Page 39 of Heir

She glanced around the room, still standing there holding the mace. “Okay . . . uh . . . I swear on the graves of my dead parents and dead brother that I will never breathe a word about your realm to any other human. I will never share what I know or use that knowledge to hurt anyone from your realm.” She lifted her brows. “We good?”

“What will happen to you if you do?” Drak asked.

“I dunno? I’ll join them in their graves?”

A white beam of light flashed through the room, followed by a loud thunderclap.

“What just happened?” the redhead asked, flipping her focus back and forth between all of us.

“You made a magical, solemn vow. Break it, and you’ll join your family in their graves,” Drak said.

Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

“Why does she not think we’re serious about this?” Drak asked. “I don’t understand this human.”

“This human?” she shrieked.

“You went dark with that solemn vow,” Maxar said, shaking his head. “You could have done something less fatal, like a five-day rash, or chlamydia. But I mean, at least we know you’ll keep your word with death hanging over your head.”

The bedroom door opened and Omaera appeared wearing nothing but a plain, ribbed, gray tank top with no bra, and black booty shorts. She also wore a pale purple, silk scarf over her wild curls. “What is going on?”

“I just made a death vow!” Gemma said, panic in her eyes.

“Huh?”

“I made some magical vow not to tell another human about your realm. Otherwise, if I do, I’ll go join my parents and Andrew in their graves. Then there was a beam of light and a thunderclap.”

Omaera’s gaze swung to mine. “Huh?”

“It was either that, wipe her memory, or kill her,” Maxar said with a casual shrug.

I hung my head. “There were other options. She didn’t have to choose death.”

“I didn’t know I had other options. I just suggested something, and the magic took over.” Gemma approached Omaera. “Dude, I think this shit is real. Something happened. Like I even feel different. And if I do say something, does that mean I’ll just die and, in spirit, meet them?”

“No. You will literally be transported by magic to their graves. You will be buried alive,” Drak said.

Oh, he was not doing any of us any favors.

Omaera rounded on him with a harsh glare. “Reverse it.”

“Impossible,” he said. “She made the vow. Not us.”

“She’s human. She didn’t know what she was doing.” Omaera stomped over to Drak and glared down at him. “Reverse. It.”

“I. Can’t.” He pinched his eyes shut and a trickle of blood dripped from his left nostril. I could tell he was in pain. She was doing her mind squeeze thing again, but Drak was trying to fight it.

There were ways where we could block the demon mind fucks—young cubs and vampires alike were trained to do so. But she was so powerful and untrained with those powers that we were powerless against her. The best thing to do was not piss her off.

“Maer. Maer, stop.” Gemma ran over to her. “You’re hurting him. Stop.” She placed a hand on Omaera’s shoulder and the relief that hit Drak was instant. The pained contortion of his face softened, and he exhaled before reaching into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulling out his embroidered and monogrammed handkerchief.

Remorse filled Omaera’s eyes. “I . . . I’m sorry.”

Drak dabbed at his nose. “It’s fine. But I cannot reverse her oath. That is between her and . . . the higher powers.”

“Just don’t tell anyone and you’ll be fine,” Maxar said, grabbing another slice of pizza.

“And if she slips up?” Omaera said frantically.

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