I smiled at the vampires, nodding my hello, and unsurprisingly so, I was met with cold stares.
“Oh, good. You’re back. I was getting worried. I haven’t heard from anyone yet.”
“Really?” I asked, pulling my phone from my pocket. No missed calls. I dialed Sebastian’s phone, letting it ring until it reached his voice mail. “Sebastian, hey, it’s me. You were supposed to call as soon as you got to Montana. No one’s heard from you or Malik, and we’re getting a little antsy. Call me as soon as you get this.” I pulled the phone away from my ear, my fingering hovering over the button to end the call. A wash of dread crashed over me. What if something happened? What if they didn’t make it in time? What if they did but Sibyl wasn’t there? What if Rogues found them first? A million questions sprang to mind. I brought the phone back to my ear and said, “Be careful. Watch your back.” I hung up and dialed Lillie.
“Hello?” Lillie answered after one ring.
“Lillie, thank goddess. You made it?” I clicked the speakerphone button and set the phone on Kat’s desk.
“Yeah, we’re here now.”
“You were supposed to call or text or send smoke signals or something to let us know you two were okay.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We met with Amicia right away. It’s been hectic here.”
“Yeah, here too. Is she on board?”
“She’s not happy about this, but she’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Of course she’s not happy. Who would be? Facing one Rogue is scary enough. This won’t exactly be a walk in the park. Are you with her now?”
“Just stepped out. She’s been on the phone all day. She’s contacting every coven she knows, which is a lot of covens.”
I smiled. “This is what I was hoping for. Between her connections and Kat’s connections,” I glanced at Kat, who smiled back at me, “we’ll reach most of the vampire covens around here.”
“How’d it go with you?”
“Good, surprisingly. We just got back. They’re going to help.”
“Really?” Lillie asked, and I noted the surprise in her voice.
“They called Cameron to confirm the story and tried to kill us. Twice.” My eyes flickered to Jasik, who stood beside me. “But they’re on board and contacting their connections.”
“Then the word-of-mouth wildfire, right?”
I nodded. “Pretty much.”
“I think we’re going to stay here. We’ll meet you back in London.”
I arched a brow and look at Jasik. His face matched my confusion. “Are you sure?”
“Relax. I can practically hear the wrinkles forming on your face. We’ll be fine. We’re just taking a different plane, but we’ll meet you in London at the council.”
I nodded. “Two days, Lillie.”
“Two days.”
“Be safe.”
“You too.”
I clicked off the phone. “Should I try Sebastian again?” I asked Jasik.
He shook his head. “Something’s kept them, but we needn’t worry. They’ll call.”
I nodded. Jasik sounded so sure, and the last thing I wanted was to be the pessimist of the group. Even so, a nagging pain in my gut puckered to life. “And if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll leave for Montana tomorrow.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. I didn’t know what I’d do if something happened to them.
“YOU MUSTN’T WORRY, love,” Jasik said.
I nodded. “They’re the most capable fighters I know. They’ll be fine. I mean, they have to be fine. They don’t have a choice, really.”
I didn’t want to tell him that my fear wasn’t only over the whereabouts of our friends. I couldn’t verbally admit that I was considering being the vessel, because I could hardly say it to myself. The last time a coven practiced witchcraft on me, I’d lost my mortal life. And now, I was willing to put myself in their crossfire again. My reasoning was identical: I’d do it to save my family. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Since I’d turned, I’d learned of one betrayal after another. With vengeance fueling the fire within my soul, I was forced to ask myself if I’d already released the ache that had been nestled deep within the pit of my gut. And if I was truly over the angst, the hurt, the grudge, what did that mean? It must’ve meant a lot, because I was already willing to put myself in the same situation I’d run from mere weeks ago.
It hadn’t been my choice then. The Power was forced upon me. But now, I could choose my fate. Was I ready to take in a power no one has ever survived?
I blinked away my thoughts, trying instead to focus on the vampire beside me. I was curled against him in bed, my leg draped over his nude frame. I aimlessly traced the lines of his torso and listened to his heartbeat. Each thump was calming and helped to wash away the sense of dread that seemed to follow me wherever I went.
