“And what is that?”

“The Hollow is merely a gated community.” Jared shrugged. “It isn’t anything that signifies that the person residing here is a ruler. It’s just something that Antonio built because he wanted to. All you’ve done tonight is break into someone’s home. That makes you an intruder, nothing more. In other words, living here won’t make you the Grand High Master vampire. It won’t mean that people have to follow you. It just means that you have a new home.”

Jared was absolutely right. And it was clear that now Covington knew it too.

“I’m done chatting.” Covington looked at me then. “Time to make a choice, Sam.”

Shit. Here it was. That all-important choice that Luther had warned me about. My anxiety and apprehension intensified.

“You see, I’m a fair person. I don’t see any reason why these people here have to die purely because you need to be destroyed. In fact, I can just put them in containment cells and have someone teleport those cells out of here. I’ll release Antonio and everyone here, and they can live – I give my word on that in front of all the High Masters, can show just how trustworthy I can be. But it will be your life in exchange for theirs.”

“No, Sam!” Antonio immediately shouted while Jared growled, “Not a f**king chance.”

“Do not give him what he wants,” insisted Sebastian.

“We’ve lived very long lives,” Luther told me. “It is you and Jared that are important now.” Sebastian nodded his agreement, totally earnest.

Covington chuckled. “Sam might be a freak, but she’s not stupid. She knows it’s in everyone’s best interests to agree to my deal. Every single person in The Hollow is depending on her to make the right choice in order to live.”

My voice was hard, loaded with anger, as I spoke. “If I agree to your little deal, it would be killing my mate. I don’t have any intention of doing that. And any vampire out there – including the High Masters that are watching intently – would understand that putting their mate first is what a vampire does.”

The ugly, all-knowing smile that surfaced on his face had me tensing. “Then it’s a good thing that I can solve that little matter. Or, more accurately, Imani can solve it.”

I frowned, sliding my gaze briefly to a silently crying Imani.

“She didn’t tell you what she can do? She didn’t tell you why we want her, why Paige has been hiding her?”

Imani looked at me and confessed sadly, “My gift…I can sever blood-bonds.”

Well f**k a duck. It made perfect sense for Paige to hide her. A vampire with such a gift could be a weapon – they would have the ability to detach people from their makers and separate Bound couples. Paige hadn’t wanted the female to become a pawn in dangerous games like the one being played now.

“If you agree to my deal, Imani will first sever your bond with Jared. This will allow him to live after you die.”

“No dice,” Jared immediately spat.

Covington arched a reprimanding brow at him. “I think your mate is quite capable of making this decision all by herself. According to Eloise, she is full of opinions.”

“You made the complaints to the Prelature, didn’t you?” snickered Jared.

Covington was smug once more. “With Eloise’s help, yes. I needed you all distracted, needed your morale low, needed your time to be consumed enough that you couldn’t find any possible avenue of help for the tainted – that your only option would be to locate Paige. Why do you think I recommended her to you? I knew that you had the means to track her.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” I said. “How did you find out all that private information about our training methods to make the complaints?”

“Quite easily, really, thanks to a human here that did a little spying for me – all I had to do was promise to Turn someone for her once I became Grand High Master. Apparently Antonio had refused to do it because the human kid she wanted Turning was only twelve. Of course your little traitor is very much dead now since she served her purpose. As I said, I’d just needed you all to be a little distracted – it was originally only Imani that I wanted. But then Eloise told me about you, Sam. I knew what I had to do for the good of all vampirekind.”

I snorted. “Like people will buy that. If anything, they’ll find it insulting that you expect them to believe it.” Yes, that was a little reverse psychology for the High Masters, but I wasn’t sure it would work.

He ignored that. “Make your choice, Sam. And choose wisely.”

Luther hadn’t been kidding when he said that it was a choice that would affect us all. Unless I gave my life for the lives of the people in The Hollow, they would all die and Covington would most likely rule purely because of the fear his success would induce. If others decided to battle him for the position, there would be many lives lost…and all because I wanted to save myself. Was there really a choice when so many could die? When there was no guarantee that I would come out of this alive in any case?

Sam, don’t even consider it! Jared’s infuriation and fear was almost palpable.

But I’d already made up my mind. “Do it, Imani.”

“No!” yelled Jared, gripping my hand tight and yanking me against him.

Antonio, Sebastian, and Luther pleaded with me not to sacrifice my life for theirs, but I ignored their words because it wasn’t just about them.

Jared gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. I didn’t want to move my gaze from Covington, but how could I not meet my mate’s pained eyes just then?

You can’t do this, Sam. The desperation and determination there almost broke my heart.

And I won’t be the reason that you, Antonio, or anyone else here dies.

Then we fight.

Jared, as much as I hate to admit it, I’m in no position to fight anyone. The shield’s weakening. I’ve put every ounce of energy into keeping it intact, but pretty soon there’ll be nothing left and my gift will be of no use.

“Sam, do not do this!” Antonio called out. “You and Jared are the future!”

This is the only way you’ll all live, Jared. You stay alive and you get revenge for me. You hunt Covington down until he’s dead. I gave a sad smile. I love you.

Baby, please

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Imani, “Do it.”

“Don’t you f**king dare!” Jared dragged me behind him, as if it would somehow stop her. I peered around him to see that she was shaking her head, refusing to cut the bond.