Bound in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 3)
Bound in Blood: Chapter 8

“You can do this, Ophelia,” Giorgios says in a commanding voice that sounds a little too much like his brother’s to not cause me pain. “Your powers are severely weakened, but they remain.”

I flick my wrist again, and tiny sparks flicker across the fallen tree branch in front of me, but that’s all I’m able to summon. Raindrops fall onto my face, and I blink the moisture from my heavy lashes.

“It is raining, Ophelia. The sky was cloudless not a moment ago, therefore you are not in control of your powers. You must focus!”

Thunder rolls above. A swirling tornado of emotion rages inside me, and I glare at him. How am I supposed to control my powers when I cannot feel them? He blinks at me expectantly, seemingly unaware of my inner tirade, which I’m thankful for. I keep my walls up around him at all times, and at least those powers still work.

After his ludicrous suggestion that I bond with him—ludicrous yet still not completely ruled out—I asked if he could at least help me with something practical. And that is learning to control my powers, which he said I could still do even while they’re diminished. I expected him to give me some tips I could use with the guys, not instruct me himself. But I suppose he is doing the best he can under the circumstances, as we all are.

Closing my eyes, I focus on the orb of white light in my center and take a brief second to bask in its warmth. It makes me feel deeply connected to Alexandros because he’s the one who helped me discover it. He’s the one who unlocked all of this, and yet he’s not here to help me control it. It feels so impossible without him. A sob wells up in my throat.

“Focus, Ophelia. Stop the storm.” Giorgios’s calm voice cuts through my turmoil. I reconcentrate on my light and imagine the sun shining in the clear blue sky. The rain stops as quickly as it started, and when I reopen my eyes, the sun is casting Giorgios’s shadow in front of me.

“Well done, Ophelia.” He places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “But I sense you are tired, and I must continue my search for Lucian. We will resume your lessons tomorrow.”

With a polite farewell, Giorgios leaves me in the courtyard, and Xavier and Malachi, who have been watching from the sidelines, join me.

I slump down against the thick tree trunk. “I hate not being able to use my powers properly. I feel so useless sitting here, waiting for Lucian to show up and take me.” I swipe away the tear rolling down my cheek, annoyed with myself for being so emotional. Alexandros would figure out a way around this hallowed ground issue. He’d think of something.

“I know he would, Cupcake, but he’s not here,” Xavier says, his voice sad as he sits down beside me.

Malachi sits on my other side. “And we won’t let Lucian take you, baby.”

“I didn’t mean to think that aloud. I know you’re all doing the best you can. I just miss him so much.” The tears flow faster now, and the weight of guilt and despair and utter helplessness threatens to overwhelm me. This is why I try not to cry—once I start, I can’t seem to stop. I’ve gotten through the last three weeks running on optimism and determination, but now those are in short supply, slowly being replaced with absolute hopelessness.

Malachi wraps a comforting arm around my shoulder, and Xavier rests his hand on my thigh, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “We know, Cupcake, we miss him too. And the truth is, he would know what to do.” He plucks a few blades of grass before tossing them aside. “And I feel completely fucking useless in this place. We’re trapped here, and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.” We’re surrounded by snow-topped mountains, clear blue skies, and some of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen. But a beautiful prison is still a prison.

If only I could figure out how to make these stupid powers work better. Or if they were strong enough that I could do something. Anything.

What if we just walked through the fucking gate and kept going? It’s Axl’s voice in our heads now, and I smile at the familiar sound. Despite my powers being lessened here, our bond is as strong as ever, if not stronger. Unfortunately, though, the boys aren’t strong enough to fight off Giorgios’s guards if they tried to stop us from leaving, and without my powers, neither am I.

How are you feeling? I ask him. He was extra tired this morning, so we left him sleeping in bed.

I’m so exhausted. I feel like I’ve been awake for two centuries. He laughs softly. But I’m good. I’ll take a shower and then come join you all.

