Page 55

our blood bind

F or some reason, Niko was allowing me to train Cel again, so Monday, after serving detention, Cel met up with me and we walked back to my place. I forgot my bow, but also wanted her to take a nap before we trained. She still wasn't going home, and it looked like she was on her last bit of energy.

“Have you not showered or slept or anything?” I asked.

“God below, I’m not gross,” she snapped. “I have a toothbrush and extra clothes. I showered at school this morning and slept in the nurse’s office,” she said, as if it were obvious.

I nodded, opening the door to the apartment. “Why didn’t you come here?”

Cel would be staying with Niko and I soon anyway, so why wouldn’t she just come here.

Especially with the weather dropping more consistently to negative temperatures, schools and stores would close and winter holiday would begin until it was bearable enough for people to go outside again.

Four years ago the holiday lasted four months, the longest I’d ever experienced.

While last year was the shortest holiday recorded in centuries, only one and a half months.

She set her bag down and took off her shoes. “Where’s Niko?”

I went over to the small note in the kitchen.

“Renee’s,” I replied, going into my room to change and find my bow.

When I stepped out, Cel was asleep on the sofa, already in her assignment outfit.

That was fast. I double checked the assignment we were supposed to do.

It wasn’t urgent, we could do it later tonight.

Setting my bow back in my room, I went over to her and picked her up. She stirred. “Are you ready?”

“We’ll go after you take a nap.”

She let out a small breath as I set her down on my bed. “No, I’m fine.” She sat up, but I pushed her down. “What?”

“Cel, just sleep for a bit.” Falling on the bed next to her, I put my arm over my eyes. “I need a nap too.”

She mumbled something and we fell asleep.

***

Standing in the salt flats, two children raced past me in the reflection below, their boots crushing the invisible snow underneath them, laughing and shouting.

Two brown braids began at the top of the girl’s head, a pale blue bow tying the two strands together, letting the rest curl down a bit past her shoulders.

Her dress, the same shade of blue, contrasted her white stockings.

The boy chasing her had short black hair, dark brown trousers and a red sweater with a white button-up shirt underneath, the collar peeking over the sweater.

A camera shutter clicked behind them, Oremus lowered the camera, a big smile on his face. “Cinth, Datura,” he called. “Dinner is nearly ready. Why don’t the two of you come in and clean up?”

My younger self, around nine, walked towards Oremus, but Datura quickly took his arm, pulling him in the opposite direction.

“Datura, wait!” Oremus set down the camera and shuffled for his shoes. “It’s dangerous in there!”

I ran, following the children, massive trees appeared around them as we went deeper into the forest, Oremus’s shouts smaller. Eventually, the two stopped at a tree, huffing and puffing, their warm breaths fogging in the cold.

“Why did we run?” my younger self asked Datura. “Aren’t you hungry?”

Datura swallowed. “Because.” She huffed. “You always train after dinner and then I have to go to bed before you finish and then we won’t see each other until tomorrow morning and then I go back home before lunch.”

My younger self turned towards the direction they had come from. “Do you have to leave?”

“We only saw each other one weekend every month.” Cel appeared next to me, her hair dark silver and wearing a white dress, looking exactly like a ghost.

Datura nodded with a pout, leaning back onto the tree closest to her. “It’s not fair. We hardly get to play.”

My younger self met her eyes. “One day we won’t need anyone’s permission to see each other.”

“When we’re older, we’ll be so free.”

A slight curve formed on my younger self’s lips.

“Do you know what Aldring is?” she asked.

“A Demon’s coming-of-age?”

“Mama said I’m going to have to choose a partner then, otherwise it’s given to me.” She nodded. “This Demon named Grey is going to be mine, but I’ve never met him before.”

Something in my head clicked. The reason I beat Grey so bad all those years ago, the last straw I had forgotten, was this. He was going to be Cel’s and I could never have her because I was only human. I was and always will be considered weaker than Demons and not good enough for her.

My younger self’s face scrunched up. “Grey?”

“Do you know him?”

He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets, muttering. “Yeah.” He kicked at the snow beneath him.

Datura took his hand. “But I wanna choose you.”

My younger self froze, his face heated. “Datura.” The redness on his face deepened, avoiding her eyes. “We’re going to have to… you know.”

She blinked up at him, unbothered. “And?”

