Page 45 of Bound in Blood

My brain races, and I glance around the cave, squinting to see in the dim light. When I extinguish the ring of Dragonfyre protecting us, will Lucian choose that moment to strike? I can’t see him or sense him in here. He is no doubt waiting in the shadows, the place he seems most comfortable.

“Ophelia, what are you hiding from me?”

I suck in a deep breath, eyes darting in every direction while I consider our next move. We have to get out of here, and the only way is the way we came, which means leaving the protective circle. Telling him about Lucian now could be a mistake.

“Ophelia!” he barks, snapping me from my racing thoughts. He draws himself up to his full height, forcing himself to stand on his own two feet.

Trepidation floods my chest. As much as I would rather not have this conversation right now, I can’t hide this from him. “I’ll tell you, but we have to start moving.”

His jaw tics, and after only a few seconds’ resistance, he nods his agreement. I gather up the Dragonfyre so it again glows around my right hand and wrap my left arm around his waist, not only for his benefit but because I can’t bear to not be touching him.

I suck in a lungful of air, and we begin to edge through the dark cave. “Lucian was here.”

He stops in his tracks, as I suspected he would. “What?” His voice is a growl, and his eyes roam over my body, possessive and hungry and full of worry.

“He didn’t hurt me.” I nudge him to keep moving. “I think he’s gone. Can you sense him? Hear his heart beating?”

His eyes narrow, and he shakes his head. “But that does not mean he is not here. I would be unable to sense him down here. Was it he who brought the Dragonfyre? What did he want? Was he here for you? For me? Both of us?”

I quicken my steps, anxious to get out of this damn creepy cave and back to Ani’s reassuring presence. “Now who’s the one asking all the questions?”

“Ophelia!” It sounds like a threat and a promise all rolled into one delicious word, and goosebumps prickle out all over my body. I can’t even put into words how much I’ve missed him or how much I need him to be okay.

“Both, maybe? He said he’d been watching out for you and that he knew I’d come. He told me he killed your guards. And then he…”I wince at what I’m about to say, but it’s the truth. “He helped me.”

“He helped you?” His tone is incredulous, unsurprisingly so.

“Yes. Can we please get out of here, and then I’ll tell you everything? We really need to move.”

He huffs out a breath but doesn’t speak again. He’s quiet and contemplative, and I take the opportunity to focus all my energy and attention on navigating our way out of this cave.

“Almost there,” I tell him, although he’s walking much better than I expected he would be after weeks of starvation and silver chains. With each step closer we get to the entrance, he seems to gain strength.

“The silver dulls my power and saps a vampire’s strength,” he says by way of explanation, and I’m not sure if he’s able to read my mind now that we’re close to the entrance or if he simply knows me so well.

“We’ll be out of here soon. Into the brush, and then we can get as far away from here as possible.”

He turns his head and stares at me. “How, Ophelia? How did you get here?”

Motes of dust dance in the rays of midmorning sun streaming in at the cave entrance. I’m almost breathless with anticipation as I imagine Alexandros’s reaction to seeing one of his oldest friends waiting for us. “Wait and see.”

His brow furrows, but there’s no time for him to ask anything more because we step out of the cave and are immediately greeted by the sight of Anikêtos, grand and majestic even as he sits idly on his haunches.

“Ani?” The way his dark eyes light up when he sets them on his old friend has me ready to burst with happiness despite the circumstances that brought us all here.

Ani snorts, and a thick cloud of smoke plumes from his nostrils.It is about time, Dragon Whisperer.

Alexandros cracks his neck, and all the childlike wonder on his face disappears behind his mask of cool certainty. “Well, I was a little tied up.”

I suppress a snicker as I douse the Dragonfyre in my hand. Did Alexandros just make a joke? Ani blinks rapidly, and I’m one hundred percent certain it’s the dragon equivalent of an eye roll. He jerks his head to the side.If I had waited for your arrival any longer, your dinner would have woken and ran away.

Alexandros growls, and I follow his gaze to four men slumped under a tree a few feet away from us. They appear to be asleep. “Who are they?” I ask.

Farmers, I suspect, Ani replies.

Alexandros is scanning the perimeter, his eyes narrowed. “Where are the boys? Are they not here with you?”

“No, but they’re safe. They’re still at Giorgio’s fortress. They had to stay and make sure he didn’t transport here before we got to you. But Elpis is with them, and they’re going to leave as soon as it’s safe.”

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