by K Loraine
“They’re giving him power?” I whispered to Lucas.
“They’re doing that, but they’re also seeing what he sees.”
When Samson opened his eyes, he simply said, “Take her to Hollybrook. Lock her in the dungeon.”
Anne’s expression turned to terror. “What? No! You can’t have seen anything. There wasn’t anything to see. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
A female member of the council who stood next to Samson shook her head. “It was all there. Just as he said.”
“No! He’s doing this somehow. He has to be.”
“You said it yourself, Anne, I’m broken. How could I be doing this? Besides, no one has power like you. It’s why my father married you in the first place.” Cashel’s voice was laced with disgust.
“Take her. She’ll face her punishment at Hollybrook.” Samson let his gaze rest on me for the briefest moment, the pressure of his power making me uncomfortable. Then he turned his attention to Cashel. “We are in your debt.”
Relief nearly folded me in on myself and Lucas threaded our fingers. I expected him to relax, to settle into his chair again, and say something lighthearted. Instead, he remained tense, his focus on Cashel.
“I’m assuming you’re not going to protest me reclaiming the crown I rightfully have claim to?” Cashel still didn’t look at me.
“Long live the king,” Samson said as two council members took hold of Anne and wrenched her from the chair.
Her screams and shrieks echoed through the halls as they took her, but for some reason the room seemed filled with more tension after they left. Lucas still held my hand, and Cashel’s gaze finally fell to me.
“Well, well, it seems you’ve taken something from me, brother. What do you have to say to your king?”
Cashel
My head throbbed from the effort of placing those memories in Anne’s mind. But I’d had to do something to stop her. Using the council to my advantage was my best bet. Unseen, unheard, I’d worked my way into her subconscious and layered false memories without her notice. I was a ghost. Olivia had said it first, and it was true.
Now I stared down my brother, the man who had taken Olivia from me at the first opportunity.
“Martin,” I called, and the butler appeared almost before I uttered the second syllable of his name.
“Yes, sir.” Martin bowed deeply, not even blinking an eye at the fact that I was sitting in front of him.
Lucas frowned. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough.” I turned my attention back to Martin. “Bring us a fresh supply of blood. It would seem our little bird has tainted this one in hopes of doing some damage.” I cocked a brow and grinned. “Well done, little bird. It would have worked had I not made it unnecessary. But it was reckless.” I chuckled. “Though that seems to be something you’re not terribly concerned with.”
Her cheeks turned pink as a flush spread across her skin. Lucas looked to me with suspicion. “How did you know all that about Anne and the hunters? I can’t believe they’d work with her.”
Shaking my head, I took my seat again and let myself relax for the first time in a long time. “We all have our secrets. Don’t we, Olivia?”
She shifted a bit father from Lucas and part of me reveled in her desire to put distance between them.
“Married, brother? You married her?”
Lucas sat up taller, defiance radiating from him. “Would you rather I have let her die? Because that’s what would have happened. I had no choice.”
“You didn’t have to bond with her.”
“I did.”
My palms rested on the tabletop. I had to be careful. If I let myself, I’d leave indentations in the polished wood we’d never be able to repair. “You chose to bond with her. You’ve wanted her since the beginning. Because I had her.”
“Oh, get over yourself. She was within an inch of death by the time I got to her. They’d abused her over and over. Anne didn’t seem to care one bit that she was going to lose her prize. I did what you should have done long ago. I. Saved. Her.”
Lucas got to his feet, his presence more domineering than I’d ever seen. He’d always been the playboy who cared for little. Now, he was a possessive mate, protecting his claim. “You did.”
“She is mine. She won’t ever be yours again. But congratulations on not being dead. That must feel good.”
I closed my eyes against the swell of rage threatening to break down my control. “We shall see. You may have a blood bond with her, but we began a mating bond before Eliana’s attack. Can’t you feel it fighting with your claim? I can. She’s drawn to me just like she was before.”
