His eyes did not leave Steven but they narrowed slightly at the edges when I pushed through the bond. I felt the rush of his breathing open up to me, the steady powerful beat of his heart underneath all the adrenaline running through him. He was controlled. Barely, but controlled.
"We raised her well enough until it became clear she would not shift," Steven said, his voice carrying the casual cruelty of someone who had rehearsed this. "Then we tried other methods. My pack were enthusiastic about that. Lycan blood is the only thing your kind is truly useful for, so run along and I will put her to good use."
Phoenix took one step forward. Steven dragged us both back two. His claws pressed deeper into my neck and I felt the fresh sting of broken skin, the smell of my own blood rising into the air between us.
Steven inhaled it slowly and deliberately. "Do you smell that? Do you smell the power in it?"
