Shadow Kin by M.J. Scott

Author:M.J. Scott [Scott, M.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: emscott enterprises

Chapter 12

Lily

I thought for a moment that I’d accidentally shadowed and sunk through the floor. The room pressed in on me, suddenly airless. Of all the things he could have said, I hadn’t expected that. It took an effort to make my mouth work. “You can smell . . . what?”

“His scent is part of yours. You have . . . tasted,” he said, anger licking through his voice. “You’re locked to him.”

“I am not blood-locked,” I said, in automatic denial, as my thoughts reeled. Atherton knew. He knew my secret. “I’d hardly have left Lucius if I was.” I prayed he would believe me.

His head tilted, considering. “True. But I can smell him in you. The blood of our kind is addictive.” His hand shot out, grabbed my arm, long white fingers circling my wrist with inescapable strength. “I can feel it in you. Feel the need you feel. Like a fire beneath your skin. The wanting. You are locked to him.” He drew in a breath, then pushed me away, hard enough to make me stumble back a few steps. “You should not come so close to me when you burn so.”

I didn’t know which of us he thought was at risk. Did I smell more tempting because Lucius had fed me or did Atherton think I would hunger for his own blood? The need felt no different standing close to him and presumably he would control himself, so I decided to ignore the issue. I was more interested in the part where he said he could tell I was addicted. Had the Blood always known? Or was this too a result of the amount of blood Lucius had fed me that last time? “I am not locked,” I repeated.

“Maybe,” he said shortly. “Maybe it is different for you than a human. But you feel the need, don’t you?” He paused for a moment. “Why did I never sense it before?” he said almost to himself. “Why did none of us know? It makes sense for him to leash her so.” He turned to me, head tilted. “How long has he been feeding you?”

“Why should I tell you that?”

“Answer me if you wish to have any hope of gaining my trust.” His tone was heavy with anger.

I stared at him in frustration. I should just shadow, walk into the hell-cursed room beyond and find out what the secret was. But Atherton . . . Atherton knew secrets of his own. Blood secrets. He might know how to help me. How to free me from Lucius. Which was the only thing that could make a difference to me now. If he trusted me.

He needed to trust me if I had any hope of convincing him not to tell Simon my secret.

“I was fifteen when he first did it. The same year he started sending me out to kill.” The worst year of my life. I’d been clumsy those first few times, ending up blood drenched and shaken more often than not.

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