Blood Bound (Blood Ravengers Book 1)

by Traci Douglass

  “We are more alike than you know, sis.” Liz cocked her head. “Besides, Dante told me what happened at Seven the other night.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All the tremors and you shattering his cup collection.”

  “Me?” Anna shrugged. “I figured we had an earthquake or something.”

  “Right.” Liz shook her head. “Because Wyoming has such active faults. Listen, sis. I know this is hard for you.” Liz took a deep breath. “Honestly, I was worried about bringing you into all this. But it’s time for you to accept who you really are, what you really are.”

  Anna exhaled slowly. “The Oracle, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, but there’re absolutely no facts out there about this, Liz. I’ve searched every corner of the Internet and there’s nothing. I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but what if this is all some crazy hoax?”

  “Not everything can be found on the Internet, sis. And you, of all people, should know better than to believe what you find online. Being an Oracle is a calling, a gift. Not all psychics have the ability to be Oracles, but all Oracles first start as psychics.”

  Anna remained silent, doing her best to absorb what her sister was saying.

  “As an Oracle, you hold a special position within the gang to which you are connected. You are the glue that binds them together, the conduit through which all of their energy, all of their power, flows. You are also judge and jury in times of conflict. Because of the binding ceremony, we will have the ability to see into the hearts and minds of each gang member and know their deepest, darkest secrets. It is a huge responsibility and one not to be taken lightly. It will also require both of us to consent. Because we are twins, our powers are split, ying and yang. One without the other can’t function properly. Does that make sense?”

  “Nothing about this makes logical sense.” Anna scoffed. “You said it will take both of us because we’re twins. Does that mean most Oracles are one person?”

  “I’m not sure.” Liz tossed her long blond braid over her shoulder. “Dante mentioned there are more otherworld gangs, but I’ve not seen any. Since each gang requires an Oracle to remain strong, it makes sense. You can ask him later, when he gets here.”

  “Dante’s coming today, too?”

  “Yep.” Liz grinned. “He needs to make sure you’re ready and onboard with everything.”

  Anna winced. “Are you sure coffee’s not allowed?”

  “Positive.” Liz leaned forward again. “Hey, sis. Will you promise me something?”

  “What?”

  “That when all of this is over, you’ll give Dante a chance.”

  “You know that’s not possible. This is a short-term fling. We’ve both been clear on that.” She forced a smile. Maybe she was in denial, but once she left Salvation, her life would go back to the same boring vanilla. But at least now she’d have some steamy memories for those long, lonely nights ahead. “I need you to promise me something, too.”

  “What?”

  “That when all of this is over you’ll settle down. At least for a while.” Liz gave her a flat look, but Anna continued. “I’ve used up all of my vacation time and sick days looking for you. If I miss any more time, the school board will suspend me. And if I lose my job, I’ve got nothing.”

  “You’ve got me. I’m something.” Liz took her hand. “Just trust me on this, sis. Okay? I know it’s hard and I know it’s scary, but you need to have faith. When all of this is over, you and I will live a life you can’t even imagine.”

  “I’ll try.” Anna took a deep breath. “For you. Because I love you.”

  “I love you too, sis.”

  They hugged tight.

  “So what’s on the agenda today?” Anna asked.

  “We’re going to start with simple channeling exercises. Get you used to sensing the energy vortexes before you actually become a conduit.”

  “Great.”

  Liz waved her hands. The chairs disappeared and in their place appeared two yoga mats.

  “Are we doing some meditating first?”

  “Nope.” Liz sat on her mat, lotus-style, and Anna did the same, facing her sister. “We need to hold hands.”

  Anna grasped Liz’s icy fingers. “Jeez, your hands are freezing.”

  “Sorry. Side effect of energy flow.”

