Page 34 of Blood Legacy (Eternal Descent (MistHallow Academy) #1)

34

GAIDA

He is beautiful in repose. I take this moment to really study his face. He has sharp cheekbones, a strong jawline, and full lips that can curl into a devastating smile when he allows himself to relax. His eyelashes are long and dark against his pale skin, and I have the urge to trace the lines of his face with my fingertips.

I reach out to trace the line of his jaw, marvelling at how different he looks without the centuries and responsibility pressing down on him.

I should be exhausted. Every muscle in my body aches deliciously from our hours of lovemaking, but I feel strangely energised, as if his blood has awakened something in me that can’t be quieted.

His blood.

I remember the taste of it, rich and complex, like drinking pure power. There was something else in it, something that called to me on a primal level. The exchange was more than physical; it felt like our essences had merged.

With a sigh, I know I should get up and leave him to rest. He needs it. I shift slightly, and his hand snaps up to grip my throat, holding me in place.

“Where are you going?” he asks, his voice rough from sleep.

“I wanted to leave you to rest, plus it’s daylight now. I have classes, remember.”

He narrows his eyes. “Skip them.”

My eyes widen. “Excuse you, sir. I would never.”

“I’m not letting you go.”

“Then we have a problem.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

He is testing me. But why? What does he expect of me right now?

Staring into his eyes, I see the challenge, which suddenly strikes me. He sees me catch on, and his hand clamps tighter around my throat, choking me. I bring my hand up, a finger trailing lightly up his arm, and then I grip his wrist with all of the pureblood vampire strength I have. His muscles tense, but I smile wickedly.

“You want to see if I can get myself out of this?” I croak. “Watch me.”

His grip is like iron, and I know that yesterday, there was no chance I could’ve broken his grip. But I’m not the same woman I was mere hours ago. Our fucking, our bonding has brought forward whatever ancient beast is lurking under the surface, latent, watching, waiting. I summon that strange golden power I feel coursing through my veins, letting it gather in my hand. Luke’s eyes widen as he feels a vibration of pure energy transferring from my skin to his.

With a swift movement, I twist his wrist while simultaneously sending a pulse of that golden energy through his arm. His grip instantly releases as the power disrupts his control. I use the moment to flip our positions, straddling him and pinning his hands above his head.

“Impressive,” he murmurs, looking up at me with pride and desire. “Your abilities are developing faster than I anticipated.”

“Is that what this was? A test?”

His eyes darken. “Not entirely.”

I lean down, my lips hovering just above his. “Did I pass?”

“With distinction,” he replies, and then closes the distance between us. The kiss is gentler than our earlier ones, but no less intense. When we break apart, his expression has grown serious again. “But you’re right. You should go to your classes.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Now you’re agreeing with me?”

“I have been out of commission for longer than is safe for everyone here. You being next to me…”

“Allowed you to rest?” I whisper.

“Didn’t give me much choice,” he corrects me. He places his hands on my hips and lifts me off him so he can slide out of bed. I curl up, still unable to believe I finally have the one thing I’ve been craving for months. He walks over to the bathroom, naked and gorgeous, and it fires up my libido. I want him. I don’t think I will ever be happy without him inside me.

It makes me think of Dante and the intensity we share while still having it easy at the same time. And then there is Felix.

“What am I going to do about you?” I murmur, hearing the shower gushing out. I close my eyes and picture Luke standing under it, soaking wet. I want to go to him, but at the same time, the anticipation of denying myself is an edge that will keep me going all day.

The shower turns off, and Luke steps out, a towel slung low over his hips.

“I need a ride,” I say with a smile when he glares at me, clearly having expected me to fuck off. I gesture to my ripped clothes on the floor. “Or clothes. Whichever suits you.”

He chuckles and takes my hand. In a swirl of magick, we are in my bedroom. He grips my chin and kisses me lightly. “Good day, Miss Aragon.”

Luke disappears, leaving me to sigh and wish I’d joined him in the shower after all.

Shaking it off, I rush through my morning routine, showering quickly and letting my thoughts drift to what happened last night. My body still buzzes with energy from Luke’s blood, and I can feel something has fundamentally changed in me.

As I dress for class, I notice my movements are more fluid, more precise. My senses feel sharper too—I can hear conversations from three floors down, smell the blood pumping through the veins of students crossing the courtyard outside.

A knock at my door interrupts my thoughts.

“It’s open,” I call, knowing exactly who it is before the door swings wide.

Felix shoves the door open and steps inside, his grey eyes taking in my appearance with a slow, appreciative sweep before closing the door. “You look different.”

“Do I?” I ask innocently, pulling my hair into a loose braid.

“You’re practically glowing. And your aura has changed. Have fun with the Headmaster?”

I turn to face him fully. “I did, actually. Although the word fun is wholly inadequate.”

“You were being watched.”

That freezes me in my tracks.

“I removed them, but they saw probably more than they should’ve.”

“You removed them?” I croak.

“Scrying mirror. I severed the connection.”

Mirror. The mirror I squirted all over? Was it Lucius? Did he see everything? Is that why Luke turned us towards it? Did he suspect Lucius was watching, and he wanted him to see me spread open and coming all over his cock? The thoughts send a tremor of fear coursing through me, but at the same time, the dangerous, dark thrill that joins it is hard to ignore.

“Do you know who it was?” I ask carefully.

“Dante thinks it was Lucius.”

“Dante was there?”

“We were both called to the base of the tower. Whatever happened between you two, involves us as well.”

