Page 83 of Promised in Blood

I want to tell him to go to hell, but the look in his eyes is murderous, and I don’t want to test out his “barely even started” threat in front of all these people. So I turn to my friend and give her a small but warm smile. “Bye, Cadence.” Her eyes fillwith tears. “We can still meet in the library,” I offer, my heart breaking.

Alexandros growls. “No, you will not.”

Before I can protest, he hoists me over his shoulder like a firefighter rescuing someone from a burning building and marches out of Silver Vale.

“Will you put me down?”

He ignores me and breaks into a run, and by the time we get back to the house, I feel dizzy and a little sick. He sets me down in the entryway, and I sway on my feet.

“Are you okay, baby?” Malachi says, stepping up behind me and stopping me from rocking backward.

“No,” I snap, directing all my anger at the man standing in front of me.

Alexandros flexes his palm. “Do not push me, Ophelia, because Iwillpunish you, and I will make the boys watch me turn your backside redder than your blood.”

“Uh-oh.” Axl steps up beside us now. “What did you do, princess?”

“I didn’t do anything!” My indignation takes a sudden turn into sadness, and tears fill my eyes. This is so unfair. I just lost my best friend, and I didn’t do anything wrong.

Alexandros wipes a tear from my cheek. “How many times do I have to tell you that everything I do is for your protection?”

I bite down on my lip. He’s told me that many times, but still…

He dusts his lips over my forehead. “But you do not get to question me in front of the witches, Ophelia.”

So that’s what this is about? Me challenging his authority in front of other people? “Okay. But I?—”

“Ophelia!”

Xavier’s dark laugh rings out behind me. “Please piss him off some more, Cupcake. I would love to see that spanking.”

Axl and Malachi murmur in agreement, and my cheeks heat. Alexandros cups my jaw again, much more gently than he did at Silver Vale. He sweeps the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip, tugging it down, and grazes his mouth over mine until I whimper. “We can save the spanking for another time. I have a witch to track down.”

“Are you going to find Nazeel?”

“If she is not long gone by now.” He drops his hand from my face and directs his attention to the boys. “Do not let her out of your sight.”

Xavier gives a mock salute that makes Alexandros scowl. Malachi wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. “We’ll keep our girl on lockdown, sir.”

I sigh. I should fight, but I don’t have the energy, and lockdown with my guys isn’t all that bad. Food and a movie followed by lots of cuddles—not to mention all the orgasms. Lots of orgasms.

Alexandros must have read my mind, because he was headed for the door, but now he turns on his heel, and quicker than a flash, his hand is at the back of my neck, his hot mouth resting on my ear. “When I get back, little one, I do not care how exhausted you are or how much you have already given. I am going to feed on you whilst I fuck you, and you are going to moan my name as I do it.”

I swallow the needy whimper that tries to claw its way from my throat. He’s the same asshole who plans to stop me from seeing my friends, and I’m still mad at him for it. But I also know that to argue now, when he’s intent on having his own way, is futile. So I fix him with my sweetest smile and say, “Yes sir.”

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

ALEXANDROS

“Your tracking skills have not dulled over the centuries, old friend.” Nazeel’s feminine voice contains a hint of amusement that only further feeds my fury. She is somewhere nearby, cloaked in the shadows, glimmering in and out to throw off my senses. But her powers are lessened here. There is something about hallowed ground which affects witches’ magic, making it less potent. That is what makes a cemetery the perfect place to disguise a portal to another continent. The energy is dulled enough to not draw attention.

Luckily for me, my eyes are more accustomed to the dark than hers, and therefore all I need is a little patience to find her. Unfortunately, my patience is in short supply when it comes to all matters of Ophelia.

“A witch with your power is easy to find, Nazeel. It leaves a scent behind.”

Her musical laugh rings in my ears. “Only for those clever enough to decipher it.”

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