Page 68 of Shadow Bound

This is the same information I’d told Ransom. “I already know all of this. I don’t see how it’s relevant to me. Once again, I’m not a firstborn.”

“It’s relevant becausehalfof your genetic makeup is firstborn.” She places the book on the worktable but doesn’t open it yet. “You know that not all vampires are turned vampires but are born much like yourself. Every vampire can track their lineage back to the firsts, but as they started to die out, the firsts’ bloodlines became weak, diluted even. As far as I’m aware, a firstborn hasn’t had offspring in centuries. That is untilyou. Isabeau, I believe you’re the first one to be born in ages. You, my dear, have the purest vampire blood aside from the genuine firstborns, and because of this, you’re affected by the same ailments they are. See, some of the lore states that not only did the first have mates but so did their children. As the bloodline became diluted bloodmates became less and less common.”

Finally opening the book, she sifts through the parchment pages until she finds the one she’s looking for. Esme turns it so I can see what’s been depicted on the page. A drawing of a woman with fangs is shown the black liquid dripping down her chin. She looks gaunt and weak, all the power that usually zips through her veins has depleted. She looks exactly like how I feel.

“What’s wrong with her?” Winnie asks from over my shoulder, also looking at the book.

“She unknowingly drank from her bloodmate, not enough to complete the bond, but enough to make anyone else’s blood poison to her. She’s currently dying of blood poisoning,” Esme answers her niece, but her onyx eyes are pinned on me. “Isabeau, when exactly did you start to feeloff?”

I think about it for a second and realize it was right after I had shot Pru and methimfor the first time. “It was right after I met Ransom.”

“Did you ingest any of his blood that night?” Esme questions.

“No.” My answer is instant, but I quickly remember that I’m wrong. I licked the blood off the knife I’d cut him with that night in the clinic. “Oh god.” I fly up from my stool so fast it flies backward, landing with a loud thud on the hardwood floor.

Panic like I’ve never felt in my life consumes my body until I feel like I’m drowning in it. My throat and lungs constrict, I barely feel like I get any air. My legs and hands are shaking. I stop my pacing to whirl around and face the pair of witches. “It was the smallest amount, less than a drop.”

“It doesn’t matter, sweetheart, you unknowingly started the bond. Have you had any more of his blood since you’ve been with him?”

I freeze my frantic pacing, guilt and dread twisting in my already upset stomach. “Yes,” I admit with a whisper. “But again, just a little.” I’ve never drunk from him, only ever licked at his wounds.

“That explains why you’ve started to become even more sick. You’re basically teasing your body with the blood it needs, and then going on to drink blood it no longer can tolerate.”

I point angrily at the open book before her. “Does it say how to make it stop? Is there a way to break the bond? We need to reverse this. Now!” I’m yelling. I never yell.

“The only way to break the bond you’ve created is by death. One of you must die.” She cocks her head to the side, giving me an assessing look. “Are you really prepared to kill your mate, Isabeau?”My bloodmate. Holy fucking shit, Ransom is my bloodmate. “Because that’s what he is, he’s your bloodmate.”

Winslow throws her hands up in the air, with an exasperated sigh. “Of course she’s not going tokillRansom. Don’t be ridiculous.” She looks at me for confirmation and when all I can offer her is a blank look, she frowns. “Isabeau?No. Absolutely not. You’re not killing Ransom.”

“But—”

“Nope.Uh-uh. No. This is not the time for ‘buts’, you’re not going to kill him.” Winslow’s tone is serious, not leaving room for argument.

“I might!” my voice rises even more. “I’ve been fighting my bloodlust for years and one day I might snap and kill him. It won’t be because I want to, but I won’t be able to stop myself.”

Winslow’s face falls. “Oh my god. You’re not mad he’s your bloodmate, you’re scared.Damn, I didn’t think that was an emotion you were capable of.Fear.”

I huff out a breath. “I’m not just scared—I’m fucking terrified. Ransom is the first and only person I’ve truly been able to care about. He’s crawled under my skin and I can’t get him out, but now I know why. I accidentallyboundus to each other. Fuck! He has no idea I did this to him! He didn’t get a say.”

“Neither did you, and it’s not like you did it on purpose,” Winslow says softly. “He’s not going to be mad.” I’ve never had to face rejection, but the idea of Ransom rejecting me makes my heart sink. “You just have to go home and tell him.”

I fly across the room, clearing the space in less than a second. I drop my head so we are face-to-face. “I’m not telling him, and neither are you, Winslow.”

“What! Beau, come on, be serious. You can’t keep this from him,” she stutters. “He has a right to know.”

My head shakes at her. “No, he has a right to choose, if I tell him I will slowly be poisoned and die without completing the bond with him, he’ll feel like hehasto. His incredibly irritating savior complex will compel him to save me. I don’t want that. If Ransom is to be mine, I want him to choose me, not feel like he’s forced.” Another point I hadn’t quite considered floats into my head. “What about his mate?” I look at the pair, horrified.

Esme tilts her head. “What about her?”

“He has a shifter mate out there somewhere, and I just accidentally bonded her mate to me. Not only did I screw over Ransom, but I did it to his mate too.”

Winslow opens her mouth like she wants to say something but quickly clamps it shut.

“Shifter bonds are created through love now,” Esme reminds me. “When Pruitt broke the curse when she mated Ryker, it made it so shifter mating bonds are created when two people truly fall in love with each other. Of course, before that happens, there’s still that indescribable connection and chemistry between them—almost like an electrical current running between them. When they finally fall for each other, the mating aura will appear around them and they’ll know for sure they’re mates.”

The mating aura is a gold, shimmery effect that appears around shifter mates, it’s so they can easily recognize each other as each other’s mates. Only they can see it and it goes away after they’ve completed the mating ceremony.

“So, if Ransom is falling in love with you, a shifter mating bond could very well develop between the two of you. That is, if you can love him back,” Esme says.

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