Page 10 of This Blood That Breaks Us (This Blood That Binds Us, #3)

Seven

Luke

I lost track of the days. It was easy to do since we weren’t allowed any technology and Ezra and Sirius made sure we were busy at all hours. It took days of planning before we got Thane and William alone with us in our room again.

“Will, what are you doing?” I asked.

Will snipped dead leaves off the plant on my nightstand. “There’s not enough light in here for this.”

“Can we talk about the plan?”

“One of you has to repot this today, or it’s a goner.”

“Fine. I’ll do it,” I said. That seemed to ease the lines of worry between his brows.

“Okay, today’s objective. We have to find a way out of the castle and off the island.”

“Easy for you to say. Sirius is up my ass wherever I go. He beeps me.” Will licked his teeth in silent disgust.

“You have a pager?” Zach chuckled.

“Yeah, everyone here is ancient.”

Thane cracked a smile as he fell back onto my bed. “At least Ezra comes and finds me.”

“You get to do nice things like tend to the garden, while Sirius makes me do pointless tasks like go outside and dig holes and shovel dirt. And then he makes me fill them back up again. Don’t even get me started on the lack of plant care in this place. Diabolical.”

“So we have to get out of here. That much is clear,” I said.

Thane was eager. “I did get to explore a bit of the east wing today while I was waiting outside the queen’s quarters for Ezra and Luke. I can attest to the fact that there is little to no way to get out that way. Not because of the lack of doors, but because they have a rotation of people guarding that area. I heard some of them whispering about being told to keep an eye on you guys. Oddly enough, I think they watch you guys more than Will and me. We could use that to our advantage.”

“See, great job, Thane. That’s the type of information we need.” I patted him on the shoulder, and his smile widened.

“Thanks man.”

Will and Zach shared a look, and my brother rolled his eyes.

“Fine. As I waited for Zach for an entire day while he trained with Sirius, I did get a little time alone. When I wasn’t hidin’ out in closets and all that shit, I checked out the garden and the main hall. I can tell ya the garden isn’t going to work either. It’s the main way for everyone movin’ in and out of the castle. So traffic is moving down the hall at all hours.”

“Great. Yes. That’s good.”

“Don’t I get a pat on the shoulder? Not even a ‘good boy’”?

“Good boy, huh?” Zach said.

“Focus. We don’t have a lot of time. Who knows how much time has passed.”

“It’s been about two weeks,” Thane said with a nod of confident assurance.

My heart fluttered with anxiety at knowing. I wasn’t expecting an answer.

“How do you know that?”

“I keep track of the moon cycles. I don’t always get to go outside, but I have this tiny window in our chambers.”

“How is that, by the way?” Zach and I weren’t allowed in their quarters, and every night, unless they were specifically assigned to us for the day, they would lock them in there.

“Humble but not a torture chamber. We have beds and stuff.”

“It’s dirty and fuckin’ cold.” William crossed his arms. “But no one bothers us for a couple hours.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to get out of the castle alone,” Thane said, rubbing his chin. “I’m hoping for a secret tunnel of some kind.”

“Right, we should check the basements while everyone is busy. Thane, are you up for it?”

“Hell yeah, let’s go.”

I turned to Zach. “Will you guys try to check out the north end and the harbor? We need a clear way off the island.”

“You got it, brother.” Zach hit my shoulder, and we went our separate ways.

Thane and I started toward the basement. The last few days were a blur. I’d spent all morning with Her every day. It started in the garden, then it grew into me staying with Her till Ezra came for me. It was always when the sun was highest in the sky.

She was lonely. Lower-ranked members scrubbed Her floors and cleaned Her room, but they could never look at Her. Not that it mattered; Her eyes were always on me.

I thought She’d be hard to understand, but She told me about places in the castle where Her and Her brother played as kids. Her hobbies. Her wants. She felt real. Like The Divine in human form, and it made this place feel easier to take in a way.

I hadn’t realized I’d spent the entire walk down thinking of Her and tuning Thane out.

“Luke?”

“Sorry. Say it again.”

“We should check down this way. There’s this door that’s locked I can never get into.”

