He spoke with a peculiar accent that I’d only heard in my dreams. I didn’t know how to react. Was this some twisted nightmare? Was I actually unconscious on a rock?

  The man stopped some ten feet in front of us with a concerned look on his face.

  “I am your true love, Addison. Did someone wipe your memories?” he asked.

  “I… why were you in my dreams?”

  He beamed.

  “Come, my love, we will treat your injuries and we can talk. Your pet hound is welcome, of course, you had always talked about wanting a hound at your side,” he said.

  I glanced at Gideon, who gave a small nod.

  There was a ticking timebomb in the back of my mind. I had no idea how long Dante had, but every passing minute reduced the chances of us getting him back alive. I took a step towards this Addison and took the opportunity we’d been given. The cult had Kane, and he was clearly important to the cult, so we’d get Kane first. Addison fell into step next to me. His fingers fluttered over my hand, and he looked at me with what could only be described as unadulterated adoration. It made me want to run for the hills.

  “I’m sorry my people hurt you and your hound, my love. We have a good healer. He will provide blood to heal all of your injuries.”

  “I’m sorry?” I asked.

  He looked at me with confusion. “Do you not remember how to heal? Do you remember your magic at all?”

  I didn’t know whom he had me confused with, but it sounded like she was a blood witch, too, so maybe I could learn something here.

  “I’m afraid I don’t,” I said.

  “Oh, dear sweet Sofia, what have they done to you?” he said with deep sadness.

  I gave him a small smile and looked around for potential weapons and exit routes. The hills rose up around us in steep inclines, only one clear route in and out - the road we were walking in on. A large group of people in various shades of red clustered around a sprawling two-story building before us. There were far too many for Gideon and me to take on alone, so we’d have to sneak out.

  “We have been gathering the blood of the Olapireta. Its purity makes it much stronger. You can draw the life essence from it to heal your injuries,” Addison said.

  Well, that answered why they were taking the purists.

  “It seems rather fitting that they are useful after all this time. Do you remember that I founded that group?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t remember anything,” I said.

  Gideon entwined his fingers with mine, and a feeling of security filled the bond. I wasn’t in this alone.

  “Ah, yes. I founded the Olapireta a year before you became mine. The bloodlines were becoming too muddy with witches sleeping with lycans and poor quality magics such as air magic coming into the covens. We needed to purify the lines and keep the supernals strong, ready to take our rightful place as rulers of this world. Then that wretch Robert betrayed me, and I was removed from all dealings within the society. They have done good work, but I do not forgive easily,” he said as he opened the red door to the building.

  It was unremarkable on the outside, just another cream building with red tiled roof. It was squat and looked to stretch far into the distance away from the doorway into the hills. No one would guess that it was the home of a crazy cult that drained the blood of an equally crazy bunch of assholes.

  48

  The interior of the building was a mix of white and red, white floors with red walls. The red really was a bit much. Shiny white tiles covered the floor in a way that felt awfully like a hospital. The red walls were smooth and bare. The sensation of them stretching into oblivion before me made my head spin for a moment. The air was cool and slightly stale, and there was a slight metallic taste that I couldn’t place. I couldn’t shake the feeling of oppression and torture that hung over the place like a heavy gauze.

  “Leave us,” Addison said to the people crowding the hallway in front of us.

  They all scurried away into one of the multitudes of doors and rooms ahead of us.

  “They worship me,” he said smugly.

  “That’s nice,” I said noncommittally.

  “They believe that I will bestow the gift of blood magic on them. They were falling over themselves for me to make them into a guardian,” he said.

  “A guardian?” I asked.

  The only guardians I was familiar were beings chosen by the gods to act as they’re enforcers on the earth plane.

  “Yes, they were given a drop of my blood and three drops of fae blood. It is an experiment we had discussed before I was locked away,” he said sadly.

  I followed him around two bends before he opened a golden door with a flourish.

  “This is your room, my love. I will send the blood to you so can heal yourself. Please change into something more befitting of your beauty. I will send over clothing for your pet,” he said.

  “Where is Kane? The combat witch you took?” I asked.

  He frowned. “He will be in the holding room downstairs. His blood is strong and pure.”

  “He’s a friend…”

  The frown deepened.

  “We will discuss this over lunch. Please, clean yourself up,” he said as he ushered me into the room.

  The door closed behind us. I was left looking at the room in awe. A four-poster bed had gold and cream bedding on it and a golden canopy. The window was covered in thick black bars in case I was under any impression of being a willing guest. The furniture was all white-washed and sturdy, although I didn’t think it would be sturdy enough to break through those bars. Gideon brushed his lips over my temple, and I snapped out of my shock. We needed to get Kane and go and rescue Dante. I turned around and found the door locked. Fuck.

  The dress that I assumed I was supposed to put on was some white and gold monstrosity with a multitude of layers and lace.

  “Good to see he’s sticking to the creepy stalker guy stereotype,” I said.

  Gideon looked at me with confusion, and I laughed to save myself from crying.

