Page 88 of Promised in Blood

He sinks his teeth into her neck, and she whimpers. Axl and Malachi move quickly, wasting no time in sinking their fangs into her perfect tits. And with Alexandros at her front and them on either side, the only place left for me is behind her. I straddle the professor’s legs and press my chest against her back, then gather her hair in my fist and expose the nape of her neck. My eyes lock with my sire’s, and the hunger in his gaze makes my knees weak. I maintain eye contact while I sink my teeth into the back of her neck.

He shows us everything: her birth, the fire, the blood. Her parents and the dead bodies scattered around. The conversation between Nazeel and two other members of the Order about binding her powers. We watch it unfold like a movie, and through it all, we feel Ophelia’s despair. Her anguish, her pain, and her truth.

It floods my being along with her blood. And so does her power. I get but a glimpse of the raw, untapped magic that makes up her every atom, and it is enough to ensure that I will kneel at her feet for all eternity.

And when we have seen enough, drank enough, we stop feeding. I lick the residual blood from my lips and taste the salt from the tears streaking down my face. She falls back into my waiting arms, and I wrap her up so tight she must know I’ll never let her go.

“Ophelia.” Alexandros’s voice is a plea as though he’s worried he’s broken her.

She sniffs. “I’m okay. Thank you for showing me.”

He cups her face in his hands and brushes her tear-streaked cheeks with his thumbs, his eyes shining with unshed tears too.

Malachi kisses her shoulder. “You’re incredible, sweet girl.”

“Thank you for sharing that with us, princess.”

She rests her head back on my shoulder. “You’re all a part of me. There’s nothing I won’t share with you.”

Alexandros clears his throat. “I should…” He glances around, looking for the easiest way to extricate himself from the four bodies surrounding him.

“Please don’t go. Stay here with us,” she begs. “Just this once.”

I hold my breath, wishing I had the courage to ask him too, but I doubt it would make a difference to his decision. I can practically see his armor breaking. He closes his eyes and releases a heavy sigh. “Tonight only.”

She lets out a tiny squeak of delight that has me smiling. Even after watching the traumatic events that saw her entry into this world, she still has it in her to find joy in the little things, and that is one of the most incredible things about her. She must have a billion questions racing around her mind, but for once, she doesn’t ask anything. Probably because she doesn’t want to scare him off.

“If I am sleeping in here, little one, then you are sleeping on me or there will not be enough room.”

“As long as you won’t be too uncomfortable,” she says meekly.

He arches an eyebrow. “How could I possibly be uncomfortable with you lying on me?”

She takes a deep breath, and I press my lips against her ear. “If you make a comment about being too heavy, Cupcake, you’re going to be punished severely.”

Alexandros licks his lips and nods his agreement.

“Okay then,” she says.

I let her go and roll back into my spot. He lies down, shuffling her so she’s lying on his chest. We lie in the dark, all of us exhausted but unable to sleep. Perhaps we’re simply unwilling to close our eyes on this precious time together.

Ophelia breaks the thick silence in the room. “Now that you know Nazeel is no threat, can I go back to Silver Vale?”

That silence is replaced by tension. “I never said she was no threat,” Alexandros growls.

Ophelia rests her chin on her hands so she’s staring down into his face. “But she saved me when I was a baby. She’s the one who’s responsible for me being here, right?”

“I also never said that,” he snaps.

“No, you didn’t. But it makes sense. Who else could it have been? It for sure wasn’t my parents who put that trust together, was it?”

Alexandros is quiet, and I smile in the darkness. The cupcake is far too smart for our own good. “I believe it was her, yes,” he finally answers.

“So I can go back to Silver Vale and see Cadence?” she asks hopefully.

I roll onto my side to watch the show. He never yields to anyone about anything, but I can practically hear him wrestling with himself about this. “I do not trust Enora.”

Ophelia sighs. “I think you do, but you’re just really mad at her right now so you’re refusing to admit that.”

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