Free 02 Blood Roses - Blackthorn by Lindsay J Pryor Page A

trigger her, so what’s holding her back?’
    ‘Maybe she only found out recently.’
    Caleb looked back at the screen as Leila gently arched her back from the floor in a vain attempt to stretch. ‘A serryn with cause on top of instinct, from what Alisha told us. Recent or not, there’s something more to this.’
    ‘I don’t like the look in your eyes, Caleb. I know that look. Think about what you’re doing. What if she has saved my life?’
    ‘Her kind owes us thousands of lives. Do you think if it wasn’t for Alisha, she would have had any intention of helping you?’
    Jake frowned. ‘You saw it yourself in there. She’s not like them . ’
    ‘Or she’s exceptionally good at what she does.’
    Caleb wiped his thumb repeatedly over the control panel, drawing the image closer. She shuddered, no doubt cold and exhausted. And judging from her pained attempt at stretching again, the discomfort at being on the hard floor had well and truly set in. Her eyes were reddened, her pale cheeks flushed. Caleb drew in closer still on her face, on those pretty hazel eyes. And when he did so, there was something in Caleb’s eyes too – something dark, something deadly, something Jake had hoped never to see again.
    ‘You made a deal with Alisha,’ Jake reminded him. ‘You made a deal with them both. You never go back on your word.’
    ‘If I let her walk out of here, I’m putting every one of us beneath this roof under threat.’
    ‘Caleb, you can’t do this.’
    Caleb’s eyes flashed darkly as he looked across at him. ‘And I can’t let her go. Not now. She’s not going to walk away and pretend this never happened. She’s either going to come back here fully fledged and without Alisha to worry about, or she’s going to bring the whole Vampire Control Unit down on us – and that’s attention we could do without. Let alone if word gets out I let her go. That’ll be our reputation gone, and we will be finished here in Blackthorn. You know what the fallout of this could be.’
    ‘And if the Higher Order hears about it our lives aren’t going to be worth living anyway. You know how much Jarin is itching to get at you. It’s bad enough he’s suspicious of your relationship with Feinith– ’
    ‘ Ex -relationship,’ Caleb interjected. ‘She walked away from me for good the minute she betrothed herself to that lying bastard.’
    ‘Caleb, finding out you’ve concealed a serryn will give him the perfect excuse to prosecute you.’
    ‘Then we need to make sure nobody does find out. Which is why I need you back at front of house keeping an eye on things while I deal with this.’
    There was no way he could leave his brother alone with her. Not knowing there were worse things than death that Caleb could inflict. Much worse things. ‘By doing what?’
    ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’ He knocked back a mouthful, ice clinking against glass.
    ‘I’m not leaving you alone with her.’
    ‘Need I remind you I’m not the one with the self-control issues, little brother?’
    ‘No, but I know you like to play dangerous, and that’s just a little too close to the edge. Whether she’s active or not, that blood flowing through her veins is still poisonous. She needs to be kept out of the way. We could get Hade to take her somewhere. Hand her over to someone until dawn. Keep it underground. You’ve got enough loyalty to keep this hushed.’
    Caleb glanced back across at his brother. ‘And what’s the fun in that?’
    ‘I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. Caleb, I can’t let you do this. Not for your sake. Not for hers. If you’re right, if she has done a holding spell, you need her alive, right? She dies, I die with her.’
    ‘I’m not going to kill her.’
    ‘You can promise me that, can you?’
    Caleb looked across at his brother. ‘Until dawn, yes.’
    ‘When was the last time you fed, Caleb? A proper feed.’
    ‘I’m fine.’
    ‘I’ll line a couple of girls up for you. Get