I tear my gaze away from his, needing distance from his penetrating stare. I could get lost in his eyes, and it’s not healthy for me. Living in denial is something I refuse to do. He might be offering protection, but no matter what, I can’t start looking at him as a good guy.
My eyes are drawn to a beautiful bush full of small red buds. The color instantly reminds me of Stacey and her gorgeous hair.
“What about Stacey?”
“Stacey?” he says, sounding confused.
“The redhead that was with me at the auction. She went to your brother,” I spit.
He groans.
“Unfortunately, my views on how vampires should live is in the minority. My brother doesn’t share my opinion, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. I can only guess what’s happened to her.”
I turn to Julian, looking him straight in the eyes. “Please. Help her.”
His shoulders rise as he inhales.
“I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything. My brother is not merciful, Marina. She’s likely dead.”
A sob escapes my throat at the thought of what could be happening to Stacey right now, or worse, what has already happened. If she’s still alive it will be a miracle. I’ve seen her captor, and Julian isn’t fabricating. Marcellus is the devil.
“Just try, Julian, please. It’ll mean everything to me. I don’t know her well—we’re practically strangers—but in that hellhole we bonded. How could we not?”
“I get that. Only someone who’s endured what you have can truly understand.”
“Please. Just try,” I whisper.
He leans in, wiping a lone tear from my cheek.
“For you.”
Our gazes lock and that same pull from the auction is there. I close my eyes to break whatever spell I’m in, and when I open them back up, I find that it’s worked. He’s looking off into the distance, lost in thought.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing his hand. “Let’s go back and sit,” I motion with my free hand to the porch off in the distance.
Back on the porch, I lean over and pluck a juicy piece of pineapple from the tray and pop it into my mouth. I can’t help but moan around the sweet fruit. Julian’s lip quirks.
“That good?”
“Yep,” I say around a mouth full of pineapple, looking anywhere but at him.
Juice slides down my chin and as I’m grabbing a napkin to wipe it off, Julian leans forward and wipes it away. My cheeks heat.
“Thank you,” I say, sounding breathy. I want to crawl under the chair at how easily this man makes me lose my senses, despite that I know what he is and what he’s capable of.
We’re so close, neither of us moving. I wait for him to give a sign that he’s read my mind and the fact that I all but called him a monster yet again, but nothing comes. There’s no sign he’s reading my mind.
“Julian, can you read my mind?” I just up and ask. Why the hell not? If he’s giving answers freely today, I might as well shoot for the moon.
“No,” he says, but I can tell he’s lying. He won’t look me in the eyes, and he’s suddenly shifting in his seat.
“No?” I press, hoping he’ll come clean. If he can’t tell the truth about something like this, how can I trust him with his promises?
“No. I can’t read your mind, Marina.”
I bite my lip, wanting to call him out, but sensing it wouldn’t go well if I did. The day has been amicable, and I have been offered a truce for more freedoms. As much as I want to push, it’s not worth it right now.
I’ll be patient. As it is, I have all the time in the world.
“Tell me about your parents,” he says.
I grimace. “What’s to tell? They’ve hardly been part of my life the past few years.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking even more boyish when he does. He doesn’t say a word, so I continue.
“Both of them have addiction issues,” I say, and he winces.
“And I was drunk the other night. I’m so sorry, Marina.”
I glance over at him, not sure what to say to that. He should be sorry, but I feel like I’ve beaten that horse enough for one day. He appears to be genuinely remorseful for his actions, and although it’ll never be all right, I believe in forgiveness. I’ll never forget, but I can forgive if it’s earned.
“They’ve both had a tough life. They’ve lost two children, and now I’m missing.”
“I can only imagine what they must be going through.”
I scoff. “That’s assuming they’ve even realized I’m gone.”
“It’s that bad?” he questions, as though he can’t fathom it.
“It comes and goes with my dad. My mom has been numb my entire life.”
“Have they tried to get help with it?”
I shake my head, even though he isn’t looking at me. “I have, but the cost was too much. We couldn’t afford to help them both, and my fear was if one got clean and the other didn’t, it would only be a matter of time before they were both back at it.” I pause for a moment, thinking through the problem as I’ve done thousands of times before. “It’s better this way. At least they aren’t worried about me.”
“I don’t believe that. No matter what state they’re in, they care about you. I know it.”
“At least one of us does.”
He stops and spins toward me. “Let me help them.”
My eyes pop. “What?” I ask, baffled by his words. “Why would you help them?”
“It’s the least I can do, Marina.” He waves his hands around. “And if you can’t tell, money is no object for me. Let me do this.”
I am speechless, confused . . . skeptical. Clearly, money grows on trees for this man, but I don’t understand. Evil people don’t do kind things for others. Evil creatures don’t offer to pay thousands of dollars for rehab for their captives’ parents. What’s his angle?
“Stop, Marina.”
“Stop what?”
“Overthinking this. I’m offering because I want to help, and I financially can. I’m not a bad guy. I don’t expect anything in return.” He chews on his bottom lip. “Well, except for one thing.”
Here it comes.
