Page 85 of Promised in Blood

“You cannot deny that she has the ability to be the most powerful being of our time. Of our entire history. And you are?—”

“I said do not!” My roar reverberates off the stone surrounding us in the otherwise empty cemetery.

She presses her hand to her temple and winces. “Kameen is searching for me. I must leave.”

“I have many more questions, Nazeel.”

She shuffles, her eyes darting to the portal and then back to me. “I have no more time.”

I press on, uncaring about what she needs. I need answers, and she has them. “Was it you who led her here? To Montridge?”

She nods quickly. “To you, Alexandros.”

My eyes narrow. “Why?”

“To fulfill your destinies.” She hitches up her cloak like she is about to make a run for it, but we both know I am faster. “I must go.”

“I will let you leave if you give me your word that you will stay away from Ophelia.”

She licks her bottom lip, contemplating my offer and no doubt wondering whether she could get by me. She cannot. Not without the full strength of her magic, which she does not have access to on this hallowed ground. Were she a demon or an elementai who could channel without the need for spells, she would stand a chance. Her eyes screw closed, and she staggers back a step. “I must leave. Now.”

“Give me your word.”

Her pulse flutters in her throat like the wings of a bird trapped in a cage. No doubt her fear of Kameen is greater than her fear of me, but I will use whatever I can get to my advantage.

She glances over my shoulder once more. “Fine, I give you my word I will stay away from the girl. But she is more powerful than you can even comprehend, Alexandros.”

I step aside and allow her to pass. The concealed portal opens upon her approach, recognizing her ancient magic. Before she steps through it, she gives me one final look over her shoulder. “And she will change you.”

In the blink of an eye, she disappears, and I am left staring at the crumbling wall of the mausoleum. What the hell did she mean? I resist the urge to follow her and ask. She will be long gone once she passes through to the other side, and my knowledge of that terrain is much less than hers. Besides, I am eager—no,desperateto return home and hold her in my arms.

And to fulfill the promise I made before I left. Her blood sings to my soul, calling me back to her any time I stray too far.

Of course she will change me. She already has.

The house is quiet,but the sound of all four of their heartbeats is vibrant inside my head. I am connected to each of them, and I feel them always. Lately, the connection has been more intense than ever before, and I know the boys feel it too. Perhaps it has been opening my heart to Ophelia that has allowed the bond with them to take root there too. Or perhaps it is something entirely different.

Malachi steps out of the shadows at the top of the stairs. “You’re back. Did you find Nazeel?” he asks quietly.

“I did.” I climb the stairs, and with every step I take toward her, to all of them, my blood grows hotter.

“Is everything okay? Is Ophelia in danger?” He still speaks quietly, his velvety rich voice thick with sleep. His innocence and curiosity serve to pull a halfhearted smile from me. I place my hand on the back of his neck and squeeze as I press my forehead to his. “Ophelia is always in danger, Malachi. That is the reality of the burden we all share now.”

“She’s not a burden.” His warm breath mingles with mine.

“No, she is not. She is the reason that our hearts beat.”

Gingerly, he rests his hand over my heart, where it beats a steady rhythm against his palm. He has always been the most sensitive of souls, even though he refutes such assertions. “Is she sleeping?”

“Yes.”

The thought of crawling over her sleeping form and slipping inside her warmth as she slumbers has my fangs protracting and my cock stiffening. “Were you all gentle with her for me?” They heard the promise I made to her before I left, and whilst I did not order them to take it easy with her, I hope that it was implicit.

His fingertips flex against my shirt. “Yes sir.”

“You are good boys.” I press a kiss on his forehead before I brush past him and go to her.

The door to Axl’s room is ajar, and she lies curled up to Xavier’s chest with Axl pressed up against her back. Her soft breathing soothes the beast inside me that wants nothing more than to climb on top of her and claim her. Rut into her until she feels nothing but me. Instead, I shrug off my coat and crawl onto the bed. Xavier wakes first and, upon seeing me, rolls away from her, giving me room. I nudge Axl out of the way, and he opens one eye before rolling onto his back. I should carry her to my own bed, but her arousal and her blood are already thick in theair, and my body physically aches for her too much to wait any longer.

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