge. The question is, what is he doing? What’s his plan?” Forest asks.
“Is Foxx still with Orem?” Kaine asks, as if that’s the only thing he cares about.
“Y-yes.” She cowers under his force, knees biting into the asphalt. “They’re binding humans and vampires. Creating some kind of shadow bond.”
I snarl. Shadow bond? What does that even mean? How can I save Tobias from it?
“What does the bond do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Stop lying!” Kaine gags her with water until she chokes, white foam pouring from her lips.
“We need her alive, Kaine,” Sage says.
He backs off.
Her voice is weak. “The first experiment didn’t work the way he wanted. The guy didn’t… he didn’t respond or something. Orem s-said it wasn’t strong enough. He wanted to kill him, but—”
Rage burns through me as I lunge for her. Forest grips my flank and pulls me back. I nearly yelp from the pain in my shoulder.
“You said first one. Is there another?”
“Y-yes. I heard he tried again.”
Sirens sound in the distance, echoing off the metal sheeting.
Sage steps closer. “Just one?”
Trivanka tries to lift her head, but Kaine forces it back down. She seems stunned that we would already know about the marks.
She nods weakly.
“Who is it? Who is the human bonded to?” Forest tries.
When she doesn’t reply, the water around her ankles sputters as if boiling. Kaine’s patience is running out. “Answer the question!”
“I don’t know—please!”
Kaine kneels before her. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I swear. They’re in the city, but I don’t know where. I got away.”
“You’re a fool if you believe that. Foxxneverlets his people go,” Sage says. “He had two vampires watching you! They nearly killed us tonight.”
Trivanka whimpers, but doesn’t seem surprised. “P-please, just let me go.”
Lights flicker between the gaps in the shed.
Sage looks through a small tear in the metal. “They’re here.”
Something in Kaine fractures, like the calm before the surge. The ropes tighten as he gets to his feet like the water knows what’s coming before we do. “Last chance. Tell us where Foxx is.”
“I told you, I don’t know!”