“That they are.”
I snuggled closer to him. “At least, when they get back, I’ll get to have fun giving them a lot of shit for not responding to my messages.”
Jasik chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Always a positive thinker.”
I glanced up, meeting his eyes, and smiled. “You know me so well.”
His mouth met mine, and he pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his hair, tugging the ends, while pulling him closer to me, until I lay on my back and he hovered over me. His tongue brushed the crease between my lips, and I opened for him. I dipped my tongue into his mouth and massaged mine against his, smiling as he moaned. He rested his torso against mine, my legs astride. He was hard against me, a showcase of how a simple kiss was all it took to set the fire between us ablaze.
He was notched at my core, and slowly, he inched inside me. I moaned as a rush of the euphoric wave swelled within me, begging to be released. He pulled back slowly, inch by inch, and repeated the gesture, over and over again, until I was craving my release. I was dead weight, sitting on the edge but unable to jump.
He was teasing me, but two could play at this game.
I dug my fingers into the smooth skin of his back and pulled him closer to me. My fangs lengthened instinctively, and Jasik offered his neck to me. The vein protruded, the blood within making it throb. Everything about him enticed me. I dragged my teeth against my upper lip and leaned into him. Closing my eyes, I inhaled slowly, letting his scent encompass every crevice of my being. Unable to control myself, I sank my fangs into his neck, drinking quickly, relishing in his grunts and the way he quivered the harder I sucked. Holding him tighter, I grunted and moaned as he filled me. I darted my tongue from my mouth, teasing the tiny puncture wounds, before pulling away. His skin glowed and healed, and I ran my tongue along the curve of his neck, stealing what droplets of blood remained.
With his blood coating my tongue, I pulled him to me, offering a taste. His lips parted, and his tongue reached out, meeting mine. His eyes closed as he deepened the kiss, the sweet flavor of his blood lavishing our taste buds. I pulled back and bit down, piercing my tongue, before pulling him back to me. He groaned as my essence flooded his mouth.
Slipping his hand behind my back, he angled my hip and plunged into my depths. I cried out, but his mouth muffled my screams. Each time he entered me, he pushed deeper, harder, until I had taken him from crown to root. He was punishingly fast; the bed slammed against the wall with each thrust, and I welcomed each crash, each earth-shattering showcase of devotion to me, my body, my needs. I arched into him, and he pushed me over the edge. We jumped off the cliff, hand in hand, and were wrapped in an orgasmic blanket of ecstasy. With my name on his lips, he pulled back and lay beside me.
Breathless, I draped my leg over his, curled against him, and welcomed the darkness.
I PRIED MY eyes open and rolled onto my side. The ground was wet, sticky, cold. My breath escaped in steamy puffs. I dug my fingers into the ground, trying to stand, but I tumbled over. The frosted grass caked beneath my nails, burning, stinging. I sank back onto m
y heels, shaking from the cold. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I felt it sink to the bone. I was nearly nude, wearing only my sports bra and underwear. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I wrapped my arms around myself instinctively. My vision was clouded. I could see the dead trees and the frost-covered lake. I could see the surrounding woods and a looming shadow in the distance. But I recognized nothing.
Her ear-piercing laugh echoed through the air. In my haste to escape her, I stumbled to my feet, my eyes trailing the ground. She was close, but as I spun in circles, desperately searching for her, I found no one. The frozen tundra dissipated, and in its stead, a tropic wasteland formed. The heat was suffocating. A fine layer of mist coated my skin, dripping down my limbs. I brushed the hair from my eyes, but it stuck to my skin, latching on as if it too would suck the life from me. I needed to escape, to run from her, from this place, this hell.
I wasn’t supposed to be here.
And something was coming for me.
My feet pounded against the ground, the long, lush grass tickling my bare feet as I trampled over it. I heard her behind me, but looking over my shoulder, I saw no one there. I swung my head around, nearly slamming into the overcast shadow that still haunted my way. It hadn’t left when the arctic land abandoned me. I shrieked and skidded to a stop, running backwards as it reached out for me. Something grabbed my ankle, and I tumbled to the ground.
