Page 7

7

LUKE

Never in my entire history have I wanted to stake a creature in the heart as much as I do Draken right now. Even Lucius. He is putting ideas into Gaida’s head that shouldn’t be there.

The truth is, I want it. I want Gaida as my sire more than I’ve wanted anything in my fifteen hundred years. But I know the toll it would take on her. What it would do to us. The power dynamic would shift irrevocably.

“Luke?” Her voice breaks through my thoughts. Those blue eyes searching mine, looking for answers I’m not sure I can give.

“We should discuss this privately,” I say, my voice tight with restraint.

Draken laughs, the sound grating against my nerves. “There is no privacy in matters of blood and destiny, Blackthorn. The Blood Queen must choose. Now.”

“No,” Felix says, his grey eyes flashing with power. “You don’t get to dictate terms here. You’ve been trapped for millennia. A few more hours won’t kill you.”

Draken’s smile doesn’t waver, but something dangerous flickers in his eyes. “The sorcerer has teeth. How delightful.”

“More than teeth,” Felix warns, a shimmer of dark energy rippling around his fingers.

Dante stands beside Gaida, ready to kill again for her. I couldn’t ask for a better protector for her.

I watch as Gaida stands between us all, the weight of an impossible choice on her shoulders. The sword in Draken’s hand pulses with malevolent energy, and I can feel Mashtar’s rage burning through our bond. He knows what’s happening. He knows his son plans to destroy him.

“I need a minute,” Gaida says finally, her voice steadier than I expected. “All of you, step back.”

To my surprise, Draken complies, though his eyes never leave her face. Dante looks ready to protest, but Felix grabs his arm in warning.

“Gaida,” I say softly.

“I know,” she interrupts, giving me a look that makes my heart clench. “I know, Luke.”

She steps away from all of us, moving to the centre of the vault. The sword in Draken’s hand trembles, as if fighting to reach her. I feel an answering tremor run through my body, Mashtar’s will pushing against mine.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Gaida asks after a tense few minutes, where no one even dared to breathe.

Draken holds her gaze, something almost like respect flickering in his emerald eyes. “You don’t. That’s what makes this interesting. But I have never lied to you.”

“You have been out of that chalice for all of ten minutes,” I growl.

“Yes,” Draken concedes, “Doesn’t make it less true.”

I can’t help it. The urge is just too strong. I zip around the back of Dante, grip my stake and slam it into Draken’s heart before he can even bat an eye.

Sadly, nothing happens. Most of me expected it. All of me wanted him to die.

Draken looks down at the stake protruding from his chest with mild annoyance, as if I’ve done nothing more than spill wine on his shirt. He wraps his fingers around the wood and pulls it out with a sickening squelch, tossing it back to Dante to my further irritation.

“Really, Blackthorn? How pedestrian.” He brushes invisible dust from his clothing. “I’m not a common vampire. I’m something far older.”

“Worth a try,” I mutter, eyes narrowed. My body feels strange, like it’s being pulled in two directions at once. Mashtar’s rage pulses through our bond, making my vision flash crimson at the edges.

Draken turns his attention back to Gaida. “This is all very annoying. Accept that you will be his sire, and we can move on with our lives.”

“I—,” She sighs. “We need more than a few minutes to discuss this. If the end of the worlds isn’t nigh, can we reconvene in a few hours? Luke and I need to talk.”

“Fine,” Draken says, “But I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Oh, no,” I growl. “You are staying in here, so I know where you are.” In a flash of magick, I drag Gaida, Felix and Dante out of the vault with me and slam the door shut, locking it with wards not even Draken can break, or he would’ve earlier.

“Did he just let you slam that door on him?” Dante asks.

“He’s playing the long game,” I mutter, reinforcing the wards with every bit of power I can muster. The effort makes my head pound as Mashtar’s influence fights against my actions.

Gaida hisses. “I don’t understand. If destroying the sword kills Mashtar, wouldn’t that solve our immediate problem?”

