Page 120 of This Blood That Binds Us
“No. No, I can’t,” Luke said. “I can’t go back there. I can’t.”
Kilian spoke again. “Then, tell me what transpired.”
Luke’s face grew red, as if mentally recalling it was physically painful. “Sarah meant everything to me. I wanted to save her. I tried to keep her away from me so she’d be safe, but it didn’t matter. She killed her...right in front of me...to punish me...because I cared about someone more than Her. She wanted to teach us a lesson.”
The anger I felt was short lived. I was right. Luke would do everything in his power to keep her safe. That’s probably why they never actually got together. Luke had tried to protect her, but it wasn’t enough.
I couldn’t imagine the pain Luke must have been in, unable to tell me or just unwilling to. Kimberly came to mind. If I losther, especially like that, I don’t know that I’d be able to recover. Let alone keep on with my regular responsibilities. I wasn’t much different from my brother. After all, I’d done the exact same thing with Kimberly. I tried to keep her safe, but ended up dragging her down with me. Something that had almost killed her multiple times.
William scoffed. “We need to confirm his story. We can’t just take his word for it. How do we know he didn’t lead her there as a trap?”
“What benefit would we have from killing her?” Zach was growing more and more angry. “Come over here and confirm the story, then. I volunteer. I can show you what happened to Sarah. I was there, too. And you can look back in my head as far as you want to make sure we’re telling the truth.”
Luke’s head snapped up. “Zach, no.”
Kilian’s features softened. “You don’t need to be afraid. I won’t mess with your minds the way they did. Only with your permission will I look upon your memories.”
Zach hands jangled in his chains, and he held up his bloody arm. “Do your worst.”
A smile appeared on Kilian’s face. He moved in closer, closing the gap between them. “I can feel your fear. You don’t need to be afraid. Just relax.”
Zach opened his palm, and the man cupped his hand. Immediately, Zach’s chest heaved inward, and he closed his eyes. I never took my attention off of his face. He was calm at first, but he stifled sobs. One by one, tears fell from his eyes.
William tightened his grip on my shoulder. He probably expected me to react in some way. The joke was on him. My legs were completely numb, and I was about eighty percent sure I was about to lose consciousness.
Kilian let go of Zach’s hand after a few minutes. “So much pain...a terrible thing to witness.”
I didn’t need to know the exact story. The look on Zach’s face was enough. It all made sense. The reason Luke was having panic attacks, the reason they kept everyone a secret. I thought I was the one who was in way over my head, but my brother’s had me beat by a long shot.
Luke looked at me across the room, the candlelight flickering across his face. “I didn’t want the same thing to happen to you and Presley, and I didn’t want you to ever know about this. I’m so sorry. Zach and I just wanted to help mom with the money. That’s why we joined when we were young. We thought it was harmless.. .Just stealing and pickpocketing in the city.”
Zach sounded more melancholy. “We met Ezra when we were ten years old. He caught us stealing groceries...He promised us a life that didn’t exist, one where we would never worry about money if we just did what he said. We didn’t know what he was or who he was. They lied...a lot.”
William released his hand, and I could finally speak. “He didn’t tell you he was going to change you?”
“No,” they said.
“We didn’t know that was part of initiation. They drug you beforehand.. .We just woke up...different. That’s when we learned that She shared Her blood with us,” Luke said.
And there it was. My brothers were manipulated into joining a vampire cult. The answer I’d be waiting for for months, and it wasn’t all that surprising for some reason. I think a part of me knew it because they cared and wanted to take care of us. They’d do anything for us, but I was seeing how far they’d go and the toll of what their decision meant. Zach and Luke had protected us, mostly, but it cost them everything. All their hopes and dreams. The girls they loved. They gave up everything they wanted for me.
“She is the one who turned you?” Kilian walked to the center of the altar. “You’re sure?”
They nodded. A strange silence settled into the room. Everyone was more alert. More interested.
“Why? What does that mean?”
My days of keeping my mouth shut were done. Sadist swim boy be damned.
“The Family has a hierarchy of power. Lower recruits are not fed Her blood for the change. It’s too sacred. Too important.” Kilian was pacing again. His robe was gathering a layer of dust. “You must not be lower recruits to them...you must be much more precious to them.”
“Precious...” Luke repeated under his breath, his eyes on the floor.
“How would you describe your relationship with the Queen?” Kilian said.
He leaned forward with a string of prayer beads rolling between his fingers anxiously.
“Didn’t I just show you that?” Zach snipped.
