Page 114 of This Blood That Binds Us

William smirked. “Only what was necessary.”

“Prop him up,” Kilian said.

William and another girl in a black robe grabbed Aaron on both sides, pulling him up from the floor. They scooted him back and leaned him at the foot of one of the wooden pews.

“I’m sorry you’re so uncomfortable. It’s not how I like to do things.” Kilian stood. His long, thick robe dragged on the hardwood, nearly missing a few candles.

“Can you please tell us what’s going on?” I said.

“In order for me to do that, I must know what you know. How much do you two know about The Family?”

William stepped up and opened his mouth to speak, but Kilian held up his hand. “Please. I want to hear it from them.”

I looked at Aaron, who seemed to be putting all his energy into staying conscious. I wasn’t surprised to hear the name come up. The Family felt like an omen hanging over the Calem brothers. Therefore, it was hanging over me as well. It was only a matter of time that it caught up. I just didn’t expect it would be so soon.

“Kimberly doesn’t know anything. Just what I’ve told her, and it’s not much. So, you can leave her out of this,” Aaron said.

“I repeat. I’m not going to hurt you.” Kilian stood in front of the cross.

Despite his calm disposition, he wasn’t very convincing.

Aaron scoffed. “You know, I might have believed you if I wasn’t bleeding all over the floor of this nice church.”

“If there was ever a time when this church was nice, it was long ago,” Kilian said.

“What choice do you have?” William walked next to Kilian, his arms still poised behind his back.

He reminded me of a soldier. His shoulders were pulled back and waiting at attention.

“Fine. I know that The Family is dangerous...I know that...My brothers are somehow involved in all this, but I don’tknow how. They never told me anything. Probably to prevent situations like this.”

“William informed me that he pulled a memory for you. Tell me about it.”

“Memory?” I squeezed Aaron’s cold hand. “What’s he talking about?”

“Yeah, it was back in Brooklyn. At my house, some lady was there, with these weird eyes. They had me and Presley tied up, and she gave us her blood, and they said—”

“Copula quae numquam solvi potest. It’s Latin. It means a bond that can never be broken.” Kilian kneeled in front of us again with what appeared to be a handkerchief he had wetted from a bowl on the altar. With the linen cloth, he moved toward Aaron. “May I?”

Aaron hesitated. “I . . . guess.”

Without another word, he sponged the blood that was stained across Aaron’s neck.

I never let go of Aaron’s hand.

Kilian spoke again. “You don’t remember because you were touched by a queen. She’ s the purest, strongest form of what we are. The history of The Family is a long insidious one, so I will tell you only what pertains to you. The Family began in the Renaissance Age, when politically influential elites would practice necromancy and try to summon demons. They wanted to use their power to obtain riches and knowledge not known to humans. After many attempts, they were successful in the transferring of a powerful demon into the body of a woman. They used women, usually orphaned or poor, as their test subjects. They tried duplicating the transfer in men but were unsuccessful. The men did not predict the hold that the demon would have over them. They found themselves enthralled withHer. Their devotion turned into an obsession and thus the first Queen was born. From there, the Queen made her Guard, andthe Guard made up their lower members. The original is long gone, and only six other Queens remain in existence, and it looks like you’ve met one.”

Aaron and Kilian locked eyes.

I cleared my throat. “Wait, so if you’re not The Family, who are you?”

The double doors at the end of the aisle burst open. Zach and Luke stood with fire in their eyes. Soon, Aaron and I were being dragged backward. William grabbed both of our shirt collars and hurled us at Kilian’s feet next to the altar. My bones ached as I crashed into the wooden block. Two robed figures placed a gag in our mouths and quickly tied our hands behind our backs.

“Stop right there. Unless you want the rest of your dear little brother’s blood to be spilled.” William tugged at Aaron’s shirt.

Five robed figures, including William, surrounded Zach and Luke. The last two filtered in from behind, limping.

“I’m surprised you were able to get through our watchers. You are skilled,” Kilian said, holding his hands in front of himself patiently. His face was unreadable.