“I—I can accept you don't return my feelings," she said, her voice breaking.
"That's not—“
"But you can't order me around, Alaric," she snapped. "I just told you I'm done hiding—I can't go back to the way I was living before. I'm going to track down Raphael, and the Stone, and I'm going to destroy both of them."
"Will you listen to me?" he snarled. "Without my blood you would have died. You won't survive the next—“
"This is my choice, Alaric! You can't stop me."
He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, glaring down at her with a combination of lust and fury. He stepped closer to her, and for a glorious moment she thought he would kiss her; she ached for him to kiss her, even as furious as she was, but instead he turned and sped out of the room, moving so impossibly fast her hair fluttered in the wind left by his departure.
She pressed her hand to her mouth, letting out a strangled sob, heartbreak filling every part of her like a physical pain.
Naomi made herself shower, anger interspersed with her heartbreak. She felt pathetic. She'd put her heart on the line, confessing her love for Alaric. Not only did he not return her feelings; he'd ordered her to leave. How dare he?
Kat entered her room after she'd showered and dressed. Without a word, her aunt stepped forward to embrace her for a long time. Something about her aunt's comforting presence made Naomi break down into tears.
Kat stroked her hair, she probably assumed Naomi was recalling her ordeal with Raphael. The images of what Raphael had done were still with her, of course they were, but she'd tucked them away to the deep recesses of her mind. She knew she'd have to deal with the mental repercussions of her ordeal with Raphael for a long time. For now, it was heartbreak that consumed her.
When her tears subsided, she pulled back and told her the true cause of her tears. She braced herself, waiting for Kat's 'I told you so'. Instead, Kat's eyes softened.
"I was reticent about you and Alaric because I had my heart broken by a vampire," Kat confessed.
Naomi blinked at her in surprise.
"Really?"
"Really," Kat admitted. "Your mother used to hang out with a group of witches and vampires in college; it's how she met your father. They had a bit of a secret society; no humans were allowed to join. This vampire—his name was Alexander—he was smooth. Swept me off my feet. I fell for him, hard. So hard that I wanted to marry him. Your mother seemed to sense something was off about him; she warned me off him pretty early on. But I didn't want to listen. He proposed and gave me a beautiful ring. And then, when I thought I couldn't love him anymore, he dumped me. Told me it was a game for him. He enjoyed toying with human emotions. He'd done it many times before. Your mother was furious; almost used a Jinxing spell on him. He skipped town, and I never saw him again."
"I'm sorry, Kat," Naomi murmured. Even though this was over twenty years ago, she could see the lingering hurt in her aunt's eyes.
"So . . . I developed a prejudice towards vampires. Told myself they were all terrible creatures who used humans for fun. I was nervous when I could see you were falling for Alaric. But," she said, heaving a sigh. "He's different. I can tell. Alexander wasn't capable of feeling . . . anything. Alaric tries to hide it, but he wears all of his emotions. I don't care what he says—that vampire loves you. I can just see it."
"He still loves a woman from his past," Naomi murmured, a stab of jealousy piercing her. "He only desires me. That's where it ends."
"I don't think that's the case," Kat said, shaking her head. "He's going to have to face his feelings. Love is a persistent and irritating emotion."
Kat smiled, and Naomi returned it, though she doubted her words. Alaric had summarily rejected her.
"Regardless of mine or Alaric's feelings, Raphael and the Order's still out there with the Stone," Naomi said. She closed her eyes, frustrated. "I was inches away from the Stone, and I didn't even attempt to destroy it."
"You were focused on staying alive—which should always be your priority," Kat said sharply, “and you need to take the day to rest. Just the day," Kat said. "Please. Humor me. We just rescued you from a near death experience. I'm sure Madalena can give you a grimoire or spell book to read if you want to keep your mind occupied."
Kat kissed her on the forehead and left Naomi alone.
She somehow drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with images of Raphael pressing the knife to her throat, his eyes wild with rage; Alaric's tense face as he stepped back from her, denying her love for him, and as always, the faint, persistent whispers of the Stone.
