Promised in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 2)
Promised in Blood: Chapter 12

My brother’s blue eyes remind me so much of our mother’s. Long-forgotten memories swim through my mind, bombarding me with images of the life I closed the door on after the loss of my wife and daughters. For five hundred years, those memories have lain dormant.

But now they linger close to the surface, ready to break free at the slightest hint of encouragement. Surely it is Ophelia’s doing. My mind is sharper than it was before too, and my ability to hear other’s thoughts has been magnified. As if allowing her inside has somehow heightened the potential of my power whilst unlocking its secrets.

“Alexandros,” Giorgios says, reminding me that he is waiting for an explanation as to why I have again summoned him to Montridge.

I shake my head, and the memories wash away like water circling a drain. “I have something to tell you.”

He rolls his eyes. “I suspected as much given that you summoned me here. But what is it?”

I lick my bottom lip and avoid his scrutinizing gaze. Will he think me more a fool for giving into temptation or for protesting so adamantly that I would resist? I suppose his opinion matters very little, although he would be right either way. But I do wonder if he suspects. Does he have any inkling that I have bonded with an elementai? Her effect on my entire being has been so profound, I am certain he must have sensed something.

Yet four full days have passed since I bonded with her, and I have not heard from him. Surely he would have contacted me if he suspected. I clear my throat. “I bonded with Ophelia.”

He blinks at me, his mouth agape, and then he simply stares. The silence hangs heavy between us. Judging by his reaction, I would say he had no idea that was why I called him here, which is a huge relief. That means our father would not have felt it either.

“Are you going to say something, Giorgios?”

He snaps his mouth closed and takes a deep breath before he speaks. “You bonded with the elementai girl?”

I tilt my head, scrutinizing his features: the slight pinch between his thick, dark brows, the barely detectable narrowing of his sapphire-blue eyes. “Yes.”

His right eyelid twitches. “When?”

I lean forward in my seat, hands clasped between my thighs as though being closer to him will allow me to read him more easily. This is not the reaction I was expecting—not that I truly know what I anticipated. But it was not this. “Are you disappointed in me, brother?”

He runs his tongue over his top teeth and gives a brief shake of his head. When his eyes lock on mine again, there is no trace of the disappointment or suspicion I thought I just saw in them. “No, Alexandros. I am merely surprised by your change of heart. And so quickly too.”

I wince. It was not all that long ago when we sat in these same chairs and I swore I would never bond with her. He was so sure even then that I was fooling myself, so his reaction now is particularly unsettling. “And I am surprised by yours.”

He frowns. “How so?”

“When we spoke last, whilst you did not say I was fooling myself, you certainly gave the impression you believed such. Did you not?” In fact, he practically encouraged me to bite her and claim her for my own.

His nostrils flare on a deep breath. “I suppose you convinced me with your steadfast conviction that this was not what you intended.” He leans across the void between us and places his hand on mine. “But make no mistake. I am happy for you, brother.”

Appeased by his explanation, I offer him a nod of thanks.

“What was she like?” His voice contains a low rumble that I suspect is purely instinctual.

I frown, confused by his question. “In what way?”

“She is the first elementai born in half a millennium. You told me you believe she has mastery over three elements, possibly all four. So tell me, what did she taste like?” He licks his lips.

In the entirety of our long existence, we have never compared notes on sexual conquests, and even if that is not what this is, his question is uncomfortably intimate. And whilst the connection Ophelia and I share goes far beyond our sexual relationship, to discuss her taste in such a way feels disrespectful. “I can tell you that the experience of bonding with her was like nothing I have ever felt before, Giorgios, but her taste will remain between Ophelia, my boys, and me.” I add a growl of warning, and he thankfully heeds it.

“So it was different from bonding with Elena?” His eyes sparkle with curiosity once more, and I wonder if my possessiveness over Ophelia caused me to misinterpret his previous question.

I recall bonding with Elena. How her blood warmed my insides, and her inherent goodness made me want to be a better man for her. My feelings for her—safe and stable—came from a place of loyalty and honor.

But biting Ophelia⁠—

Pure fire. A raging inferno of passion that burns within my blood still. I will be any kind of man, better or worse, to keep her at my side until the end of my days. I will bring the entire universe to ruination if it means I get to keep her. My feelings for her are dangerous and addictive, and they are born from a place so deep inside my soul that I know I could never lose her without losing myself. “I cannot compare the two, brother. It would be like comparing night and day.”

“But you loved Elena, did you not? You told me you loved her, Alexandros.”

His voice cracks on her name, as though he is reliving the heartbreak he experienced when our father and Elena’s chose me rather than him as her suitor. Despite the magic blocking our bond within the library walls, his pain assaults me anew, the ache every bit as excruciating as it was a thousand years ago. A testament to our mother and the example of integrity she provided us, Giorgios made the choice to put his feelings aside for the good of our family name. But before he took that honorable step back, he made me promise that I would love her always. It is a promise I have kept. “I did love her, Giorgios. I do still.”

My words ring with the strength of their truth, although I now know it was not Elena who was meant for me. She is not the other half of my soul. She was never supposed to be mine.

The bond I had with Elena, whilst not destined, still carried all the markings of a vampire–elementai bond and therefore gave me the privilege of knowing her feelings as if they were my own. That is how I know how deeply she cared for my brother. But she never felt for him the love he so desired. Never looked at him with the heat of a lover’s embrace. She thought of Giorgios as if he were as much her brother as he was mine.

And yet.

Perhaps she was always destined to belong to Giorgios. If I am to believe the legends, every creature alive has a fated mate. Elena was not mine. Was she his? There is no way to know, which means I will forever live with the question of whether I prevented him from living his own destiny. The idea that I may have taken from him that which I have found with Ophelia cuts me with a million guilt-poisoned blades. “I am sorry, brother.”

