Bound in Blood (Broken Bloodlines Book 3)
Bound in Blood: Chapter 7

It’s a strange feeling—the deterioration—and nothing at all like I expected it to feel. I expected to grow weaker over time as I wasted away to nothing, but thus far, it seems the worst symptom is extreme fatigue which makes us feel weak and lethargic. Something we are all unaccustomed to. The onset of the deterioration was sudden, and while not unexpected, the timing sucks balls. Ophelia needs us. Alexandros needs us to replace a way to bring him back from the netherworld.

Even after feeding exclusively from Ophelia for the past five days, our symptoms show no sign of improving. As she shows no sign of illness, we can only assume it is our worst fear—the deterioration has taken hold a lot more quickly than we hoped it would.

Ophelia and I lie on the sofa together in the den, her head on my chest while I curl a thick strand of her hair between my fingers. I had hopes for at least a couple more years with our girl, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be. Axl and Xavier lie on the opposite sofa, and a pervasive sense of defeat hangs heavy in the air. We have searched through every single book in Giorgios’s library, and there’s nothing about the deterioration in any of them. Nothing helpful in any case.

“You will not replace any of the answers you seek lounging in here.”

Giorgios is back! A sudden rush of excitement has me opening my eyes. He sits in the armchair beside the roaring fire and clears his throat. It seems like he’s about to say something, but he remains silent. Ophelia sits up, swinging her legs over mine and leaning back against the sofa cushions. “Did you meet with the seer? What did she say?” she asks.

I prop myself up on one elbow and watch him with curiosity.

He sucks on his top lip, appearing to wrestle with his conscience.

“Giorgios?” Ophelia pleads. “What did she tell you?”

He nods once. “She told me there is a way.” We all sit up now, like he’s injected a shot of adrenaline into all of our hearts. “But I am not sure you will like it,” he adds, his tone grave and his expression even darker.

“If there’s a way, then we’ll learn to like it,” Xavier says.

Ophelia nods eagerly. “Anything.”

His right eye twitches, and he appears nervous, which is something I haven’t seen from him before. Nor sensed, but I don’t sense much of anything from Giorgios. He’s a closed book, adept at masking his emotions. Alexandros once told me that his brother’s powers of the mind were not as well-developed as his, but he’s certainly adept at guarding himself from others. I only hope he’s not as skilled at reading thoughts. We’ve all kept our guards up around him, but right now, I want to trust him. I want to believe he has the answers we’ve been searching for.

“Turned vampires cannot be re-sired because you already have, or had, a sire, and your state as a vampire is very much dependent on his bloodline. But …” His tongue darts out across his lower lip, and we all lean forward, breaths held in anticipation. “It seems there are a number of factors at play which have created a solution to this unique situation.”

“And they are?” I ask, wishing he’d get to the point.

“It is because of Ophelia and her unique abilities that I believe there may be a way to reverse the deterioration.”

Reverse the deterioration. So we’re not going to die and leave her. Relief, warm and hopeful, flows through all four of us as we stare at Giorgios, the man with the answers we seek. I squeeze Ophelia’s hand, and she gives me an optimistic smile.

“Ophelia’s bond with Alexandros somehow connected her to you on a deeper level than is usual. As your bond with Ophelia is so unique, and because it remains intact, it is possible to—” He presses his lips together like he’s searching for the word. “Transfer the sire bond.”

“Transfer it to who?” Axl asks, blinking with confusion. “To Ophelia?”

Giorgios shakes his head. “No. To another vampire. Ophelia would have to …” He clears his throat again, and my hope evaporates. No way is our girl bonding to another vampire. Over my dead fucking body. Which, I realize, is highly likely. “Ophelia would have to bond to another vampire. Specifically to a blood relative of Alexandros to ensure the greatest chance of success.”

And the final flicker of hope is snuffed out entirely. There’s no way any of us would expect her to bond with Giorgios, and surely he must know that. And there’s not a chance in hell we’d accept him as our new sire. We’re all still devoted to the one we lost. Ophelia squeezes my hand tighter as a horror-filled gasp falls from her lips.

“And that would be you, I guess?” Xavier growls.

“Not necessarily.” Giorgios holds up his hands. “I am not the only member of House Drakos, although I can guarantee I am the only one you should consider for such a role. My father has been advised of my brother’s demise, but I have managed to keep Ophelia’s identity from him thus far. I am not sure how much longer it will be before I am forced to endure a visit from him.”