Chapter 27
Alaric's entire body ached for Naomi. His heart ached for her. His mind ached for her. He'd been drawn to her before; the Blood Bond only made the attraction stronger. It took every ounce of his willpower to not go to her room and make love to her, to strengthen and solidify the blood claim he'd already made.
But he forced himself to think rationally. Staying away from her was the best thing he could do for her, even if she couldn't see it. Above all else, he wanted Naomi alive and safe. His enemies would love to get to her; a powerful witch, and a Descendant to boot. Not to mention Raphael and the Order. He shouldn't have allowed himself to make love to her in the first place.
He told himself this, over and over again, as he raced through the forest that surrounded the estate grounds on a hunt. There were plenty of blood packs in the estate, but given that he was already suppressing his primal sexual urges, he figured he would give in to his baser ones. It had been too long since he'd last hunted.
He spotted a rabbit in a clearing up ahead. He pounced on it; ripping its neck from its body and drinking his fill. It was over too soon, and he tossed the dead rabbit to the ground, baring his fangs in frustration. It was times like these that he missed human blood. For a split second, he thought of going into a nearby pub, finding some human to slake his sexual and bloodlust frustrations on, to forget Naomi. But his heart and body protested at even the thought; it felt like a betrayal to even think of something like that; the thought of Naomi with another filled him with white hot rage.
Alaric snarled when he scented Elias' presence behind him.
He turned. Elias must have been hunting as well; like Alaric, he was shirtless, his fangs smeared with fresh blood.
"Whoa. Chill," Elias said, holding his hands up. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with your Blood Mate, ravishing her?"
"I'm not in the mood, Elias," Alaric barked. "Leave me be."
"None of us are surprised you mated her," Elias continued, recklessly. "In fact, I wondered what took you so damn long to—“
"I'm going to have Madalena remove the bond. I just gave Naomi blood to save her life."
"Really?" Elias asked skeptically. "If that's the case, would you have been okay with me giving her blood?"
Alaric had him slammed against a tree in a millisecond, his fangs bared. Elias just grinned, twisting out of his grasp.
"I think it was about more than just saving her life," Elias said.
"I care about her. Anything else isn't your business, Elias. I'm not like you," he barked, turning to glare at Elias, needing to take his frustration out on someone. "What would you know about caring for someone? About loving someone? Women are just playthings for you."
Elias' expression changed to one Alaric had never seen on him—fury. Elias snarled, leaping onto Alaric and pinning him to the ground. Beneath the fury in his eyes, there was a flicker of pain.
"You know nothing about me!" Elias shouted. "Don't pretend you do. Just because you're determined to be miserable doesn't mean—“
Alaric didn't let him finish. He jerked out of his grasp, his fangs bared as he reached for Elias by the throat. But he underestimated Elias' strength. Elias stepped out of Alaric's reach, and with one hand he lifted Alaric up by his throat, hurling him against a tree.
Alaric growled, leaping to his feet. Elias sprinted towards him, and they fought in a series of rapid fire moves. Alaric got
in a flurry of satisfying punches to Elias' abdomen, Elias fired back with hits of his own, knocking Alaric to the ground. Alaric hurled Elias against another tree, advancing towards him. His bloodlust was rising, a red haze forming over his vision; he wasn't furious enough to kill the other man, but he needed an outlet for the turmoil that filled him since leaving Naomi in his bedroom.
"STOP IT!"
Fiona appeared out of nowhere. She darted between them as Elias started towards Alaric, placing her hands on both of their chests to stop their movement.
"Tell your father he needs to not speak about things he knows nothing about," Elias said, his fangs still bared as he glowered at Alaric.
"There's a real battle out there with the Order. There's no need to fight each other," Fiona snapped. "Elias, stay back. I mean it."
He was proud of his daughter's commanding tone; Elias would never hurt her, but he looked fearsome with his fangs bared and droplets of Alaric's blood on his bare chest. Elias glared at him, but he obediently remained still as Fiona took him by the arm and led him out of the forest.
