Page 1 of Bound in Blood

Prologue

NAZEEL DANRAATH

The intense wave of Kameen’s fury washes over me before I step foot inside our mountain hideaway. The stone beneath my feet shakes with the ferocity of his rage, and I close my eyes and prepare myself for his wrath. As truly saddened as I am to have defied him so blatantly, it had to be done. And whatever my punishment, it is a price I have always been willing to pay. For too long, our world has existed in chaos and disharmony. Ophelia Hart will bring balance and, with it, peace. Magical creatures of all kinds shall thrive once more.

“Nazeel!”

I bow my head in deference as he approaches.

“What have you done?” His growl is low and dangerous. Accusatory. Designed to bring lesser immortals to their knees. But it has no such effect on me.

“I did what was necessary, Kameen. To unlock the girl’s?—”

“You did what you wanted,” he bellows, his deep voice echoing off the old stone walls of the grand entrance hall. “Why could you not just leave it be?” His jaw tics, his dark eyes imploring me to tell him what he wants to hear. If I begged for his forgiveness, would he show me any mercy? No,for he cannot. His position within the Order does not allow for favoritism.

“The Skotádi grow in power, Kameen. I feel their darkness closing in, and I know that you must too. If they were to intercept the girl before her powers were fully formed… If they had even a chance to corrupt her…” I ball my hands into fists at my sides. How can a man so wise fail to see such obvious truths?

“Ifthey corrupt her, then it will be because that is the natural order of things, Nazeel. It will be because she was always meant for the dark.”

“No.” I shake my head, refusing to believe his nonsense. “You know what the prophecy says. There is a chance for her to be swayed to either good or evil.”

“And why are you so quick to assume that her bond with the vampires places her on the right side of the line, my little witch?” he scoffs.

My lip curls back, and I have to work to tamp down my frustration, for it will be of no use to me where he is concerned. He does not respond to emotion. Only cold, hard logic. “You know she is an elementai, and therefore, a vampire is her only true mate. Vampires are not inherently evil, as you are well aware. In fact, some of the best men I have ever known have been the most bloodthirsty.”

He arches one thick eyebrow. “Men like Giorgios and Alexandros Drakos?”

I roll back my shoulders. “Exactly.”

He traces a fingertip over my cheekbone, causing a shiver to run the length of my spine. “Perhaps you are not my caring little witch, after all, Nazeel. You claim to care for this girl, yet you were willing to cause her immeasurable pain in order to further your own ends.”

Anger prickles beneath my skin. “To enable her to fulfill her destiny.”

His eyes narrow on my face with laser focus. “You know I will have no choice but to punish you for this.”

I lower my gaze, saddened that even for me, whom he loves beyond all others, he will not bend. “I know, my lord and commander.”

He grips my jaw and squeezes hard. “Do not mock me, Nazeel. It will bring me no pleasure to cause you any pain.”

My eyelids flutter, my gaze flickering over his handsome face until I meet his eyes. “I know, Kameen. And I know what you must do. I am ready to meet my fate.”

“You could have run from me, little witch. You believe in this girl so much you are willing to face whatever punishment I see fit?”

“I do. But regardless, I would never run from you, my love.”

His features soften a little, and he lets out a long sigh full of anguish and frustration. “How did you do it? How did you convince Giorgios Drakos to betray his only brother?”

“Giorgios knows who Ophelia is, and any fool can see Alexandros’s love for the girl. Protecting her is the ultimate act of devotion to his brother, even if Alexandros did not see it in such a way.”

Kameen tilts his head, still scrutinizing my face. “And the boy? What are his intentions toward the girl?”

I blink, confused. “You heard me talking with Lucian?”

His nose wrinkles. “As with every single time you have met with him these past five hundred years, I can smell him on you.”

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. I was not surprised to see Lucian earlier this day. Since the greatly exaggerated rumors of his death, he has taken a distant interest in the Order and in my quest to restore balance to the world. Although he has never spoken of that grave day over five hundred years ago or any of the circumstances which led to it, there is much to learnfrom him. However, he remains frustratingly silent on anything related to the Skotádi or the elementai downfall.

I am still unclear on his role in the upcoming war, for that is surely what we are headed for, though I am certain he has one—one of the utmost importance. Whether that be for good or bad, I cannot yet tell. “I do not know of his intentions,” I admit. “He still refuses to discuss his past. Still so untrusting of me even after what my sisters did for him.”

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