Bound in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 3)
Bound in Blood: Chapter 1

The pain is excruciating. I can’t breathe from the weight of it crushing my chest. But I must fix this. I will not lose them. I will replace a way to bring him back.

“Do you really think …” Malachi’s voice cracks.

“No.” Xavier shakes his head vehemently. “No fucking way. He can’t be. He’s Alexandros fucking Drakos.”

We’re still huddled together on the kitchen floor. A bundle of arms and legs, refusing to untangle.

“C-can you feel him? Even a little?” I frantically search my own mind for any sign of him and replace nothing but his absence. Like a deep, gaping chasm of … nothing.

“I can’t,” Axl says solemnly, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Me neither,” Malachi answers.

Xavier’s deep-blue eyes swim with tears. “That doesn’t mean he’s gone.”

I place a hand on his cheek and swipe away the lone tear with the pad of my thumb. One thing I am sure of is that they need me to be strong. There will be time to hurt and to heal, but it’s not now. Not when we don’t know for sure whether he’s truly gone. “We’ll replace him. We’ll get him back.”

Malachi shakes his head. “But we don’t even know where to start.”

“We’ll ask Enora for help. She has contacts with the Order, and they must know something. She can at least give us a starting point. But we need to act fast.” Their eyes are clouded with so much sadness and fear that my fragile heart struggles to continue beating. “No good can come from us sitting here.”

Axl nods, his throat working as he swallows. “Ophelia is right. We can’t give up on him.”

Xavier licks his bottom lip. “So, we go to Enora, then?”

I nod. Then slowly, we free ourselves from the huddle we’ve been in for who knows how long and stand.

I have no idea how the four of us managed to put one foot in front of the other enough times to reach Silver Vale just as the sun crested over the horizon. Even less of one as to how we spoke to Cadence when she opened the door, full of her usual wide-eyed excitement although we obviously woke her up. At least for a few seconds. Then her face fell and her anxiety became as apparent as the smell of jasmine from inside the house. But her distress was so weak compared to my own that it barely registered.

Such was the anguish radiating from the four of us, Cadence showed us to Enora without asking a single question. She simply squeezed my hand and held it tight until we reached the professor’s study.

“What has happened, child?” Enora asks before all of us make it in the room. Our intense feelings no doubt arrived here before we did. Cadence lets go of my hand and, with a final concerned look in my direction, closes the door behind us.

I’m not sure I can tell Enora what happened without crumpling into a heap on the floor. What if saying the words somehow makes it all real? The boys’ despair is as sharp as mine. It swirls around us like our own personal tornado of emotional anguish, tearing every shred of happiness and joy from the room and leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.

“Alexandros is …” Xavier chokes out the words but is unable to finish the sentence.

“Our connection with him was severed,” I manage to say, not willing to admit our worst fears quite yet. “We all felt it.”

Enora’s hand flies to her mouth. Her flushed cheeks pale instantly, and she lets out a soft cry. In the face of her sadness, I feel like I may crumple to the ground. I need her to tell me this will be okay. I need her to tell me there is a chance he’s still alive—that, while it is rare, bonds can be severed in other ways. I need it more than I need my next breath.

“That doesn’t mean he’s dead though, does it?” I plead with her. “It could simply be his connection was severed. Just like …” I clamp my lips together. Nobody else knows Lucian is still alive. But if he’s responsible for what happened to Alexandros, and if he’s still out there somewhere, then surely the time for keeping him a secret is long gone.

Not seeming to pick up on my unfinished sentence, she turns her attention to Axl, Malachi, and Xavier. “Did you all feel his … passing?” She whispers the last word as though it will somehow make it less powerful. Less devastating. It doesn’t work.

They glance at me, their expressions etched with guilt and agony, and nod.

“Then it must be true.” Enora draws a shaky breath. “A sired vampire experiences the death of⁠—”

“We don’t know that!” If we don’t say it aloud, then it need never be true. “Don’t you dare say that he is!”

Malachi and Xavier take my hands while Axl moves to stand behind me.

“I understand you want that to be true, Ophelia. Believe me, so do I. But if you all felt the bond sever, then it can mean only one thing.”