"What was that all about?" Fiona demanded, when they were back in his room.
He'd feared Naomi would still be in his room, and a mixture of disappointment and relief hit him when he discovered her absence.
"Nothing," he said curtly, wiping Elias' blood off of his torso with a damp cloth. At her skeptical look, he sighed. "I may have insulted him. I'll apologize later."
"Was he teasing you about Naomi? And yes, I know about it. Thanks for telling me, by the way. The others have been whispering about it behind your back. It's a big deal, Alaric. You haven't bonded with anyone since— "
"Ileana," he bit out. "I know. But it's not a true bond. I did it—“
"To save her life. Of course," Fiona said, raising her eyebrows comically high. "Alaric . . . I don't get it."
"What's there to get?"
"You're torturing yourself. You love Naomi. We all can see it."
"It's complicated, Fiona, and I don't want to discuss this," Alaric said. "Thank you for intervening with Elias, but leave me be. Please."
Fiona looked as if she would protest, but she left him alone. Alaric changed his clothes, fighting to ignore Naomi's lingering flowery scent. He clenched his fists and expelled a sharp breath. He needed Madalena to break the bloody bond and send Naomi away. Now.
He found Madalena with Casimir in the first floor study. Casimir was on his tablet, while Madalena flipped through the pages of a grimoire, her brow furrowed.
He stood tensely by the doorway, wondering if they knew about his fight with Elias, but Madalena only looked up at him with a polite smile.
"We need to send Naomi away," he said, entering the study. "We can go after Raphael without her."
"She doesn't want to be sent away," Madalena said, frowning.
"Then we make her."
"We need her to destroy the Stone. You know this, Alaric. That was the whole point in bringing her here."
Madalena studied him with narrowed eyes. She got to her feet, taking Alaric's arm to lead him out into the hall, away from Casimir's prying eyes.
"You made a vow to the Alliance. You're breaking it by letting your personal feelings rule you. We've talked about this. You insist on sending her away one more time, I'll put you on another assignment."
Maybe he should take another assignment. But the thought of being away from Naomi tore at him.
"Fine," he said, "but I need you to break our Blood Bond as soon as you can."
She searched his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
After a pause that stretched, she nodded.
"I'll do it as soon as I have a spare moment."
"Thank you," he said, ignoring the sharp stab of pain that pierced him at the thought of their broken bond. It was for the best.
Alaric followed her back into the study where Casimir updated him on their surveillance progress. Raphael had planted false traces in several cities. They picked him up in New York, Budapest, Tokyo, London. But he was in none of those places.
"What is he up to?" Alaric asked.
"I don't know. But I don't think he'll try to come for Naomi. I think he'll try something else, I just don't know what it is yet," Madalena said, looking troubled.
"I know we've avoided talking to other Alliance members since we don't know who we can trust . . . but we need their surveillance resources. They could have information we can use," Casimir said. "Otherwise we're working in the dark."
Alaric started to protest; he wanted no extra risk when it came to Naomi, but he knew Casimir was right. Without the other Alliance members, they were operating on their own. Madalena gave him a wary look, as if bracing herself for his protest, but he nodded his agreement.
"I think you're right. I'll reach out to several members I trust," she said. "I'll talk to Elias first, make sure we all agree. Have you seen him, Alaric?"
"He's hunting," he said. There was no need to mention their fight.
Madalena left him alone with Casimir, who trained his gaze on his laptop screen. Alaric regarded him, deciding to clear the air about Fiona. After his fight with Elias, there didn't need to be any more tension between him and other members of their small group.
"Fiona told me," Alaric said, breaking the awkward silence, "about your fling."
Casimir stilled; emotion infused his usually stoic face.
"I'm staying out of it—whatever happened between you," he added reluctantly, recalling Naomi's advice.
"I care about Fiona, despite what you think," Casimir said, his eyes softening when he spoke Fiona's name. "I'm not Elias."
