AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t want to.”
“I know you don’t. But you’re going to have to.”
It’s only when spots appear on her jeans as if by magic that I realize she’s crying, the tears dripping onto her legs. I grit my teeth, fists clenched, willing myself not to take her in my arms and tell her nothing matters but us. The two of us, our bond. Everything else can go to hell.
That just isn’t the truth. It’s not reality.
“The reason they want me,” she whispers, her words coming slowly like each one takes effort. “The reason they have to kill me is because they need my blood. That’s how they’re going to bring the vampires back. My blood.”
I don’t pretend to understand the workings of dark magic or even white magic. I have no idea whether what she’s telling me will end up being the truth or if it was simply something they told her to shake her up or threaten us somehow.
So I can’t tell her there’s nothing to worry about, that it was a lie, that she should come to bed with me so we can forget this and focus on each other. My wolf paws at my chest, only he isn’t growling, snarling, or fighting. He’s whimpering. He’s in pain.
“Those were her exact words?”
“Something like that. She said as long as I stay with you, I’ll die—and so will all of you.”
Logically, that works out. They kill her, use her blood to awaken the vampires, and we are as good as a memory. That’s all that will be left of us.
“I see.”
“But why didn’t they just kill me and get it over with? That’s what I don’t understand. Maybe…” I don’t know if she runs out of ideas or if she ever had an idea, to begin with. She isn’t reasoning her way through this now. She’s flailing around, as I am, trying to come up with a way to deny this. Some way of fighting it.
“Maybe we can ask Agnes about it,” she suddenly suggests, her head snapping up, her tear-filled eyes full of hope. She may as well rip my beating heart from my chest and force me to watch as it beats its last.
“We could do that,” I murmur.
Her shoulders sink, and her face falls. “I know. There’s nothing she can do.”
“We have to find a way to keep you away from them, that’s all.”
“You think so?” Her teeth sink into her lip, and a fresh tear falls from her lashes, sparkling like a diamond against her cheek. I want to catch it, to taste it. One more small part of her I want for myself.
“That’s the only thing we can do.” I hear the defeat in my voice and know she does, too. She can try all she wants to be brave, but it’s no use.
The door flies open to reveal my father, red-faced with anger. “Who do you think you are, closing the door on me?”
“I wasn’t trying to block you out.”
“So? Have we gotten to the bottom of this yet?”
“I…” The words fail me. I know what I need to say, what he has to hear, but I can’t bring myself to say it. Not when I know what his idea of a solution will be.
“Lili, will you leave us for a minute? I need to speak privately with the alpha.” If anything, she seems glad for an excuse to get out of here. I watch every move she makes, memorizing her. My wolf is whimpering so loudly I’m surprised she can’t hear him.
Or maybe she can, and she knows why, and she can’t bring herself to acknowledge it.
Once she’s out in the hall, I cover my face with my hands. I’m shaking. Why am I shaking? I can handle this. There’s nothing I can’t handle.
“Son.” It’s my father’s voice, his touch against my shoulder, that brings me back. “What happened?”
“They’re going to use her to bring back the vampires.” Because why not get it all out at once?
“What did you say?”
“I think you heard me.” He’s scowling when I lower my hands. “Dad, please. Don’t get on my case right now for how I talk to you.”
“Explain it to me.”
“They’re going to kill her to use her blood. That’s what this is all about. That’s what the witch told her in the woods. And she told her that not only will she die, but the rest of us after her. Though we already knew that,” I add with a bitter laugh. “They want us all dead.”
“Her blood. Blood magic. Why didn’t I guess that?”
“How are we supposed to guess at anything about them? We don’t understand their ways.”
“But the child of such a powerful witch and the beta of his pack? She’s unique. Of course, they would want that. They would want that powerful blood.”
