Free Blood Ties by Gina Whitney Page B

began spinning faster and faster. My legs were knocked right from under me. And then…I was out.

    I woke up in a castle somewhere in the past. This place must’ve been built at a time when kings and queens ruled the lands. How had I gotten there? I didn’t know. All I knew was I was scared and alone. My almost paralyzing fear kept me from screaming for help.
    If ever I’d needed Julie, it was right then.
    “Okay. Okay. Just breathe,” I told myself, struggling against hyperventilation. I looked down at the cold, marble floor, each tile different from the next. My eyes moved up to the oversized oil paintings of severe-looking people hanging on every wall. There was a double staircase, one on the left and one on the right. Their railings were delicately engraved with fleur-de-lis, flowers, and multitudes of intertwining vines.
    Six large, evenly spaced stone pillars kept the castle standing. Each was carved to perfectly accentuate the structure’s noble feel. A majestic wooden door led to a grand library, while another one went to an emerald room that housed an immeasurable amount of fragrant roses in all shades.
    Despite the castle’s beauty, the brutal markings of some sort of violence were etched into the cold, stone walls.
    Someone’s fast footsteps echoed off the marble, shattering the ubiquitous silence. Not knowing to whom those steps belonged or even where I was, it was imperative I find a hiding place.
    In the nick of time, I hid around a corner; whoever it was just barely missed me. I peeked around and saw a passing feminine shape wrapped in a cloak. She looked familiar to me, and I was bizarrely drawn to her. Overcoming my common sense, I followed her.
    My heart raced as I trailed the woman. The rounded hallway seemed to go on forever before darkness swallowed it. I stayed back as the young woman entered a pair of large, amber-colored French doors.
    I heard two voices arguing, one male and the other belonging to the young woman. I figured since I had been dumb enough to follow this girl instead of trying to find a way out of the castle, I might as well go all the way. I inched toward the door, every step seeming to reverberate throughout the macabre palace. I took a breath as I opened one of the French doors and peered in.
    Our family crest was elaborately displayed over a gigantic, stone fireplace. I turned my head and saw the young woman appealing to an older man. A bolt of recognition! That young woman was my mother, Ilan. Aunt Evelyn and Dad had shown me a few cherished photos of her, but in no way had they done her justice. She was the most striking creature I’d ever seen. Her long, blonde locks cascaded over her cloak and were tied off with a ribbon at her waist. She was lithe, fine boned, yet it was obvious she possessed a massive fount of strength.
    My mother passionately engaged the man, an authority figure to her. He looked at Mother with eyes of the deepest red. He had a middle-aged face, though he was not as young as he looked. I made myself quiet and listened to their conversation.
    “Your Honor, Maximus. I speak to you not as a subject, but as your daughter. Father, please, you must listen to me. You cannot ignore this forever,” Mother said, the palms of her hands facing up, engaging my grandfather. “Yes, I do understand the ramifications of committing the most egregious sin of our clan—falling in love with a human.”
    “I have no more patience for you, Ilan,” Grandfather said. “Once more you have disgraced this family, me in particular. To me you do this? You have put me in an impossible situation, and now I cannot protect you any further.”
    Grandfather paused, then went on. “I loved you more than my entire existence, Ilan. You have broken my heart into a million pieces, my only daughter. It was your destiny to be at my right side on the council. You were to be my successor, the future of this coven. No other witch possesses the gifts and abilities you have, and you have