My father had been adamant that Jasper and I never become dependent on that power source. He told us our history, the cautionary tale of how the bloodlust had been the downfall of our kind and the reason the curse was placed upon us.
In my primitive years, Jasper and I had gone out on our own after we finished our schooling. I allowed myself to fall prey to the allure, spending my nights at clubs in the city, where eager patrons would line up to be fed upon and fucked. The heady combination was euphoric for both parties. Therefore, I never thought twice about the addiction driving me to take my fill.
It was not until I awoke in a strange bed covered in blood that I saw what I had become. Bodies were strewn haphazardlyaround the room, their stringy pulses barely audible over the roaring in my ears.
I fled the scene, compelling Jasper to lock me in the deprivation chamber when he would not do it at my desperate request. Betrayal was thick between us, knowing it had damn near killed him to watch my demons come back to devour me whole.
It was the only time in my life when I worried whether my friend would still be here when I emerged, but it was a risk I had been willing to take. Though he had beaten me bloody when he pried open the chamber door, I had gladly accepted the punishment for forcing his hand.
Consequences be damned, there were no other options.
From that moment on, I always kept my father’s warning at the forefront of my mind, careful not to let the drug take control and turn me into someone I did not recognize.
“I do not know,” I whispered. “I had fought vehemently against taking Corvina’s blood for so long, refusing to take so much as a sip directly from her veins. Anything I consumed was brought in from donation centers to avoid the temptation of taking too much.”
Was that why, when I finally gave in, I had taken everything despite the terror she emanated and how hard she fought? Was I too weak to say no, regardless of how much I wanted to?
“Is it possible,” Calia began, drawing my attention, “that you were compelled?”
I opened my mouth to tell her no, that no one would dare compel me to perform such an atrocious act, but I was struck with the stupidity of the statement.
There was one person who would benefit from Corvina’s death. Someone who had likely become suspicious of her questions and constant trailing, who knew her threats had been overheard and could not risk them seeing the light of day.
Calia reached out her hand, replacing her father’s on my own. I did not want to look at her, knowing I would see disgust swimming in her eyes and condemnation for my actions.
With the stroke of her thumb against my skin, my resolve broke.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze and was met with only understanding. Her down-turned lips formed a full pout, tear tracks glistening in the light. She let me see everything, an olive branch I desperately found myself clinging to as though it could absolve me of my crimes.
“Fucking hell,” Jasper said, running his hands through his hair. “I’m going to kill that cunt.”
Calia pulled back, tucking her hands underneath her legs as she spoke. “Not if I kill her first.”
“So, Leonora wanted to be all-powerful and wanted the knife even though your father wouldn’t give it to her,” Jasper said, pacing the room. It had become deathly quiet as we all took in the new information and what it meant.“Why kill Corvina? She could have easily enlisted her to steal it from him. Your father loved her.”
I sat back in my chair, rubbing my temples. I tried not to think about the conviction in Calia’s words, how she had voiced her determination to end my mother once and for all, or the way it made my cock ache thinking of her dirtying her hands.
She had her own reasons for wanting the woman dead, but the thought of me being one of those reasons made my chest inexplicably tight.
“Leonora is suspicious of her own shadow. I would not be surprised if she believed Corvina to be working against her, rather than with, as we assumed, therefore painting a target on her back. If she did use compulsion on me”—I swallowed past the rising bile, forcing myself to say the words out loud—“Corvina’s death gave her more than her life ever did.”
“What do you mean?” Elios asked, tilting his head.
“If I was the one to kill Corvina, it gave her the perfect opportunity to kill my father in the following days. The blame would fall on my and Lucius’ shoulders for both deaths, ensuring she would not be implicated, and allowing her access to steal the dagger from Father’s office.”
Rowena shifted next to me. “Which explains her anger toward the dagger’s disappearance,” she mused. “Because for all her scheming, she never anticipated failure.”
“Precisely,” I nodded, tenting my fingers. “And with Corvina gone, she did not even have the opportunity to bide her time and break the curse.” I flitted my gaze to Calia. “Until you.”
Castor, who had remained silent, shifted behind Calia. “Leonora could use Calia to break the curse, therefore allowing her to search for the dagger without limitations, but then it presented itself amidst the chaos.”
“Which means the blood moon is of little consequence,” Elios said, sighing. His weary face was drawn tight, shoulders tensing underneath his shirt. “And she will not stop hunting us until she gets her way.”
Jasper stopped, raising his finger in the air. “Or she dies.”
Elios nodded, pushing to his feet. “Yes.” He turned to Castor. “How quickly can you call in reinforcements from the Vail?”
Castor, already ahead of the god, pressed his phone to his ear. “On it,” he said, walking from the room.
