Blood And Bone: Bloodlines, #2

By Lara Lynwood

Sabotage. Betrayal. Death threats.

 

Sounds like another Monday morning.

 

Though the sabotage was unexpected. But according to my contact in the Guild, it's the only explanation for what's been going on - and she's got her hands full investigating it. Too full to help me with my own problems.

 

The death threats I could handle - if they didn't sound more like warnings than threats, and if they weren't vague enough to be useless.

 

Still, even if my Guild contact can't help me, there's a witch who can.

 

But the more I learn, the more I question if I can trust him...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lara Lynwood
• Release date: Aug 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223378051

Book preview

Blood And Bone

Lara Lynwood

Copyright © 2022 by Lara Lynwood

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Contents

1.Death Threats

2.An Old Promise

3.Not Dead

4.Near and Far

5.Life-Debt

6.Sabotage

7.The Dhampir

8.Into The Tunnels

9.Luka

10.Hypnosis

11.Mind Magic

12.Unexpected Visitors

13.Three Things

14.Loopholes

15.An Army

16.Finding Felix

17.Cadenza

18.Nathanael

19.Revelations

20.Imprints

21.Explanations

22.Epilogue

What to read next...

one

Death Threats

Someone is trying to kill you.

I stared at the note.

It had come through Felix’s letterbox that morning, neatly folded and with my name written on it. When Felix had tried to pick it up to hand it to me, he’d gotten a nasty shock; whoever was trying to send me this message, they weren’t messing around. When I’d touched it, I’d felt the magic sizzling on it.

But apart from my name, that was all it said. Those six words. Someone is trying to kill you.

It wasn’t very enlightening, honestly.

I was a vampire hunter – a vampire hunter who’d recently learned I was actually a dhampir, a half-vampire. Up until a few weeks ago, I’d been a member of the Guild, considered one of the greatest hunters of my generation. And then, after being thrown out, I’d teamed up with a low-caste rebel vampire to take out one of the most politically powerful mated vampire pairs around.

There were a lot of people who wanted to kill me.

I pocketed the note, shaking my head. There wasn’t much I could do, honestly. Not unless I wanted to try and track the sender down and ask them what they’d meant. Felix might be able to do that, but... I didn’t trust him that much yet. For all that he was helping me now.

I turned away from the door and padded back down the hall to Felix’s livingroom slash lab, where the witch himself was poring over a book – or tome might be a better word. He’d cleared a space on a table for it by shoving everything aside. A golden crystal teetered precariously on one edge of the table.

I snagged it on my way past, and set it down on the table I’d been using. Felix looked up from his book.

Interesting note? he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I considered him for a moment.

Felix was a witch, of sorts. Where witches were usually trained at one of the Academies for several years, developing their skills and connections, Felix had been kicked out after only a year or so, in some kind of incident I still didn’t know the details of. He hadn’t let it slow him down much magic-wise, but with plenty of fully Academy-trained witches to go to, and the shadow of that incident lingering over his reputation, people didn’t tend to seek Felix out for witchcraft. Not unless they had no other choice.

Which was how he had ended up here, in a tiny rundown bungalow on what might be charitably described as the rougher side of town. A more accurate description of it would be the shithole side of town; the place where vampires and other supernatural beings roamed freely, and humans were prey or worse. The part of town where there were too many openings to the Tunnels vampires lurked in, and little to no Guild presence.

The part of town where I now lived, if you could call renting a dubious hotel room ‘living’ somewhere.

Nothing, I answered Felix finally. I’d thought of telling him what the note had contained, but then I decided against it; either it would worry him, or it wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure which would be stranger. Just a message from an informant. Keeping me up to date, now that I’ve left the Guild.

Felix nodded, and pushed his curly hair out of his eyes. In the dim lighting of the room, they almost looked the same colour, though I knew that one of his eyes was grey and the other near-black, pupil permanently dilated. He tapped one slender finger on the page.

There’s very little information here, Cass, he said, and I sighed.

We were searching for information on dhampir. I’d thought they were a myth before, that no vampire could ever control themselves enough to have a child with a human. But I’d been proven wrong by my own existence, and so, determined to know more about what I was, I’d asked Felix for his help.

But a month in, we’d gotten no further than where we’d started.

"There’s very little information anywhere, I muttered, and sat down in front of the book I’d been looking at before the note had arrived. Someone has to know something. Viessa and Phaeron did."