“All I ask is that you give me a chance and don’t try to leave. You staying here is what’s safest for you, but it also buys me time to figure out how to appease the Council.”
I’m completely mystified by Julian. I so badly want to believe he’s evil. It would make it so much easier to hate him, yet at every turn—with the exception of last night—he makes me question everything.
Could I have it all wrong? Could he really be the exception to the rule of vampires? Judging him by the collective race of vampires is as unfair as him judging me by my parents’ choices. Just because my parents are addicts doesn’t mean I’m destined to become an addict. So maybe not all vampires are bad?
“If you can help them, Julian, I’d be forever grateful.”
And I mean that with every fiber of my being.
Chapter Fourteen
Julian
The place smells like death, and I’d know all about that. I step over the threshold, not having a clue what I’ll find. A solid inch of dust coats every surface, and the overall state of the house is in desperate need of attention. It’s falling apart. Paint is peeling off the walls and the wood underneath is rotting. Upon closer inspection, I realize it’s due to an ongoing leak from somewhere upstairs.
The thought of Marina growing up here bothers me. Based on the level of decay, things have been like this for a long time. Despite the obvious neglect, she loves her parents. It was evident in the way her eyes crinkled at the corners and her lips were downturned when she spoke of their addiction. She was attempting to hold back tears and it almost broke me.
I’m not used to giving a fuck about someone else. Especially not a human. But Marina is different. Why? I have no idea, but she is. I’m still trying to figure out the connection I have to her, but for now, my focus is on this current
issue.
It would be easy for me to end both of their lives for the abandonment of Marina, but I promised her I’d get them help, and I’ll keep that promise.
I continue to walk through the house, looking for any signs of life, but so far, nothing. Things are worse here than Marina let on, and no matter her feelings about being at Castle Bellus, I know now she’s far better off. I’ll take care of her.
There’s finally a noise and I strain to hear where it’s coming from. Someone moans unintelligibly. I walk toward the sound and come to a half-opened door, swinging it open, gagging at the putrid smell.
A vampire’s sense of smell is more acute than a human’s, and this is beyond rank. Feces and vomit coat every inch of the dark space. My hands feel along the wall until they come upon a light switch. With a flick upward, low light filters through the small space. A tiny frame covered by a thin sheet lies still.
I swipe away a strand of greasy blond hair to reveal a face unlike Marina’s. The skin on this woman is weathered and grey in color. Pulling the cover back, I flinch at what remains of the woman. How long has it been since she’s eaten? She’s a step away from death. If I don’t get her to a hospital soon, she’ll die.
I take out my cell phone and call for Bash. “I need you in here.”
He doesn’t reply, but the line goes dead. Bash had set up a lookout for Marc. There had been nothing in days, so I brought him with me for backup, in case the Council is having me tailed.
“My God,” he grates. I turn to see him covering his nose. “Is it dead?”
“Almost. I need you to get her to the hospital. I’m going to make some calls and arrange for her transportation to a rehab clinic in Arizona, assuming she survives.”
“Her father?”
“I haven’t found him yet,” I snarl, thinking about what kind of man he must be to have allowed things to get this bad.
I stalk from the room, leaving Bash to tend to Marina’s mom while I search for the bastard she calls Dad. It takes only a moment before I find him passed out on a recliner in the living room. He’s in no better shape than her mother. How the fuck did they get this bad?
It’s then that I sense it. Black magic.
It coats the air like a film. How did I miss it?
Something sinister is going on here. This isn’t a simple case of addiction but something far worse. Someone has done this to them. Someone has made sure to keep them like this. But why?
With the state that they’re in, I don’t have time to waste. I’ll get to the bottom of this, but right now, I have to save them. For her.
“Bash, we have another one in here,” I call out before dialing the nearest hospital. I give them the heads-up that two critically ill patients are headed their way, so they can be prepared.
The magic I sense is a simple circle spell. I spent a long time working with black witches to know what they’re capable of and to recognize such work. A circle spell holds its victims in a type of loop, a perpetual state of only half living. They likely wake, eat just enough to keep them alive, and abuse their drug of choice enough to keep them in a catatonic state.
The question is why. Who are these people and what have they done to catch the attention of a black witch?
Chapter Fifteen
Days have passed since my walk with Julian in the gardens. I’ve spent my time staring out the windows at the well-groomed grounds, wishing to be anywhere but in this room. The boredom gives way to thoughts I’d best not have. Has anyone begun looking for me? Does anyone even care? The possibility that I’ve been forgotten weighs heavily on me.
Katina tells me that Julian has been away, but where he’s gone, she won’t say. I’ve wondered what he does for blood. He claims to be against the auction, but I haven’t asked what method he uses. I envision something akin to the movie with the teenage vampires. Perhaps Julian is out running after deer and other wild animals. I file the thought away for another day.
“Hello hello, glorious morning,” Katina singsongs as she walks through the door. “Why on earth are you still in bed?”
“For one, it’s not glorious.” The sun is masked by clouds for the second day in a row. “And beyond that, I’m bored.”