  “In the movies, the creepy stalker always has the woman dress in some old-fashioned beautiful dress,” I explained.

  He nodded in vague understanding.

  “We will get them both back,” he said as he put his hands on my hips and nuzzled against my neck.

  I reached up and rubbed my thumb behind his ear. The gesture still felt a little odd, but his happiness made it worth it.

  “You’re waiting for me to claim you, aren’t you?” I said quietly.

  It had sat like a weight in the back of my mind from the moment the tattoo had formed, an apprehension and sadness that I hadn’t felt the need to do so yet. He was a person. It was weird enough being bound to him; claiming him felt too much like he was property.

  “It is something masters usually take great pleasure in,” he said, sadness flickering down the bond.

  He thought that I didn’t want him, that he wasn’t good enough because I hadn’t claimed him.

  “Carmen and her coven never claimed me, they felt I was too weak,” he said softly.

  It felt cruel to deny him what was effectively a simple thing. I didn’t have to screw him, I didn’t think. It was just a simple mark, a kiss or, given his penchant for biting, a bite seemed more appropriate. I bit down on his neck in a way I’d not done outside of the bedroom before. It felt so right. He gasped and uttered a soft moan before I stepped back and smiled, not wanting to risk it going further. Lust and desire flared up between us, and there really wasn’t time to fall down that rabbit hole.

  It was official. He was entirely mine, and the bond lightened because of it. I didn’t really have time to sit and contemplate what had happened or what I’d done, not with both Kane and Dante in deep trouble.

  “Consider yourself claimed,” I said.

  He grinned at me, relief flooding the bond.

  “What are we going to do?”

  The door clicked open and someone walked in with a suit bag, a large bowl, and a couple of vials of fresh blood. Two large men stood outside of the door blocking our exit as the woman placed the things down on top of the large chest of drawers to the right of the door. She walked out without a word and locked the door behind her.

  “We have lunch with him, find out where Kane is, and break him out,” Gideon said as he walked over to the items.

  “It sounds so easy when you put it like that,” I said with a laugh.

  “You’re a strong witch and skilled warrior. This will be a breeze,” he said with a grin.

  He opened the clothes bag to reveal a navy-blue suit complete with shoes. Gideon wrinkled his nose.

  “Navy blue isn’t my colour.”

  I laughed. “Really? You’re worrying about that right now?”

  “No, I’m making you relax,” he said with a grin. “Sit down, I will tend to your wounds.”

  The pain was beginning to kick in and by the gods did I hurt. I’d taken quite a beating while trying to save the guys, and it hadn’t even done me any good.

  I sat down on the bed and sighed.

  “Focus, Wren,” Gideon said firmly.

  I looked up into his beautiful golden hazel eyes and the certainty there.

  “We will not fail again,” he said.

  “Now, I can’t heal your wounds through your shirt,” he said gesturing at my shirt.

  There was no time for prudish thoughts. I had to be in top form to take on the cult for round two.

  Gideon was very gentle and attentive as he gently wiped the blood from the vials over my injuries.

  “Your magic will draw what you need from the blood and use it to heal you. There is a better way, but I am not a blood witch. I only know what your instincts tell you,” he said.

  I tried to ignore what was going on. I’d never used someone else’s blood to heal myself before. It felt so right and so wrong. My stomach turned at the thought of it, but it was working. My magic had bubbled up to the surface and was taking care of my body as though it were the most natural thing in the world. I was repulsed by it, by what I was, but I had no choice. I needed to save Kane and Dante. I shifted my focus to running through what I remembered of the cult building. We had taken two turns to get to the room: the first turn on the right and the third turn on the left. The building appeared to be a simple rectangle, which would make it easier to navigate. I hadn’t seen bars over any of the other windows, but the hills rose up close to the building walls, which would make running away that way very difficult. We’d be exposed, too. If we had to, we’d do it, but it was a last resort.

  Gideon handed me the shirt from his suit.

  “It would be better to wear something clean and fresh,” he said.

  I didn’t want to wear anything from that creep, but Gideon was right.

  “I’m sorry that I’m not as strong or aloof as you’d like, but I will heal, with your help,” he said.

  I stroked his cheek, “I’m sorry. I’ve been a dick to you. I’ve been so absorbed in how much you’ve disrupted my life, I haven’t been thinking about yours.”

  He smiled and kissed the base of my palm.

  “We will be good together, the four of us.”

  I blushed as I felt the pleasurable thoughts he had on that topic. He was certainly bi. The door opened, and Addison stepped into the room. His smile fell the moment he saw me sitting on the dress on the bed.

  “Why are you not in your dress, my love?”

  “I’m happier in this,” I said with a smile.

  He relaxed and smiled. “Then you shall wear that. Come, we have lunch.”

  I stood up and didn’t feel a single twinge of pain. The blood had healed me completely. That was both a relief and a truly horrifying thought.

  49

  Gideon remained close to my side, his fingers playing over mine as we followed Addison out to the back of the building, where an elaborate lunch had been laid out on the balcony. The views were dull, nothing but hills with more white rocks and scrubby bushes. I kept that comment to myself.