Olivia stood, her chair nearly toppling with the force of her action. “She is right here. If you want to keep talking about me like I’m not in the room, I’ll do you both a favor and leave.”
Then she was on her way out the door, but I was faster. I positioned myself in front of her, leaning in and cupping her nape. “Don’t run from me again. Whether or not I am your husband or mate, I am your king. You are a Blackthorne now by all rights. You owe loyalty to me.”
Fire flashed in her eyes. “So the old Cashel is back. Give you a crown and you forget everything you’ve learned. It’s true then, power corrupts.”
“Stop this, Olivia. I can dissolve this marriage. We can be together.” I hated the desperation in my voice.
“You can’t break our bond. It’s been proven true. You can banish me, steal her, make her stay with you, but you’ll never truly have her. And only I can feed from her.” Lucas’ words were a taunt.
I turned on my brother then, wound too tightly to contain my rage. With more speed than necessary, I rushed him, grabbing him by the throat and shoving him down until he was flat against the table. My hips pinned his long legs, keeping him from landing any kicks. I leaned over him, fangs extended.
“You forget who is king here. Do I need to send you to the dungeons and remind you? Perhaps the well?”
“Do your worst. She’ll still be mine.”
With that, I stood and backed away. I had to get out of there. Martin would clean up the mess I’d made, and in a few hours, I’d be calm and able to bear seeing them together.
The door clicked shut and I heard Olivia’s heartbeat grow fainter as she ran from both of us. That was fine. She was safe, that was all that mattered. I’d take her back from him before long.
14
Olivia
I ran, faster than I needed to. If they wanted to come for me, they would find me in a heartbeat. But still, I had to get away from the fighting, the tension, things I couldn't do anything to change. I burst through the front door and made my way to the stables behind the house. Five gorgeous thoroughbred horses were housed there, but I'd never had a chance to ride any of them. I hadn’t been allowed. They couldn't risk their pet being harmed. God forbid I be bucked off and killed. They’d lose their precious blood of the sun.
I grabbed a blanket and bridle, putting them on the nearest horse, and then finally added the saddle. Then I set off on a sleek black stallion Cashel once told me was named Lucifer. Night wind whipped my hair into a frenzy behind me, and with every stride, Lucifer’s pace grew faster. It was exhilarating to ride this beast. I rode him into the forest, to the edge of the property, into unfamiliar surroundings. Lucifer stopped when we reach a slowly babbling brook. He should have been able to jump it easily, clearing the small creek with no problem, but he wouldn't budge.
“Hiya, come on." I dug my heels into his ribs, but he wouldn't move.
He snorted, his ears flicking back, legs prancing restlessly. Something was spooking him. My heart fluttered. A low growl rumbled in the surrounding area, followed by another, and another. Three sets of glowing amber eyes blinked into existence from the bushes beyond the creek.
Gray wolves slinked out from behind thick brush. Approaching slowly, they were tense and ready to strike. Lucifer let out an almighty whinny and bucked hard. I held fast, keeping my seat
, until he did it again before rearing up so high he was almost vertical. I tumbled from his back, and he ran full tilt away from me. Pain raced along my shoulder and hip where I’d hit the ground, but my head hurt worse than anything.
The wolves crept closer, but through my fuzzy vision, they appeared to morph and change until men—naked men—stood. Their eyes still glowed, and they stared at me as though they knew me. And I swear I heard one of them whisper, "Rosella."
But then the world around me faded to black, and I thought this might be how I met my end.
I woke in Lucas’ arms. He sported a healing bruise on his cheek and his shirt was torn, but he looked whole.
“Are you all right?” he asked, thumb rubbing across my knuckles and bringing me back to the present.
“Where are we?”
“Almost back at the manor.” When I frowned, he continued. “You shouldn’t have run. The shifters, they would have killed you if I hadn’t come after you. ”
“They acted like they knew me.”
