Her hand stays in mine as I lead her back to her seat. Noemi and Venna watch us closely. Watching the Astreonans. Tension still hangs thick in the air.
Meryn’s fingers tremble slightly as she reaches up and pulls Lucien’s crown from her head. She turns to Lucien and then thuds his crown down on the table.
He just smirks in response.
One more fucking smug upturn of his mouth and I’m going to cut off his lips. He might not be afraid of me, but I bet this vain prick fears being hideous.
Lucien settles the crown back over his perfect white-blond head of hair. He sighs as he does it, as if it’s heavy.
“What was that bracelet in the vision?” Meryn asks. “The one Alistair was using on those people.”
I stiffen.“Bracelet?”
“Just like mine,” she responds grimly.
Lucien reaches up and rubs his crown with two fingers, just above his ear. Then he lets his arm fall limp into his lap.
“My brother has always been the most powerful Siphon I’ve ever encountered. But,” he says with a weary sigh, “to explain, you first need to understandthatallSiphons possess blood magic that allows us to create thralls, as I mentioned earlier. It’s not just a blood exchange; it binds the humans to us.”
My gut twists. I knew they could turn humans, but this? Binding people to them?
Sick fucks.
“An exchange,” Meryn repeats placidly. “So two ways?”
“Yes, reciprocal drinking is involved—the Siphon of the human’s blood, and the human of the Siphon’s. Just a bit, not enough to turn them.”
I’m clenching my jaw so tight that my teeth start to ache.
Lucien continues. “The bond gives the Siphon a degree of control over the human. This is different from creating a mental illusion. It allows one to compel the human to do things. But it naturally has limits. The thrall connection requires regular renewal through fresh blood exchanges and weakens significantly with distance.”
He leans closer to Meryn. His body language is relaxed, but his eyes are intense. Any closer and I’m going to impel this whole fucking dinner table over.
“Most important,” he says, “the creation of a thrall traditionally requires consent from both parties.”
Meryn’s eyes narrow. “Sounds like a great deal for Siphons. What do humans get out of this supposedly consensual exchange?”
I’m wondering the same thing.
“Heightened senses,” he replied. “Not quite at the level of Siphon powers. But they’re able to move faster, see farther. Taste, smell, and hear better. Touch is particularly heightened, which hasparticularuses for humans.”
His smile takes on a pointed edge, and his meaning is very clear.
My eyes dart across the table to Noemi. She’s gone pale, revulsion written across her face. She’s clutching her dinner knife so tightly that her knuckles are going white. She’s as repulsed as I am, and I wish for once that we were in the same pack so I could check in on her.
“Understood,” Meryn says stiffly.
Lucien leans back again, his eyes growing slightly distant. “Alistair discovered through experimentation that he could create a piece of jewelry thatworked like a thrall bond but with none of the natural limits. These ‘thrall bracelets’ maintained their power indefinitely and allowed for complete control over a human’s mind regardless of distance. And the humans received no benefits from it.”
Meryn’s face instantly pales, and my blood runs cold. We both know what this means.
“The jewel at the center of each bracelet is created by mixing a human’s blood with a Siphon’s, but since the human doesn’t have to actively drink the Siphon’s blood to establish the connection, it enables nonconsensual bonds—as long as the Siphon can acquire the human’s blood, byanymeans, they can create a bracelet.”
Meryn looks dizzy.
“Did he have your blood?” I demand, violence starting to hum to life in my veins.
“Tons of it,” she replies weakly.“He was always… caring for me. Wiping my blood up after fights or training. Tending to my wounds.”