Axl’s voice disappears, but I still feel him. His sadness and his fear. His guilt at not being strong enough to fix this mess we’ve found ourselves in. “Do you think it’s strange my powers are lessened, but I can still hear and feel you all as much as I ever have?”

Xavier pops out his bottom lip like he’s thinking, but it’s Malachi who answers first. “Maybe our bond isn’t affected by your powers?”

“Maybe.” I rack my brain for an answer I’m sure is there, even if I’m not entirely sure of the question.

Xavier spins to face me, his blue eyes wide. “Or maybe it’s because your ability to read our thoughts and connect with us isn’t part of your elementai powers.”

I’m unable to stop my own exhilaration at the sudden upswing in his mood. “What do you mean?”

“Part of your deal is that you take on our powers, right? Our strength? Our power to speak through thought? That’s vampire power, Cupcake. Not elementai.”

Xavier’s right; none of those powers have been affected at all by being here.

“And you could use Alexandros’s powers too, right?” Malachi asks, his face breaking into a smile. “You were able to speak to the dragons, so that probably means you can speak to all the people he’s ever shared blood with?”

“Or made a blood oath with,” Xavier adds. “So Enora, Osiris, and your friends back at Montridge too.”

“I—I guess so, but I’ve never really tried it.” My burgeoning elation is brought to a halt at the memory of his loss. Like ice water being poured onto a flickering flame. I slump back against the tree. At least twenty times a day, I search for Alexandros. Yet I’ve never found him. “But it probably only worked while he was still here.” I choke back a sob.

“But you don’t know that for sure.” Xavier nudges my arm. “And you won’t know unless you try.”

“Yeah, sweet girl. What the fuck have we got to lose?”

I take a deep breath, my body trembling with anticipation and nervous energy. What if this actually works? I could speak to Cadence and Enora. Osiris.

Xavier takes my hand and squeezes. “Try it, Cupcake. Try Cadence back in Havenwood.”

“But I tried it already.” I swallow down my trepidation. “I tried to connect to Alexandros’s mind and couldn’t.”

Xavier’s face falls. He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “Because he’s gone, Ophelia.”

“But what if there’s a chance he’s not?” I can’t bear to admit there’s no hope.

Malachi sniffs, and when I glance at him, he’s wiping away a tear. “We’re not getting any better, sweet girl. We know now we’re not being poisoned, so what other explanation could there be? He’s gone.”

I drop my head and take a moment to feel his loss before I center myself again.

“You can do it, Cupcake.”

I take a deep breath and again focus on my light—the root of all my power, both elementai and vampire—and I search for Cadence. I recall her voice, her sweet laugh. The freckles on her nose. The delicate, almost undetectable southern notes of her accent. Then I call out her name.

Ophelia! Her voice bursts into my head, filling it up with joy and color. Is that really you, girl?

It’s not only her voice that warms me now, but her feelings too. I’m flooded with happiness and relief. Yes, it’s me.

“Did you replace her, baby?” Malachi asks, hopeful.

I nod, my smile growing wider when I open my eyes and see the happiness in both his and Xavier’s eyes.

Where the hell have you been? she asks. Why didn’t you call me?

There’s no cell signal here. I have so much to tell you, Cadence. I can barely hold back a sob. I hate it here. We’re trapped. I can barely use my powers. The boys are sick.

Oh, Ophelia. Her concern bleeds into my pores. Tell me where you are. I’m gonna come get you. Sienna will help me for sure. Enora and Osiris⁠—

It’s pointless. Giorgios won’t let us leave. And he has an army of guards. I don’t know what they’d do if we tried to, but I wouldn’t want to risk your safety.

What? He’s actually keeping you prisoner there?

He says it’s for our own protection. Maybe it is. I don’t know anymore.

“There you all are,” Giorgios says. “I assumed you would have come into the house to continue your research.” A shiver dances down my spine. Fearful he’ll somehow discover that I’m talking to her, I bid Cadence a hasty goodbye and tell her I’ll speak to her again later.