“Tsk tsk, little human. You need to find something to do. You can’t sleep all day. You’ll get bedsores.” She scrunches her nose.
“Noted.”
Katina has come and gone, keeping me company when she can. I’ve come to learn that her responsibilities in this house are extensive. She practically runs the vampire monarchy.
“What do you have to do today?”
“I’ll be busy with staff training today. We’ve gotten a new shipment of new bites, and they always take longer.”
My eyes widen, hands coming up to my neck instinctually. Julian’s comment from the other day—about the basement dungeons being dangerous and off limits—rings loud and clear.
“They won’t be anywhere near you, little human. Calm down.” She shakes her head as though I’m ridiculous.
“What? I value my life.”
“You’re dramatic.”
I decide to try once more to find out where Julian is. “Is Julian back?” I ask, picking at my fingers.
“He is. He just returned early this morning.”
“Are you going to tell me where he was?”
She purses her lips, which I’ve come to learn is a habit of hers. “Why do you care so much about someone you supposedly hate?” she asks, eyebrow rising in inquisition.
“I don’t hate him, Katina. But I don’t trust him.” I blow out a breath. “I asked him to save a girl from the auction. I’m curious if he’s even attempted.”
She nods her head, not to say he has, but in acknowledgment. “He’s had more pressing matters on his hands.”
“The Council? Has there been another auction?” I ask, dreading her answer.
She sighs animatedly. “No and no. Things have been quiet in those respects,” she stops what she’s doing and comes to me, placing her hand on top of my shoulder and pushing me to sit. “Listen, it’s not my place to tell you anything. His Crownness,” I pull a face at her use of a nonsense word, but she continues. “would not be happy with my interference. However, I’m growing tired of your resolve to believe he’s evil. He’s not, Marina.”
“I didn’t say I think he’s evil,” I say, avoiding eye contact with Katina.
“Liar,” she quips. “If you must know, he went for your parents.”
I stand up, feeling sick. “What do you mean?”
“See,” she says, motioning to me. “That’s exactly what I mean. You immediately jump to the wrong conclusions. I don’t know why I even bother.” She grabs a tray and goes to leave, but I rush to her side, needing her to finish.
“Please. Help me understand,” I beg. Her hard glare softens and eventually she smiles.
“He kept his promise. They’re both recovering and will soon be at the best addiction center in America.”
I stagger back, shocked. He said he would, but I never really believed him. Why would he?
“Why?” I ask, and Katina rolls her eyes.
“Because, little human, he’s not evil. There are many of us that aren’t.”
I’ve come to learn that about her. Spending the time together that we have lately, I’ve started to see her less as a vampire and more as a . . . friend.
“How do I repay him?”
She smirks. “It’s pretty simple really. Give him a chance. Stop looking at him like he’s the devil.”
My lips flatten in irritation. “I don’t.”
“You do.”
“I’ve had reason.”
“And now you have reason to give him a chance,” she says, smiling.
There’s a knock at the door. “Come in,” Katina calls out, and in strides Julian, stealing the air as he enters.
“Good morning, Marina.”
I haven’t seen in him days, and I almost forgot how breathtaking he is. Perhaps even more s
o, knowing what he’s done for my family. Everything that Katina said runs through my head, and although it’ll be a long road, I intend to try to give him the benefit of the doubt from here on out.
Julian is an enigma, a complete paradox. He’s beautiful and he’s shown me a kindness I’ve never experienced in all my life, yet he’s part of a world that’s ugly and cruel. He’s ruler of an evil kingdom, but no matter how many times I remind myself of this, it doesn’t seem to matter. He defies all odds and despite my resistance, I’m drawn to him.
“Good morning.” I grant him a small smile.
“I hope you slept well.”
“I did. Thank you.”
He seems perplexed by my lack of attitude. I’m sure it’s quite the change since the last time he saw me. We’d had a good day, but not without our fights.
“Katina,” he growls, and she yelps in response.
“Have you been gossiping today?”
Her eyes flit about the room, lashes batting uncontrollably.
I smother my laugh at her reaction to being called out.
“Sir Crown. I wouldn’t. I—”
He cuts her off. “You have. Leave us,” he orders, and she scrambles out.
“She told you.” It’s not a question.
“She did,” I admit. “But please go easy on her. I forced her into it.”
He quirks a smile at that. “I have no doubt. Your ability of persuasion is unlike anything I’ve seen in all my years.”
I chuckle at the playfulness in his words. Something is different. It’s not just him, but with me. My walls are still surrounding me, but they’re lowering inch by inch, with every second I spend here. Maybe it’s foolish, but I can’t help it. I’m thankful for what he’s done for me.
He steps toward me and my breath hitches. The closer he gets, the more it feels as though the oxygen is being sucked out of the room. My heart is thudding in my chest, and tingles cause the hairs on my arms to stand at attention.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He simply nods.
“I’m sorry I’ve been absent. There was much to do.” He bites his lower lip, and flutters begin in my belly. I’m a live wire buzzing with energy.
Blood That Binds: A Vampire Romance (Blood Legends Duet) Page 14