His jaw tensed. “You’re acting like this is nothing, but it’s a huge deal, Datura.”

She tilted her head. “Why?”

He glanced away, almost frustrated by how casually she was taking it.

“Because it’s not just about us. It’s about a lot more than that.

” Something in his eyes changed, a motivation that was no longer spite, but something deeper, something that would drive him longer. “And I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Cinth! Datura!” Oremus’s frantic shouts grew closer to them.

“We should go,” My younger self said before they walked back towards Oremus.

“There you are!” Oremus fell to his knees in front of them, checking both for any injuries. “Are either of you hurt?” He rested a hand on their shoulders, his eyes wide.

My younger self shook his head.

“We’re okay,” Datura replied, taking Oremus’s arm, helping the old man back to his feet. “Let’s go eat.”

He nodded, scolding them as they walked. “You two can’t go into this forest, there are dangerous creatures lurking in here.”

“Like what?” Datura’s eyes brightened with curiosity.

Oremus shook his head. “Many we don’t even know about.”

The three disappeared behind the trees, before the trees disappeared with them.

“Is this the promise you talked about before?” I asked Cel behind me .

She nodded, and another scene faded into view. It was the same younger versions of ourselves.

My younger self snuck into Datura’s bed, getting underneath the covers.

“Cinth,” she whispered, her eyes barely opened as she turned to face him. “How was training?”

“It was okay.”

She scooted closer, snuggling into him.

My younger self tensed at her closeness and opened his mouth to speak but didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Datura.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t choose Grey. You have to be with me, okay?”

Datura smiled, tilting her head up to look at him. “Will you wait for me?”

He nodded, gently caressing her hair. “Yeah.”

She planted a small, short, innocent kiss on his lips. “Let’s make a blood bind, then.”

His face heated, and he nodded.

Datura took his hand in hers and sunk her fangs in his palm, sucking on it until it was dry. Then she pierced her own palm and gave it to him. My younger self placed his mouth over her wound, sucking on the blood. When they were done, Datura cuddled close to him again.

“I wanna kiss you again.” Her voice muffled into his chest.

“Okay,” my younger self said.

“But we should wait until we’re older, right? Because kissing is something only adults do.”

“I guess so.”

The scene vanished into the water, and I was alone in the reflection. I looked up to find Celestine standing halfway between the wooden house and me. She nodded at me to follow and I took a step towards her.

***

I startled awake when the door to my room swung open. Bloody hell.

“Hyacinth, Celestine,” Niko’s voice was sharp.

I turned my head to look at him. “We’re not doing anything.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what it looks like,” he snapped.

I glanced down at Cel, who had moved to lay on top of me during our nap. She was awake and staring at him without any expression but if she and I weren’t the same, I wouldn’t have caught the hint of annoyance on her face.

“You haven’t done your assignment,” he said.

“We’ll do it tonight,” I reassured.

“It is tonight.”

I looked at the window, it was pitch dark. How long were we asleep? I pushed Cel off me and she didn’t argue, standing up with me. Then headed out.

The nap drained me, but lucky for us, the assignment wasn’t too far, still on the East side. I sighed, thankful I brought my bow. The basement was large and there were around ten people. I drew my bow back, aiming three arrows at the same time.

“You’re the only person I know that can shoot three arrows in one go,” Cel commented, tying her bandana around her head.

“Probably because I’m the only one in the city who can do it.” I released my arrows, and they flew through the air, piercing three men, killing them instantly. Seven to go.

Cel jumped down, a couple crates below shortened her fall.

I watched as she took down two men, so quick they didn’t have time to process her moves.

Then shot three more arrows before coming down to her side.

We had one each. I took my butterfly knife and slashed the centre of the last man’s chest open before turning back to Cel to see her mouth covered in blood. “Did you get hit?”

“No.” She licked the blood off the palm of her hand like a cat.

Cel seemed calmer, blood being a release for both of us — a quiet understanding that needed no words.

I nodded, stuffing my knife into my pocket. “Let’s get out of here.” I noticed her uncertainty. “You're still not going back to Silias, right?”

She nodded.

I used my thumb to wipe the bit of blood off her chin. “So, you’re sleeping at mine.”

“Is it really okay with Niko?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”

We walked back in silence until Cel finally spoke. “What are your thoughts on Stygians?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.