Page 62 of Blades and Bone

“We’ll see,” Hamish said. “You spilled my blood…which made my husband very worried. So you owe me.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Hamish had said things were going to get as bad as he expected, Brodie had expected blood and possibly screaming. Instead, the two Reid vampires were as cool and calculated as two surgeons carving out what they needed directly from the vampire’s brain.

Brodie had always thought that ensorcellment was one of those useful skills when he wanted to get his way in a business deal when dealing with humans—a nudge in his favor. He’d never seen it used the way Garrick did, manipulating and twisting until even he was questioning the truth, and he wasn’t on the receiving end of the magic. Hamish sat to the side chiming in to play another character in the charade the vampire was experiencing.

It was fucking terrifying.

He would’ve preferred blood and screaming—that, he understood.

This…this made him question who the fuck he was married to.

This was not the brat pushing back against commands, as Hamish was obeying Garrick as if he were ensorcelled. He was contributing to tearing apart the vampire’s mind.

He was unrecognizable.

Until now, he’d never doubted his ability to get a read on someone, and it chilled him. It was as if the man he’d been sleeping with had ceased to exist…had he ever existed? Which was the mask that shouldn’t be trusted?

He wanted to believe it was this one, and that it would crumble the moment Garrick walked out the door. But he couldn’t be sure because Hamish had fallen so eagerly into his bed and games. Brodie had dropped his guard and allowed himself to trust, believing that it was in the interest of both families that they work together.

He’d willingly let Hamish slip under his guard because he wanted to believe they were so well matched and that they could make something of this forced union. He was a fucking idiot. A gullible rube who’d fallen for a Reid maneuver instead of remaining suspicious.

He’d never supported the alliance, and he should’ve trusted his gut instead of Vivian’s heart. But she was the matriarch, and his role was to support her and run the business the same as his brothers.

He listened to the bound vampire spill everything he knew, and it was clear that the Orlans had been moving into their territory for a while. The alliance with the Reids hadn’t saved them…nor had it protected them.

It had been for nothing.

That someone in his family had cut a deal with Mirabella Orlan made him sick. They had been working to undermine Vivian, while she had been working for the whole family. While Vivian hadn’t traded him to another family, she had sold his life in the deal, and for what?

If the Reids weren’t here, there wouldn’t have been an attack. He’d be sleeping soundly in his bed, blissfully unaware that moves had been made to take over the family. He may never have realized until the knife cut his throat.

He closed his eyes.

That was worse, wasn’t it?

Not knowing until it was too late?

This way there was still a chance to save the family, even if that meant cutting out the part that had betrayed them. He exhaled, not sure that he had the stomach for that, even though it needed to be done.

This was a mess, and it wasn’t of their own making.

Nor was a deal where they could negotiate better terms.

Brodie opened his eyes at the mention of Felicity’s name, but it wasn’t her who’d betrayed them…Vivian would be glad. He was also relieved, though to be honest, he had never suspected Felicity.

The name that slipped off his lips was worse. Lara. Felicity’s daughter.

She must have realized that Vivian’s pregnancy meant she’d never rule… Had she approached Mirabella, or had Mirabella sought her out and made promises that she never intended to keep? Both options were bad, and the result was the same. Who did they trust when their own blood had betrayed them?

Garrick turned to him. “Is there anything else you want to know?”

He wanted to know why, but this man didn’t know the answer to that question. Brodie wasn’t sure he’d be able to answer any more questions. Not a drop of blood had been spilled, but the man was gone. Between the two of them, they’d broken his mind.

“Brodie?” Hamish’s voice cut into his thoughts, but even his voice was unfamiliar. Tighter. Sharper.

Brodie didn’t want to look at him in case he didn’t like what he saw. But he couldn’t ignore him because he’d seen a different side of him, and he needed to believe that side still existed and that was the real Hamish. Not this man, sitting rigidly, playing the obedient young vampire.