Promised in Blood: Chapter 28

“This is the talented young witch I spoke of.” Enora’s voice drifts into the room, and I lift my head from my textbook to see her walking through the open doorway, followed by another woman with flaming-red hair that seems to glow under the strand of lights strung around the room. The latter may be the most striking creature I’ve ever seen. But who is she, and what is she doing here?

“Cadence Callander. Members of her family have attended our school for generations,” Enora adds, gesturing to my friend sitting on the bed opposite me.

Cadence jumps up from the bed and greets her guests. The woman with the red hair gives me a light smile in greeting before she introduces herself to Cadence as an old friend of Enora’s, but she doesn’t reveal her name. I go back to my book—or at least pretend to. My innate curiosity won’t allow me to not listen while they discuss Cadence’s family and her dreams of becoming a professor at Montridge herself one day.

They go on chatting openly like I’m not even here, and while some people might find that impolite, I quite enjoy fading into the background. Especially after having been able to do so little of that these past few weeks. It feels like I’m always the object of someone’s attention lately, and while I mostly love it, I sometimes miss being able to disappear without anyone noticing I’m gone. It’s why I enjoy visiting Silver Vale so much. Here, I am simply Ophelia. Not Ophelia, the only elementai in existence who is likely to soon bring about the apocalypse.

“Cadence.” Enora grips my friend by the elbow. “Come help me make our guest some tea.” Cadence nods eagerly, her eyes not leaving the redheaded woman who seems to have captivated her completely. So much so that Enora has to practically drag Cadence from the room, and I am left alone with the strange, enigmatic woman whose name I still don’t know. She takes a few steps toward me, and I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and plant my feet on the ground in preparation to run or fight should I need to.

The woman with the red hair is smiling, but there’s something about her that unnerves me. Each step she takes toward me feels like the lowering of a veil, as though she was shielding her power but for some reason is no longer doing so.

“You have nothing to fear from me, Ophelia.” She smiles sweetly, her emerald-green eyes sparkling like they’re made of actual gemstones. And while her vibe feels genuine, I no longer trust my instincts. I have come to recognize the metallic taste of powerful magic, and its flavor now coats my tongue.

“How do you know my name?” I ask, closely examining her to see if I can find some clue as to who she is and whether she’s a threat to me. Surely Enora wouldn’t have left me alone with her if she were. Alexandros, a man who has faith in so few, trusts Enora. Surely that means something.

“I know a lot about you, Ophelia Hart. I was there at your birth, after all.”

Her statement is like a sucker punch to my solar plexus. “Y-you—You what?”

She nods and takes a seat on Cadence’s bed. “Yes. I was one of the beings who saved you.”

“Y-you saved me?”

She nods again.

My head is spinning, and I place my hand on the back of my neck and try to cool myself down, but it doesn’t work. “From who? Who are you?”

She arches an eyebrow. “I truly do not know who was hunting you and your family, child. They were scorched to death by the time we arrived, and only the most intense fire can kill a vampire. It is a myth that their heads must be removed to kill them. If a fire rages hot enough, it can burn them faster than they can heal.”

“They were vampires?”

“Yes. They killed your mother and father, and we saved you from her womb and left you on the steps of the church. I recall it like it was yesterday. Your eyes were that same electric shade of vibrant blue.”

My natural curiosity is drowned out by the fear and uncertainty snaking through my veins, curling talons around my heart and squeezing tight. The dresser begins to rattle.

“Calm your mind, Ophelia. I am no threat to you.” Her voice is soothing, but I can’t trust it.

Ophelia? Alexandros’s commanding voice rings through my head now, the complete opposite of the musical tone of this charismatic witch sitting before me.

The walls go on rattling, and heat blisters my skin.

Ophelia! Alexandros calls once more.

The woman stares at me. She’s still smiling, but her green eyes burrow into my soul. I shake my head if only to tear my gaze from hers. So many emotions flood me, and I can’t focus on any of them.

Where are you? Alexandros shouts, frantic. I cannot find you!

I vaguely hear Axl, or perhaps it’s Xavier, tell him that I’m at Silver Vale. My blood is rushing in my ears. I gasp for oxygen, but it’s sucked from the room, and I know that it’s undoubtedly my doing, but I can’t stop it. However, the green-eyed woman is unaffected.

“Use your light, Ophelia,” she says calmly.

“H-how do you know—” The next words are stolen from me by the lack of air in my lungs.

“If it is Alexandros who calms you, then reach out to him and have him guide you before you shake the walls of this house to the ground.”

Alexandros, I call desperately.

I am almost there, little one. I will never let anyone hurt you.

Nobody is hurting me. But I can’t control my power. I can’t focus. Tears leak from the corners of my eyes.

Yes you can. Close your eyes and find your light, agápi mou.

I try to focus, but there are too many questions and feelings racing through my head.

