"How is that possible?" Adrian scrambled off Kieran's lap. "You said the wards—"
"The wards keep vampires out, not technology." Kieran was already moving, checking weapons that Adrian hadn't noticed hidden throughout the monastery. "He can't enter, but he can lay siege. Starve us out."
"Can't you drink...?" Adrian trailed off, realizing what he was suggesting.
Kieran's eyes met his. "I can survive months without feeding. But yes, eventually, I'll need blood. And the only source here is you."
The thought should have been terrifying. Instead, Adrian felt something entirely different. Heat. Curiosity.
"Would it hurt?" he heard himself ask.
Kieran went very still. "Adrian, don't."
"I'm just asking—"
"No, you're not. I can smell your heart rate increasing, see the way your pupils dilated. You're not afraid, you're..." He stopped, swallowing hard. "This is a very bad conversation to have right now."
Before Adrian could respond, an amplified voice echoed across the mountains.
"Kieran Ashford! I know you're in there!"
They moved to the window. Outside, dozens of figures surrounded the monastery. At the front stood a man who could only be Viktor Volkov—tall, platinum blond, beautiful in the way poisonous things often are.
"Come out and face me!" Viktor called. "Bring the human. We can discuss this civilly."
"He's lying," Marcus's voice crackled through Kieran's phone. "I've intercepted his communications. He plans to take Adrian and use his blood in a ritual."
"What kind of ritual?" Kieran demanded.
"The kind that would break the Accord and reveal vampires to the world. He believes Adrian's blood—because it carried a soul that's died and returned—can be used to resurrect the old vampire lords. The ones who believed in ruling humans openly."
Adrian's stomach dropped. "He wants to start a war."
"Not just a war," Kieran said grimly. "An apocalypse."
Viktor's voice rang out again. "I'll give you until dawn! Then I'll burn the whole mountain if I have to! The human is mine, Ashford!"
Kieran's phone buzzed again. This time, his face went pale.
"What?" Adrian asked.
"He's sent coordinates. He has hostages. Twenty humans from the village nearby. If I don't surrender you by dawn, he'll kill them all."