Viessa and Phaeron were ancient nobles, Felix pointed out. Whatever they knew, it died with them, and I highly doubt they ever wrote it down. Unless you think we should take another trip into the Tunnels to try and find out if they had a library?

I scowled at Felix, not entirely sure if he was joking or not. He smirked back at me.

A suggestion, he said, shrugging. One which might not work, but also might get us further than we’ve gotten so far.

One that would probably get us both killed, I said. The Tunnels were dangerous, I’d known that as a Guild member and I still knew it now, even after the time I’d spent down there hunting Viessa and Phaeron. The only reason I’d managed that was because I’d allied with the vampire Grey, who had a supernatural knack for knowing the Tunnels themselves, how they worked. Going down there myself... well. I wouldn’t call it suicide, because I’d done it and survived. But it would be a very, very stupid idea.

Felix shrugged again. We’re close to exhausting my sources of information. There is only so much I can do to help, Cass darling.

I pressed my fingers to my forehead. Then we’ll exhaust your sources, and find somewhere else. He’d been like this since we’d first started looking – by turns helpful and cagey, prodding at me just when I wasn’t in the mood for it. I’d come to him because he’d helped Grey and I in the Tunnels, so I’d thought he might be able to help me again.

I was beginning to think that I’d been wrong.

The note, I said abruptly. It was an impulse, more than anything else. If his sources were no use for finding out about dhampir, maybe they could help with this. It wasn’t about keeping me up to date, not exactly. Apparently someone is trying to kill me.

There was a long silence after that. I eyed Felix.

He had frozen when I said that, his face expressionless. It was strange to see, given that he was usually so elaborately animated, behaving at times almost like a caricature of himself, a performance.

Then the moment was gone, and he was raising both eyebrows high.

A death threat of sorts, Cass! You must be popular. He smirked at me, but there was something not quite right behind it. Why, I didn’t get my first death threat until I’d spent nearly three months here. He waved a hand. If you don’t count the ones when I left the Academy, of course. Anyway! It’s so vague; there was nothing else? Nothing to hint who might be trying to kill you? Which of your informants sent it, could they tell you more?

He was talking too fast, skipping from one question to the next with no time for me to answer. Something wasn’t right. Felix was hiding something, and hiding it badly.

But interrogating him wouldn’t work. I’d learned that in the short time we’d been working together. If I pushed too hard for information he wasn’t ready or willing to give, Felix would clam up, refuse to tell me anything until he felt that it was the right time.

So I left it, for now, and answered, I don’t know. There were no other hints. All I know is that someone out there is trying to kill me, but... I shook my head.

You killed Viessa and Phaeron, Felix said. And quite a number of others besides, during your time with the Guild. I can imagine there’s no shortage of people to wish death upon you, am I right? Well, perhaps not wish death upon you, but attempt to bring it themselves.

Again, he was talking too fast, gesturing elaborately as he did. It wasn’t necessarily suspicious just in itself – I’d seen him do the same and more when he got excited about some aspect of magic – but combined with how he’d frozen earlier...

Yes, I was getting more certain by the minute. Whatever the mysterious warning was about, Felix knew something.

They’d struggle, given I’m a dhampir, I said. Which I assume gives me some kind of resilience, at least. I’d know if we could find any more information.

Felix sighed, and threw himself back dramatically, draping a hand over his eyes.

Cassandra, we’re simply running out of options. I have these texts that we have today, and perhaps one or two others to ask, but nothing more past that. There really is only so much I can do, you know, given that you’re not something anyone has seen before. Well, not a thing anyone has seen in living memory, at least.

"I’m not a thing," I said sharply, standing.

Felix waved a hand. Oh, you know what I mean, Cass. Of course you aren’t, but that still doesn’t mean that there are any detailed records of dhampir like yourself.

"There must be somewhere, or nobody would know what dhampir were. Nobody would know how to make them – or why. I wanted to pace, let the walking stir my thoughts til I came up with something, but the room was too small, too cluttered with Felix’s paraphernalia. Instead, I settled for crossing my arms, drumming my fingers against my biceps. Felix, someone somewhere has to know about dhampir. Is there honestly nobody else you could ask? No contacts of contacts, or something?"