  “Really? I’d have thought the opposite was true.” Dante’s body temperature always seemed to soar whenever they made love, but maybe that was a different kind of mojo. Speaking of mojo, maybe if they got this training done early, she and Dante could go in his dungeon once more, try out some of those fancy dildos he had lined up on the shelves then…

  “That’s enough, young lady,” Liz said, her grin in direct opposition to her schoolmarm tone. “When we hold hands like this we are sharing our vibrations and energy. So unless you plan to give me all the sordid details of the steamy nights with your wicked demon, you better fill your mind with sunny meadows and cute puppies. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Anna squeezed her eyes shut and thought about the lovely scenery she’d seen on her drive into Salvation. It seemed like years ago now and not just two days prior.

  “Great. Now focus on opening yourself up to the energy in the room, feel it flowing through you, around you, infusing your body with power.”

  At first all Anna could feel was ridiculous, but gradually she relaxed into the exercise. Soon, it was as if her whole body was lit from the inside out.

  “Fantastic, sis.” Liz opened her eyes and Anna did the same. “You’re doing really well. This might work out better than Dante expected.”

  “We shall see,” a deep male voice said.

  A bright flash of light exploded to Anna’s left and there stood Dante, all lean and sexy and entirely too handsome for his own good.

  “Hey.” She managed to squeak the words out past her constricted vocal cords. “How’d the meeting go?”

  “Good, ofryd.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and faced Liz. “The training is proceeding well?”

  “Anna has agreed to set her doubts aside for now and seems to have no problem sensing the vortexes or drawing in their energy. We were about to move on to channeling next.” Liz smiled. “You ready, sis?”

  “I guess.” She glanced at Dante and spotted a flicker of worry deep in his ebony eyes. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine.” One of the chairs from earlier appeared in Dante’s hand. He flipped it around and straddled it, placing his arms along the back while he watched her intently. “Proceed.”

  “You’re going to watch?”

  “Of course. My plan, my show.”

  Liz took Anna’s hands again. “You and I will be too busy to think about anything but our work anyway. You won’t even know he’s here. Close your eyes again and concentrate on Nonna.”

  “Nonna? Why?”

  “Because I’m picturing her and we need to be in the same headspace.”

  Confused, Anna shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t understand.”

  Liz gave her a kind look. “She’s the reason we’re here. She’s the origin of this gift, where it all started for us.”

  Anna lowered her head, blinking back the unexpected sting of tears. Their grandmother had seen her through the darkest days of her life. There wasn’t a day that went by Anna didn’t miss her nonna. Still, the thought of contacting the dead was unsettling. “I don’t know, Liz. This doesn’t feel right to me.”

  Liz placed a finger under Anna’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze once more. “Nonna’s spirt guides us and protects us and if we ever need her assistance, she is just a call away. She can help us control the medicine wheel’s vortex, if we can channel her energy.”

  With Dante still watching her intently and the dark gravity in Liz’s tone, Anna’s bliss from earlier was gone. She closed her eyes, but could still feel the weight of Dante’s stare. Finally, she peeked one eye open, giving him a side glance. “Can you please not look a
t me?”

  “I must see for myself if you will be able to handle the volume of energy present tomorrow night.”

  Anna opened her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, but can one of you please explain the significance of this medicine wheel? All I found in my research were some pretty pictures and the hours of operations at the park.”

  “The medicine wheel is an ancient site of worship for the Crow nation,” Dante said. “Their forefathers were skilled shaman who realized the awesome power of the land and were able to harness its vibrations. Demons, vampires, shifters. We all can sense this power. We can also sense when a shift in energy fields occurs.”

  “Like last night?” Anna said. “That’s why you said I couldn’t leave.”

  “Yes. Very good, ofryd. You are catching on fast.”

  “All energy has both positive and negative vibrations,” Liz continued. “The medicine wheel vortex will make a polarity shift from negative to positive tomorrow night. With these shifts come tremendous surges of power. Usually, they are too wild and unpredictable to control.” Liz glanced at Dante then back to Anna. “Unless you have a powerful enough conduit.”