“Okay, I get that. I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t both storm in to demand a piece of the action.” I smirk at him, and he laughs.

“Oh, you won’t get that from me, Gaida. Dante, probably. He showed remarkable restraint.”

“You two are becoming closer,” I observe.

“That’s a generous interpretation,” Felix replies with a wry smile. “Let’s say we’re achieving a state of mutual tolerance.”

“How diplomatic of you.” I cross the room and press a soft kiss to his lips. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

His hands settle on my waist, pulling me closer. “Always.”

There’s something different in the way he touches me now. It’s a reverence that wasn’t there before, as if he’s sensing the changes. His magick reaches out tentatively, brushing against my new energy.

“You’re stronger,” he murmurs against my lips. “Whatever happened last night altered something structural in you.”

“I feel it,” I admit. “Everything is sharper, clearer, and there’s this power humming under my skin, waiting to be released.”

Felix pulls back slightly, studying my face. “The Blood Rights are fully awakening.”

“It feels like whatever’s been hibernating inside me is finally waking up.”

“The Equilibrium thinks they engineered you, but I think Dante’s half-arsed theory is more accurate. You’re something they never anticipated.”

“Luke said something similar.” I lean against him slightly. “He said the First Vampire wasn’t just powerful, she was a different kind of being altogether.”

“That tracks with what I’ve been researching. The question is, what does that make you?”

“I have no idea,” I admit. “We have a lot of conflicting information. But Luke’s book…” I glance over the bed, where the book was when we left to go to Luke’s room. It isn’t there anymore, which sends a cold finger of ice down my spine. Intentional or stolen?

“Luke’s book?” Felix prompts.

I shake it off. The book probably disappeared on its own. “He said it was written by my first ancestor, Draken Aragon. The First vampire’s son.”

Felix raises his right eyebrow. “Okay, so you go all the way back. I suppose that makes sense.”

“Luke also said the hierarchical system here has changed.”

“Changed how?”

“He didn’t say. Said it was ancient history. I don’t think it really matters. The point is, this power has been lying latent until now.”

He nods slowly. “I think that you are the sun around which everything else is revolving. My theory is The Equilibrium is trying to recreate the Blood Rights, not breed them into someone.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I think they’re trying to replicate your abilities artificially.”

“To what end?” I ask, feeling a chill run through me.

“Control. If they can’t control the hub, then they’ll create their own sub-hubs they can control. The medallion, the rituals, the obsession with blood purity. They’re trying to make copies.”

“These so-called bond-anchors?” I murmur, remembering what Dante had mentioned from his father’s conversation. “Secondary blood connections.”

“The Voclain family are their primary lab rats. They want a network of Blood Sovereigns they can manipulate, not just one unpredictable powerhouse they might not be able to control.”

I sink onto the edge of my bed. “So what does that make me in their eyes? The template? The threat?”

“Both,” Felix says grimly. “You’re what they aspire to recreate, but you’re also the wild card that could destroy everything they’ve worked for. Do you know what happened to Draken Aragon? One assumes he isn’t still alive?”

I shrug. “I have no idea. If he is still alive, he would be thousands of years old and a well-kept secret. I’d never even heard of him until yesterday.”

Felix frowns. “Your father never mentioned him before?”

I shake my head, gulping back the knowledge that I know how this sounds. “No. He always just used ‘first ancestor’ when he ever referenced. But that was maybe twice that I can remember.”

“How old is your dad?”

“One thousand, seven hundred and fifty years old.”

“So older than Luke…” He gets a thoughtful expression on his face. I don’t interrupt his musing. He is a super brain, and I need him to figure this shit out for me sooner rather than later. “That would make his parents, somewhere around two thousand years old… keep going back, we are looking at the proverbial start of the world as referenced by the Christian bible. Six thousand years, give or take.”

“So you’re saying Draken would be six thousand years old if he is still alive?” I ask tentatively.

“Or more if you consider the Big Bang Theory.”

“Dinosaurs?” I croak. “Fuck.”

“I suppose we need to know when the First vampire was first mentioned. That would give us more of a timeline.”

“Okay, but what has any of this got to do with the Blood Rights?” I ask, confused as fuck and not ashamed to admit it.

“It has everything to do with it. If Draken is still alive, we need to know.”

“I could ask my dad.”

“I don’t think you would get any answers from him.”

“No, probably not. If anything, I should probably also not mention that these powers are growing stronger.”

Felix nods grimly. “Definitely keep that to yourself. The fewer people who know about your growing abilities, the better.”

I stand up, grabbing my bag for class. “We’re going to be late.”

He nods, and we head toward the door together, but Felix pauses before opening it. “Gaida, there’s something else.”

“What now?”

“The magickal signature I felt watching you. I’ve encountered it before. At Franklin.”

I frown. “You think Lucius was at your old academy?”

“I know he was, assuming this is Lucius we are talking about.”

“He can’t get into MistHallow,” I say, dropping my voice. “Luke has it warded against him. I wonder if he was searching for him, knowing he was a Professor somewhere but could never pin him down because of the wards?”

“It tracks.”

“You should tell him what you know.”

“Can’t you?”

“Scared?” I ask with a smile.

He snorts. “He irritates me.”

“Why? Because he’s smarter than you?”

“Maybe,” he grits out.

I grab his hand with a laugh and kiss his knuckles. “You’re precious. But go and talk to him, okay?”

He nods, and we go our separate ways to classes. My mind is jammed with questions, and there are no answers in sight.