He dismisses me with a wave of his hand, his shoulders stiff and his countenance impassive; however, his pain still lingers close to the surface. “It was our father’s will. Neither of us were prepared to disappoint him back then. And it made our family all the stronger.” He rubs a hand over his beard. “For a time, at least.”

Bone-crushing despair threatens to drown me, but I remain unfaltering in the face of my brother’s outward stoicism. “Until the elementai bloodlines were no more.”

“Except they have returned now. Perhaps the girl is only the first of many.”

Unable to dash his hopes, I nod. “Perhaps.”

“If our father learns of her existence, she will surely be the first of many. He will breed her like a common broodmare.”

The thought of my kindhearted, trusting elementai being used in such a way has bile burning my esophagus. “He can never discover her identity, Giorgios. Never.”

The lines of his face soften into a reassuring expression. “I have no idea how we will keep her a secret forever, brother, but we shall certainly try.”

I press my lips together and lean back in my chair. I have no idea either, but keeping her from him is imperative. Even after she learns how to control her powers, she will be a target. But someone knows about her. Someone who is responsible for her being here at Montridge.

“We need to replace out about her past,” I tell him. “Perhaps then we can better understand how to protect her. If someone else even suspects what she is, they are a danger to her whether they mean her harm or not.”

He nods solemnly. “How much information do you have thus far?”

I recount the information Osiris obtained for me at the beginning of the semester. “That was as much as he could replace, and I do not wish to have him continue digging into Ophelia’s past. I would rather we keep her identity between us for a long as possible.”

He absentmindedly hums his agreement. “So the only people who know about her are you, me, and your boys?”

“As far as I am aware. But there is clearly someone else out there who is aware that she is something special. Perhaps not elementai, but something.” The puzzle of Ophelia Hart extends farther than the eye can see, and there are still far too many pieces missing. “There was also an incident a few weeks ago.” I rub my temples, annoyed at myself for not following up on it sooner.

He raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“A girl who used to bully Ophelia transferred here after the semester started. She toyed with her for a few weeks and then lured her off campus, planning to kill her. At the time, I thought it extreme for a human to go to such lengths, but not unheard of. At some point, the girl received an anonymous note with the name of a vampire who could help her be rid of her Ophelia problem.”

He tips his chin. “Which vampire?”

Ronan King. While I am satisfied that he has no knowledge of Ophelia’s true identity, that he put his dirty hands on her will not go unpunished, but that is for another day. “A commander of Onyx. He was merely a pawn.”

“And the girl? Where is she? Perhaps she knows more.”

“She was disposed of accordingly. Axl, Xavier, and Malachi swore she knew nothing more than what she told them about the anonymous note. However, they sensed there was something not right about her.” I comb my memories. “Rotten, I believe is the word they used to describe her scent and her blood.”

He recoils, his nose wrinkling.

“Perhaps she was under the influence of some dark magic?” I offer.

“It is entirely possible. But if that is the case, then it is surely a certainty that someone knows of Ophelia’s true identity. For why else would someone who possesses dark magic take an interest in a teenage girl who appears, for all intents and purposes, to be human?”

That thought has crossed my mind as well, but I am unconvinced they—whoever they are—know that she is an elementai. If anyone possessed such knowledge, we would be fending off attack after attack to get to her. “But why would they want her dead? Surely they would prefer to manipulate her powers somehow. And is whoever arranged for her to attend Montridge the same person who wanted her dead? Or are there two different motives at play here?”

He runs his fingertips over the dark hair on his chin. “It is a puzzle to be sure.”

“One we must solve as soon as possible, Giorgios.”

“Would you consider sending the girl away?” he asks, worry lining his features. “At least until we can determine the threat to her?”

A snarl rumbles in my chest. “And where would you suggest I send her, Giorgios?”

“I do not know.” He pinches the spot between his brows and shakes his head. He is quiet for the space of several heartbeats, but when he speaks again, his posture and voice are confident. “I still have my mountain fortress in the foothills of Tibet. She would surely be safe there. You could send one of your sireds with her for company.”

“The boys have responsibilities here, and I will not send her away.” I manage, just barely, to keep the rage invoked by his suggestion from my tone. The mere thought of spending a single day without her fills me with panic.

He sighs. “Then you come with her, Alexandros. For she is surely an easy target here if what you have told me is true. Do not put her at risk unnecessarily.”

Anger prickles beneath my skin, bristling to be let out. “I would never risk her safety.” For a few seconds, I let those words fill the space between us, ensuring his understanding that I will not abide such accusations. “But if I leave here, then questions will be asked. Not only by Dr. Ollenshaw and other faculty members and students, but by our father. It would draw far too much unnecessary attention. Do not think that I have failed to consider the option of taking her far away from here.”

He holds his hands up in surrender, banking the fury I have been directing his way. “If she cannot leave, we must make haste to determine what, if any, threats there are to her safety. If you cannot leave this campus, then you must do what you can from within these walls, and I will pick up on the trail that Osiris left.”

“Thank you, Giorgios.”

He stands and puts a hand on my shudder. “We will protect her, brother. I give you my word.” As he walks away, he glances back at me over his shoulder, a pensive look on his face. My thoughts are already on her and what she is doing at this very moment.

It is Monday, and if I remember correctly, she should be in her algebra class. I wonder what she would do if I summoned her to my office instead. The desire to spend the rest of my afternoon losing myself in her beautiful body is almost too strong to resist. I can think of no better way to counter the emotional toll of my conversation with Giorgios.

Yet my better judgment prevails, and I chase the images from my head. I have a stack of test papers to grade, and if I begin summoning Ophelia to me every time I get the urge to touch her, then she would never leave my side.

And that would certainly draw unnecessary attention.