Chapter 10 - Secrets of the Blood
Before Julian could reach the landing, a burning wooden beam collapsed between them, showering the marble steps in a wall of sparks and fire. Julian shielded his face, leaping over the debris to tackle the sister holding the fuel, sending the lighter skittering across the hardwood floor away from the flames. He grabbed a heavy throw blanket from a nearby couch, smothering the localized fire before slicing through the ropes binding the second sister. As the gag fell from her mouth, the rescued woman gasped for air, clutching Julian's lapels with frantic strength. "She's crazy, Julian! She's been living in the basement for two years!" she cried. But when Julian looked down at her hands, he noticed a faint, jagged scar across her right palm—the exact scar Clara had told him she received as a child.
