Page 8 of Broken Souls

Aleric:k

Inhaling sharply, I hold it for a few seconds, then type:I’ll be there at two. I have other shit to do.

I don’t, but fuck him and his schedule.

The three blinking dots pop up on my screen, telling me he’s writing a long message this time.

…

Aleric:k

Glowering at my phone, I half wish Antonio will find a way to kill him before our meeting. Dealing with Vlad, the vampire’s second, would be so much easier. He, at least, acts like a fucking adult.

Four

HER

When I wake, I am alone. There’s a glass of water on the bedside table though, alongside a chocolate bar and a note. My engagement ring sits on it. A slow smile curls my lips as I roll onto my back and stretch out my entire body. I feel like a cat lazing in the sun.

When Varius Shadow purchased me four months ago, I never thought I’d fall in love with the neanderthal. All the stories around his name painted him as a ruthless monster, and although I do not doubt that claim, having seen him not hesitate to torture his own family, I’ve also seen a different side to him. The one who is fiercely loyal to those who give him their loyalty. The one who will protect what’s his with the merciless cut of his knife.

Stroking my fingers through my lower curls, I trace the tattoo hidden there.

Property of Varius Shadow

My chest squeezes, and though I would be the first one to reject the idea that women are property, with him, the ink feels stronger than any wedding vow. More permanent. He gave me an engagement ring because hehadto in order to legitimize his heirs. He inked me because hewantedto.

My pussy kegels in memory of last night, of how he had to own me to sate his jealousy. But as fun and as hot as that was, I won’t ever tease him like that again.

There was a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. Too many people have pretended to love him only to try to kill him. To a paranoid man like Varius, giving him any reason to doubt me could be a death sentence. Perhaps even more so now that we have started the blood bond.

“It’s a dangerous thing to fall in love with a dangerous man.”

“If you break his heart, Micha, he’ll kill you for it.”

My best friend’s warnings come back to me, and I heed them. All of Varius’ past experiences, all his harshly taught paranoia won’t just disappear because I’ve told him I love him.

But he is worth the time and effort it’ll take me to break through his thick-ass, barb-wired, booby-trapped walls.

I’ll probably need multiple lifetimes to accomplish that anyways.

Turning over onto my side, I face the wooden bedside table and reach for the chocolate bar. I peel it, eat it, then sit up to drink the water. Feeling loved, I slip on my ring, then pick up the note.

My smile falters when I read it though.

Be discreet when you go back to your room. Don’t mention the bond to anyone.

My chest hurts as I stare at the black scrawl. He isn’t rejecting me in the morning light, isn’t trying to hide me from his family like I’m some great sin. He simply doesn’t trust them to know that I’m a weakness. Doesn’t trust that they won’t hurt me to get to him if they knew they could.

Last night, I told him someone is trying to blackmail me into stealing the Family ledger – the book of records that can put every single Shadow Domain member away for life. Although I haven’t yet told him about my suspicions that the culprit is either one of his seven brothers or his mother, Varius has recently been burned by someone close to him. Now he trusts no one.

Hating that he doesn’t have sanctuary even in his own home, I burn the note with my magic, then stand to collect my clothes. I need to figure out who this blackmailer is so he doesn’t have to. So I can stop them before they hurt him to the point of no return.

After getting dressed, I slip out his bedroom window. He is on the second floor, but I know how to roll the landing so it doesn’t hurt. Sneaking around to my room, I ease up the window and climb inside. I shower and change into a fresh dress, then head out of my room to make breakfast before the sun has properly risen.

I stop in the archway of the kitchen, my eyes snapping to the wooden counter splitting the room. Magic hums from it, and I recall coming home last night to a commotion in here. I didn’t stop to see what it was, having been away for a few days and only wanting to go upstairs to see Varius.

He surprised me with his desire to claim me as a mate, and I knew then something bad had happened, something serious enough to have triggered a drastic reaction in him. Death has a way of causing such things… I wonder which brother made him fear dying with regrets.