  “And that’s where we come in?”

  “Yes.” Dante leaned a bit closer. “If all goes well, you and your sister will help me defeat Basher and kill him.”

  “And if all doesn’t go well?” Anna asked.

  He looked away. “Then I have contingency plans in place.”

  “Contingency?”

  “You and Liz will be well cared for, I promise. You must not fear for your lives.”

  “What about your life?” Anna swallowed hard.

  “My life is not important.”

  His words struck her like a sucker punch. “How can you say that?”

  “We will discuss this later.” Dante gave Anna a warning look then turned to Liz. “Proceed.”

  “Right.” Liz took Anna’s hands in hers again. “Ready?”

  Anna didn’t think she’d ever felt less prepared for anything, but it seemed she had little choice in the matter. Especially if Dante’s life was at stake. A thought continued to niggle. “I have one more question.”

  “What is it, ofryd?”

  “If everything works out and you become head of the Blood Ravagers gang, what happens then?”

  “What do you want to happen?” he asked, his tone quiet.

  Good question.

  Anna shifted slightly on her mat. There was too much new information, new ideas, new energy swirling around in her head. She felt unsettled, untethered. She needed time to process, time to absorb all she’d learned about herself, about her sister, about her family, and about the man sitting so close to her now she could feel the heat of him through her clothes. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate her future. Now was the time to learn to channel some serious wrath demon ass-kicking power. “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Later that night, the club had gone quiet and Dante sat with Anna on the sofa in his room. She typed away on that computer of hers while he clicked through the stations on his TV, doing his best not to acknowledge the growing sense of doom in his heart. Anna’s training had gone well. She had seemed to pick up fast on whatever Liz needed to make them the strongest conduit possible. But still, the weight of what lay ahead of him, what lay ahead of them both in the next twenty-four hours, sat heavy on his mind.

  She shifted position, the soft skin of her arm brushing against him. The constant tug of want that simmered within Dante whenever she was near boiled hotter. When she had walked into Seven that first day, he had never expected to be so attuned to her—both physically and emotionally. The thought both delighted and disturbed him. Delighted him because after these long centuries, he had found his true life mate. Disturbed him because despite their nearly unbreakable bond, his destiny had been set long ago and there was no changing it now.

  No matter how strong his feelings for Anna.

  Dante exhaled slowly and stared out the window across the room. If someone would have told him last week his life mate would walk into Seven and claim him body and soul as no other woman had, he would have laughed in their face. Now, he very much wanted to give her this last gift, this last piece of himself—despite all the laws and all the rules against it.

  To do so, there was one more thing he needed to ask of her, one more ritual that would ensure her survival, no matter what fate had in store. One more task that would bind them together more deeply than anything else ever could.

  “We need to discuss something, ofryd.”

  Anna stopped working and glanced over at him. “Is this about my training? I know I couldn’t quite do that whole casting images thing Liz did yet, but I’m still learning. And how cool was that, by the way? Imagine what I could do if I was in two places at once.”

  “I shudder at the thought.” He frowned and faced her. “Actually, this has nothing to do with Liz and everything to do with you. With us.” He stood then took her chilled hand in his. Already she was channeling more energy. “Come.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked, following him. “To your dungeon?”

  “No. To bed.”

  “Oh. But I thought you couldn’t…perform…without inflicting pain first.”

  At the edge of the mattress, he turned and held her in front of him, doing his best not to let his apprehension show in his voice. “Not all pain is physical.”

  “What?”

  Dante sat on the bed then pulled Anna between his thighs, holding her there with his hands on her waist. “There is a ritual I would like to perform. It will help keep you protected.” He pushed up the front of her sweater and kissed her stomach. “It will strengthen the bond that already exists between us. Are you willing to undergo this ritual, ofryd?”

  Anna sank her fingers into his hair and stroked his scalp, her voice quiet, serious. “Did Liz undergo this ritual with you too?”