  There were only three seats out there with a low glass table between them. The lunch was laid out on white and gold plates with rose-gold-coloured cutlery. It was all very tacky. The balcony was a simple affair, entirely unlike the mansions I’d been to. The terracotta tile clashed against the white hospital tile in the hallway, giving the look of something that had been added as a last second afterthought. The barrier around the edge of the balcony was a simple chrome bar, nothing we couldn’t slip under. The drop wasn’t too bad; the rocks below were quite likely to break our legs, though.

  “Where is my friend, Addison?” I asked.

  Dante was with the purists, and the longer we sat around playing bullshit games with Addison, the smaller the chances of my being in his arms again were.

  “We will eat lunch, and then you can visit him,” Addison said with a small hollow smile.

  I ground my teeth but went with it. The cult members were close at hand, lurking in the corners and hovering not too far inside the rooms. No doubt they hung off Addison’s every word and wanted to know who this mysterious newcomer was.

  The food was a mix of fresh fruits, perfectly cooked slices of meat, and a number of different types of bread. My stomach growled. I was absolutely starving, but I didn’t know if the food had been drugged. It was a mix of simple foods that I would have leapt on in any other situation.

  “You remember nothing?” Addison asked as he bit into a fig.

  He sat like a king on a throne, poised and entirely in control while being entirely relaxed and at ease.

  “No, sorry,” I said.

  “Please, Sofia, eat,” he said, pushing a plate of meats towards me.

  I picked at some of the ham and found it didn’t taste odd, but there were plenty of flavourless poisons. Gideon sniffed the meat before he bit into it. Addison didn’t pay Gideon any attention, his focus was entirely mine. I wanted to squirm under his laser focus, but I remained calm and still.

  His gaze became slightly glassy as he smiled at something unseen and far away.

  “You were a vision. I knew from the moment I saw you that I had to have you,” Addison said with a wistful smile.

  Because that wasn’t at all creepy.

  “You were fourteen,” he began as I fought to keep the disgust from my face, “and I was twenty. My first wife had died in childbirth, but I knew that you were a gift from the gods. You had such grace and elegance, your smile the epitome of beauty. Still, your family would not allow you to court before your ascension. And so I waited, patiently. You were 16 when you came into your magic, and you were blessed with blood magic. Of course, it had been assumed, given your blood red hair, but once it was confirmed your family were happy to give you to me. There was no place for your magic in their ranks. What fools they were.

  He gave a soft sigh and a look of blissful contentment before he bit into another fig. I took another bite of meat and dared a mouthful of ice water. My body was screaming out for the calories.

  “We were married within three months, and you were the perfect wife. We were madly in love, but try as we might we could not conceive a child. After four years of blissful marriage, I came home badly injured after having protected a village from a group of elves. You were so worried, it was the first time I had seen you cry. It was that night that you knew you would bless me with the gift of your magic.

  He reached across the table, his long fingers stretching to grasp onto mine. I remained frozen in place and relaxed some when he couldn’t reach without leaning across the table. I swallowed hard and smiled politely at the story.

  “The ritual stole away some of your life, but you assured me that it was worth it,” he said as he dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a red serviette, “We would be together for many centuries. Over the coming months, you taught me everything of our magic, and I went out into the world and made it a better place. I helped purify the bloodlines and remove the blights from our surroundings. But someone betrayed me, someone locked me deep within a vault. The magic holding me there was too great. I do not know if they expected me to die in there, but my magic, the magic you gave me, had been truly blessed by the Crone. It sustained me until the bindings holding me there broke. I used three impure beings’ blood to bring me back to true life, and that is how this delightful little group was formed.

  “A number of non-supernals stumbled across me taking the blood and fell to their knees in worship. Soon, the word spread, and well, here we are,” he said with a flourish.

  A lithe brunette stormed out onto the balcony with us, her red dress flapping around her long legs. She stood tall with her hands on her hips, rage filling her features.

  “That is not Sofia!” the woman shouted.

  The cult members behind her gasped before they vanished, no doubt worried about the consequences of sticking around. I glanced at Gideon, who tensed, his focus flitting between the woman and Addison.

  “Amy, what makes you speak such things?” Addison said coldly, his hand wrapped around the serviette as though choking the life from it.

  I reached under the table and unsheathed one of my daggers.

  “Sofia died two centuries ago. She is just her descendent. She knows nothing of your love,” Amy spat.

  Addison looked at me with cool calculation.

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “And you have the blood magic of my Sofia?”

  I didn’t answer; blood witches were executed after all. He smiled.

  “The gods brought you to me. You are my Sofia reincarnated.”

  “I’d really like to see Kane now,” I pushed.

  “We will make a deal. You will prove you are a blood witch, and I will take you to your friend.”

  I gave him a positively savage smile and reached inside of him with my magic. I mentally grasped onto his blood and began pushing as much heat into it as I could muster. If he wanted proof, I’d give it to him. He grinned, absolutely delighted, before I felt my magic slip away from his blood unbidden.

 

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