“Just enjoying a little more of the morning sunshine,” Malachi says.

“Yeah, while we still can,” Xavier adds, his tone dripping with snark.

Giorgios hums softly. “Well, we know it will not come to that, Xavier, for if we cannot replace an alternative cure, then we will utilize the only one we know, yes?” His eyes rake over me when he says that, and I resist the urge to squirm. The thought of Giorgios biting me and bonding me to him repulses me, but I would do it in a heartbeat to save my boys, a fact he is no doubt aware of. I nod, offering him a fake saccharine smile.

“I have an email from my cousin regarding the Ruby Dragons which requires your attention, gentlemen. I would answer his query myself, but I do not know the intricate workings of your operation at Montridge. If you would follow me?”

“An email?” all three of us say at once. He’s told us repeatedly there’s no cell service or internet connection here.

“Yes. One of my guards managed to get our old router to work.” Smiling, he shrugs. “I have no use for such modern technologies, but I sensed you were all feeling increasingly cut off from your lives at Montridge. It is a very old dial-up connection, but it will suffice for the occasional email.”

All of that is entirely plausible, I guess. And if it’s true, it would have been much more useful to know before I realized I could speak to my friends back at Montridge without the need of anything but my mind. Still, I suppose he’s making an effort.

“Shall we?” Giorgios says, indicating we should follow him.

Xavier and Malachi stand dutifully, continuing to play the part of grateful house guest to perfection, even if they remain unsure of Giorgios’s motives. “You coming, Cupcake?”

I want to play around with my rediscovered ability a little more, so I shake my head. “I’m going to stay out here and enjoy a little more sunshine. I’ll catch up with you before lunch.”

Have fun reaching out to some of our friends, sweet girl. Malachi flashes me a wink before he and Xavier follow Giorgios back into the house.

I close my eyes and lean back against the tree. I could tap back into Cadence and continue our chat—hearing her voice felt like going home. Or I could talk to Sienna. Or Enora. But none of those things would do much to help our current situation. If only I could talk to Alexandros.

Something tickles my arm, and I open my eyes to replace a bright orange butterfly. And it hits me like a thunderbolt. Of course I can talk to Alexandros. Or at least talk to someone who can speak to him on my behalf. Hope flares white hot in my chest, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before now.

The butterfly flutters away, and I whisper my thanks to whatever goddess sent it to me this morning, then take a deep breath and focus on my light. I’ve never tried this on my own before, but surely it’s the same as connecting to any being here in the mortal realm. Which should I try to contact? Elpis is surely less likely to be aggravated at my intrusion, but my connection with Anikêtos felt stronger, so it might be easier for me to connect with him.

I recall what the professor taught me about reaching another’s mind. How there will be something which will create a bridge between you—a spark—that, once accessed, will allow you to speak into the other’s mind. With Cadence, it was picturing her clearly in my mind’s eye and recalling the way she says my name. But with Anikêtos? I’ve never seen him, not even via the professor’s memories, and I have no idea what he looks like. No idea how to breach the veil between this world and his. I screw my eyes closed and think about the last time we spoke. His haughty almost-laugh. The pride in his voice when I addressed him by his full title: Anikêtos, heir of Herôs, seer of truths, and keeper of the cradle of magic.

Ophelia Hart. His gruff voice fills my head and sends a current of warmth shuttling through my body.

Ani? Is that really you? So relieved to have found him, I use his informal name, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Why are you straying so far from your world without Alexandros to guide you, child? There are forces here who would use your mind if you are not strong enough to withstand them.

I suck in a deep breath and steel myself to say the words, stifling the sob which seems to have taken up permanent residence in my throat. I can’t reach him, Ani. I’ve tried but … I don’t know why because he could breach the veil when he was alive.

You are making no sense, Ophelia. Do not speak to me in riddles. His annoyance bleeds into his tone.

Alexandros is dead, Ani.