Anger swirls inside my chest, and I have to focus on my light to stop my rage from tearing through the room. Control comes surprisingly easy. “No. There have been instances of bonds being severed so effectively that the other vampire was believed to be dead when they weren’t.”

Enora’s eyes narrow, and she takes a few steps forward. “I am unaware of any such instances.”

I harden my gaze as though daring her to challenge me. Daring her to provoke me so I have an excuse to erupt and do something with this is swirling vortex of emotion inside me. “Well, I am.”

Are we going to tell her about Lucian? Malachi asks through our bond.

Doesn’t seem much point in keeping it a secret now. Alexandros went to replace him, and now he’s … Like the rest of us, Axl refuses to voice our greatest fear.

Malachi squeezes my hand in his. I agree.

I take a deep breath and focus on my light once more, allowing it to send a wave of calming energy over me, and with another breath, I send the same wave over the boys too. Their anger is still palpable, their grief still heavy and thick in the air, but they are notably less agitated.

What did you do, Cupcake? Xavier asks.

I don’t reply because I don’t fully understand. I don’t recall ever being able to do that before, and I figure it was a rhetorical question anyhow. Besides, I need to tell Enora about Lucian before I change my mind. There must have been a reason Alexandros didn’t want anyone to know about him, and disclosing his existence feels like a betrayal of trust, no matter how necessary it might be.

“Lucian is alive.” I’m surprised at how calm and steady my voice sounds given the gamut of emotions coursing through me.

Her eyes flicker with recognition, but still, she says, “Lucian?”

“Lucian Drakos.”

Her brow pinches, and she takes another step closer. “No. You are mistaken, Ophelia. He died a long time ago. Shortly after his mother and sisters. Despite what he did, Alexandros mourned his death.”

“I know that, but it’s true. Alexandros did indeed believe him dead until recently, but he’s alive, Enora. That’s where Alexandros is—where he went last night. To replace Lucian.”

“That is impossible.” Her eyes dart between the four of us, wild and accusatory. “Lucian Drakos is dead.”

“I’m afraid you’re very much mistaken, Enora.”

For a wonderful millisecond, I think the deep voice belongs to Alexandros, but Enora’s eyes dart to the now-open door. “Giorgios! How did you …?”

Cadence rushes in, apologizing for not being able to stop him.

“You invited me into this house decades ago, and my invitation was obviously never rescinded.” He clears his throat. “I am aware I should have knocked and announced my arrival, but now is not the time for etiquette.” His eyes fix on me, and he holds out a hand. “We must leave.”

“Where is Alexandros?” I demand as Axl, Xavier, and Malachi draw closer to me like my own protective shield.

“Neither is it the time for explanation. You are in great danger, Ophelia. We must leave. Now,” he barks, but he lacks the commanding tone of his younger brother.

I tip my chin up. “I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me where Alexandros is.”

His blue eyes fill with tears. My poor broken heart is about to be decimated again. “You already know the answer.” He glances at the boys. “All of you do. You felt it as I did.”

“No!” I shake my head. “Take us to him. I can save him. I can use my earth powers. They can heal him, I know it. Alexandros told me that earth is⁠—”

“Ophelia,” Giorgios cuts off my babbling. “He is gone.”

Axl, Xavier, and Malachi come even closer, their bodies holding mine up as we take comfort from each other.

“How, Giorgios?” Enora asks, a distinct tremor in her voice.

He swallows harshly and shifts from one foot to the other as though uncomfortable in his skin. “Lucian was expecting us. He had an army waiting for us, and he took his father’s head before I could …” He drops his face into his hands.

“So Lucian is alive?” Enora’s whispered question is drowned out by Axl’s wounded cry.

I let go of Xavier’s and Malachi’s hands and spin around to face Axl before pulling the three of them closer. Once again, the indescribable agony of his loss tears us open, and we cling to one another, holding onto the memory of him, as well as the only thing we have left—hope.

There is a way to bring him back. I know it, I say through the bond, replaceing a strength from deep inside me, from the power within my light. I call on it, drawing on its energy to keep me standing on my own two feet and to keep them standing too.

“It is only a matter of time before he comes looking for you, Ophelia,” Giorgios says. “He knows who and what you are. We must leave.”

