With his name on my lips, I suppressed a moan as he sank his fangs into my skin. He drank me in long, slow swallows. I dragged my skin against his back, scrunching his shirt in my palm as I pushed him closer to me. His tongue teased the wounds, dipping inside ever so slightly. I opened my eyes and stared at the throbbing vein in his neck. It taunted me, begged me to indulge myself—so I did.
I growled as I dove in, piercing his skin, drinking him greedily. He pulled back from my neck but left himself exposed to me. I was sprawled on our two seats, with my legs astride as he lay atop me. He was hard against me, and I was wet beneath him. The Hunters sitting in the rows behind us remained silent. I wondered if they had dozed off, but honestly, I relished the thought that we could be caught at any moment. Remembering the flight attendant could walk back gave my high the extra boost it needed.
Jasik pulled away, ignoring my protests.
He played dirty, and I loved it.
A SENSE OF dread washed over me as I exited the plane, but I pushed it down. I needed to stay strong. I needed everyone around me to believe in this plan, and they couldn’t do that if I was a nervous wreck.
Ivor was leaning against a black SUV when we left Heathrow Airport in London. He smiled as we approached, grabbing my bag and tossing it in the back.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” I said playfully.
He winked and said, “Welcome back, lass. Just couldn’t keep away, eh?”
I bit my lower lip and fanned myself. “I just missed you so much,” I cried out dramatically.
Jasik stepped beside me, placing a hand around my hip and scowling at Ivor. I barked out a hard laugh and leaned against him.
“Always on the defense?” I asked Jasik.
“Relax, mate. Anyone can see she’s crazy about you.”
I met Jasik’s eyes and wiggled my eyebrows. Being the gentleman he swore he wasn’t, Ivor opened my door and closed it behind me once I slid in. Jasik joined me, while the other Hunters took their seats. Within minutes, Ivor had us swerving in and out of London traffic. We only had a few hours before the sun rose, but that didn’t seem to matter. There was always traffic in London.
“Do you know how many have arrived, Ivor?” I asked.
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. “We were just waiting on you. A few groups have already left for Russia, though.”
I sat forward. “They left already? Why?”
“They were closer, I guess. They’d have to backtrack to meet us here.”
I nodded. “I hope they don’t do anything stupid.”
He shook his head. “Doubtful. They know their orders. They’ll wait for us.”
“Well, okay, then. Have you been playing chauffeur this whole time?” I smirked.
He glanced at me in the rear-view mirror. “Apparently, I was the only one trusted enough to see this dangerous operation through.”
I laughed. “Well, you were the only one who’d been to the council.”
“Sure, at the time. But lots of have been there since!” He grunted. “Still, I’m the only one driving back and forth.”
“How many are there?” I asked.
“Staying with us? About a hundred, and let me tell ya, they are not getting along. I’m not sure putting a group of witches, vampires, and Hunters together was your brightest plan, lass.”
I waved off his concern. “Eh, whatever. They’ll get over it when this ends and they’re alive.”
“Would you be saying the same thing if there were already casualties?”
I gasped. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
He laughed, “Yeah, I’m kidding. No casualties. Cameron’s not helping, though. Pretty sure there’s a line for who’s going to kill him first!”
I smiled. “Has he mentioned he’s a level three?”
Ivor groaned and rolled his eyes. “Let’s not talk about the level system, okay? Y’know, Sebastian actually got him into a heated debate about the importance of the level system. It went on for hours. Didn’t realize Sebastian was so passionate about formalities.”
I grinned. “He’s not.” Only Sebastian…
“How’s Malik?” Jasik asked, and I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him. Even though we hadn’t spoken to his brother, we knew he was safe.
“Good. They only just arrived yesterday, though.”
“And Sebastian’s already been a pain in the ass?” I asked.
Ivor shot me a do-you-really-need-to-ask-that look in the rear-view mirror.
“It’s as if you’ve known him your whole life, Ivor,” I said, laughing.
Jasik stared out his window, watching the buildings fly by.
“Do you miss it here?” I asked quietly.
“Sometimes,” he said without looking away.
“Maybe we can visit here first,” I said, smiling when Jasik’s grip on my hand tightened briefly.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said.
I snuggled against him, letting myself doze in and out of consciousness for the rest of the ride.
A DOOR SLAMMED shut, rattling my seat, and I startled awake. I glanced over and found Jasik smiling down at me. He reached forward, running his thumb across my brow bone.
“Sleep well, love?” he asked.
I rubbed my eyes, yawning. “Well enough.”
We slid out of the SUV, and I looked around. We were back at the witch council and already through the gated entrance. I trailed my gaze upward, lingering on the looming gargoyles. They’d lost what little power remained since we first arrived here. After all, without the council witches to strengthen them, there was nothing preventing them from losing their power. The thought made me shudder.
The gate clanked shut automatically, a noise deafening in the silence of the night. With the sun’s impending awakening, the sky was lightening. It was the wee hours of the morning—a time reserved for true night-walkers.