Just because someone knows about something doesn’t mean they’ve written it down, Felix said, closing the book he’d been working on with a bang. "And no, as I already said, I have exhausted every avenue I know of. Again, as I already said, the only other option I can suggest is to search the Tunnels, given that you know Viessa and Phaeron knew about you."

And as I’ve said, that’s not an option, I snapped.

Then perhaps, Felix said sharply, getting to his feet, "you might start to think about your own contacts, instead of relying solely upon mine. Cash in your own favours, oh mighty hunter; you must have enough of them."

The Guild -

"Doesn’t collect life debts, yes, yes, I know. And nor should witches, but that doesn’t mean we don’t. Felix laughed, a short, mirthless sound. The precise opposite, in fact, and I doubt the Guild is any different."

I don’t collect life debts, I said. I don’t ask for things in exchange for helping people.

Then you are going to have very little luck finding the information you want, Felix said. He picked up the book from his own table, then closed the one I’d been reading, sending a cloud of dust into the air. "Since these are of so little use, I’ll be returning them before I end up owing a debt of my own. Given that this is how the world outside of the Guild or the Academy works."

I gritted my teeth.

Patronising me is hardly going to help anything, I bit out, and regretted it almost immediately.

Felix whirled on me, dropping the books he was holding back onto the desk.

"Patronising, am I? he hissed, faint sparks of magic glinting around his eyes. I didn’t flinch; I’d faced worse every time I went on a hunt. Patronising, you say, for trying to give you an idea of how – well, I’m so sorry, oh greatest hunter of a generation, that I tried to give you a hint of what you might want to learn to expect now that you’ve been thrown out, abandoned by the Guild that raised you! The Guild that raised you so sheltered you’ve no idea of how things work down here with the rest of us who aren’t fortunate enough to be Guild or Academy! Heavens forfend I warn you, no – I should have just let you stumble into a life-debt to a vampire like I did!"

What?

Felix froze.

I didn’t say that. You didn’t hear that, Cassandra Blackthorn.

I -

"You didn’t hear it, Felix repeated, clearly wanting to layer the words with magic to reinforce it despite knowing that wouldn’t work against me. And if you’re so attached to the precious Guild that cast you out, perhaps you should go crawling back and beg them for help instead!"

And then he was gone, slamming out of the room, leaving the books behind on the table.

two

An Old Promise

I stood there for a while, staring after where Felix had vanished.

It wasn’t the first time we’d argued. His temper tended to flare up and settle again just as quickly, as melodramatic as the rest of his personality was, and I’d never shied away from a fight, even when I probably should have.

But it had always been bickering, no real heat to it – nothing like this.

And what he’d said...

A life-debt to a vampire. If that were true – and I didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be – then... it both explained a few things, and made me even warier.

The very first time I’d met Felix, coming to see him after the Guild’s witch Simone had directed me to him, he’d had visible bite marks on his neck. Vampire bite marks, not lovebites. I hadn’t said anything; I hadn’t exactly been in a position to turn down help, no matter who offered it. But I’d wondered. Witches couldn’t be enthralled, so I’d thought perhaps it was some kind of vampire protection racket, or even the simpler answer of a tightly-controlled addiction to, or dependence on, the dangerously pleasurable substance that was vampire venom.

But if Felix had a life-debt... No sensible vampire would want to waste a witch bound to them. So they wouldn’t kill him. There would be no point, not when they’d lose the benefit of his mind and his magic. That wouldn’t stop them using him as a chew toy, though. We’d always been taught that the blood of a witch was nearly as addictive to vampires as venom was to humans, albeit far easier to give up. So it would make sense for whatever vampire had a hold on him to want a taste of that.

And there wouldn’t be much he could do about it, not if he were bound to them by a life-debt. A life-debt didn’t force you to obey the person you owed it to, not exactly. Not on its own. But it was called a debt for a reason. And there were plenty of ways for unscrupulous people to misuse them, manipulate others with them. I’d heard of people who deliberately tried to induce life-debts in others, just so they could use them for their own goals. It was banned, of course, and the Guild and Architrave alike cracked down heavily on anyone even rumoured to be doing something like that. But it was possible, and that meant that it was likely, given that Felix had said his life-debt was to a vampire.

A noble vampire, no less. They weren’t exactly known for being honourable or understanding. The only high-caste vampire I’d ever met who defied the stereotype – well, I’d met a handful of them, actually, when I had worked with Grey. The semi-rebellion he led in the Tunnels had had a few high-caste vampires