Listen to my voice and nothing else, he says, much calmer now, the deep timbre of his voice washing over me in a comforting wave.

I do as he says, listening only to him as he utters words of comfort and praise. I see the dazzling orb of light that is my center. As though it were as simple as flicking a switch, I can breathe again and the house goes still.

When I open my eyes, the witch is still regarding me with curiosity. “You are powerful, Ophelia. But …” She presses her lips together.

“But what?”

There’s a loud commotion downstairs, and I recognize Alexandros’s voice in the melee. Anxiety spikes in me once more, but I control it. He’s demanding to be let into the house. “Why can’t he come inside?”

“Because I have cast a spell to prevent him from doing so.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Why?”

“Tell him you are safe and that I will allow him inside in but a few moments,” she says. “And then we can talk.”

“Can I give him your name?”

Her eyes sparkle with delight. “Nazeel. He will know of whom you speak.”

I’m even more confused now, but I do as she asks, if only to stop him from tearing the house apart to get to me.

“Nazeel!” Alexandros’s roar echoes through the house. With a wave of her hand, she drowns out all sound, and we’re shrouded in complete silence. I can no longer hear him in my head either.

“Who are you?”

“An old friend of Alexandros’s. An ally.” She rests a hand on my knee and squeezes.

I frown, still unsure of her motives. “He doesn’t seem to think so.”

“He is simply afraid of what will happen when the world finds out who and what you are. But there is no stopping that from happening.”

Terror washes over me at the casual way she speaks of my inevitable demise. “We could stop it though. Why does anyone have to know?”

The spot between her brows pinches together, and she purses her lips. “They must know, Ophelia. Who you are cannot be hidden.”

“I know I’m supposed to be the last of my kind and all that, but⁠—”

“No.” Her green eyes darken, and she leans forward. “You are so much more than that.”

I open my mouth to speak, but Nazeel flinches back and rubs her temples. “He is much stronger than he was.”

My pulse spikes once more. “What? Who?”

“I must leave.”

“Wait! No.” I have too many questions, and she seems to have several of the answers I need. “Who were my parents? What do you mean I’m more than that? Who are you?”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she takes my hand in hers. “I did save your life, sweet Ophelia. I knew from the moment you were born that you were special. Many will try to use your power for their own ends, but do not let them, my child. Always trust your light.”

She lets my hand go, and before I can ask another question, she has disappeared. Not even a trace of her power lingers. But the sound of Alexandros storming through the house like a bull charging at a matador fills my ears, and I blink when he rushes into the room, his eyes wild as he glances around Cadence’s room.

“Where is she?” he growls.

I glance at the space where she was just five seconds ago. “She disappeared. Literally disappeared.”

Enora races in behind him, and he turns on a dime, wrapping his hand around her throat and hoisting her into the air. “I trusted you.” The rage in his voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. The temperature in the room seems to drop below freezing.

Panic covers my flesh in goosebumps, and I run to him and take hold of his free hand, threading my fingers through his. “Let her go.”

He ignores me, keeping his glare fixed on Enora. “I trusted you to protect her.”

She tries to speak but can’t. Her eyes bug out, and her face turns a deep shade of crimson. I tug on his hand. “Please let her go so she can explain.”

For a few heavy seconds, I’m worried he’s going to snap her neck. But he finally releases her and wraps me in his arms. His hands run over my body as if checking for injury. “Are you okay?”

No, I am not okay. I’m confused and scared, and I have three billion questions I need answers to, but I know that’s not what he means. “I’m fine. I promise.”

He keeps one arm around me and turns back to Enora. “How could you? The Order … Nazeel?” He seems unable to string together a complete sentence, and I’m left wondering why he’s so angry, not to mention seemingly afraid of the woman with the red hair. She was incredibly powerful, but I didn’t sense any danger from her.

“I’m okay,” I assure him.

He ignores me and keeps his glare trained on Enora.

“She asked to meet our most gifted witches, and also to meet Ophelia. You know she would not cause her any harm. What was I supposed to do?”

His breath dusts over my forehead as he grips me tighter. “You should have told me immediately.”

“She swore me to secrecy, and you know that my family’s oath to the Danraath witches prevents me from going against her wishes. You also know that she is no threat to Ophelia.”

“Wait. Is she the one who asked you to look out for me?” I ask.

Enora nods.

“She said that she saved me when I was born. She said she was there.”

Alexandros turns to me, his eyes narrowed. “She told you that?”

I nod. She also said I am more than an elementai, Alexandros. What does she mean? I ask him through our bond because I’m not sure I fully trust Enora after she left me alone with Nazeel. Plus, there are some things I’d rather keep between us, at least until I know what they mean. Not that I can discount the question of whether Enora knows what I am, given her connection to Nazeel.

