Page 49 of Promised in Blood

His lips twitch in amusement. “But I like the way it makes your heart beat that little bit faster when I touch you.”

I jerk away from him and scowl. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He leans back against the sofa, crosses his arms, and sighs contentedly. “Don’t have a fucking clue.” I follow his gaze to theother side of the room. Underneath a lighted garland, Malachi and Ophelia sit side by side on the sofa, each of them with their heads buried in a book. Malachi always used to love studying and reading anything he could get his hands on. But over the decades, he lost the joy of it somewhere along the way. Having been given the responsibility to teach Ophelia all about her magical side has reignited his unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

And then there’s the professor. He has also joined us in the den on this dreary Sunday morning, which was previously a rare occurrence. I glance sideways at Xavier, who now has that goofy but fucking adorable grin on his face. And yeah, I guess I know exactly how he feels.

Alexandros looks up from his book, his eyes fixed on the window and a scowl darkening his features. Before I can voice the question on my lips, there’s a heavy banging on the front door. He places his book on the coffee table and stands immediately, his scowl now replaced with a puzzled expression. “Osiris.”

Malachi’s eyes widen. “Brackenwolf?”

Alexandros nods. “Something is wrong.” He screws his eyes closed and announces, “Enora is with him.”

The most powerful wolf and witch on campus are outside our house on a gloomy Sunday morning. Yeah, something’s wrong. What the fuck is going on? Ophelia opens and closes her mouth, but she doesn’t ask a question. Malachi slips a protective arm around her shoulder.

Without another word, Alexandros heads for the front door, and muffled voices precede the three professors into the room. Enora’s heart rate is elevated, her breathing shallower than normal. If I had to guess, her body is reacting in fear, but I have no idea what she could be afraid of.

Osiris is calmer, his pulse solid and steady. He glances around as he always does when he enters a room, his keen wolf eyes scanning the space quickly for any sign of threat. The only threat he’s likely to find in here is Malachi’s anger, but I can’t feel any bubbling beneath my brother’s skin the way it usually does when he’s in the wolf’s presence.

Enora steps up beside Alexandros. “Perhaps we should talk in private?”

He shakes his head. “Anything you say to me can be said in front of everyone here.”

Her eyes skip over the people in the room. The creamy skin of her slender throat turning a fraction of a shade darker is the only outward sign of her annoyance. She’s incredibly skilled in the art of masking her emotions from vampires, but blood never lies, and it continues racing through her veins.

“Is everything okay?” Ophelia breaks the silent tension in the room.

At the sound of my girl’s voice, Enora’s eyes fill with tears. She shakes her head.

“What has happened?” Alexandros asks in a gruff, commanding tone.

Osiris places a hand on Enora’s forearm, and she offers him a nod like she’s giving him permission to speak. “A young witch was killed last night. One of Silver Vale’s.”

Ophelia’s hand flies to her mouth, and her next breath gets caught in her throat. “Who?”

“Meg,” Enora says solemnly.

My gaze remains fixed on Ophelia, whose eyes now swim with tears.Did you know her, princess?

“Yes. I met her at the activity fair before school started,” she answers aloud on a sob.

Osiris growls loudly, his annoyance palpable.

Alexandros shoots me a look of warning. “Do not talk through your bond when we have company.”

I nod my head, signaling my compliance even as I ask,Since when?

He directs his outward attention to Enora, guiding her to sit.They are both guarded this morning. That means they are suspicious.

So you mean just don’t make it obvious we’re talking through our bond? Got it,Xavier says.

Once Enora is seated, Alexandros speaks again. “What happened to your witch?”

Enora clears her throat. “She had her heart torn out.”

Ophelia presses her lips together, and I feel another sharp stab of pain in her chest.Our girl has so much fucking empathy for other people.

Xavier rubs his chest.It would be adorable if it didn’t give me constant fucking indigestion.

---