“We can’t. We have to stay here,” I mumble, my face pressed against Axl’s chest.

Giorgios’s heavy footsteps signal his approach. “His last words were of you.”

Tears burn my eyes, and I refuse to look at him. Refuse to listen to his lies.

“He asked me to protect you.”

“We can protect her,” Xavier growls.

“You are going to grow weaker with each passing day. How will you protect her then?”

“They won’t get weaker. I’ll think of something.” I’m already mentally searching through all the spells and ancient practices I’ve learned of these past few months. Surely there must be something that can save them. Even if … No! It’s unthinkable. I shake my head, refusing to believe.

“Regardless.” Giorgios’s voice becomes a low growl. “I gave him my word that I would protect you, Ophelia. I will not break my final oath to my only brother.”

Spinning around to face him, I roll back my shoulders, tip my jaw, and look him square in the eye. “Then you’ll have to keep that oath right here, because I’m not leaving Montridge. The books we need are here. Our friends are here.”

“Yeah, Ophelia has everything she needs right here,” Cadence chimes in like she’s been waiting for an opportunity to say something. Her loyalty makes me want to hug her.

“Friends and books will be of no use to you when Lucian arrives, silly little girl,” he snaps.

The ground shakes beneath us with the force of my ire, and flames lick at my fingertips, but I douse them quickly, somehow managing to keep my emotions in check.

The boys growl, their anger threatening to spill out too. Giorgios holds up a hand in surrender. “I am sorry,” he says, his tone gentler now. “Forgive my curtness, but I have just had to watch the man I love and respect more than any in this world die in my arms.” The image he evokes causes my knees to buckle, and the boys hold onto me once more. I briefly wonder whether any of us will ever be capable of standing on our own two feet again. “If I am harsh, it is only because I am so concerned for your wellbeing,” Giorgios continues. “You have no understanding of the power Lucian wields.”

“Ophelia is way more powerful than him,” Xavier argues.

Cadence bounces on her toes, her hands balled at her sides as though she’s spoiling for a fight. “And she has plenty of powerful friends here at Montridge.”

“This is true,” Giorgios concedes. “But whilst you are here, you put everyone at this institution at risk. Both a young witch and a wolf have already died on these grounds, Ophelia. How many more must die before you realize how dangerous it is for you to be here? How many must die at the hands of Lucian Drakos before he finally replaces you?”

How many more like Meg and Esme. Like Alexandros. He didn’t have to say I am responsible for his brother’s death—I know I am. And he’s right. I cannot allow anyone else to die because of me. But no matter how sure I am that we must go with him, I don’t want to leave Montridge. Not only because this is our home and the place where our friends are, but it’s the place where he is. Abandoning Montridge feels like abandoning Alexandros.

I hate to admit it, but maybe we are safer away from here, Malachi says. Somewhere Lucian can’t replace us.

Yeah, I know none of us want to admit it, but we’re all gonna get weaker, and we have no idea when that will start to happen, Axl adds.

I shove aside the tsunami of emotion that threatens to overwhelm me. I can’t think about them getting weaker on top of everything else. It will surely crush me until I am nothing but dust and tears.

Giorgios sighs. “Lucian just took the head of the most powerful vampire alive without breaking a sweat. We have no idea what he is truly capable of.”

A sharp pain lances through my chest, and I shake my head, trying to dislodge the images of Alexandros’s death from my mind.

As if searching for an ally, Giorgios looks to Enora now, and she shakes her head sadly. “I believe Giorgios is right, Ophelia. Lucian is capable of horrors that you cannot comprehend. If he replaces you before you are ready to face him …” A tear breaks free, and she swats it away.

“I am not leaving Montridge!” I yell.

Giorgios comes close enough that I can see the congealed blood on his dark cloak. I squeeze my eyes closed. Without asking, I know it belongs to him.

“His final words were spent imploring me to protect you, Ophelia.” His voice is gentle. Pleading. “Please allow me to keep my promise to him. Please do not let his death have been in vain.”

Keeping my eyes closed, I concentrate on my light, allowing it to ground me. When I reopen them, I’m centered and able to speak without crying. “Where do you suggest we go if we leave Montridge?”

