Blood Bond by Kit Tunstall Page A

suddenly shot up, grasping the dagger firmly, and
preparing to plunge it into Anca’s heart.
    Starr cried out as the dagger started to
lower, and she began to push frantically against the locked door. Rica and the
other two men pushed her aside and threw their weight against the wooden door.
Even as it splintered against the force and formed a hole large enough to allow
Rica to reach inside to unbolt the door, Starr knew they wouldn’t make it in
time to prevent Sian from stabbing Anca.
     
    * * * * *
    The pain in his side awakened Sorin. It
radiated up into his chest with a hot, pulsing rhythm that had him gritting his
teeth. At least his head was clear, and he immediately recognized where he was
when he opened his eyes. A rush of conflicting emotion assailed him when he saw
the familiar interior of his mother’s home. No, not Belia’s home now, because
she was dead, killed with her lover during their bid to seize power.
    He turned his head when he caught the scent
of another in the room with him. His eyes widened when he recognized his
sister. He had seen her briefly during his return to Necheau to warn the Pack
about the anthropologist, but had not truly looked at her. He was amazed how
mature she looked, but her eyes were the same ones he remembered from her
childhood. Only now, they held concern and weariness that hadn’t been reflected
there the last time he saw them, right before his relationship with Lucian was
discovered.
    She smiled at him, and some of the grimness
left her expression. “You are awake. How do you feel?”
    He grunted a response, uncertain how he
should respond. “What am I doing here?”
    “The Pack brought you. Lucian came to ask
for help.” Lia frowned. “At first, Rica seemed like he would refuse, but the
Lupina didn’t let him. She insisted we help, and those of us willing to do so
accompanied Lucian through the forest, to where your mate waited with you.”
    The knowledge they had come to his aid was
unsettling. Even more so was knowing he would probably be dead by now if the
anthropologist he and Lucian had tried to keep out of Corsova hadn’t forced the
issue. He cleared his throat and attempted to dismiss the foreign emotion of
gratitude to anyone in the Pack. “Where are Lucian and Starr?”
    “Starr has gone on to the castle to warn
your queen of danger.” Lia grimaced. “Lucian has left to find the hunter
lurking in our forests. Shortly after he left, other members realized we could
all be in danger if there is a hunter using silver, and many left to aid in the
search.”
    Sorin sat up, wincing at the fiery
sensation in his side. “I must get to Starr. She’ll need me.”
    Lia touched his arm, trying to ease him
back to a prone position. “A werewolf escort accompanied her. Your mate will be
fine.”
    He shook his head. He wasn’t the kind of
man to lie around while others faced danger. When his sister again tried to
ease him down, he shoved her away. “Get out of my way.”
    Her eyes sparkled with a hint of anger.
“Stop being so stubborn. You can’t help anyone in your current state. You need
to rest, to gain your strength for transforming, to speed healing.”
    Sorin ignored Lia’s words and tried to
stand up. He grunted when her weight hit him from the side, and he fell back
into the bed. He stared up at her with wide eyes, recognizing the glint of
determination in her eyes. It was one he often saw in his own, when glancing in
a mirror. He was startled to note other similarities in their facial shape, and
something indefinable that instantly pointed to them being related.
    With an almost vicious jab, she touched his
wound, causing him to draw in a breath. “How far do you think you could get,
brother? You’re staying right here. You will cause those who care about you
needless worry if you go traipsing off into the forest in your weakened state.”
    He allowed his tense muscles to relax. An
unbidden question escaped him, before he could call it back. “Are