I tripped over the bodies, hundreds of faceless bodies. They were piled before me, like an offering to the gods and goddesses of war. I screamed and scooted backwards, hurling myself against a tree. I stood, turned on my heel, and ran, tripping over my feet. I pushed myself to my hands and knees, working my way toward the top of the hill. I dug my hands into the soft dirt, blades of grass bunching beneath my grip. With soil-stained skin, I crawled until I reached the hill’s peak and stood. The ground below me shifted, and I wavered to maintain balance.
It was happening again. The world was shifting, changing, but I wasn’t ready. It would leave me behind, alone, unmoving. I closed my eyes to keep myself from crying.
And suddenly, time seemed to stop.
A faint chuckle resonated from beneath me. I muffled a whimper and opened my eyes, looking down. She was near. I could feel her. The scent of death resonated from her pores, smothering me. I peeked behind me, but she wasn’t there. Holding my hands before me, I stared as my dirt-stained palms and arms turned crimson. The bright red blood faded to a dark maroon. It bubbled and sizzled, burning my skin. I tried to wipe it away, but more splashed across my body. The murky bubbles turned black as it seeped into my pores. Faint footsteps echoed through the forest and swirled within my mind. I glanced up, my eyes focusing on what lay before me. I no longer stood at the top of a grassy hill. I stood on the bodies of the dead and faceless. Each body was identical—from the clothes they wore to the blades strapped to their backs. Still, their faces were blank slates. They had no brows, no eyes, no noses, no mouths.
Gasping, I again told myself I needed to get away. I needed to run, but I didn’t know what I was running from.
I tried to sidestep the bodies, but as I lifted my foot, a hand reached up from beneath the remains and grasped me by the ankle, pulling me down to my knees.
The woman’s manic laugh echoed around me before the world suddenly silenced. Darkness engulfed the world. The forest, the grass, the bodies, the blood, everything was gone—but her voice remained: “You think you know who you are, what you are, what’s to come, but you have no idea; you haven’t even begun.”
I spun in circles, lashing out at the darkness. I fumbled to my feet, falling like dead weight to the ground. I blinked, and I was back. The world around me sprang to life. The frozen tundra surrounded me, and her words of warning echoed in the air, repeating softly, as I was pulled into the bloody, faceless remains, drowning in rubble.
I inhaled sharply as I shot forward in bed, my heart pounding in my chest, sweat beading on my skin. I fought to control my breathing. I ran a hand through my wet hair and glanced over. Jasik was still asleep beside me. The sheets hung low against his hips, each ridge of his torso on full display. His chest was frozen in place, but his heartbeat echoed through the room. I stood and padded to the bathroom. Stepping into the glass shower, I turned the water on and let the steam wash away the sickness twisting in my gut.
I hadn’t had a vision since I’d foreseen our demise, and I knew this one would be harder to shake. With Sebastian and Malik on a seriously inconvenient cellular hiatus and an impending battle against a formidable Rogue army, I didn’t have time to analyze cryptic dreams. But even as I tried to push down my worries, I couldn’t get their faces out of my mind: I thought about those haunting pale faces staring blankly back at me. I didn’t know their names, but of course, that didn’t matter. Their names weren’t important. At least, not when my psyche was screaming at me. And as much as I wanted to ignore the visions, I couldn’t deny the truth.
We were doomed. This was a losing battle. I was unconsciously begging myself to walk away. But even if I could walk away, we’d still have one problem: my grandmother would still be out there, and it was only a matter of time before she made herself (and that pesky army of hers) known.
“GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL,” Jasik said, placing a kiss atop my head and sitting in the empty chair beside me.
I smiled and continued chugging a mug of blood. “Morning.”
Jasik grasped the handle of the mug I’d placed in front of the spot next to me earlier, its contents no longer steaming. “For me?” he asked.
I nodded, and he swallowed it down.
