Page 98 of Promised in Blood

“There is nothing I would keep from any of my sireds,” I remind her. “You can trust them as you would me.” I am aware that the first part of that statement is a lie. I kept Lucian from them for years, and even now I keep part of him from them. At least what I saw in the Onyx pledge’s mind earlier.

“Regardless, it’s not that simple,” Osiris tells Axl before he turns his attention to me. “You have known there was something different about Ophelia since the start of semester. I have never known you take an interest in any witch before, old friend.”

I tip my face to the ceiling and suck in a deep breath, the weight of what I am about to disclose sitting heavy on me. As though sensing my hesitation, Ophelia reminds me that this decision is not mine alone.I want them to know, and I think you’re right to trust them, she says in her gentle, soothing voice.Cadence and Sienna too.

She is not wrong. In the coming months, Ophelia will need as many friends as she can get. Cadence has proven her trustworthiness to a degree, and Sienna is Osiris’s daughter. He will ensure her compliance. Things are happening at a faster pace than I anticipated, and we no longer have the luxury of time to determine who we can and cannot trust. But if I am forced to rely on the intuition of another, I cannot say I am displeasedthat Ophelia’s are the instincts we must listen to. Elementai are known for their skills in this area, and she has proven herself no exception. “Are the girls here? Cadence and Sienna?”

Enora gives me a suspicious look. “Indeed they are. Are they important to this discussion?”

I glance sideways at my fearless elementai. “They are important to Ophelia, so yes, they are.”

Osiris regards me with curiosity, his wolf glimmering in his eyes, not far from the surface. “I will summon Sienna.”

Less than a moment later, the two girls walk into the room, and after a quick greeting to Ophelia, they sit on the sofa. Their eyes lock on me, cheeks lined with the tracks of their tears. Osiris must have told his daughter what happened to her packmate.

“What I am about to tell you must stay within this room,” I begin. “No oneis to know. You must swear me a blood oath.”

Osiris scowls. “You cannot ask such a thing of us. We have people who depend on us. Those we need to protect from harm. May I remind you that it was a wolf who was killed tonight, Alexandros? A member of my pack. I cannot hush this up like we did with the witch.” Crescent packs are unlike the typical familial wolf packs that exist outside of Montridge. The bond each member feels is manufactured and lasts only as long as they remain here, whereas a familial pack bond lasts for eternity. However, the fleeting nature of the bond does not diminish its intensity. Manufactured bond or not, I am aware that the loss of a member is felt keenly by every wolf within the pack, and I am not unsympathetic to their pain. I merely do not have time for it at the moment.

“Dad!” Sienna says, her eyes pleading with him to let me finish.

Enora lays a hand on his arm. “I have known this man for six hundred years, and he has never asked me to swear such anoath, Osiris. I can only imagine he has good reason for doing so now.”

I doubt that he thinks me foolish enough to have not considered all the consequences and it is likely his grief speaking, so I permit him his outburst without rebuke. “I do not expect you to break your word, Osiris. If I thought it would put your pack in jeopardy, I would never ask you to make such an oath. Your loyalty lies, as it should, with your pack, and I would not endanger Ophelia by foolishly asking you to forsake your responsibility.”

He does not respond right away, but Cadence and Sienna glance at each other and then at Ophelia. “I’m in,” Cadence says. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m in.”

Sienna nods. “Me too.”

Osiris glares at his daughter. “If you swear a blood oath and break it, he will know you have broken it, and according to ancient vampire law, he will have every right to tear off your head.”

Sienna shrugs and glares back at her father. “Then I guess I won’t break it.”

Osiris throw his hands in the air, and Ophelia tries to suppress a snort but fails. I scold her with a look that she simply shrugs off. She is becoming far too feisty for my liking. My palm twitches, desperate to take her in hand right now, but I focus on the current situation.

“Fine.” He takes a breath and continues. “I, Osiris Brackenwolf, in front of these witnesses present, swear you, Alexandros Drakos, a blood oath.” He slices a cut in his hand with his razor-sharp teeth and allows a drop of blood to fall into my outstretched palm.

Sienna, Enora, and Cadence repeat the oath, the latter with the assistance of Enora’s spells to cut and heal. Satisfied I have secured their compliance, I lick my palm clean. Then I clearmy throat, giving myself no time to reconsider my decision. “Ophelia is an elementai.”

Enora claps her hand over her mouth, her gray eyes filling with tears.

Osiris folds his arms across his chest. “Prove it.”

I suppress the urge to snarl a warning. “She does not have to prove anything.”

“You’re telling me this girl is one of a species that died out?—”

“That was exterminated,” I remind him with a growl.

He offers me a slight nod to indicate he has heeded my warning. “That were exterminated over five hundred years ago. I believe we are entitled to a little proof of such a claim.”

“It’s okay,” Ophelia says. “I mean, I get it. I didn’t believe it either at first.”

“Ophelia, you’re really an elementai?” Cadence asks, staring at her friend in awe.

Ophelia nods, embarrassed at being the center of attention. Her eyes drop to the floor for a moment. “At least I think so.”

I fix her with a glare. “You are.”

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