Page 113 of This Blood That Binds Us

“Settle down, kids. I’ve got good news and bad. Good news is, your terrified waiting is over. Bad news is, Aaron has to come with me.” William nodded once, and chaos ensued.

The man dragged Aaron from his chair. A trail of black blood smudged the floor with each kick of Aaron’s sneakers.

If he was still fighting, I would, too.

I shoved my foot down onto my captor’s foot with no luck. No amount of pressure was being taken off my ribs. I used every ounce of strength in my muscle to try to wiggle free from the iron grip. I exhausted all the air from my lungs.

Aaron disappeared through a wooden door across the room, our eyes meeting one last time. A scream curdled in my throat. I threw my head back in anger, and pain radiated through myskull. Dizziness hit me instantly, and for the first time, I relaxed, letting the hands keep me up.

“You’re goin’ to give yourself a concussion if you don’t stop. Give her to me,” William said.

As they passed me off, I bolted for the wooden door I’d seen Aaron disappear into. I slammed into it with my body weight and fell to my knees.

The smell of dirt and old cedar wood greeted me from the darkness. Candlelight flickered throughout. A few were inches from my face, a lit candle flitted.

With a groan, I pulled my aching body from the creaking floor. It was running on empty. A large wooden cross loomed in front of me. We were in a church. It was small, with only about ten wooden pews lining an aisle that was adorned with white candles. The walls were made of stones, and they went all the way to the ceiling, only stopped by a small, worn mural.

Lightning struck outside and rattled the floor beneath me. The large stained glass window in the front of the church illuminated the room.

“Aaron!”

My voice echoed into the high ceilings. His black blood smeared across the floor, marking his location next to a pew, where someone was shoving a gag in his mouth. My forearms stung from the impact as I went to run for him. Someone grabbed me from behind, and I flinched forward in a last-ditch effort to reach Aaron on the floor. Me and Aaron collided, our heads both smacking onto the dusty hardwood.

I groaned and held my head on my way back up. My world was a vivid blur. Aaron was still unable to move, so I removed his gag.

“What are you doing!?” Aaron’s eyes searched mine in desperation.

“I don’t know!” I blurted as something blocked the dim light.

We looked up to see a cloaked man staring at us inquisitively. He was bearded, with salt and pepper hair, some of his natural dark brown peeking through. It was short and cropped. His robe was white and ornate, adornedwith gold embellishments and crosses.

My heart stuttered, and I leaned into Aaron. My hand found his and squeezed a little too hard.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

The cloaked man’s voice was pure steel. Sharp and cold.

William was at the door, bowing before entering. “I’m sorry. That was my fault. I can take her.”

“No, leave her. For now.”

“Kim, I think we’re officially fucked.” Aaron squeezed my hand back.

I swallowed. The air was unnaturally dry, considering the rain pelting the stained glass window.

The robed man crouched in front of us. “My name is Kilian. You must be Kimberly and Aaron.”

Up close, I could see the crow’s feet by his gray eyes. His hands rested on his knees casually. He had large gaudy rings and long scars on the backs of his hands.

Naturally, I took the lead. “What do you want with Aaron?”

“You were right. She’s definitely strong-willed.” Kilian smiled.

But it wasn’t warm in the way Aaron and his brothers smiled—it was solemn. A smile that came from someone who bore great responsibility and had seen some things. I didn’t want to know what those things were.

“Kim, don’t let him touch you! Be careful.” Aaron struggled to get onto his elbows. His arms shook with the weight of his own body.

Kilian turned his attention to William, who was standing at attention with his hands behind his back. “How much blood did you take from him?”