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Marko
Didn’t they say admitting to a problem was the first step? I’d been in denial for so long that it was so easy to try to slip back into, but the truth couldn’t be avoided anymore. What I said to Tessa was the truth. If I didn’t face the fact that her and Hunter were meant to be in each other’s lives, we were destined to fail. And not just against Aetas, but to each other. My vows to Tessa would be for nothing. She’d come to hate me. Her bond to Hunter was only going to grow throughout time and the love she felt now would pale in comparison to the depths it would reach over the years. I couldn’t keep them separate. Not if I wanted to keep her. I loved her too much to do that to either of us.
Hunter. My stare rose to him. I never thought I’d feel anything for the overprotective bastard. Thanks to Aetas blood, to the bond as his maker, I couldn’t help the softening I had toward the man who had been my enemy for so long. Jealousy was there, but not nearly as much as it had been before. It was the difference between me and Aetas. I thought my greed had been strong, but his was worse. His love for Tessa was purely connection based. Mine was real. I cared about what she wanted—what she needed. And that allowed me to accept Hunter. It wasn’t easy, but my heart told me it would get better over time.
“Let me help you up.”
Hunter’s eyes left Tessa and he walked toward me. The vampire in me wanted to snap at him. I wasn’t weak, dammit. But … I was. I hadn’t walked in so long that the muscles in my legs were pretty much useless. They’d heal a lot faster than a human’s, but in the meantime, I was going to have to depend on him for the little things.
“Thank you.” My arm wrapped around his shoulders while he pulled me to stand. When he started to slowly walk us to the bed, I planted my feet. His eyes met mine and as I held the contact, I pushed deep into his depths. A barrage of emotions hit me—all love and longing. For those moments, his pain was my own.
I broke away, shaking my head and patting against the heavy muscle covering his chest. “I hate you,” I said, glancing up as he sat me down. There was a pause in his reactions before a smile edged onto his face.
“I hate you, too. I doubt it will ever go away, but I’ve seen stranger things.”
Tessa pacing stole my attention. “You’re not going back, ma minette. I may not be able to read your mind, but I know you. That’s all you’re thinking about right now.”
“If I don’t go back, we will be trying to survive blind. At least this way the two of you have a chance. If I keep Aetas distracted, he will send the enforcers. You can both hide until your powers grow and you strengthen. If I don’t go … he will come, and he will find us. In that case, we’re as good as dead. At least me and Hunter. He can’t kill you, but he can entomb you again.”
Trembling wracked my body at the thought and there was no way I could control it. “If you go back and you’re there when he discovers the truth, he will torture, rape, and try to beat the information out of you. Let him entomb me if it means keeping you safe. You’re not going.”
“You can’t stop me,” she yelled. “I’m going, and you’re going to get stronger. I will come to you when I’m able. Get as far away from here as you can.”
I dove to my feet, stumbling and falling as Hunter tried to lung for her. But it was too late. Tessa was gone, back to the one person I hated more than life itself.
“Goddammit!” I slammed my fist against the cement, struggling to push myself up. Hunter had me on the bed before I could summon the strength to get my legs to work. “Your bonded is going to be the death of me,” I growled. “Most stubborn women I’ve ever met. She doesn’t listen to orders for shit.”
“Tell me about it.” Anger was thickly laced in Hunter’s voice. “But she’s right. We don’t stand a chance if Aetas finds you Marko. And we need you alive. This is worse than you can imagine. We have to leave here and find a safe place for you, now.”
I glared, cocking my head to the side. “It may be bad out there, but you do not know his instability. I feel it deep within. Tessa is going to get hurt if she’s not careful. I feel it within my bones. This will not be good for her.”
“Tessa will leave if it gets bad. I know her. She’s not stupid. She’ll escape.
“And if she can’t?”
“She will. But we can’t debate on that now. We have to go.”
I pushed away my fears, trying to convince myself that he was right. Tessa was smart. She’d know if she had to leave, and Hunter would be able to detect if she was in trouble. I had to rely on that. “Let me guess, you’re going to carry me out of here like a child?”
Hunter shrugged, giving me an apologetic look. “You know a better way?”
“Fuck me. I hate this. I swear, when I’m better, I’m going to …” I broke off, not sure what the hell I was going to do. Aetas would pay, I’d make sure of it. How, was the mystery. I wanted him to go through more hell than I had. I wanted him to suffer to the extreme.
“Before we leave, do you have any ideas where we’re going to go, because truthfully, I’m at a loss?”
My jaw tightened and I gave a hard shake. “No. We’ll need a car though because I am too weak to use powers. We’ll have to decide when we’re on the road.”
Hunter pulled me into his arms and I had to take deep breaths to calm myself. This wasn’t right. I wasn’t meant to be so dependent on someone. Especially him.
“We don’t have time for you to try to walk,” he said under his breath. “I know this has to be hard for you, but I promise not to tease you too much when you get better.
“One word,” I threatened.
Hunter stayed silent as he eased the door open, poking his head out. The skin on my arms prickled as I tuned into the energy. The inside of the city felt empty, eerie as we broke into the darkness. Complete silence was something I’d never heard within our walls. There was always a hum of voices, or the strings of a musical instrument playing. Now, nothing. Anger made tears burn into my eyes. I had been king. The vampires had trusted me to take care of them, and in their eyes before death, I had failed. Jesus. I couldn’t take the emotions that slammed into me.
Hunter glanced down and I knew he could feel my aura. The sadness was overwhelming me. I was the strongest vampire besides Aetas and I was no stronger than a human child.
“It’s not your fault. Everyone will know what happened. I will make sure of it. I know we haven’t gotten along, but that didn’t take away from me noticing what a good leader you were. You’ll get that back. You rule over all of us, and then we’ll be safe.”
