Page 13 of Blood Legacy (Eternal Descent (MistHallow Academy) #1)

13

GAIDA

The encounter with Felix has left me shaken in a way I didn’t expect. What he showed me—that connection, that tether—I can still feel the ghost of it pulling at something deep inside me. And I know exactly where it leads and who it leads to.

Luke Blackthorn.

I lean against my bedroom wall, pressing my forehead to the cool stone. How is it possible that some random dark sorcerer could see what I’ve been feeling since the moment I arrived at MistHallow? This invisible thread binding me to the one man who refuses to acknowledge it.

A soft knock at my door startles me. I straighten, smoothing down my funeral dress and checking my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are too bright, my cheeks flushed. I look like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

“Who is it?” I call, my voice steadier than I feel, even though I already know.

He snickers. “It’s Dante.”

I hesitate, remembering what he told me in class about Luke pushing him towards me. The thought still burns like acid. But I need answers, and Dante seems to be the only one willing to give them to me.

“Door’s open,” I say, moving to sit on the edge of my bed.

Dante enters, closing the door behind him. He’s changed since class, wearing black jeans and a simple grey tee that does nothing to hide his muscular build. His blue eyes take in my funeral attire and the general disarray of my room, his expression shifting from casual interest to something more concerned.

“Well, you look like you’re about to attend the funeral of your last fuck to give,” he says, his tone light but his eyes serious. “What happened after I left you in class?”

I sigh, gesturing for him to sit. “I met someone interesting. Felix Davenport.”

“The dark sorcerer?” Dante’s eyebrows rise. “The one who improved Blackwell’s pentagram? He’s got a reputation.”

“For what?”

“Being brilliant and slightly unhinged. Got kicked out of two prestigious academies before landing here.” Dante sits beside me, not so close that we’re touching. “What did he want?”

“To show me something.” I stare down at my hands, remembering the electric jolt when Felix touched me. “He can see connections. Bonds between people.”

Dante goes very still beside me. “And did he see something connected to you?”

I meet his gaze, deciding honesty is the only way forward. “Yes. A tether. To Luke.”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look surprised. “You sure it was Blackthorn?”

I stare at him and sigh. “I think so. Are you suggesting it might be you?”

Dante’s lips quirk into that sexy half-smile. “It crossed my mind. We did share blood, after all.”

I shake my head. “This felt different. Older somehow. Like it’s been there since before I even arrived at MistHallow four years ago.”

“And that scares you?”

“Wouldn’t it scare you?” I stand, needing to move, to put distance between us. “To discover you’re somehow connected to someone who can barely stand to look at you? Who pushes you away and tries to pawn you off on someone else?”

“Is that what you think he’s doing?” Dante asks quietly.

“What else would you call it?” I whirl to face him. “He came to you, told you to pursue me. Like I’m some fucking problem he needs to pass along to someone else.”

Dante rises slowly, his movements deliberately non-threatening. “The more I think about it, the more I think he’s trying to protect you from Lucius.”

“Well, fuck that. I don’t need protecting. My father wouldn’t sell me to the highest bidder, no matter how old and powerful he is. In fact, I think it would be the opposite.”

“And that’s why Blackthorn wants me to have you. Apart from the obvious vibe we have got going, not to mention we are the same. You think he is running away, or that he doesn’t want you, but it’s not. A man doesn’t get jealous over another man touching what he thinks is his if he doesn’t desperately want them.”

His words make me gulp. “Jealous? His? He has a funny fucking way of showing it.”

“He doesn’t need to. Not around me.”

He stares at me, and I narrow my eyes. “What does that mean?”

He sighs. “I’m an Empath. Unfortunately. It causes more problems than it solves, but I feel emotions, and sometimes I can even see them. He is an open book to me.”

“Well, lucky fucking you,” I growl, pacing away from him to get space. How unfair is it that Dante gets to know all this, and I don’t?

“Don’t you want to know if I can sense your emotions?”

That gives me pause. “Can you?”

He smirks. “No. It doesn’t work on pureblood vampires. It’s why my family is so good at pretending it doesn’t exist. Every other creature is fair game.”

I blink and chew the inside of my lip. “Your family denies part of you?”

“Yep.”