“Maybe,” Felix says. “Or maybe Draken is manipulating us to destroy his father so he can have you all to himself.”

“Luke and I need to talk alone,” she says, looking at me with those big blue eyes that I wasn’t able to resist.

“Go,” Felix says, “and have answers when you come back.”

“We’ll stand guard,” Dante says. “I don’t trust either one of them.”

I give them a swift nod and take Gaida’s hand, teleporting us to my bedroom. Before she can open her mouth to speak, I push her up against the wall and kiss her deeply, my hands cradling her face with desperate intensity. I pour everything I’m feeling into the kiss. Fear, desire, frustration, and something deeper that I’ve been fighting for far too long.

I pull back from the kiss and trail my mouth down the side of her neck, over her breasts and down over her stomach as I drop to my knees. I strip her naked with a single thought and devour her, sucking her clit into my mouth, making her moan and tremble.

Her hands grip my hair, holding me to her as I worship her with my mouth. I need this connection, need to remind both of us of what we are to each other before we make any life-altering decisions. I slide two fingers inside her, curling them against that spot that makes her cry out my name.

“Luke,” she gasps, her body trembling against my mouth. “We should talk?—”

“Later,” I murmur against her. “First, I need this. We need this.”

Her resistance crumbles when my tongue flicks rapidly over her clit as my fingers thrust inside her. She comes with a shuddering cry, her pussy clenching around my fingers as pleasure washes through her.

Before she can recover, I stand and lift her, wrapping her legs around my waist as I carry her to the bed. I strip my clothes off with vampire speed and settle between her thighs, my cock pressing against her.

“Look at me,” I command softly, waiting until those blue eyes lock with mine. “Whatever happens next, whatever you decide, know this. I am yours. In every way that matters.”

I push inside her slowly, savouring the way her body yields to mine. Her arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me closer as I sink deeper into her.

Everything else fades away as I bury my cock as deep inside her as it will go. Each thrust is measured, each withdrawal a sweet torture as I memorise every sensation, the silk of her skin beneath my palms, the catch in her breath when I hit that perfect spot inside her, the way her eyes darken with pleasure when I push deep.

“Luke,” she whispers, my name a prayer on her lips. Her hands roam my back, nails digging into my flesh as I increase my pace.

“Tell me you feel it,” I murmur against her throat. “Tell me you know what this is between us.”

“I feel it,” she gasps as I drive into her harder. “I’ve always felt it.”

I capture her mouth in another kiss, swallowing her moans as her body tightens around mine. The pleasure builds between us, a rising tide that threatens to drown us both. When she comes again, her pussy clamps around my cock and I follow her over the edge, pouring myself into her with a hoarse cry of her name.

For several moments, we lie tangled together, our breathing gradually slowing. I press my forehead against hers, unwilling to break the connection between us just yet.

“You’d be my sire,” I finally say, voice rough with emotion. “Do you understand what that means?”

She strokes my face, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw. “I’d have power over you. Control.”

“Yes,” I murmur, eyes searching hers. “And it’s not just the control itself, but the responsibility. The bond is sacred, ancient.”

She shifts beneath me but doesn’t push me away. Her fingers continue to trace patterns on my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

“Would you resent me for it?” she asks quietly. “For having that power over you?”

I consider her question carefully. “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “Part of me wants this with a desperation I’ve never felt before, to be that close to you, have a bond with you that could be magnificent and absolute. Another part fears what it might do to us. To you.”

She closes her eyes, leaning into my touch. “I’m afraid, Luke. What if I’m not strong enough? What if I abuse that power without meaning to?”

“You are stronger than you know,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone.”

“I think this is our only way. I don’t think trying to use the sword to bind you to Constantine will work now. Maybe not even Lucius. Mashtar won’t accept it.”

“You’re right. He might not even accept you.”

“So it could be dangerous.”

“No more dangerous than leaving me in his hands.”

“So it’s settled then,” she croaks.

“It’s settled.”

We both go quiet, neither of us sure where to go from here.