Unease flashed across his face. “Every creature knows about you now. They shouldn’t have been on the property. They’re testing us.” Then he released my hand and raked his fingers through his hair again. “It’s why we had to take you in the first place.”
The pain in his voice made me ache in response. I didn’t want him hurting. Reaching out, I threaded our fingers. We went directly to my rooms, and he carefully set me on my feet, but I wobbled. My head spun. Dammit, I was likely concussed. Lucas had to help me out of my bloodied and dirty clothes and into a pair of silk pajamas before I tucked myself into bed. “Where’s Cashel?”
“Probably taking his frustrations out on the landscape as he searches for the shifters. He blames himself for all of it because he didn’t sense them or your distress. The bond told me you were in danger.” He sat next to me and took a cool compress to the bump on the back of my head. It was soothing and scented with lavender.
“The bond,” I whispered.
“I know this isn’t an ideal situation—“
I laughed. It was all too ridiculous. “Ideal? It’s the exact opposite. Tell me something. Am I really so connected to you I can’t be with Cashel?”
“As far as vampire law sees it? Yes.”
My stomach dropped, and I pulled my hand away from his. “Law. That...complicates everything.”
“We made vows. You were there. You’re mine now.”
“Yours.”
He nodded and his eyes, a darker shade of burnt caramel than Cashel’s, locked onto mine. “And the call of a bond is strong, Olivia. I won’t be able to deny my need to feed for long.”
An unwelcome curl of want built between my legs. I shouldn’t be thrilled by this. I should push him aside, tell him no, but he was right. The bond between us was real and powerful. I could feel it with every breath.
“Well, I don’t want to be married to you, so can’t we just...divorce?”
He shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Blood bonds can’t be broken. That’s why we rarely choose to use them. Even with married couples. My father never bonded with a single one of his wives.”
“Fine. Then we’ll live separately. You can have whomever you want, and I can have Cashel, I don’t have to bond with him to love him.”
“I don’t think that’s something he’s going to agree to.”
My stomach hurt at the idea of Cashel not wanting me after all we’d been through. “I see.” Tears burned my eyes. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
“Would you rather I have let you die? You were close, you know.”
“No. That’s not what I meant.”
“We’ll figure this out. Or Cashel will kill me. One or the other.”
I clenched my palms, digging my nails into the heels of my hands, welcoming the pain that sparked through me at the contact. “He won’t.”
“You don’t know that. I very well may.” Cashel leaned against the doorframe, his perfect features striking my heart like a lightning bolt.
“Cashel,” I breathed.
“Little bird. You look better than you did at dinner. Then you looked…guilty and sick.” Dark brows pulled together, a stormy expression clouding his features. “I suppose I should thank you, Lucas.”
“You should.”
“And you?” He stared straight into my soul. “Have you thanked him for stealing you away from me? For giving you what you wanted all this time? He freed you when I wouldn’t.”
“You couldn’t,” I said.
Shaking his head, he cast his eyes down. “Wouldn’t. None of this had to happen.”
I swung my feet around and carefully stood, but wobbled and had to sit on the mattress as I got my bearings. My head throbbed, and I hissed at the pain. Both Blackthorne men were at my side before I could blink, each reaching for me, each radiating possessiveness. If I wasn’t careful, they’d kill each other right here and now. I shrugged out of their holds, standing without their help. “I’m fine. Stop treating me like I’m going to break.”
“But won’t you?” Lucas asked, his eyes blazing with protective instinct. “If you’d died—”
My chest squeezed. “I didn’t. I feel…fine. It’s just a headache.” I twisted a lock of my hair around my fingers and focused my attention on that one mundane thing. I couldn’t look at either of them and risk seeing expectation in their eyes. “I just need some time to figure out what’s happening in my head. I can’t think when you’re close. It’s intense. This connection. Everything is clouded with you…and with Cashel. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“It’s your bond,” Cashel said, words thick with hurt. “It’s fighting with everything you’ve felt for me. Before long I’ll be nothing but a memory of a time you’d rather forget. That’s how these things work.”
