Page 80 of Promised in Blood

“Cadence.” Enora grips my friend by the elbow. “Come help me make our guest some tea.” Cadence nods eagerly, her eyes not leaving the redheaded woman who seems to have captivated her completely. So much so that Enora has to practically drag Cadence from the room, and I am left alone with the strange, enigmatic woman whose name I still don’t know. She takes a few steps toward me, and I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and plant my feet on the ground in preparation to run or fight should I need to.

The woman with the red hair is smiling, but there’s something about her that unnerves me. Each step she takes toward me feels like the lowering of a veil, as though she was shielding her power but for some reason is no longer doing so.

“You have nothing to fear from me, Ophelia.” She smiles sweetly, her emerald-green eyes sparkling like they’re made of actual gemstones. And while her vibe feels genuine, I no longertrust my instincts. I have come to recognize the metallic taste of powerful magic, and its flavor now coats my tongue.

“How do you know my name?” I ask, closely examining her to see if I can find some clue as to who she is and whether she’s a threat to me. Surely Enora wouldn’t have left me alone with her if she were. Alexandros, a man who has faith in so few, trusts Enora. Surely that means something.

“I know a lot about you, Ophelia Hart. I was there at your birth, after all.”

Her statement is like a sucker punch to my solar plexus. “Y-you—You what?”

She nods and takes a seat on Cadence’s bed. “Yes. I was one of the beings who saved you.”

“Y-you saved me?”

She nods again.

My head is spinning, and I place my hand on the back of my neck and try to cool myself down, but it doesn’t work. “From who? Who are you?”

She arches an eyebrow. “I truly do not know who was hunting you and your family, child. They were scorched to death by the time we arrived, and only the most intense fire can kill a vampire. It is a myth that their heads must be removed to kill them. If a fire rages hot enough, it can burn them faster than they can heal.”

“They were vampires?”

“Yes. They killed your mother and father, and we saved you from her womb and left you on the steps of the church. I recall it like it was yesterday. Your eyes were that same electric shade of vibrant blue.”

My natural curiosity is drowned out by the fear and uncertainty snaking through my veins, curling talons around my heart and squeezing tight. The dresser begins to rattle.

“Calm your mind, Ophelia. I am no threat to you.” Her voice is soothing, but I can’t trust it.

Ophelia?Alexandros’s commanding voice rings through my head now, the complete opposite of the musical tone of this charismatic witch sitting before me.

The walls go on rattling, and heat blisters my skin.

Ophelia!Alexandros calls once more.

The woman stares at me. She’s still smiling, but her green eyes burrow into my soul. I shake my head if only to tear my gaze from hers. So many emotions flood me, and I can’t focus on any of them.

Where are you?Alexandros shouts, frantic.I cannot find you!

I vaguely hear Axl, or perhaps it’s Xavier, tell him that I’m at Silver Vale. My blood is rushing in my ears. I gasp for oxygen, but it’s sucked from the room, and I know that it’s undoubtedly my doing, but I can’t stop it. However, the green-eyed woman is unaffected.

“Use your light, Ophelia,” she says calmly.

“H-how do you know—” The next words are stolen from me by the lack of air in my lungs.

“If it is Alexandros who calms you, then reach out to him and have him guide you before you shake the walls of this house to the ground.”

Alexandros, I call desperately.

I am almost there, little one. I will never let anyone hurt you.

Nobody is hurting me. But I can’t control my power. I can’t focus.Tears leak from the corners of my eyes.

Yes you can. Close your eyes and find your light, agápi mou.

I try to focus, but there are too many questions and feelings racing through my head.

Listen to my voice and nothing else, he says, much calmer now, the deep timbre of his voice washing over me in a comforting wave.

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