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She’smine, and no one else can claim her.

“Mother, stay with me, please.” I turn to face everyone. “Asher, Andrei, leave. Keep the hallways clear.”

“What are you planning?” Asher asks me.

“I’m going to flood Alena withme. The blood in her system that’s still hers will respond to mine,” I say calmly, but I fear this could kill us both. “Alena and I are going to war. But I need you to get me something first.”

“Anything,” Asher says, his eyes filled with worry. “But why do you need Chloe?”

“To protect Alena’s modesty,” I explain curtly. “Bring me a knife.”

In a flurry of movements, a sharp knife is placed in my hand. And it will serve just fine for what I’m about to ask Chloe to do.

The door to the room shuts shortly after I sit down on the bed beside Alena.

“Chloe…” I start, and for a moment I doubt this will work.

But I have no other options.

Chloe’s gentle voice helps soothe my nerves. “What is it, Raphael?”

“I can only open up one wrist at a time,” I say.

Another wave of nausea almost overwhelms my composure.

Chloe peers at the knife I hold in my right hand with a frown.

Offering the knife to Chloe, I explain, “I need you to slit my wrist. The one that will be directly over her mark. My wounds will close quickly because I’m so full of blood. So you’ll have to do it… often.”

She tentatively accepts the knife. “What will you be doing?”

I grimace at the decision I’m making for Alena. “I’ll be biting my other wrist and feeding her as much as I can.”

There’s a very real possibility this could break the bond and kill us both, but do I really have a choice?

Ripping open Alena’s shirt, I expose the beautiful mark between her breasts. Placed directly over her heart.

Is it wrong that even now my eyes want to focus on her chest? And the way her hard nipples poke through her bra?

Am I fixating on her body because it’s perfection? Or simply because I want to see what has been held away from me?

“Tell me when you’re ready, Raphael,” Chloe says gently.

I know what I’m asking of her won’t be easy. There will be a lot of blood, shiny metal, and open wounds.

And she, herself, was only turned days ago.

Shiny stuff and newborn vampires don’t mix well. When we’re first turned and adjusting to our enhanced senses, we can easily get stuck staring at the things that draw our gaze.

It’s a human trait we carry over with us when we’re reborn.

Humans are attracted to shiny objects because they resemble light reflecting off of water.

“Do not become captivated by what you see, Chloe. Whatever you do, don’t fixate on any of this. Especially the knife.” I hold my arm out. “Slice down my arm against the veins and try to position the flow over her mark. I’ll start first.”

Without wasting another second, I dig into my wrist with my fangs.

And I’m not careful when tearing the flesh open.