“I have a fortress in the Tibetan mountains. It is impenetrable, and it is the safest place for you.” He looks behind me and nods. “All of you.”

“Tibet? You want us to go to Tibet?”

“I have medicines,” he says. “A library that almost rivals Thucydides. If there is a remedy for the death of one’s sire, then we will replace it. There is nowhere more equipped for us to stay hidden, educate ourselves, and regroup.”

Giorgios is a scholar, sweet girl, Malachi says. Alexandros told me about him. He understands the ancient texts better than anyone. If there is a cure to be found for us or a way to bring Alexandros back, then he will surely be able to help us discover that information.

What do you think, Axl? Xavier? I ask through our bond.

I don’t trust him, but Alexandros did, Axl replies.

And it got him killed, Xavier adds.

But if Lucian killed him, it’s only a matter of time before he comes for our girl, right? Malachi says.

Enora takes a step forward and beckons Cadence to her. She takes my friend’s hand in hers and locks eyes with me. “I know you do not wish to leave, Ophelia, and I will miss you so, but …” She swallows. “Giorgios is right. He is capable of protecting you in ways that I, or even Osiris, cannot.”

“This is not the end of your time at Montridge, Ophelia,” Giorgios says, forcing a tight smile. “You will see all of your friends again. But Lucian’s return and his callous act of betrayal cannot be ignored. There is a war coming, and every magical being must choose a side. We will all face Lucian when the time is right, but until that time, you must be protected. For you are our greatest weapon.”

“She’s not a weapon,” Xavier snaps. “You don’t get to use her for any side.”

Giorgios tilts his head and regards Xavier with curiosity. “I know my brother well enough to know he has not left his sireds with such little knowledge of the burden they carry being bonded to Ophelia. You must be well aware that there are those who would manipulate her to use her power for their own ends. Therefore, Ophelia must embrace her own power and use it for her true purpose, and only she can decide what that is to be.”

This is all too much. The weight of guilt and all the responsibility threaten to crush me under their combined force. Why can’t I just be me again? No magical powers and nobody’s weapon? What if my only purpose were to love Alexandros and the boys? It feels like enough. I would trade these powers for that life in a single heartbeat.

Xavier edges forward, bringing his face close to Giorgios’s. “Exactly. She decides! She’s not some fucking magical object for you to fight over. If she wants to walk away and leave all this shit behind her, we will do exactly that.”

“I think you will replace that the time for walking away has passed, young Xavier. If it were an option, I assure you Alexandros would have done it.”

Xavier doesn’t back down, and I squeeze his hand. “It’s okay,” I assure him. “I know what he means.”

Giorgios offers me a faint smile of appreciation. “So you will come with me? At least until we can determine what our next moves should be?” He holds out his hand. “Please allow me to fulfill my oath to my brother, Ophelia.”

I don’t take his hand, but I nod. This is the best course of action at the moment. “But how will we get to Tibet? Won’t traveling there be dangerous?”

“With my powers of teleportation, along with your magic, and if she will kindly oblige, a spell from Enora, I believe there is a way for us all to get there safely and quickly.”

“Of course,” Enora says. “I will do whatever I can.”

Cadence rushes forward and wraps me in a hug. “I’m gonna miss you so much, Ophelia,” she wails, tears running down her cheeks. They’re enough to break the dam holding back my own, and I cry freely now too. She was my first real friend, and she represents so many of the positive things that have happened for me in the past few months. More than that, she’s a huge part of the person I’ve become. She taught me to believe in myself and was the first person outside of my mates to really see me for who I am, and that’s without her having any desire for my vamp-nip blood. I don’t want to do any of this without her.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Malachi says, but his voice cracks.

None of us bring up the fact that when we return, it will probably be to confront Lucian. The idea that we are all destined for some epic magical battle is both too terrifying and too absurd to contemplate right now. All we can do is keep taking one breath after another.

Finding out how to save my boys and bring Alexandros back are my priorities. And having a purpose is what is keeping me on my feet. It gives me strength and determination.

As soon as we reach the safety of Giorgios’s mountain fortress, I can get to researching and working on a plan. One thing I’ve come to realize in the past few months is that knowledge is everything. The more I learn about my power, the stronger I become.