Forget? I couldn’t forget him. I’d tried. Cashel Blackthorne was etched onto my heart as surely as a tattoo. His name inked on my most vital organ, beating along with my pulse. “Is that really what you think of me? That I’ll just go with him because we’re bonded? It’s insulting.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You’re really not going to fight this. I never pegged you for a coward.” He didn’t flinch. There wasn’t a shred of remorse flickering through his gaze. All I saw was him retreating from me as though I were the instrument of his destruction. I watched the wall come up around him. That same one he had in place when he first took me.
“Oh, he’s a coward when it comes to the women in his life. Isn’t that right, Cashel? You’d rather let them fu—“ Lucas’ words cut off when Cashel blurred across the room, grabbed him by the head, and snapped his neck.
I cried out as Lucas fell to the floor in a heap, but Cashel only stared at me. “He’ll be fine. I’ll send Martin to clean up this mess.”
He turned on his heel and left me with his brother. Abandoning me. He was always walking away. The protective barriers he put up were the reason I’d hated him, but also, tearing them down was how I’d fallen in love in the first place. This time I wasn’t sure if I’d break through. I wouldn’t let him go so easily though. I’d just have to take a wrecking ball to the man’s shield and break it down again.
If he’d let me.
Cashel
Panic clawed at my blood, singing in my senses as my little bird struggled with her emotions. Olivia wouldn’t open her door to me. I could have easily broken the lock, but that wouldn’t help my case. She was angry at what I’d done to Lucas. I didn’t blame her. But I did what I had to do. The Blackthorne crown was safe. She was safe. And my brother would be fine.
“Open up, little bird. Please?”
I could hear her breaths coming in sharp gasps. Pained gasps. It wasn’t right. She was having an anxiety attack. “Breathe. I can sense your panic. You won’t feel better if you don’t get control.”
Her heart raced, frantic and out of control. There wasn’t any coming back from this. She’d continue this way until she finally lost consciousness.
I knew her well enough to understand that. Using my shoulder as leverage, I broke the lock and shoved the door open. I found her curled up on her side in her bed, shivering, breathing so hard her lungs rattled.
“Olivia, I’m here. You’re fine. You’re safe.” I settled behind her, pulling her back against my chest. I took long, slow breaths in an attempt to calm her, but it didn’t work.
“Something…something is wrong. I hurt. It hurts.”
“What hurts? Tell me how to help you.” Fear raced through me at her words. Had Anne’s witch somehow set a curse on her?
“My head. My neck. Shoulders. Everything. God, I feel like I’m dying.”
Dread curled in my gut. What had I done? She was bound to Lucas, and I’d killed him. Temporarily, yes, but still. She wasn’t a vampire. The bond affected her completely differently than it would a vampire. This was my fault. “You’re going to be all right. Lucas will be awake soon and he’ll see to you.”
“Lucas?” Disbelief colored her tone.
“Yes, little bird. He’s your bonded mate, no matter how much I hate it. He’ll help you.”
She shuddered and sobbed, the pain running through her obvious from the tightness in her muscles. I was a fucking selfish prat. I’d done this to her simply because I couldn’t accept that she wasn’t mine. Turning her in my arms, I pressed my forehead to hers and whispered, “Open your eyes. Look at me and let me in.”
She did. Her dark lashes fluttered until she locked gazes with me. “Cashel, what are you doing?”
“I’m helping. Trust me, please.”
Taking her lower lip between her teeth, she nodded. Then I trapped her with my gaze. “You’re calm. You’re safe. Lucas will be here soon.” Her body relaxed as soon as I uttered the last and I swear, my heart imploded. “Until he arrives, you’ll sleep, and when you wake, you’ll feel better than you have in weeks.”
Her eyelids drooped and she fell into a deep sleep, her forehead still pressed to mine. I breathed in her scent and held her for a few moments longer than I should have, but I knew I’d have to let her go again once Lucas woke.