I hear the hunter being crammed into the back, his arms and body bound tightly. His mouth is thankfully gagged again.
"Be silent, human. He promised he wouldn’t kill you, he said nothing about me, and I’ll risk his wrath,” Andrei whispers quietly so only so only the hunter can hear.
Or at least he tried to.
I feel Chloe tense at Andrei’s words, but I rub my chin on top of her head, shushing her complaint.
We’ve tried compelling this Isaac, but the blood he drank seems to have given him enough resistance to fight us. It’s a weak fight to be sure, but I’m thankful Andrei spoke with him.
Chloe must be able to hear as well as we can. Our bond already giving her almost every advantage we have as vampires.
Something like this is unheard of, at least to my knowledge. She should gain some of them the closer I am to her while she’s still human, but not like this.
She’s remarkable in every sense of the word.
Time slows and quickens as we drive through the city. Our bond seems to be at war one moment, then in sync the next. She wars with herself. She wars with what she believes and who she thought she was. I don’t know the full extent of the battle. I just know something has fundamentally changed since I was at her home last night.
My need to delve into her mind is strong, but I resist.
She’ll tell me when she’s ready to, I can feel that.
But I ache for the hurt she suffers.
I ache for all that she’s been forced to endure.
My righteous fury will show no mercy to those who have caused her pain.
If my suspicions are even remotely close to what truly happened, all the power the Order of Saint Benedict holds will not be able to protect them from my wrath.
Her blood is in his stomach.
There are only a few ways to get her blood.
I’m going to drain and fucking hang every Benedictine I find on my front fucking lawn.
We reach a long stretch of gravel road and the vehicle slows to a modest pace.
The stars are beautifully bright now that we’re away from the city lights.
The SUV pulls directly into a three-car garage, and Chloe and I are pulled from our shared torment and misery.
I know things will be better once we’ve truly bonded and she sheds her mortal coil with all its trappings. Yet I still worry for her. She is broken inside right now. Her world is ending, and it’s directly because of me.
Should I feel guilt over my beloved’s pain and suffering?
No.
I won’t.
I’ll simply destroy all of those that filled her with lies. I’ll leave their broken bodies on her throne so she can feast on their misery. Ending the torment they’ve caused for so many.
Matthias again gets the door for us, and I nod my head in thanks. “Do not disturb us. No one may come to our room unless it’s a true emergency.”
“Understood,” he says with his lips in a firm line.
“Make sure you have food available when I call for it,” I say before I head to the door leading into the house.
Turning to face my children, I smile. “Tonight, my sons, I bring home your mother and usher in a new future for our coven.”
Moving through the open door, I head directly to closest room available.
Right now, it could be a fucking cupboard for all I care.
Seventeen
Chloe
Carrying me into a dark room, Asher slams the door shut behind him and pauses.
His arms tighten around me, and time seems to come to a standstill.
My eyes strain to see, see the beautiful face in front of me. I just want one more look. One more look before my mortal existence is torn from me.
If his face is the only thing I can see for the rest of my life, I’ll die happy.
I’ll die not knowing what’s being done to me.
My soul shivers at the thought, but it’s true.
After everything I’ve been through, I just want to gaze upon his face. To become truly lost. So lost, I don’t see what’s to come.
Since the moment Asher wrapped me up in his arms, I’ve been drifting in and out of a heavy fog.
A fog that’s quickly fading.
The Order told me vampires couldn’t enthrall me, that I was protected from being beguiled, but that’s not completely true.
I don’t know what it is, if it’s the mark itself or simply him, but whenever our eyes meet I’m utterly bewitched.
Under his spell.
At his mercy.
Weak.
“Chloe,” he says softly, my name heavy with emotion.
The sound of his voice hurts so much it brings tears to my eyes.
A hand touches my face, nudging my chin up.
My eyes start to adjust to the light. The outline of his face becomes clearer, and my heart quickens in anticipation.