“Mm, room temperature,” he said, licking his lips. I shuddered at the thought. Room temperature blood was disgusting. It was like drinking milk that had sat out all night. No, thank you. Ninety-eight degrees to boiling was always the way to go.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked, delaying the inevitable.
“Good enough, and you?” he asked.
I shrugged and slid the mug away from me. It came to a standstill at the center of our table, and I looked around. The dining hall was fairly empty for being dusk, the vampire’s waking hour. I was sure the room would soon fill with mindless chatter. I was also sure Kat had already made our agenda known to her coven, so we were likely going to get the awkward stares and the cold shoulders. Nothing really could compare to asking vampires to willingly join a suicide mission. I let my gaze flicker to the wall of windows before me. The frost-covered trees were beautiful at dusk; the moonlight hit the ice just right, giving them a glittery appearance.
Jasik reached his arm out and grasped my hand. “Avah, what’s wrong?”
I exhaled sharply. “It’s nothing. Really. Just a dream, or a nightmare, or—”
“A vision?”
I nodded.
“That bad?” he asked.
“Not so bad.” I lied. The visions I’d been having left an ache in my bones, one I couldn’t shake away. Suppressing emotions was my specialty. I’d perfected the gift over the two and a half decades I’d lived in my coven. I’d suppressed the loss of my father. I suppressed my fear of dying once I’d gained The Power. I’d even suppressed my guilt for getting my coven killed. But now, as I tried to fake a smile, I found I couldn’t. I couldn’t lie anymore. I wasn’t sure if it was because of last night’s addition to Avah TV or if it was the impending battle against a seemingly unstoppable Rogue army, but regardless, as Jasik held my hand and stared into my eyes, I just couldn’t tell him that everything would be okay.
It wasn’t that I was physically incapable of lying.
It was because even I didn’t believe the lie anymore.
“What’d you see?” he asked.
I opted for honesty. “Oh, you know, the usual: death, decay, cryptic messages.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” he said, nodding as if he understood completely. But really, he didn’t. He was a healer, not a seer, not a spirit-using witch. He never had to experience the baggage that came with vision
s and foresight.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
“It’s important, Avah. What did you learn?”
I shrugged. “The setting was… weird. It changed a few times, but I think it was Russia. I mean, I’ve never been, but I’ve seen plenty of movies. Frozen tundra seems to be Russia in January, right? Plus, we’re heading to Russia, so it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out…”
He nodded. “Especially in northern rural Russia. What else did you see?”
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, anyway, right? Regardless of what the vision told me, we’re still going. It’s not going to stop us.”
“It does matter. Your visions are important, Avah. They’re warning you of what’s to come.”
“Or just preparing me for the inevitable,” I argued.
He arched an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“I don’t know… What if—what if I’m not meant to stop every vision?”
Jasik tuned and faced me, his legs brushing against mine. My inability to succumb to my usual optimistic self left me feeling oddly pessimistic today. I was sure everyone in the manor could sense my negativity, but I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to get over it.
I was tired of being on death row. I was tired of watching my back. I was tired of everyone around me dying.
I exhaled dramatically, resting my forehead against my palms, shaking my head. My earlier conversation with Sebastian crept into my mind, and I rubbed my temples.
“What if this vision is just telling me to be prepared to lose?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t believe that,” he said softly but confidently.
“Or do you not want to believe that?” I asked, glancing up to meet his eyes.
He didn’t speak, not at first. Instead, he stared back at me, his eyes hauntingly beautiful. His icy blue irises were clear, bright, and looking back at me with such love, such confidence. Such devotion. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, and in his eyes, I knew he saw me in the same way. He was strong, smarty, witty, and rugged in the perfect way. Before I came along, his world made sense. There was order. He was the perfect alpha vampire. And then he changed me, and his world fell to chaos. But he never doubted me. He always trusted my instincts—usually with more confidence than I did. He was perfect for me—my other half. And to think that he saw me in the same way I saw him gave me hope.
Blood Promise (Blood Books Book 3) Page 11