“It seems the generator is working again,” Jasik said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”
Cameron must’ve let us drive through while I was sleeping. I supposed a locked gate was better than nothing. It might not keep Rogues out, but it’d keep the crazies at bay. A few Hunters and some lingering vampires were talking to Ivor as Jasik and I walked into the building. The wreckage remained, but the rooms seemed cleaner. Instead of shards of glass and bits of broken beams scattered about, they were swept into neat piles in the corners. The broken windows let the night’s breeze drift through the room, tickling my nose with a staleness I hadn’t expected. I’d become accustomed to the smells of home: salty midnight air, the briskness of an impending snowfall, the thick pines.
But I couldn’t reminisce. I needed to bury the happy thoughts.
I needed to prepare for war.
On our way to Cameron’s office, a few vampires smiled a welcome, and Jasik nodded in return. It seemed he, too, had put his game face on.
I knocked on Cameron’s office door and then let myself in. Nothing but scattered papers and stacked books greeted us. I walked to his desk, a long table that sat, without chairs, in the center of the room. The maps of other council locations were still where we had left them during our previous trip. But now, new documents joined them. I grabbed one and read it aloud.
“These are ancient, powerful spells,” I said to no one in particular.
“They’re preparing,” Jasik said.
I nodded, shuffling through the other papers.
“These seem more complicated than I was expecting,” Jasik said, and I glanced up.
I shrugged. “I suppose it can be, but the right witch with the right amount of power will make this work.”
I was confident. I couldn’t afford not to be.
“And you think we have that witch?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe. If not, I think we have several good alternates. Mesh them into one, and we just might have a shot.” I returned my gaze back to the paperwork strewn about.
Jasik nodded. “Are you worried a
bout not having enough power to make this happen?”
“Not even slightly,” I said honestly.
Jasik didn’t speak, but his lack of a response was ear-piercing.
I huffed dramatically, dropped the papers, and crossed my arms over my chest as I faced him. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“You’re lying. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
He shrugged. “It’s just… It’s concerning that you’re not worried about the power struggle.”
“We have more than enough power here between the witches and the hybrids. The vampires and Hunters joining us are just added benefits.”
“Sure, but one person needs to host the spell, yes?”
“Well, in theory.”
“No witch has ever had enough power to make this work. You’ve said that many have tried, but all have failed.”
I nodded bleakly.
“Essentially, this is a suicide mission,” he said.
I exhaled slowly. I had put too much belief in Jasik not realizing this until it was too late. Because he was right: this spell could kill the witch performing it. But we had no other option. We had to sacrifice a few to save the many.
“I’ve been patient, love, but we’re at a point where patience is obsolete.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“I wanted you to come to me on your own terms. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready, but I don’t think there will ever be such a time.”
“Jasik, I—”
“Who’s doing the spell, Avah?” he asked.
“Jasik, this spell is truly very simple at its core. It’s just a ball of energy. That’s it. And the person creating this energy field has to hold onto it for just a few seconds. That’s all it’ll take.”
He nodded. “And who’s going to be doing that?”
“Well, really, everyone. The link will pull power from every witch, hybrid, and vampire that connects. Since the host only needs to contain the energy and then control it for less than a minute, no one should die.” I smiled, putting every ounce of effort I had into making that gesture reach my eyes. He needed to trust that this was going to work. That the pros outweighed the cons no matter which way he looked at it.
“Avah,” he said, speaking barely above a whisper. His voice was pained, raw. “Who is the host?”
I exhaled slowly. “I am.”
Jasik swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, but he didn’t speak. His eyes grew distant as the words hung in the air between us.
“I’ll be okay,” I said quietly. “I’m strong enough to handle this power.”
“You could barely handle the power increase the witches gave you,” he said weakly.
“That was different. I was mortal then.”
I stepped forward, eliminating the space between us. I cupped his face, placing a sloppy kiss against his lips. He kissed me back, but the carnal need, his basic animal desire for me, was gone.
“Please, please don’t worry about this,” I said.
“How can you ask that? How can you ask me to sit aside and do nothing while you… while you take your own life?” He turned away from me, but I remained there, frozen in fear.
“I’m not willing to ask anyone else to die for my mistake.”
“Your mistake?” Jasik asked, spinning on his heels until he faced me again. “How is this your mistake?”
“She’s my grandmother, Jasik. This… this is my fault. This wouldn’t have even happened if… if—”
“If I hadn’t killed her,” a voice said, and I spun around. Sebastian stood in the doorway of the office. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“Yes, if Sebastian hadn’t killed her,” Jasik said.
My voice croaked, the words choking me. I wanted to say so many things in that moment, but I couldn’t. They weren’t entirely wrong.
“I was reckless. I’ve always been that way. I don’t think. I act,” Sebastian said. “And this time, it’s more than I can bear. I know, now, why I see nothing. I know what I need to do.”
I shook my head, tears pooling in my eyes. “I won’t let you. This is my fight.”
