“The other day, when the witches came here for help, when Amicia sent you and the other hunters out of the manor, she forced me to make a dark promise, a blood oath.”
Something flashes behind Jasik’s eyes. His query and concern vanish almost instantly. His crimson irises darken, morphing into fiery balls of fury. His gaze hardens, his jaw clenching. His entire body tenses at once, and he sucks in a sharp, staggeringly loud breath. I can hear his teeth grinding as his gaze narrows.
“She what?” Jasik seethes. His words are sharp, like daggers directed at my soul. They penetrate deep, and I freeze. I stumble over my words. I don’t know what to say, what to think, what to do. I just want to fix this.
I’ve never seen Jasik so angry, furious with something I’ve done. Even his hatred for Will was laced with concern and fear, but now, even that’s gone. What remains is raw, pure outrage.
“I—I… She made me. I didn’t know what it was. I—”
“Did you drink from her?” he asks. He speaks slowly, calmly, and I’ve never heard so few words hold so much weight.
I shake my head. “No, of course not.”
“What did she make you do?” Jasik asks. He rises abruptly and rounds the table. Standing beside me now, he towers over me. I break his gaze, unable to look into his eyes any longer.
“I—um, she cut my palm and then cut hers, and then she made me promise not to look for Liv by myself.”
He exhales sharply and shakes his head. Closing his eyes, he squeezes the bridge of his nose. With shaking hands, he mumbles under his breath, but I don’t understand him. And I’m almost too scared to ask him to repeat himself.
“Hmm? What?” I ask softly.
“I said, I can’t believe she’d do this.” He opens his eyes and looks at me. They’re void of emotion. Empty pits that spill into an abyss. “To do this to her vampires is one thing, but with you…” He shakes his head and breaks our gaze.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
He turns quickly, shoving his hands through his hair, tousling his already messy style. He slams his fist against the island counter, and the noise radiates through the kitchen walls. I tremble where I sit, watching him, unsure if I should walk over to him or wait for him to respond. When he faces me again, he looks different.
“You are mine, Ava. You do not belong to her,” Jasik says.
Never have I seen him so…dominant. He radiates power and strength and a raw animal drive to claim what he sired. Something inside me stirs. Jasik awakens a primal instinct, and it takes everything I have not to touch him, not to push my body against his and let him demand what is his.
I’ve never wanted to be overpowered, but at this moment, I want Jasik more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I’m shaking, quivering down to my very soul. Jasik watches the effect his words have on me, a sly grin curling the edge of his mouth. I swallow hard and gnaw on my lower lip.
Jasik walks toward me. He strides around the center island, and when he reaches my side, he grins down at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. My breath catches.
He rests his fingers under my chin and angles my head to look into his eyes. I stand, resting my palms against his chest. His eyes are a pool of darkness and desire. It steals my breath and races my heart. The room is swirling around us, and I’m suddenly light-headed. I can’t break our gaze or move away from him.
Someone clears his throat, and I jolt away from my sire as if I were doing something wrong. I jump back so fast and slam against the chair I was sitting in. My knees buckle, and the back of the chair juts into my kidney as I fall into it. I wince at the pain, but Jasik steadies my fall. His skin is scorching hot against my own flesh, and I back away from him, not expecting the surge of electricity that works its way into my body at his mere presence.
I glance over at our intruder and quickly smile at Malik, who watches our exchange with a curious look. I suppose all the ruckus he overheard made it sound like Jasik and I might be fighting. Instead, he walked in to find an unexpected embrace.
My emotions are erratic around my sire, and I assume the rest of the house can feel it too. We’re hot and we’re cold, never giving into our feelings but not exactly straying away from them either. It’s frustrating and annoying, and I can only tolerate the inner turmoil for so long.
“I thought I’d check in on you both,” Malik says. Per his usual conduct, he is emotionless, and for once, I’m grateful. I don’t need nor request his input at the moment. I have more important things to worry about than my love life, which is why I fear I really might burst if Jasik and I don’t get some much-needed alone time.
“We’re fine,” Jasik says quietly.
I wonder if he’s embarrassed by our exchange. I’m a newborn vampire. My emotions are erratic. He’s older, experienced, and supposed to have his crap together. He should be the level-headed one who makes me question my actions. He’s not supposed to instigate these kinds of exchanges.
“I can see that,” Malik says, voice deadpan.
“We were just talking about…” I trail off, remembering how we left our conversation. The dark promise I made to Amicia is a touchy subject, and I’m not sure I should mention it again.
“She made a blood oath with Amicia,” Jasik says. He doesn’t bother to hide his annoyance.
Malik nods and eyes me. He doesn’t tell Jasik that he already knows about my sacred oath to another sire, but he doesn’t lie to his brother either. Instead, he remains quiet, watching the two of us, waiting for our reaction to Jasik’s confession. Thankfully, my sire doesn’t seem to notice Malik’s odd behavior.
“She promised not to look for the missing witch on her own, so no harm done. She promised nothing binding,” Jasik says.
I frown and glance at Jasik. What does he mean my words aren’t binding? How is this dark promise not something harmful? I thought admitting what I’d done would make me feel better about it, but I’m only left with more questions.
“Will you speak with Amicia about this?” Malik asks.
He eyes his brother carefully. Jasik may be my sire, but Amicia is his. He has remained devoted to her, loyal in her pursuit to protect her other vampires and rid the world of rogues. I was so focused on how this oath is affecting me, I never considered how it might hurt him.
Jasik doesn’t respond. His eyes are hard, his body tense. His reaction to Malik’s question answers what his lips will not. He will definitely be speaking with Amicia about her role in my life. He doesn’t need to admit to that aloud. I just hope he doesn’t make things worse. I can’t handle yet another feud right now.
“And what about the boy?” Malik says, changing the subject.
“Tonight is the first time they met in person,” Jasik says.
“I see,” Malik says.
He looks at me, his eyes sharp. He wants me to break, to be honest, but what he doesn’t understand is that I am telling the truth. I had no idea Will existed, and I would never betray my nest. I have always been loyal to my friends, my family. And that loyalty came with a price. It cost me my life. I hope the cost isn’t quite so extravagant this time.
“I had no idea he was coming here or looking for me,” I say. “I don’t know him at all. Like you, I thought I was the only hybrid, but we were wrong.”