Page 51 of Blood

Fuck Zeus.

Fuck him to the deepest pits of Hell, where he belongs.

The need for his death is a rampant desire that blocks out all else. My death? I could handle that, even when I didn’t know who I was or my purpose in the afterlife. But Violet’s?

Steel bands encircle my chest as I watch my mate, and that familiar tendril of dread nestles into my stomach. She looks...frightened. Confused. Terrified.

Would it be bad if I revealed myself to her?

Am I selfless enough to let her go again?

As if she’s attuned to my thoughts—hell, maybe she is—Violet’s eyes track to mine, even with the clearing separating us. Goose bumps pop up all over my skin, even as the anvil in my chest makes it hard to breathe.

Not your time.

Go away.

Come here.

Don’t leave me.

The conflicting voices riot within me as I take a step away from the bush I was hiding behind.

“Mason?” Violet’s voice is a hushed gasp, rife with pain. The muted sunlight dappling across her skin makes her look even more ethereal than ever.

Guilt burrows deep as I venture another step toward her.

“You shouldn’t be here.” That’s what I mean to say, but that’s not what comes out. Instead, I say, “I’ve missed you so much.”

All I know is that I’ve been floating aimlessly for a while now, unaware of who I was and why I was stuck here. And then, suddenly, all my missing memories hit me like a strike of lightning, the strength of them so palpable they were like a living force.

Violet Dracula.

Pinkie.

My mate.

My greatest love.

My only love.

And now she’s here, in front of me, her eyes lasered on my face...

I crumble.

The world around me changes and distorts—one of the very few benefits of being dead—and I find myself back in my house at Prodigium Academy. Of course, it’s not actually the house, but it looks real enough that both Violet and I gasp in shock.

Behind Violet, a door glimmers with bright, luminescent light, and I know that the second she steps through that door, she’ll leave me and go back to where she belongs.

But fuck, she’s here.

In front of me.

A smile breaks out on her face like sunshine through the clouds. How can someone look so sweet and innocent, yet house such a wild creature within?

Raindrops patter in my gut as I finally give in to the urge to push a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. My voice trembles with the enormity of my emotions for her when I say, “You shouldn’t be here.”

But I don’t push her away.

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