I cross over to him and drop to my knees in front of him. Placing my hands on his thighs, I look up into those eyes that I could drown in. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs, but I can see the pain behind his casual dismissal. “It is what it is.”

“No,” I say firmly, squeezing his thighs. “It’s not what it is. It’s fucked up. You shouldn’t have to deny who you are.”

His hand comes up to brush a strand of hair from my face, the gesture surprisingly tender. “Says the woman who’s dressed for a funeral because she got rejected by the Headmaster.”

I laugh despite myself, the sound breaking through the tension. “Touché.”

“Look,” Dante says, his voice softening. “I didn’t come here to talk about my family issues or even Blackthorn. I came to check on you.”

“Why?”

“Because I care, Gaida. Is that so hard to believe?”

I sit back on my heels, studying his face. There’s no deception there, just genuine concern. “I’m not used to people caring because they care .”

“Well, get used to it.” He slides down from the bed to join me on the floor, our knees touching. “Whatever’s happening between you and Blackthorn, whatever this bond thing is that Felix saw—it doesn’t change anything between us. Unless you want it to.”

My throat tightens with unexpected emotion. “What exactly is between us, Dante?”

He takes my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. “Something real. Something that doesn’t need to be complicated by ancient vampire politics or mysterious bonds or age differences.” His blue eyes hold mine, open and honest. “Just two people who understand each other.”

“Is that what we are?” I ask softly.

“We could be.” He leans forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. “We could be whatever we want, Gaida. That’s the beauty of it.”

The pull I feel toward him is different from what I feel for Luke. Less complicated, more immediate. Dante understands me in ways Luke refuses to. And yet...

“I’m a mess,” I admit, gesturing to my funeral attire. “In case that wasn’t obvious.”

He laughs, the sound warm and genuine. “A beautiful mess.”

“That’s still a mess.”

“I like messes. They’re interesting.” His fingers trace up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Perfect is boring.”

I lean into his touch despite myself. “What if I can’t get him out of my head? What if this bond thing is real?”

“Then we deal with it.” He shrugs, as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. “I can share.”

“Share?”

“Who says he gets to have you all to himself?”

My mouth drops open at his suggestion. “As in both of you?”

Dante’s eyes darken, his pupils dilating. “Why not? It’s not unheard of in vampire society. Especially among purebloods.”

“I know that, but Luke would never?—”

“Are you sure about that?” Dante interrupts, his voice lowering to a seductive purr. “The way he looks at you when he thinks no one notices... the way he reacted when he smelled you on me. That’s not the behaviour of someone who wants to stay away.”

I shake my head, trying to clear the images his words conjure. “It doesn’t matter what he wants. He’s made his position clear.”

“Has he?” Dante leans closer, his breath warm against my cheek. “Or has he just been trying to convince himself as much as you?”

My heart races as Dante’s lips hover near mine. I should push him away, focus on figuring out this bond with Luke, but the pain of rejection is still raw, and Dante is here, solid and wanting. “This isn’t fair to you.”

“Says who? You? You don’t get to decide what is fair to me.”

“No,” I say. “You’re right. I don’t. But I am allowed to feel that this isn’t fair to you.”

He snorts. “Okay, we could go around in circles forever with this. Let’s just say, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Do you want me?”

“Yes,” I say, lacing our fingers together. “But there is a lot going on in my head.”

“Yes, is all I need.”

“You are pretty amazing.”

“Only for you. Anyone else could get fucked.” He grins.

I giggle and stand up, drawing him up with me. “How about some dinner?”

“Sounds good. Let’s show MistHallow, and Luke Blackthorn, that we are not arsed what anyone else thinks.”

My heart skips a beat, but not in a good way. “I don’t want him to think I’ve given up on him.”

“I think he’ll know. He is far from stupid. But maybe a small push is what he needs to lose that infamous control.” His eyes shine wickedly.

“What are you plotting?” I ask, still astounded that he is even talking like this. Most guys would be acting like jealous dickheads, demanding I forget about him.

“You in his room in the depths of night, naked, maybe in his bed, where he will find you… how can he refuse?”

My cheeks heat up at the mere suggestion of entering Luke’s space without his knowledge.

“That’s... bold,” I manage to say, though the idea sends a thrill down my spine.

“Bold is what gets results.”

Well, he’s not wrong there. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, you didn’t just do that, did you?