Page 95 of Bound in Blood

I shake my head and pace the length of the room. “A wraith’s touch is designed to steal your soul by driving you into a spiral of despair. It would render Ophelia powerless, not powerful, and it would not steal her power.”

“What if he’s planning some kind of spell or something?” Ophelia asks. “A ritual like the fated mate one he was going to use?”

Enora claps her hands together. “That is it, sweet child. If you had become Giorgios’s fated mate, he could have easily used his influence to take your power.”

She turns to me, blinking. “So you could do that if you wanted to? You could take my power?”

I pull her into my arms. “In theory, but I would never, little one.”

She rubs her cheek against me, fisting her hands in my shirt. “I know, and I love you for that.”

“So, what?” Xavier snaps. “He uses Kai for some ritual to make Ophelia evil? Is that it?”

Breathing through my nose, I shove aside the images of me tearing out my brother’s heart before I tear off his head and focus. “Do you know of such a ritual, Enora?”

“Not specifically, as there has never been a Chosen One before. But there are many dark rituals which can be used to steal powers or control the actions of another. It is possible that a ritual for this scenario could be successful if there is enough power.”

I run a hand over my face as the true horror of Giorgios’s plan becomes clearer. “Ophelia has enough power to ensure the success of any such endeavor.”

Enora places a hand on my shoulder. “At least it will not work, for Malachi was not the first to drink from Ophelia.”

My heart sinks through my chest and cold dread floods me. “Neither was Axl.”

Enora blinks at me. “Then who?”

I vividly recall our conversation from a few nights ago. How he taunted me with his claims. “It was Lucian.”

Chapter

Forty-Five

XAVIER

We stand around the dining table: Alexandros, Ophelia, Axl, Osiris, Enora, Cadence, Sienna, and Alexandros’s father, Vasilis. I’ve constructed a crude diorama of Montridge University using various kitchen items, and we stare at it.

“Who do we actually have on our side?” Sienna asks.

Vasilis answers, his arms folded over his chest, “The Onyx Dragon vampires have been ordered to fall into line by Vincent, but I cannot imagine they will be our most reliable allies.”

“No.” Alexandros shakes his head. “If anyone sees Nicholas Ashe, you have my permission to remove his head.”

I smirk because that is exactly what I’d like to do. He and his Onyx vampires have had it coming for years. Smarmy fucks.

Alexandros directs his attention to Axl. “Did you speak with Eugene?”

Eugene Jackson—another man I don’t particularly like, but he is Alexandros’s cousin and a faculty member of Ruby Dragon.

Axl nods. “I got word to him, and he says fourteen Ruby members stayed behind. He’s aware Giorgios has someone held captive in the basement of our house, but he has no idea who. But that must be our boy, right?”

The thought of Malachi being held prisoner by that evil fuck makes it difficult to focus on anything but my desire to get him back, but I rein it all in and reply, “Of course it is.”

“If he is using Malachi as bait to ensnare Ophelia, then that is most likely,” Vasilis agrees, his dark brows furrowed.

“And our vampires?” Alexandros asks.

“Eugene is confident they remain loyal to House Drakos, and as soon as we give him the signal, he will have them ready to fight.”

Alexandros draws in a breath and blows it out again, slowly.

---