Page 29 of Promised in Blood

Ophelia claps her hands on her knees and leans forward in her seat, her excitement filling the room. “And how about water and air? Your mom’s powers?”

“To manipulate air is to be able to create forcefields or mask one’s presence. It is also linked to movement and speed. My brother’s power of teleportation is rooted in air magic he inherited from our mother. Water is life-giving. The root ofcreation. But all of the elements are a source of great magic, and if tapped into correctly, they are all a source of immense power.”

My mind is buzzing with so much new information it feels like it’s about to explode, and I suddenly realize why Ophelia never stops asking questions. The desire to know the answers is overwhelming. “And Ophelia has power over fire too, right?”

He nods. “Fire is often considered the most dangerous and therefore strongest element because of its raw, violent potential. It is why House Drakos has reigned in the vampire world for as long as our history has been recorded.”

I sense a hesitation and perhaps a sadness in him. “But you don’t think that though? About fire?”

He glances at the palm of his hand once more. “I believe that the earth is the key to the most ancient of powers. It was here before water, before fire, before air, and even when the earth as we know it is done, parts of it will live in the cosmos for eternity.”

I’m sure I see a glimpse of the man he was before he lost his family. An unexpected lump forms in my throat.

“That’s kind of beautiful,” Ophelia whispers.

Alexandros places the soil back into the pot and dusts off his hands. When he looks up again, his eyes are cold and unreadable. “Time to learn how to control those powers, little one. Once you know how to control them, there will be no limit to what you will be able to do.”

Shivers of excitement and fear race through my veins, lighting up my insides. My little cupcake is going to be unstoppable. My gaze rakes over the side of her face until it lands on the fluttering pulse in her throat. Flicking my tongue over my fangs, I bask in the vibrant memory of her power running through me when I bite her.

“But wait. You said the most sought-after elementai had power over two elements, right?” Ophelia asks, and I don’t miss the tremor in her voice.

He nods.

“But you think I can tap into all four?”

“Perhaps.” He sucks on his top lip, his brow furrowed. “But we will not know for sure until your training is underway. It may be that because your powers were bound for so long that the elements are somehow crossing over. Maybe you are only channeling one or two but it appears as four.”

“Has that ever happened to anyone before? Being able to channel all four?” I ask.

He’s silent for a few seconds. “Only once,” he finally says. “And that was Azezal himself.”

Holy shit! “The guy they named that Order after?”

Alexandros gives me a single shake of his head. “It was he who founded the Order. That is why it is so named.”

“So what happened to him? He wasn’t an elementai, because they’re only female, right?” Ophelia asks.

“He was a demon. He died almost two thousand years ago, and some say he was around three thousand years old when he finally perished.”

Ophelia gasps. “Demons can live that long?”

He steeples his hands beneath his chin. “Perhaps longer.”

My mind races with a billion questions, but I ask the most pressing first. “If he was so powerful, how did he die?”

The professor’s dark eyes narrow. “You are not so obtuse that you do not understand that the more power a being wields, the more enemies they curate, are you, Xavier?”

I growl, lacing my fingers through Ophelia’s and gripping her hand protectively in mine. I’m pissed at him for calling me stupid, but that’s overridden by the fear that comes with the realization that he’s right. How many will come after our girl once they know the kind of magic she possesses?

“So his enemies killed him?” Ophelia asks, her voice quiet but still full of awe.

Alexandros lets out a heavy sigh. “We are not here to discuss history. You will research the finer details with Malachi. But yes. Despite his power, Azezal was eventually betrayed and killed. Some would say…” He runs his tongue over his bottom lip and shakes his head.

I edge forward, needing more. “Some would say what?”

“Some would say that after three thousand years, he simply had enough of living. So he established the Order, and then he allowed his enemies to topple him.”

I blow out a breath, and we sit in silence for a moment. Alexandros stares at Ophelia, and I allow my eyes to wander to her too. She’s so fucking sweet, so kind and trusting, and while those are things I love about her, they’re not the kind of attributes that will serve her well in our world. Because our pint-sized little elementai is probably the most powerful creature who ever fucking lived, and we can pretend it might not be true, but we all know it is.

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