“Oh, Ezra gave me keys to almost every room in this place.”

“I thought he would.” Thane winked.

Something about his optimism made me smile. I tried not to let it pull me down a bad road, but it was hard not to think of my brothers daily. I wanted to know what they were doing. Where they’d been. I missed Presley’s stories. Mostly, I missed how they both made me laugh. I never talked about it, but sometimes, I’d stare up at the skylight and imagine them all living their lives. I hoped they were happy.

After trying a few iron keys, the door opened and a wave of cold blew through the corridor. The smell of mold and dust lingered in the air. Dimly lit bulbs lined the walls and illuminated an abandoned path of dirt and cobblestone.

“This must be where they tortured people,” Thane said.

I think he was joking.

I led us through empty archways. Most were barren. There was nothing useful. Just dirt, old furniture, and decaying wood crates. A near silent electrical humming echoed in the walls, and I followed it to the far end of the hallway to a large storage fridge filled with fresh blood bags. I swallowed.

I’d almost forgotten about feeding. It’s not like I had the calendar on my phone anymore. Luckily, I felt fine.

Thane and I split up, moving our hands along the walls for any signs of a way out.

“I’m not finding anything.” Thane’s voice echoed.

He was right. No secret passageways. My guess was it was an old armory hundreds of years ago, and now there wasn’t a need for one.

“There you are.” Ezra stopped us. “What are you doing?

“Uh, exploring,” I said.

Ezra’s eyes flickered to Thane, who was getting good at bowing.

I’d need to be more convincing. “I was looking for blood. Connell told me I could find it here.”

“Next time, tell me.” His eyes seemed to soften as he opened the fridge and handed me a bag. “Here.”

“What about Thane?”

“Luke, you don’t need to—”

“Fine.” Ezra grabbed another and handed it to Thane. “Drink quickly. We have somewhere to be.”

After biting into the plastic, I let the blood fill my mouth. It was cold like everything else. I closed my eyes, willing myself to be anywhere else, and She came to mind. I missed the taste of Her. I couldn’t drink any blood without thinking of Hers. My heart raced at the thought, and in seconds, every last drop was drained.

“Good. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s the day before the new moon, we have a time of prayer.”

“Oh.”

While readying myself, I mulled over the new information. I knew She was The Divine, but I’d never considered praying to Her before. Zach had mentioned Sirius making him “pray to a wall” every morning, but Ezra had never spoken of it to me before.

We followed him to the cathedral, where he had Thane wait outside with Will. Snow flurries disappeared into the white linen covering his shoulders. He simply nodded, and I entered through the doors with Ezra.

Lit candles covered the floor. Everyone was there. Even my brother kneeled before Her. She sat in Her throne above all with a veil covering Her face, and Her lips widened with a smile at my arrival. She was draped in layers of white tulle, and a flower crown sat atop her head.

The weight of the world fell away as I took a place next to my brother. He sighed when he saw me and gave me a bored welcome nod. Ezra and Sirius walked to stand on either side of Her.

“Our family is finally complete. The Divine favors us.”

“The one true path,” everyone repeated.

Everyone bowed their heads while Ezra and Sirius kneeled.

Everyone knelt with their heads on the floor. Zach and I shrugged, then did the same.

With my head to the floor, I closed my eyes. When I was a kid, I tried to pray like Mom wanted me to. I’d bow my head and squeeze my eyes shut like her. I’d even lace my fingers together in my lap. Mom believed with her entire heart. So I tried too.

Now I was on my knees again, kneeling to Her. A different god.

Thirty of us didn’t fill up the cathedral in the slightest. The usual group of laughing, unruly men were all entranced with stoic reverence.

“Today we come together to anoint one of you. And celebrate the return of our precious Gemini twins.” Her voice was unwavering and strong. It was different in a way I couldn’t place my finger on. “My agents of chaos. We know the way. The Divine makes the path clear and binds us together. Our unity reshapes the fabric of the world. Nothing can tear us apart.”

A hushed rush of prayers filled the room.

“Glory be to Her.”

“Show us the way.”

“Pick me. Please.”

“Glory. Glory. Glory.”