“Alexandros said he was a danger to me if he found out what I am,” Ophelia says, still frowning, but I can practically hear the cogs in her brain working overtime.

“And he is, Ophelia. He would lock you in a cage and breed you until you produced him a whole army of elementai and vampire children. It is what he planned to do when the last few elementai were herded into the apparent safety of his castle. I do not know whether it is fortunate that he did not succeed.” He winces and swallows hard. “And let us not forget the other son of House Drakos—Lucian. An even darker fate than my father. Neither of them is a pleasant choice, Ophelia. Neither would be so considerate as to seek your permission first. The safest way for you to ensure neither of them force a bond with you is to bond with another first.”

“And again, that leads us all straight back to you.” Xavier’s voice drips with disdain.

“I will protect you whatever the outcome. But regardless of which path you choose, I am merely presenting you with the options. You need not take any of them if you do not wish to.”

Ophelia’s skin is pale, and her lip is trembling. Her fear and anxiety spike so alarmingly that I quickly wrap her in my arms and utter soothing words in her ear.

No fucking way, princess, Axl growls in our heads. You don’t have to fucking bond with him.

No, sweet girl. I smooth back her hair. Stop trembling. You’re safe. This isn’t going to happen.

I don’t want to bond with him. She rolls back her shoulders and twists her head from side to side. But if it’s the only way to save you, then I⁠—

There’ll be another way, Xavier assures her. We don’t want another fucking sire, Cupcake.

He’s right, princess, Axl adds.

She ignores our objections and narrows her eyes at Giorgios. “Are you even sure it would work?”

He gives a single nod, his face entirely unreadable now. “After I met with the seer, I did a little research of my own, which also led me to believe it would.”

A lone tear runs down her cheek, and she angrily swats it away. “But wouldn’t I be … betraying him?”

“How is saving his sireds—your mates—and protecting your own precious life, the one he so willingly gave his own for, a betrayal of him, Ophelia? He is gone. He cannot save you. And I cannot be sure, but …”

“But what?” Hope ignites in her heart once more. Hope is a dangerous thing—without it, we are lost, but with it, we are doomed.

“Alexandros asked me to protect you all, and I cannot help but wonder if this is what he meant. What he would have wanted.”

The fuck he would have. A rumbling growl rolls deep in my chest, and before I can react, Axl is already on his feet. “I can guarantee with one hundred percent certainty that Alexandros Drakos would not, under any circumstances, have wanted you to bond with Ophelia.”

“Not even to protect her?” Giorgios scowls. “To protect you?”

Axl falters, but I don’t. “Not even,” I bark.

Giorgios stands and brushes imaginary creases from his suit pants. His ire simmers directly beneath the surface. Dangerously close. And I suppose I can’t entirely blame him. He presented us with a solution he worked hard to replace, and we threw it straight back in his face. “As I said, I am merely presenting you with a choice, it is entirely up to you whether you take it.” He walks out of the room.

“You’re not fucking bonding with him, princess,” Axl snaps, his teeth bared.

“But if it saves you …” she protests.

“I can’t believe you’re considering this.” Xavier snarls. “Never mind that we don’t want him to be our sire.”

I glare at them. “She’s only considering it to save our fucking lives, you pair of fuck-knuckles.” I don’t want her to do this either, but she’s clearly struggling here.

Sufficiently chastened, my brothers cross the room and kneel in front of us. Axl rests his forehead on her knees. Xavier takes his hands in hers. “I’m sorry, Cupcake, but you don’t have to do this. We’ll replace another way.”

She strokes his cheek, and I keep my arms banded tightly around her. “But what if there is no other way? I cannot bear the thought of bonding with Giorgios. Or of replacing Alexandros in any way, even if he will never be replaced in my heart. But I cannot bear the thought of losing all of you even more.”

I press my lips against the skin of her neck. “You will never lose us, sweet girl. I will cling to this life for eternity for you. I will make all the bargains I am able to with Death himself before I leave you alone.”

Axl presses a kiss on the inside of her wrist. “Me too, princess.”

Xavier stands and scoops her up into his arms. “You’re never gonna lose us, Cupcake. If there’s one way to stop this thing, there must be another. You’re stuck with us forever. I promise. Now let’s get the fuck out of here and go to bed, huh?”

She offers him the faintest of smiles, and together, we head to our room. The place where we can be together in one mass of beating hearts and tangled limbs. Where we can try to forget we’re facing an uncertain future without him in it.