“No, pet, it’s not. This is my fight. This is the aftermath of my decision. Do you think I haven’t thought about this since that moment? The minute we found your coven, the minute we discovered it was your grandmother, I knew it would come to this. It would come to a sacrifice, and I am not willing to let that be you.”
“No! Damn it! Stop this. The plan’s already in motion. Don’t you understand? I have to do this. I h-have to do this for them.” I hiccupped through the tears, working my fingers to wipe away the evidence.
“Your coven isn’t asking for vengeance, love,” Jasik said.
“No, you’re right. They’re not. I am.”
“And you’ll get your revenge, sugar. You’ll kill that bitch for them, for you, for me,” Sebastian said. “Kill her, Avah. Kill her for me.”
I nodded.
“It’ll take a few minutes for me to conjure the energy, and that’s all the time I can give you. But it’ll be enough.”
The tears streamed down my cheeks. “I can’t ask you to do this.”
Sebastian smiled and strolled toward me, pulling me close to him. He kissed the top of my head and said, “This is something I have to do, Avah. I don’t expect you to be okay with this. Hell, I don’t expect you to understand. I need you to accept it.”
I pulled away, considering his words. He needed to do this, because he felt responsible. He killed my grandmother, but first, he fed her his blood, ensuring she’d become the one creature she couldn’t stand. No one could have foreseen the monster she’d become, but anyone in that position would have done the same. After all, it was my life or hers. And now, Sebastian needed to make this right.
I understood that need. He said he needed me to accept it, but in reality, he needed my forgiveness. Beneath the armor he’d been strengthening over the decades of being alone, he was nothing but a lonely, lost, reckless boy. And he feared the day he’d have to pay for the sins of his past.
“Sebastian, listen to me,” I said, stepping forward and cupping his face between my palms. “It’s not your fault. I’m tired of blaming anyone but her. She was going to kill me. You did what you had to do. What she’s done is not your fault. Do you understand me?”
He eyes were dark, their usual neon glow gone. He swallowed but didn’t speak.
“I do not blame you. My family does not blame you. Because this is not your fault.”
I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his neck. His rested at the base of my spine, squeezing with a fervency I’d never felt from him.
“I forgive you,” I whispered. The words were pointless, because there was nothing to forgive. But I knew he needed to hear them. I kissed his forehead when I stepped back.
“But this is something I need to do. I will be the vessel. I will control this power. I will end this war.”
Sebastian nodded, understanding. His eyes were misty. “And what about me, pet?”
“You have the second most important job. You have to protect my family.”
He smiled softly and glanced at Jasik, who stood motionless a few feet away. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to witness the emotion there.
“Promise me you won’t die,” he said.
I chuckled. “I most certainly can promise you that I’ll fight for every minute I’m here.”
He nodded. “If anything goes wrong… we’ll bring you back.”
It was a promise, a guarantee.
WE FOUND THE stairs and hurried down them to the basement containment cells. I was sure my eyes were puffy and red, but I didn’t care. I was ready to call it a night and sleep away the agony of possibly losing one of the two people I’d grown to care deeply for.
The backup generator was annoyingly loud, and my increasingly painful headache from crying wasn’t helping. The gen
erator’s grinding gears thudded through the halls. And even with a splitting headache, having the generator on was better than being in darkness—especially since only vampires had heightened senses. The witches were already on edge. Working with the species one had been working to eradicate would do that to a person, I supposed.
We turned down the containment cell hall but came to an abrupt stop. Cameron was fiddling with the glass door’s keypad, mumbling under his breath.
“Cameron? Hi,” I said, my voice groggy with the need to sleep.
He glanced up, eyes wide. “Avah. You’re back.”
I smiled. “Of course, I’m back.”
“Yes, right,” he said, turning back to the wall fixture.
“What are ya working on?” I asked, following my gaze to where his rested.
“The generator, it’s overworked. Too many people here. People use power. Power strains the generator.”
I nodded. “Yes, in theory, it would do that.”
Cameron’s eyes flickered to me, and he frowned. “But I can fix this. I’m a level three. I have the authority to fix this.”
“Well, thank the goddess you’re here then, eh?”
He shook his head, mumbling under his breath.
“Uh, Cameron? You know we’re leaving tomorrow, right? So if the generator can last one more day, you might as well just leave it be.”
He shrugged. “I don’t—I don’t have anything else to do,” he said softly.
I smiled. “Why don’t you rest? You must be tired.” I didn’t mention the black bags under his eyes. I was sure he hadn’t slept in days.
He shook his head frantically. “I can’t sleep. I must stay awake.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
He stared back pointedly. “Because I’m a level three.”
“Ah, yes, of course,” I said sarcastically.
“I’m the only level three!”
I nodded. “Cameron, when we leave tomorrow, I think you should leave, too.”
His eyes widened. “What? Come with you? No. No, no, no. I can’t. I’m only a level three. I haven’t completed training, training for level four. Level fours are in the field. Not level threes.”
Blood Promise (Blood Books Book 3) Page 13