“I’m feeling a draw today toward one of you. Soft. Courageous.” She stood and let Her draping fall. “One of our newest family members, Connell. Please come sit at my feet.”

A hushed gasp echoed, and Connell scurried to the front. He vibrated with excitement and his eyes went wide as She touched his face.

Something in my chest ached. I averted my gaze to the floor again. Was I jealous? Was it because he reminded me of my brothers? My hands tingled like panic was coming for me, but I needed to know what the anointing meant.

“Show me what hurts,” She said. Her words were soft, but Her gaze was like a dagger.

“Yes, Beautiful Glorious Honorable One. Thank you. Thank you.”

We waited while She searched his mind, and he held out his hands in surrender to Her.

“There. He hurt you, didn’t he? Your father was a terrible man. I can take all that pain from you. You’ll never have to remember that moment again. Would you like that?”

“Yes, please.”

“It’s done.” She kissed his forehead.

I opened and closed my hands to relieve the tingling, but it wasn’t stopping. I didn’t want to be there. Everyone fell into Her trance, and all I experienced was panic working its way up my spine and into my extremities. Even my brother was enamored and followed Her every move. There was something wrong. I was wrong. I needed out.

Sirius spoke, “Let’s all take a moment to praise Her for performing this miracle for our brotherhood. A win for one is a win for all.”

My head hit the floor as we all bowed. I didn’t know what I believed or what I felt. That’s why they chose me. I was a blank slate for them to mark all over. A place to paint their story. My fingernails dug into my palm.

“Focus, My Love.” Her voice was next to me, and soft fingers cupped my cheek.

I was gone. Every sound and feeling fell away with Her touch.

“Focus,” She whispered again.

I wanted to please Her. I wanted Her to touch me. For a minute, I let go. The thought of Her took over completely, and peace finally found me. This was my home.

Ascension was coming for me.

I was powerless to fight it.

The prophecy was real.

It would be easier to let go.

That’s it, My Love. Her voice was in my head.

Why were we fighting this so hard in the first place? She was a goddess. Real. Vivid. And very much alive. Her blood was in my veins. I was made to worship Her.

“Look at me, and I will bless you.”

Before I could think or ponder, She bit into Her wrist and blood flowed in a river of ink.

I had to get out.

After Akira’s blood, I felt myself slipping. All that control I’d learned with Kilian became obsolete in the presence of Her blood when I could hear Her pulse racing. I pressed my knees into the floor, willing myself to stay, but my pulse grew louder as She moved closer. All eyes were on Zach and me.

“We are one.”

She reached my brother first. The blood on Her fingers resembled ink as She dragged Her fingers over Zach’s eyes, forming two lines.

The room was spinning. You have this. Just get outside.

She drew a stark black line from his forehead onto his nose.

I turned away. I was sure if I saw the blood touch his mouth, my control would slip. The taste . . .

If I give in, we’re all doomed.

I found my footing and resolve, then bolted. When the door shut behind me, I moved to block the entrance with my body and fell to my knees. I couldn’t believe I’d made it out.

“Are you okay?” Thane leaned over me.

I shook my head to gain composure, but it was swimming. The blood. It was so close. She was so close. The need gnawed at my insides.

Thane patted my head.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m proud of you. You kept it together. You didn’t give in.”

“How did you . . . ?”

“I can smell it. I remember how it felt when I had so much. And now I feel empty. I don’t know how much blood you’ve had, but the fact that you were able to walk through that door and shut it is something you should be proud of. I sent Will over there by the garden because he even felt it, and there’s a door between us.”

His words brought me the relief I needed to not spiral. Even Will felt it, and he’d never drank from Her directly.

“Thanks, Thane.”

I hated the circumstances, but it was nice to have him there. Someone who understood the want and need.

“I got you, dude.”

I replayed it over again. That look of awe in my brother’s eyes. Her attention on him. Her blood on his face. I couldn’t cave, or we’d never make it back to our real family.

I shoved the thought down. I was happy to have Thane by my side and thought for a moment on what we’d do when we were out of here. Thane came to sit beside me as I leaned against the door and wrapped my arms around my shoulders.

I’d probably light a fire. I really missed the heat.