He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he retrains his glare on Enora. “You have broken my trust, and for that, I will never forgive you.”

The pain on Enora’s face is so acute that it winds me. “Alexandros, I never meant to⁠—”

“I trusted you with the most precious thing in the world to me.” His body vibrates with the strength of his rage.

“But Nazeel would never hurt her,” Enora insists.

He lunges, his fangs bared, and Enora flinches back against the door. “That is not the point, Enora. You have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be undone!”

She hardens her gaze. “No, Alexandros. Whatever is meant to be will be. There is nothing either of us can do to change even our own fates, let alone the fate of another. If Nazeel has an interest in Ophelia, there must be a good reason.”

My stomach churns. Why do I always feel like I’m out of the loop in my own life?

Alexandros grabs my wrist. “You are not to come to this house again.”

I struggle to keep up with him as he marches me toward the door. “What? No, you can’t⁠—”

He stops in his tracks and grips my jaw between his thumb and forefinger. We’re standing in the hallway now, surrounded by a dozen scared-looking witches. “You will not come here again, Ophelia.”

“You can’t stop her. She’s my friend,” Cadence yells from the peripheral of the circle surrounding us, and my heart warms at her sticking up for our friendship.

With a vicious roar, he bares his teeth, and a couple of the nearby witches yelp and scurry back.

“Girls, that will be enough for now.” Enora’s calm voice coasts down the hallway. “Alexandros, must you discipline the girl in front of her friends?”

There’s a single snigger from somewhere behind us, and he releases his grip on me. I have barely even started, he warns me through our bond.

I bite down on my lip and close my eyes. My cheeks burn with shame, but the spot between my thighs is also inexplicably warm. He’s enraged and dangerous, and this is definitely not the time or the place. Yet I can’t seem to help myself.

“Say goodbye to your friends, Ophelia,” he commands. “You will not be coming back here.”

I want to tell him to go to hell, but the look in his eyes is murderous, and I don’t want to test out his “barely even started” threat in front of all these people. So I turn to my friend and give her a small but warm smile. “Bye, Cadence.” Her eyes fill with tears. “We can still meet in the library,” I offer, my heart breaking.

Alexandros growls. “No, you will not.”

Before I can protest, he hoists me over his shoulder like a firefighter rescuing someone from a burning building and marches out of Silver Vale.

“Will you put me down?”

He ignores me and breaks into a run, and by the time we get back to the house, I feel dizzy and a little sick. He sets me down in the entryway, and I sway on my feet.

“Are you okay, baby?” Malachi says, stepping up behind me and stopping me from rocking backward.

“No,” I snap, directing all my anger at the man standing in front of me.

Alexandros flexes his palm. “Do not push me, Ophelia, because I will punish you, and I will make the boys watch me turn your backside redder than your blood.”

“Uh-oh.” Axl steps up beside us now. “What did you do, princess?”

“I didn’t do anything!” My indignation takes a sudden turn into sadness, and tears fill my eyes. This is so unfair. I just lost my best friend, and I didn’t do anything wrong.

Alexandros wipes a tear from my cheek. “How many times do I have to tell you that everything I do is for your protection?”

I bite down on my lip. He’s told me that many times, but still …

He dusts his lips over my forehead. “But you do not get to question me in front of the witches, Ophelia.”

So that’s what this is about? Me challenging his authority in front of other people? “Okay. But I⁠—”

“Ophelia!”

Xavier’s dark laugh rings out behind me. “Please piss him off some more, Cupcake. I would love to see that spanking.”

Axl and Malachi murmur in agreement, and my cheeks heat. Alexandros cups my jaw again, much more gently than he did at Silver Vale. He sweeps the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip, tugging it down, and grazes his mouth over mine until I whimper. “We can save the spanking for another time. I have a witch to track down.”

“Are you going to find Nazeel?”

“If she is not long gone by now.” He drops his hand from my face and directs his attention to the boys. “Do not let her out of your sight.”

Xavier gives a mock salute that makes Alexandros scowl. Malachi wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. “We’ll keep our girl on lockdown, sir.”

I sigh. I should fight, but I don’t have the energy, and lockdown with my guys isn’t all that bad. Food and a movie followed by lots of cuddles—not to mention all the orgasms. Lots of orgasms.

Alexandros must have read my mind, because he was headed for the door, but now he turns on his heel, and quicker than a flash, his hand is at the back of my neck, his hot mouth resting on my ear. “When I get back, little one, I do not care how exhausted you are or how much you have already given. I am going to feed on you whilst I fuck you, and you are going to moan my name as I do it.”

I swallow the needy whimper that tries to claw its way from my throat. He’s the same asshole who plans to stop me from seeing my friends, and I’m still mad at him for it. But I also know that to argue now, when he’s intent on having his own way, is futile. So I fix him with my sweetest smile and say, “Yes sir.”