Bound in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 3)
Bound in Blood: Chapter 55

26 MINUTES BEFORE THE LIGHT GOES OUT

Giorgios’s words return to haunt me. Anikêtos and Elpis returned through the veil, weakening it and allowing the wraith to crack it open. Had he bonded with Ophelia, then he and the Skotádi would have had the power they desired. The wraith would not have slipped back into the mortal realm, and we would not have armies of the undead storming the campus.

Now I see how we brought about our own downfall, but I am self-aware enough to admit that I would do it all again if it meant preventing him from taking her from me. I am no protector of man. I am her protector, and hers alone.

Alexandros! Her voice rings out in my head now. She calls for the boys too, but Malachi and Axl allow me to answer.

They are alive, Ophelia. Stay with Anikêtos and Elpis within the ring of Dragonfyre. They will keep it alight as long as they need to. You must stay there and wait for us. We will not be long.

I love you.

That does not sound like an agreement. Ophelia! Do as I say. This is not a request, agápi mou.

I know. I heard you.

That is more like it. Good girl. We will be with you soon. As soon as Lucian is healed enough to walk, I will carry Axl, Xavier, and Malachi to her if I must.

“Why isn’t Xavier waking up, Professor? If Giorgios is dead, shouldn’t the magic die with him?” Malachi’s concern saturates the dank cellar and snaps me back into action.

Xavier’s heart beats a steady rhythm, and I feel our bond still firmly in place. He is very much alive but does not seem to be able to hear us calling to him.

“It’s the wraith’s magic,” Lucian croaks. “Giorgios was merely the vessel. He never wanted the wraith to return to the mortal realm because he was able to channel sufficient dark magic through the veil. Now the wraith is the one in control, and the spell will remain in place until the wraith is either returned to the netherworld or until he’s killed.”

“The wraith has opened the veil. Do you have any idea how he might have done that?”

“M-my blood. Spilling my blood with the Sword of Skotos. The Skotádi forged the weapon from the shadows of the netherworld centuries ago. That’s why they needed the one who first tasted her blood. That’s why the wraith left. It went to the ancient ruins where the magic is strongest. Giorgios wanted him to tear the veil until it fell. Until there was no separation between the land of the living and that of the dead.”

“Because if the entire world is in darkness, then she is dragged to the dark along with the rest of us?”

He nods.

“How do you know all of this?”

“I have been connected with Giorgios since I was a child. His mind and mine …” He squeezes his eyes closed. “It was a bond but … forged with dark magic.”

How could I have not known any of this? No, that is the wrong question to ask. How is it I let my son down so badly? He deserved better.

Like a rabid dog, he tries to shake his head from side to side, but I tighten my grip on him and continue holding the wound at his throat shut even as he struggles against me. It is as if he is trying to eject the bitter memories holding him hostage. And then he starts mumbling in ancient Greek.

“Lucian! Please help me understand. You can still help us stop this. How is it you tricked Giorgios into thinking you were dead?”

He sucks in a deep breath and mutters something unintelligible before his eyes return to mine. “I severed the bond with the help of the Skotádi warlocks. It was their last act of service to me before I killed them too. It was the only way to break the spell …” He coughs, and blood trickles from his lips. “H-he …” he sputters.

I stroke his face. Save your strength. Speak to me in here, I urge him.

I could force my way into his mind and comb his memories, but that would only earn me his unbridled—and deserved—anger. He would scurry away from me like a wounded animal. Besides, if we are to ever have any kind of relationship again, I cannot betray his trust in such a way. The only way to break the spell Giorgios had you under?

Yes. And because he believed me dead, I was able to enter his mind without him knowing. Observe his thoughts without detection.

Lucian’s eyes close, and he sucks in a ragged breath. I lift my hand from his neck and blood runs from the wound like a river. Quickly, I clamp my hand over it once more. “Why is this not healing, Lucian?”

The blade of Skotos. It was forged with unnatural magic. The blade continues to do damage after the cut is made. It will perhaps take a little longer than usual, but it will heal.

There is nothing to do but wait for it to heal, and although I bristle with impatience, I know I must focus on what else I need to know to stop the world from coming to an end.