Page 13 of Crimson Devotion (The Sacred Seven #1)

THIRTEEN

Ophelia

The door of my bedroom bursts open, and one of the people I really didn’t want to see just had to show up. Quickly, I pull Faith from between my legs, and toss a duvet over her, wrapping her in it like a burrito.

Then, with a scowl on my face, I push myself off the bed, grab the first robe I manage to feel under my fingertips, and angrily secure it around my waist.

“Do you have no sense of decorum?”

Aurelia’s sly smirk turns into a wide, beaming grin. She approaches me quickly, taking my hands in hers and giving them a light squeeze. I wince a little; it’s been a while since I saw her last, and I forgot just how touchy-feely she was.

“Alright, let go of me.’’ I yank my hands back, wiping them on the robes.

Aurelia pouts, but that’s short-lived as her eyes fall on Faith behind me, curled into the duvet. Without missing a beat, Aurelia tosses herself onto the bed, facing Faith, and propping her elbow on the pillow, her cheek resting in her palm.

“You must be Faith.’’ She grins. “Valerio has told me all about you.’’

Faith blinks, semi-confused. “He has?”

Aurelia nods enthusiastically. “Of course! That’s the reason I came back.’’

Faith gives me a questioning look, lifting one of her eyebrows. Quickly, Aurelia manages to pull the attention away from me, trying to engage in some ridiculous small talk with Faith. Why my little hunter is encouraging this behavior is beyond me.

“Where the hell were you?” I interrupt her mid-sentence, and my sister turns to look at me. Before she can respond, I grab her wrist and yank her back to her feet. Somehow, her proximity to Faith bothers me. It irks my brain, and I don’t want to find out why.

“Whoa.’’ Aurelia raises her hands in surrender, then promptly sits on the edge of the bed. My eyes drift to Faith, and I can tell she’s finding all of this highly amusing, which is the only reason I haven’t kicked Aurelia out yet.

“Where have you been, Aurelia?” I repeat, for the umpteenth time. This time, however, the tone changes. Aurelia’s smile falters, her shoulders tense up, and she straightens her back.

“Alright, promise me not to freak out.’’

I blink. “Speak before I pull your tongue out.’’

“Fine,’’ she groans. “Juliana may’ve gotten herself in trouble.’’

Taken aback, I narrow my eyes. I take a seat at the edge of the bed, and for whatever reason, instead of using the chair, Aurelia plops herself down on the carpeted floor, looking up at me with an expression of anxiety I haven’t seen in ages.

“Juliana? Isn’t Cassius with her?”

Aurelia shakes her head. “No. She managed to lose him a while back. How? I don’t know, but you know as much as I do that if Juliana doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be found.’’

Something starts pressing on my heart. Despite the fact that Juliana is someone very capable of defending herself, she’s unpredictable. If she loses her shit, she can become very unstable, meaning she can put herself into a vulnerable position that could get her killed someday.

I look away from my sister for a moment, looking at Faith.

She’s intrigued, slowly sitting up in bed.

The sheets and the duvet are wrapped around her body tightly, her hair messy, sticking in every which way.

The sight is adorable, and for a moment, I debate whether to kick Aurelia out, and deal with it later.

“Get dressed,’’ I instruct Faith. She raises an eyebrow but complies, getting out of the bed, grabbing some of my clothes — yet again, and heading to the bathroom to change.

“Now, you.’’ I turn back to Aurelia. “Speak.’’

She’s always the one causing mischief. Although she’s known to be just as reckless as Juliana, Aurelia has some common sense and knows when she’s in danger.

She knows when to stop and when not to push her luck.

So seeing her straighten up, and a serious look cross over her features isn’t a surprise, but it does enhance the worry I’m feeling already.

“The reason I wasn’t calling, or why you couldn’t track me, was because I found out something and went to find out what exactly is happening.’’

“Go on,’’ I urge.

“Somewhere in America, there’s a clan of vampires.’’

“Not uncommon.’’

She nods. “Yes, but what’s odd is that they’re all old. Like, a third or fourth generation of vampires. The ones we turned into vampires. Well, not you. But you get the point.’’

“Alright, what’s the problem?”

Aurelia takes a deep breath, just as Faith re-emerges from the bathroom. Momentarily, my attention shifts to my beautiful mate, my breath hitching in my throat. She picked out one of my dresses that I never got to wear because it’s too big for me. But on her it looks so fucking perfect.

Aurelia clears her throat, and my head snaps in her direction. She rolls her eyes as Faith takes a seat next to me, her scent filling my nostrils. Without thinking, my hand finds its way onto her thigh, and when she doesn’t push me off, the stupid heart in my chest skips a beat.

“Anywho,’’ Aurelia draws out, giving me a pointed look. “I overheard from some newbie vampires that the clan has one purpose — to kill us.’’

I can’t help the scoff that leaves me. “Kill us? It’s impossible.’’

“Well, they could toss us into open water and we’d perish. Or take away our magic jewelry.’’

“Yes, but neither of those is possible.’’

“Still, the size of the clan is worrisome. There’s at least seventy of them, from what I’ve heard. It’s led by two people, and they’re recruiting baby vampires, too. Apparently, they’re luring them by promising daylight jewelry. Meaning, they have a witch at hand.’’

