Bound in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 3)
Bound in Blood: Chapter 42

Alexandros. His familiar voice rings through my head.

My jaw clenched tight, I fight the urge to roar my frustration. Do we not already have enough to deal with?

Alexandros! he calls again.

Aware of all the eyes in the room currently upon me, I answer him. What do you want?

His bellow shakes the foundation of the house. I wish to speak with you. I demand answers.

Does Giorgios know you are here?

Do you mean the new head of Ruby Dragon? He scoffs. No, he does not.

His powers are much greater than you know, Father. I would not be so sure of that.

I know when my own son is aware of my presence. I hid it from you until just now, did I not? Now let me in this damn house before I summon your brother here and ask him for the answers I seek.

I look at the anxious faces around the room. “He wishes to enter, or he will alert Giorgios to our presence.”

Osiris rolls back his shoulders. “Then grant him entry. I am sure he is no threat to the strength in this room.”

I glance at Ophelia, safely wrapped in Axl’s arms with her friends on either side of her. It is not his strength I am concerned about. It is him replaceing out what she is. However, as much as I worry about my father’s intentions toward Ophelia should he discover her to be an elementai, he is not our concern at the moment. “Will you allow him entry, Enora?”

“If you believe he can be trusted,” she replies.

That is a complicated issue, but only one thing truly matters. “I believe he would take our side over Giorgios’s. So that makes him our ally. For now.” My father is many things. Cruel. Unyielding. Ruthless. But he is not insane. He also understands a fated mate bond, and no matter how much he might covet Ophelia, after what I learned the last time I saw him, I have a small amount of hope he would never take that from me.

Enora goes to admit him entrance, and I beckon Ophelia to me. “Come here, agápi mou.”

She glances back at Axl, and he lets her go so she can stand with me—the safest place for her when my father is in the vicinity.

“Is it safe for Ophelia to have him here?” Xavier asks.

I suck in a deep breath as his overwhelming presence grows closer. If I believed he was a risk to her safety, I would not have risked allowing him to enter. However, one can never be sure of anything where my father is concerned. What I am sure of is that I would take his head before I let him touch her. “She will not come to any harm.”

She shivers, and I slide my arms around her waist and press my lips to her ear. “He will never hurt you when I am near, little one.”

She straightens her spine. “I’m ready for him if he tries. A force field if he gets too close, and Dragonfyre if he really pisses me off.”

My lips twitch, and I am filled with pride. “That is my girl.”

“Alexandros, what in the name of the netherworld is going on?” he asks as soon as he steps foot in the room. He does not bother with any pleasantries, but I introduce everyone by name anyway. I leave Ophelia until last.

His tilts his head to the side as he scrutinizes her, and a deep, possessive growl rumbles in his chest. It is instinctive, I know, but it does not make me any less enraged. “Do not touch her,” I snarl in warning.

He takes a step closer and inhales deeply. “What is she? She is not human. Not witch.”

Ophelia tips her chin. “I’m an elementai.”

His eyes narrow to slits. “No.”

“She is.” I sense Axl’s and Xavier’s anger growing stronger the closer my father gets to her. “And she is my fated mate as well as that of my sireds.”

His throat works as he swallows down the many things he no doubt wants to say. “What is occurring? Why did your brother have me believe you were dead? Why is he claiming to be the head of Ruby Dragon when I”—he jabs his thumb into his chest—“have not approved such a position?”

I look at him, really look at him for the first time in as long as I can remember. The silver flecks in his hair, the faint lines around his eyes. He is almost three thousand years old. How weary would I be of this world if I had lived as long and lost my fated mate half a millennium ago? He has always been cruel. Pushed Giorgios and me past our limits. Pitted us against each other. But perhaps it was because he saw something no one else did in my brother’s heart. I will never know the full truth, but right now I make the choice to trust my father, something I have not done since I was a boy.

My father’s face grows darker with each new piece of information I reveal. And by the time I have given him a summary of Giorgios’s betrayal, Malachi’s abduction, and Ophelia’s unique powers, he is a breath away from foaming at the mouth.

“I knew your brother was not to be trusted, Alexandros.” He holds up his fist and shakes it. “All along, I have known his loyalty to House Drakos, to our family line, was questionable.”

“You can spare me the lecture for when I have the time to hear it. Right now, I need to focus on getting Malachi back, and that means getting into the Ruby Dragon house whilst simultaneously preventing Giorgios from discovering our arrival for as long as possible.”

My father nods his agreement. “As soon as he realizes you are here, he will likely deploy the army he has on standby. Who do we have other than the people in this room?”

“I’m counting on some vampires from Lapis and Opal,” Axl answers. “A few wolves. Our own vampires will likely fight for us once they see you and Alexandros are here.”

“If they do not, they will lose their heads,” Vasilis growls. “Is that all?”

“No.” I have not yet told him of our greatest weapon. “We have two dragons on our side.”

If I did not know better, I would say he gazes upon me with pride. “You have brought dragons back to the mortal realm? Tell me Anikêtos is one of them.”

“Anikêtos and Elpis, yes. Yet it was not I who ensured their return, but Ophelia.”

He blinks at her. “You truly are a wondrous creature.”

Axl clears his throat. “We need to move if we’re going to have any hope of rallying some support before we try to take Ruby Dragon back and get Kai.”

Osiris nods his agreement. “I’ll go to Jerome and then speak with the other heads of houses if Axl can deal with Lapis and Opal.”

“And Onyx?” my father asks.

I shake my head. “Onyx has sided with Giorgios already, though I have no idea what lies he has told them or what promises he has made.”

He snorts with disdain. “I am sure Vincent will have something to say about his nephew’s defiance. He has been a thorn in our sides for far too long.”

Vincent Beretti is the head of House Chó̱ma, and he and my father are not exactly allies, but they do have a long-standing mutual respect. “You can ask Vincent to pull Nicholas into line, and perhaps he will, but I still would not trust him.”

“And you would have good reason not to after he was already discovered to be an ally of the Skotádi once. But you must recall how he saved his head.” I do recall. He swore he would serve Vincent for eternity. “If he breaks that oath, there is only one fate which will await him.”

Osiris shakes his head. “I don’t trust Ashe either. However, our biggest hurdle will be getting Jerome to agree to send all the human students home. He will want to avoid any kind of confrontation with the board or with parents, but if anyone gets caught in the crossfire, we will have a scandal to cover up.”

My father puffs out his chest. “Then I will deal with Jerome Ollenshaw. It should only take a small reminder that he is president of this institution at the grace of House Drakos.”

I offer Osiris a nod of appreciation, grateful my father has something to focus on. That will give me some much-needed space to think and plan.