Page 47 of Bound in Blood

Nineteen

ALEXANDROS

Ilick the last drop of blood from my lips and let the fourth man fall from my arms to lie next to his companions. Such was the strength of my thirst, I could have drunk the four of them dry without a second thought. Whilst I am sated enough and my strength is fully returned, it was only Ophelia’s concern for their wellbeing that prevented me from doing so. I almost forgot how powerful an influence an elementai could hold over their vampire mate. Although our bond has been severed, she is still my fated mate, and in such close proximity, I feel every one of her emotions as if they were my own.

The irony of the elementai being slaughtered in an attempt to control the vampire race is so obvious, I wonder how our enemies did not see it. Their loss only made us crueler, stripping away what little humanity we inherently possessed. Ophelia’s kindness and compassion radiates from her still—despite what she must have endured the past several weeks at Giorgios’s hands. I cannot bring myself to think about that at this moment, although I will discover all she has experienced as soon as we are somewhere safe. For now, I am eternally thankful that I do notdetect his scent on her and therefore know he has not taken her in any way.

I make my way back to her and Anikêtos and find her sitting on a jagged rock staring out at the trees. “Are you searching for Lucian?”

She shakes her head. “I think he’s still inside the mountain. Ani didn’t see him leave, and I don’t feel him out here like I did in there.”

My heart constricts in my chest. “You felt him before? Inside the mountain?” My tone is sharper than I intended.

She chews on her bottom lip and nods, her eyes wide. “Is that bad?”

I take a seat beside her and lace my fingers through hers. “It is merely surprising to me when I have not been able to detect his presence in over five hundred years. And for you to have felt his presence inside the mountain, where even bonds cannot be felt…” It is perplexing and concerning that she shares such a connection with my son. A man she has never met before.

“I felt him the way I felt you in there. Not a bond, but like…” She chews harder on her lip as she searches for the words. “I could feel your presence, and I felt his too. Like your…” Her fear spikes, and she looks away from me.

“You have nothing to fear when I am with you, Ophelia. And certainly never from being honest with me. I am concerned he has a connection with you, but if you feel anything akin to anger in me, it is never aimed at you, I assure you, agápi mou.”

“It’s like he’s a part of me too. Is it because he shares your blood, maybe? Maybe because I spoke with him while we were at Giorgios’s house and?—”

“You spoke with him? With Lucian?” How? Why? All manner of scenarios, none of them pleasant, run through my head. How has she been able to achieve something even I could not? It is not surprising to learn that her power is far greater than mine, butestablishing a connection with him is dangerous and unnatural, as she has never connected with him before. Why is she able to do so now? I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Tell me what happened, Ophelia. Did he reach you, or did you find him?”

“I found him. I searched for him, using the way you described being able to connect with people. I tried it, and I just… found him. He said he cannot find me in the same way.”

Just found him? A man who has managed to conceal himself from his own father? I cannot believe he would simply allow that to happen. It seems more likely he orchestrated it himself. “And he spoke with you?”

She nods. “He helped us then too. He warned me about the blue poppy.”

Anger simmers beneath my skin, along with guilt for trusting Giorgios and, in doing so, putting them all in so much danger. “Revealing your location to him was incredibly dangerous, Ophelia.”

“But I didn’t. He already knew where we were, I swear.”

So many more questions need to be asked, but Anikêtos is growing restless, and we need to leave this place as soon as possible and find somewhere safe. “Come, let us go.” I pull her up, and she obediently follows.

Where are we going, Dragon Whisperer?

Head for Venezuela. I have an idea, but I need to speak to a friend.

Ophelia nods toward a tightly wrapped bundle of fur on the ground. “We brought you a coat and hat to keep you warm.” She glances down at my bare feet. “No shoes though. I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”

I have never been particularly affected by the cold, and although it has been over a millennium since I have had cause or opportunity to sit on Anikêtos’s back, I can easily recall hiswarmth. I press a kiss on her lips. “That was very thoughtful, agápi mou. Thank you.”

After slipping on the coat and discarding the hat I have no need of, I help Ophelia climb onto Anikêtos’s back. Not that she appears to need my assistance, but it gives me a reason to have my hands on her. Having endured so many torturous days without her, I am loath to let a moment pass without touching her.

As soon as we are seated, I rest my mouth against her ear. “How long has it been since we have last seen each other, agápi mou?”

“Twenty-seven days,” she whispers.

I will make Giorgios pay for every single one of them as soon as I am able. “Have you been in contact with anyone from Montridge during that time? How much of Giorgios’s betrayal are they aware of?” I wrap my arms around her waist and hold onto her tightly as Anikêtos rises to his full height.

“There was no cell signal at the fortress, but I was able to speak with Enora and Cadence. They know Giorgios betrayed you, and they helped us figure some stuff out.”

Anikêtos takes flight, and the wind rushing past us makes it impossible to be heard talking aloud. I must not have heard her correctly, so I switch to speaking through our thoughts.You spoke to them both without a cell phone?

Yes.

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