“That’s impossible, though.’’ I sigh, feeling a sense of comfort wash over me when Faith leans her cheek against my shoulder.

She’s silent, absorbing the words and keeping up with the conversation, quietly offering her support by placing her hand on mine, giving it a light squeeze.

“Witches, most of them, hate vampires. So, one is either involved with a vampire so she’s helping them, or is there against her will. ’’

“That was my thought process, too.’’

“Could it be Yvonne?” I ask, glancing down at Faith.

She lifts her head off my shoulder, and I want to whine at the loss of contact. She immediately shakes her head, eyes drifting between Aurelia and me.

“No, if anyone hates vampires, it’s Yvonne. There’s not a single scenario where she’d work for them, even if she were involved with a vampire.’’

“You sound so certain,’’ Aurelia presses.

“Because I am,’’ Faith says, voice full of confidence.

“Yvonne’s the biggest protector of nature.

Giving baby vampires the power to roam freely – more than they already do – would mean a lot of dead humans.

She’d never do that. If anything, if she were aware of this, I’d bet that she’d kill the clan herself before allowing them to be out and about. ’’

I mull over her words, biting the inside of my cheek.

“What else did you manage to find out, Aurie?”

“They want us all dead, but Juliana the most.’’

“Of course,’’ I groan, closing my eyes, and pinching the bridge of my nose. “What the hell did she do now?”

“What didn’t she do?” Aurelia scoffs. “But if the whispers and rumors are to be believed, they want her dead because she isn’t really one of us.’’

“Excuse me?”

“That means that someone found out Juliana wasn’t born a D’Achille. I don’t know if there’s a deeper reason behind their hatred, but knowing our sister, she probably pissed off the wrong person.’’

“Where the hell was Cassius during all this?” I ask, exasperated already. “The whole point of following her across the globe was to keep her reckless ass safe. And it was his idea!”

“I know.’’ Aurelia sighs. “The good thing is, for now, Juliana is safe. From the clan. From Cassius? She’ll need all the luck in the world. Valerio and I left them in the States and came back.’’

For a few minutes, it’s eerily silent. I’m trying to process the information, and it’s annoying me to no end. I now have Juliana’s stupid ass to think about, and no matter how much Cassius is able to keep her in check, it doesn’t ease the worry that’s been building in my chest.

If something goes amiss, I’ll lose two of my siblings.

“They’ll be fine.’’ Aurelia’s voice softens, breaking the silence. “I spoke to Cassius. He’ll try to find out more, and then they’ll come home so we can deal with this together, as a family.’’

“That must be nice,’’ Faith mumbles under her breath, yet it’s crystal clear in my mind.

She lifts her head, feeling Aurelia and myself staring at her.

She offers a sheepish smile, awkwardly laughing.

“I mean, I have no family. My parents were killed, and I never had any contact with my maternal side. Paternal side’s long dead, too.

So it’s nice to see a family sticking together. ’’

“You’re one of us now, too,’’ I say without missing a beat. “You’re my mate, and by default, that makes you one of us. Aurelia’s already accepted you, given that your head is still attached to your shoulders, and Valerio sent you here for a reason. If he disliked you, he never would’ve done that.’’

“What about the rest of your siblings?”

“Lucifer, when he wakes up, won’t like you. But don’t worry, half the time, we wonder if he even likes us, too.’’ Aurelia speaks before I can, offering a smile of comfort to Faith.

“Darius is too preoccupied to even give you a second glance. Cassius isn’t going to say a word against me; he wouldn’t dare to. And if Juliana even looks at you wrongly, you have my full permission to knock her teeth out. Don’t worry, they’ll grow back.’’

Something between a laugh and a snort comes from Faith, and she shakes her head. “Do you think I’d have the strength to actually knock teeth out of the mouth of the oldest vampire?”

I shrug. “I mean, your training as a hunter was pretty good. Now, as a vampire, you have ten hundred times the strength. You just have to learn how to control it.’’

She tilts her head to the side. “What makes you think I can’t control it already?”

A small smirk tugs on the corner of my lips, eyes moving to the spot on the head post that she’s been gripping tightly. There’s a crack in the wood, and she doesn’t even seem to notice, until her eyes follow my line of vision.

“Oh,’’ she mumbles, removing her hand. “Sorry.’’

“It’s alright.’’

Aurelia clears her throat, a simple reminder that she’s here. Standing up from the floor, she dusts off her ass, stretching her limbs. A small yawn slips her mouth, and my eyes soften at the sight. She’s been traveling a lot, and dealing with Juliana must’ve been difficult on her.

“Go rest,’’ I instruct, and she nods. “We’ll speak tomorrow. Where’s Valerio?”

“Down visiting Lucifer.’’ She sighs. “He won’t admit it, but he misses him more and more with each passing day. I just hope he wakes up soon. It feels terrible being without him for so long.’’

“He’ll wake up,’’ I say, my voice lacking the usual confidence. If she notices it, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she offers one last smile toward Faith and me, then silently leaves the bedroom.

“Are you worried?”

Faith’s voice breaks my trance, the sincerity causing my heart to flutter. I force a smile and decide against opening up. Worrying her won’t bring anything good, so with a small sigh and a soft kiss to her head, I lie.

“I’m fine.’’