No one has an answer for that. They know only what they’re allowed to know, and I guarantee not everything they were told is true. I bet these assholes lie through their teeth.
“What’s wrong with Heidi?” Ollie asks. She’s sitting with her mother on the couch.
Lana pulls her closer, tucking the little girl against her body. “She’s having her baby.”
“But why is she screaming so loud?”
“Because childbirth is a painful process, sweetie.”
Ollie looks up and stares at her mother with her eyebrows pinched together. “Did you scream too, when I was born?”
“Yes, of course.” Lana kisses her daughter’s forehead.
The door opens and a group of guards enters without being announced. No fake politeness this time.
“You.” One of them points at me. “You need to come with us.”
“Me? Why?” I ask, without making any motion to move from my chair. Hell, I haven’t done anything. What could those jackasses possibly want with me?
“Do not ask questions.” The guard walks over and grabs my arm with a beefy hand.
“Hey, let me go!” I try to break free, but that only makes the second guard approach and take my other arm.
I keep struggling, and now I’m truly afraid. But none of the females in the room react or try to help me. It’s like they don’t care that I’m being manhandled by these assholes. My gaze connects with Lana’s, and all I see is guilt. But she also remains quiet, clutching Ollie tighter against her chest.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask once we’re out of the room.
“I already told you to stop asking questions,” the burlier guard replies through clenched teeth.
They drag me down the corridor, and it doesn’t take long for the scent of blood to reach my nose and Heidi’s screams to become louder. I begin to suspect where they’re taking me.
According to Lana, Lord Indigo is a healer, but whatever knowledge or Nightingale magic he possesses, it’s not helping poor Heidi one bit. I cease struggling when the guards stop in front of the door where Heidi’s screams are coming from. Here, they knock, then enter only when Lord Indigo tells them to.
“We brought the wolf,” one of the guards says like their boss can’t see for himself.
He nods. “Good. You can go now.”
“Are you sure, my lord? She’s feral.”
Lord Indigo’s gaze drops to the collar around my neck. “She’ll be on her best behavior.”
I snarl, but that’s as far as I go in showing my displeasure. I take in my surroundings, searching for Heidi. The room is similar to our quarters in decor, but it’s smaller in scale, and there’s a big window, allowing daylight in. It’s less depressing than ours for sure, or it would be if it didn’t reek of desperation and imminent death.
Heidi is in a large bed with her head propped up on pillows. Her upper body is covered by sheets, but she’s naked from the waist down. Her legs are parted and covered in blood, which also drenches the bedsheet. Fuck. She’s been bleeding profusely. At this rate, she might actually die of blood loss—something I was sure wasn’t a possibility for vampires. Maybe Lana is right and what I believe to be true about the race isn’t accurate.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Not great. She’s quickly losing strength.” Lord Indigo checks her pulse.
Her pale face indicates as much. “She needs to feed.”
“They’ve brought male Nightingales, but their blood isn’t helping her,” Freya, who is by Heidi’s side and holding her hand, replies. “I suggested your blood.”
“Mine? What makes you think my blood will help?”
“You’re a wolf shifter,” Lord Indigo answers. “A hybrid we didn’t know existed. The sun in the mortal lands does not harm you.”
I look at him through slits. “How do you know that?”