Oddly, Alaric felt defensive of Elias. Given Elias' reaction to his statement about not loving anyone, he realized there was more depth to Elias when it came to his romantic life.
"Then why aren't you with her?" Alaric pressed, in spite of himself. "If you care about Fiona so much—“
"Why aren't you with Naomi?" Casimir challenged. "I heard you asking Madalena to break your bond."
Now it was Alaric's turn to stiffen.
"We all have our reasons for joining the Alliance. You're not the only one who’s lost someone," Casimir said, his voice hollow. "You're not the only one who wants to protect the woman you care about."
He met Casimir's eyes and saw a flicker of yearning in their depths. In that moment, he and Casimir shared something in common; a longing for a woman they needed, but feared losing.
Alaric gave him a curt nod before leaving the room, forcing Naomi's heartbroken face from his mind. Breaking the bond was for the best, he again told himself. If he repeated it enough, perhaps he could believe the lie.
Chapter 28
Madalena came to Naomi's room in the early morning, just after she'd showered and dressed.
"I want to remove Alaric's Blood Bond before you search for the Stone and Raphael," Madalena said, as she entered.
Naomi nodded, trying to keep her face stoic, though heartbreak skittered through her. A part of her had hoped that Alaric wouldn't go through with his request to remove their bond.
"Alaric thinks he's protecting you," Madalena murmured. She was perceptive; she could detect Naomi's hurt. "For the record, I think he's being a fool."
"Let's get this over with," Naomi said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She had no desire to discuss her heartbreak with Madalena—or anyone, for that matter.
Madalena sat down next to her. She reached out to place her hands on the sides of Naomi's head.
"If this works, you'll feel a brief jolt, like an electrical shock. Like your magic. And then you'll feel . . . hollowness. Grief. It won't last long, especially if you concentrate on other things."
"Grief? What's that feel like?" Naomi smiled, attempting to joke, though dread coiled through her.
Madalena returned her smile, though her eyes still shone with sympathy. Naomi closed her eyes, as Madalena whispered the words of a spell.
She waited, her entire body infused wi
th tension, waiting for the spell to take hold. But nothing happened. If anything, a renewed rush of emotion towards Alaric filled her; it was so strong that tears pricked at her eyelids. Shouldn't she feel the opposite?
"Hmm," Madalena said. Naomi opened her eyes as Madalena dropped her hands. "I suspected this would happen. Removing a Blood Bond Bond is complicated; the spell doesn't always take. Especially when there are strong emotions involved."
Naomi flushed, lowering her eyes.
"I don't want to put so much pressure on your mind . . . you need to focus on your own magic today," Madalena continued, getting to her feet. "I'll try again another time."
"Please let Alaric know you tried," she said. She didn't want Alaric to think she was purposefully holding on to their bond.
"I will," Madalena said, sympathy once again filling her eyes. "Fiona made breakfast. You can work on Locator spells when you're ready."
"Can someone bring breakfast to me in the courtyard?" She didn't want to risk facing Alaric; she needed to concentrate.
Kat was the one to bring her a tray heaped with fruit, muffins, orange juice and tea as she sat in her defacto cross-legged position in the courtyard, attempting to conjure an image of the Stone in her mind.
Kat seemed to sense that she wanted to be left alone, lingering only for a moment before setting down the tray on a nearby bench.
Once Kat left, she closed her eyes. It took great effort to push all thoughts of Alaric from her mind. Yet even when she found that place of stillness, she still couldn't visualize the Stone. It was strange; she'd heard the Stone's whispers in her dreams. But now, there was nothing.
She kept trying. Even when Madalena joined her to help, she couldn't conjure it up.
"Raphael was in my mind during my abduction," Naomi said, after her dozenth attempt. "Did he do something to my magic?"
"The most he could have done was a Blocking spell, but that would have lasted only a few hours," Madalena said, shaking her head. "And you would feel the block in your mind. You may just need more time to recover from the mental torture he put you through."
Shadow Descendant (Descendants Book 1) Page 16
