Read Online Blood Instinct by Lindsay J Pryor - Free Book Online Page B

‘You know it’s not just about that.’
    ‘What I know is that you’re both deluded. So unless you’re planning to help us and kill Caleb, this discussion is over.’
    ‘Because you know what Jask will say,’ Leila remarked.
    ‘Because it’s not his decision – it’s mine.’
    ‘Or it’s the decision of the serryn in you clutching for survival.’
    ‘Have you listened to yourself?’
    Leila caught both her hands. ‘I can see how you feel about Jask, Sophie. I’ve seen the way you look at him. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’m giving you a lifeline. I’m giving you a chance. Even if we survive what’s going on out there, by holding on to this you’ll eventually destroy any hope you and him have. And, in the process, you’re going to end up hurting him. Don’t spoil it. Don’t spoil it to protect me. This might be the only chance you have. If you won’t do it for yourself then do it for Jask. If you love him, do it forhim.’
    The door creaked open. Sophia’s heart skipped a beat as Jask leaned against the doorframe. His attention switched from her sisters to her as he folded his arms. A trail of expletives cascaded silently through her mind.
    His blue eyes narrowed; his frown deepened. ‘Do what for Jask?’ he asked.

6
    T he silence that descended was like a stifling blanket.
    Alisha’s gaze flitted erratically between her two older sisters while Sophia imparted a warning glare in Leila’s direction that was nowhere near subtle enough for Jask not to notice.
    This was about more than what had just happened with Kane. From the tail end of the conversation he’d overheard as he’d approached the closed door, this had been just as much about his relationship with Sophia.
    Jask closed the door behind him and rested his hands behind the small of his back as he leaned back against it. ‘Well?’
    Leila glanced once more at Sophia before folding her arms and dropping her gaze, her lips pressed together.
    Sophia too was intent on avoiding making eye contact with him – always a sign of her guilt.
    The silence remained, the tension heightening as he glanced between the three sisters. ‘One of you is going to speak,’ he said. He opted for the least stubborn of the three. ‘Alisha?’
    But her eyes remained anxiety laden as they too avoided his gaze.
    Sophia shrugged dismissively. ‘Same old, same old, that’s all.’
    Her explanation was as convincing as her tone. He was a split second from saying so when Leila beat him to it.
    ‘That’s far from all,’ she said.
    Sophia’s eyes narrowed again. ‘ Don’t ,’ she warned her sister quietly, exacerbating Jask’s curiosity – and his impatience.
    But Leila was far from perturbed by her sister’s reluctance. ‘At the same time I was looking for an alternative to the vampire uprising, I found a way for Sophie to lose her serrynity.’
    Jask frowned as he glanced back at Sophia; it was hardly the big news that was being indicated – and no reason for Sophia to be avoiding the discussion.
    He reverted his gaze to Leila. ‘We already know the ways: suicide, or falling for a vampire and consummating it.’
    ‘Those are the rules if you’re born a serryn. Which Sophie wasn’t, of course.’
    His heart skipped a beat. He shot a glance at Sophia, her tongue now thrust in her cheek.
    ‘You’re telling me there’s another way?’ he asked Leila.
    ‘Yes.’
    The prospect flashed through his mind – a tumult of thoughts of the chance, the possibility. A possibility confirmed as Sophia closed her eyes and shook her head, turning her back on them to brace her arms on the vanity unit. This clearly wasn’t the first she’d heard of it.
    ‘That’s why, when we spoke on the phone,’ Leila added, ‘I told her to stay away from Caleb until I’d seen her.’
    But that had been days ago. It was a conversation he’d overheard. Nothing had been said about her serrynity then – not before they’d been cut off.
    His attention snapped