  “No. Only you.”

  Her hands stilled and he pressed his cheek against the warm, smooth skin of her belly, eyes closed. For one brief second, he inhaled deep, taking in her scent—roses and lemon and a hint of cinnamon. In that small eternity, he was not a half-breed with a death wish and vendetta. He was just a man who had fallen hard for a woman who was so close, yet so far away. The cord of connection between them glowed brighter, iridescent gold, wrapping around his heart and soul, impossible yet inescapable.

  “Why only me?’ she whispered.

  Dante lowered his head and stared at the floor. He could lie, should lie to save them a lot of heartache, but he would not. Not this time. This time he would tell her the truth, even if it killed him.

  “Because you are my life mate, ofryd.”

  An eternity of seconds ticked by in silence.

  He lived and died and was reborn again in those seconds.

  Now that he had said the words, they did not seem quite so impossible anymore.

  At last, she drew a shuddering breath, her body trembling slightly beneath his fingers. “What’s a life mate?”

  “A wife. A partner. The other half of my soul.”

  She tensed. “Demons have souls?”

  “Not full blood demons.”

  “You’re only half demon.”

  “Yes. So now you see my problem. My constant struggle. I have full demonic urges, but a human conscience and soul which oppose them at every turn.”

  “Is that why you got into kink? To have an acceptable outlet for your needs?”

  In reply, he took her by the wrist and turned her arm to reveal her scars. He kissed each one tenderly before meeting her gaze. “Is it not the same for you, ofryd?”

  “Yes, I suppose it is.” She smiled down at him, slow and infinitely seductive. “Mine is also a control thing. I like to surrender it once in a while.”

  He traced his tongue over the thudding pulse in her wrist and grinned, raising a brow. “And I do so love to be in control.”

  Her smiled faded. “These life mates. This is a pe
rmanent thing?”

  “Not even death can part us.”

  Anna’s breath hitched. “Not even death? So it’s different than a human marriage?”

  “Yes. Things are different in the otherworld. Humans only perceive one realm of being when in actuality there are many planes of existence. The bond between life mates transcends them all.”

  “Oh.” Her hands slid away from him, her arms hanging loose by her sides. “Dante, I don’t know. What we’ve had together these past few days has been unbelievable, spectacular. Mind-blowing even. But I’ve got a life, responsibilities, back in Atlanta. I can’t just leave that all behind to come here and be your psychic hotline.”

  His chest squeezed hard at her rejection. He would not force her. Life bonds did not work that way. Both beings had to enter the ritual willingly or not at all.

  He frowned, staring at his toes, forcing the words out despite how much they hurt. “You were happy there? In Atlanta?”

  She took a deep breath. “I was content. Safe. Secure. I didn’t wake up every day wondering if a wrath demon would rip my head off.”

  He nodded. “Safe and secure are important. But what about happiness? Fulfillment? Love?”

  That last word slipped out before he could stop it. He may have acknowledged his feelings to himself, but that did not mean he was ready to share them with her.

  She stiffened beneath his touch. “Do you love me, Dante?”

  Yes. He hedged. Years of mistreatment had made him cautious, guarded. “I have grown to care for you deeply, ofryd.”

  Her tiny gasp sent a spark of hope through him.

  Maybe, just maybe, she might care for him, too.

  “Will you consider the ritual?” he asked once more. “It could mean the difference between success or failure tomorrow night.”

  “What exactly does it involve?”

  “Blood.”

  “Blood?”

  “Yes.”

  The golden glow of their bond took on the distinct crimson hue he had come to associate with her arousal.

  “Sounds creepy,” she said, her voice more breathless than before.

  “It is not, I assure you.” He lifted her shirt higher and ran a finger along her upper abdomen, just below her bra. “If done correctly, our bond will be unbreakable. My powers will help protect you and would boost your channeling abilities.”