He is not! His reply is swift and said with so much conviction it rattles my bones.

My entire body comes alive, every nerve ending electrified with hope and expectation.

But we felt his loss. A little over three weeks ago now. Our bond was severed. We were told someone took his head.

Anikêtos snorts, and then his voice takes on a sinister edge that makes my toes curl. Who told you such folly, child? For I assure you, the Dragon Whisperer is not in the netherworld.

That spark of hope keeps growing, burning brighter and brighter. Could he be somewhere else? Is there another place people go when they die?

Not vampires. They either live amongst the mortals or they linger here in the darkness for eternity.

And you’re sure he’s not there?

He makes a noise between a growl and a snarl, but it effectively communicates his unwillingness to answer the same question again.

Who told you of his death? he asks again.

His brother, Giorgios. He said he saw it happen.

Then he lies to you, child. For Alexandros Drakos remains in the realm of the living.

Why did Giorgios lie? Who is he protecting us from if Lucian didn’t kill Alexandros? Where is Alexandros? So many questions are buzzing around my head, and it’s hard to keep a lid on them all. I feel like they’re about to fly straight out of my ears and go buzzing off to Giorgios to let him know I’m onto him.

I focus on Anikêtos. Can you speak to him? Have you heard from him?

Not for some time now. If I were in the mortal realm, I could reach him through our bond, but I am not capable of reaching his mind through the veil. He must choose to contact me.

The tears I’ve been holding back run freely down my face, but for the first time in three weeks, they are tears of sheer happiness. Alexandros isn’t dead. I knew it couldn’t be true. If he departed this world, then surely the boys and I would too, our earthly shells unable to sustain the horror of his loss. Our bond was severed, and that is cruel enough, but surely bonds can be restored. Alexandros Drakos is alive. I yearn to tell the boys immediately, but I don’t dare while they’re with Giorgios in case he should become suspicious. Hell, I want to scream it through these mountains and let the echoes of my joy shake the snow from the peaks.

But I must not get distracted. I force myself to refocus on the connection. But the boys are sick and getting sicker. If he’s not dead, how can that be happening?

Anikêtos snorts again, and I get the feeling he’s growing tired of me.

I’m sorry, Ani. I know our problems are not your concern, but we feel so alone and scared without him. The boys grow weak, and I don’t know what to do. Please?

Pay him no mind, Ophelia. It’s Elpis’s voice I hear now. He is hungry and you interrupted our mating.

My face heats from sheer mortification. Oh, dear god. I’m so sorry.

It will do him no harm to wait a few more moments. If dragons laugh, I’m sure she just did. If Alexandros’s sireds are weakened, then it is due to something other than the deterioration, for as Anikêtos told you, your fated mate is very much alive. However, there are very few things which can poison a vampire.

I know. I read everything I could get my hands on about vampire toxins. We’ve ruled everything out. We know it isn’t infected blood, crushed dragon bone, or silver nitrate.

Then there must be something else which you have not yet considered. Something you have not yet read about or is not commonly known, she replies.

Elpis! Anikêtos’s voice rumbles so loudly in my head I fear it may shake the mountains around me and alert Giorgios to what I’m doing.

Be safe, Ophelia, she says.

Then they’re both gone, and I’m alone in my mind once more. It races at lightning speed, my thoughts no longer buzzy little bees but a plethora of fireworks, igniting and sparking every millisecond. Why did Giorgios lie, and what the hell is his master plan? What’s making the boys sick? Where is Alexandros, and why can’t I reach him? Is he hurting? Does he call for us the way we call for him?

I jump to my feet and brush the dirt from my jeans. My questions will replace answers in time, of that I’m sure. But the most important thing is that he’s not dead. The boys aren’t going to die, because their sire is still alive. Now we need to replace a way out of this place as soon as possible. We’re going to replace him and bring him home.

And then I’m going to rain down hell on Giorgios and anyone else responsible for taking him from us.