Page 90 of This Blood that Bonds Us

I worked through the plants, doing just as she mentioned and checking the soil between each one to make sure it was completely dry. All while I thought of William. He’d hate me touching his plants. I wondered what the four of them were doing but pushed any thoughts away that told me they’d been killed or hurt. I wanted William and Thane to come back to their family as much as I wanted it for mine. Perhaps Will would smile when he returned home to see his plants alive and thriving.

“Hey ladies.” Aaron strode in with glowing confidence. An influx of laughter and voices came from the hallway as the boys took their break and walked from the dining room to the kitchen.

Aaron’s gaze stayed fixed on me. His bare chest and the fresh flush in his cheeks made me weak in the knees.

“After this break, Dom is going to work with me for another hour, but tonight, I’m all yours.” He touched his lips to mine and lingered there till my entire body flushed with heat. He leaned close to my ear. “All night.”

I simply nodded. Those golden eyes never faltered, and he winked at me before going for the door.

It took a second longer for me to compose myself.

“God. He’s different.” Halina’s eyes devoured him in an instant, admiring what I, too, admired. The veins in his arms, the curve of his biceps. His messy hair.

A strange heat in my stomach traveled to my throat and almost tore through my clenched teeth. I cleared my throat.

That broke her concentration.

Aaron had changed. What the ritual had torn from me, had fueled him. He hadn’t shed a tear. Every day the sun passed overhead, only seemed to pump him full of radiant optimism.

“I’m sorry. Respectfully, I’m very envious of you right now. It’s been so long for me . . . and the way Aaron looks at you—well, it’s hot.”

Halina never talked to me like a friend, though she’d softened to me. We only talked about logistics. Things like:How long have you gone without blood before? Is this how it was for you? Did you just let me win this match because you feel sorry for me?Never dating.

“I heard he’s been drinking from you. You have to tell me what that’s like.”

“You mean . . .”

“The sex. It’s got to be something else entirely.”

“Uh . . .”

Suddenly, I missed Chelsea. Not that she’d have loved a conversation about Aaron’s and my love life, but she would have listened if I needed someone to talk to. In Alaska, the only person I could talk to was Presley, and considering Aaron was his brother, that topic was off the table. It was too personal of a subject for me to discuss with Halina.

“It’s . . . There aren’t really any words to describe it.”

Halina wouldn’t let me off the hook. She placed her hands on her hips, waiting for more. I’d need to steer in another direction.

“Have you ever . . . had anyone?”

“The dating pool is extremely small when you’re like we are and you hang out with your brother all the time. People think we’re dating. It’s gross. More than that, it’s not like I can pull someone into this suicide mission.”

“Right.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t say it like that.” Her long blonde lashes fluttered. “Skylar will undoubtedly make me pay from beyond the grave for saying that to you.”

“You really don’t think we’re going to make it?”

“I don’t know about you . . . but I’ve been prepared to die since the minute I was changed. Everyone who hangs around with Kilian is prepared for death. It’s always been a suicide mission. Felix and I were changed for the cause. Like Aaron asked before, we signed on with complete knowledge. Like most people who aren’t afraid to die, we didn’t have a family to worry about, but we got to see firsthand how The Family steals our recruits. They convinced Felix’s best friend, someone I was very close to, to change sides, but it’s never enough for them, they bled him out. Let him die. Slowly and painfully. All to prove a point. I fear everyday what they’re doing to Will and Thane . . .”

I realized Halina never hated us. She hated watching us live life carefree while this had always been a life-or-death battle for her. In her shoes, I might have hated me too. In Blackheart, we’d been foolish and carefree, and though I couldn’t bring myself to regret it, I wished I’d known the secrets and horrors that everyone held close to their chests.

“Do you think William and Thane are a lost cause?”

“No. But I think this is the end. In a lot of ways, I’ve always felt like I was born with a half-life. Though I’ve lived over a hundred years, I’ve never truly lived.”

I felt the pull of her words and the truth in them. Fate had its hooks in me. Luring me, it tugged at my skin and my thoughts every minute of the day. There was somewhere it was taking me, and I was afraid to reach my final destination. The queen was beckoning me to Her, and I knew I’d meet Her in the future. Our paths were merging.

“Destined to die . . .” I repeated, averting my gaze.