Fate of a Blood Moon (The Hades Blood Moon #2)

Chapter 33

Andrei

W e only drove for another hour before pulling into a parking lot of an empty beach. The car’s headlights shone through the darkness, faintly lighting up a sign near the sand. Thankfully, the sun hadn’t risen yet. Though Jackson and I still had those enchanted necklaces to walk in the light, Valentina didn’t have that luxury yet. He was afraid that if he did that for her, he’d make it too easy for her to run if she somehow broke free from the chains.

Right now, our priority was our strength. Even though vampires could feed on each other, Liam was the only human with us, and we all agreed it was best to pull over and take what we needed for another day. We didn’t have the time to hunt tonight. We hadn’t fed since before attacking the villa, and we were beginning to feel depleted . The lack of blood caused my hands to press against the steering wheel, and my mind felt too hazy to focus on anything, let alone drive.

It also didn’t help that Valentina’s bratty little mouth was fraying my nerves.

“I don’t think it’s wise we drink from him,” Valentina hissed stubbornly, but Liam chuckled quietly to himself instead of looking offended.

“We don’t have a choice unless you want us to attack and feed from some innocent jogger this morning,” Jackson said, twisting in his seat to look back at her. Under the circumstances, he surprisingly stayed calm. “You’re looking paler than usual. All that healing after the crash took a toll.”

Valentina’s eyes narrowed, her fangs glinting as she sneered. “Then give me your blood.”

Her resistance surprised me. For much of the drive, Valentina and Liam seemed civil, but then again, after going so long without food, even the kindest of us could turn violent.

On the other hand, Jackson hated contention and had a far better temper than I did. While I would’ve choked her by now, he only smiled, a curve of his lips that somehow diffused even the worst tempers. After giving her a brief nod, he bit into his wrist, holding it out to her. “Alright, sweetheart. Drink.”

I caught a quick glimpse of the beach ahead of us. It looked like maybe a storm was rolling in. There were distant rumbles of thunder through the cracked window, but something seemed to gnaw at the back of my mind. It wasn’t just the weather that filled me with unease—something else lingered there, like a sense of danger making my skin crawl. I wondered if it was the bond between Rachel and me. Were we closer to her than we thought? Was she in trouble?

Valentina shifted, sitting up straighter, and her gaze locked on Jackson’s wrist with stubborn pride and hunger. Right as she leaned forward to take his wrist in her mouth, Liam’s hand darted out, his fingers brushing Jackson’s arm to push him away.

“We agreed before we stopped that it’d be better if she took it from a human,” Liam said evenly. Despite his calm and collected tone, something about it made me look at him twice. “If she tries to take too much, I’ll use my magic to stop her. After that, the two of you will take what I have left before I pass out.”

The idea of three vampires feeding from one human was insane. For anyone else, it would’ve been a death sentence, but Liam wasn’t just anyone . The magic he wielded was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Maybe he would survive what no one else could.

Valentina’s gaze stayed on him as he rolled up the sleeve of his black hoodie, exposing his wrist. “It’s quite an honor, actually,” he said teasingly. “The great Valentina Vasile feeding from me.” He bit his bottom lip, his eyes glinting with something I couldn’t quite name—something that again put me on edge. “Take as much as you’d like. Once I feel myself dying, I’ll give those chains around your neck a little tug. If you don’t stop, I’ll strangle you until you pass out.”

Her eyes burned with rage, her jaw tightening as her bound wrists shifted against her lap, the metal clinging together. Liam’s grin widened, as if her anger amused him. He raised his wrist closer to her lips, almost brushing against them. “Go on,” he murmured. “I don’t have fangs to cut myself like Jackson. You’ll have to do it.”

The air inside the car grew thick. Valentina tapped her foot nervously against the floor, or maybe she was getting close to snapping. I understood her hesitation. Feeding from a witch wasn’t like feeding from a human. It came with risks—taking in bits of their power, even temporarily, could have dangerous consequences. For the first time, something rare flickered across Valentina’s face: genuine fear.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, she viciously bit his wrist, her bound hands clawing at his skin.

Liam’s head tipped back, his throat exposed as his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to his hip. His lips curved into that same arrogant smile; her defiance amused him.

I exchanged a glance with Jackson, and once again, he looked uneasy. Watching her feed from Liam felt wrong. Maybe it was a good thing we had her go first. If she survived, perhaps we would, too.

“I need to make a call to the States,” I said, breaking the silence. “Jackson, go ahead and feed when she’s done. If she doesn’t stop in a few minutes, pry her off.”

With a nod from Jackson, I switched off the engine and exited the car, feeling the breeze from the ocean sharp against my already chilled skin. I inhaled deeply, trying to clear my head. There were so many dark thoughts in my mind, a thick fog that demanded attention. I was wearing out. I walked toward the water, my shoes crunching against the sand, and pulled out my phone.

I paused momentarily, closing my eyes and reaching for the bond that tied me to Rachel. Nothing. The empty ache in my chest flared again, replacing it with a cold fury that wouldn’t simmer down.

Lifting the phone, I dialed Alexei, the vampire I left in charge of the mansion and clan. It rang once before he picked up. “Andrei. Fuck, man.”

“Great,” I muttered, already bracing for bad news. “What’s going on?”

“Well, did you see the news?”

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see. “Let me guess, the wolves?”

“It’s more than the Bayou Perot Pack this time. It’s not safe right now for you to return. The mansion is still standing, and we haven’t let them in, but they’re issuing a warrant to search the place. Hendrick’s turned over your contracts stolen from the safe to the Five-Point Order, and the human government is, unfortunately, getting involved in our affairs and cooperating.”

“Fuck the Five-Point Order,” I said. “Those people are in those contracts, too. If they want to point fingers and bring down my clan, I’ll bring them down with me.”

“It doesn’t matter at this point. Right now, they’re calling in everyone, and I mean everyone, to discuss their next move. The only hit they have right now is you and Jackson. The rest of us, I don’t know.”

Jackson and I knew this was most likely the repercussions of what Jase had done, but I didn’t think it would happen this quickly.

One thing was sure: once we got that sword, the ring back, and Rachel, they’d soon find out how far I was willing to go to break down every wall they’d built to keep the peace between the species. If they wanted a war, I’d give them war.

“I’ll call you in the morning. In the meantime, keep the mansion on lockdown. No one leaves or enters. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

I clicked off the call and dialed Helen next. This wasn’t a phone call I was looking forward to.

“Hello?” her voice rang out, but it sounded like she was busy, loud banter echoing in the distance.

“Helen, it’s Andrei Dimitriou.”

“Did your lead pan out? Did you find them?” she asked. “The last I heard, the jet was fueled up and ready for you.”

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t find Rachel in time, but we managed to find and subdue Valentina. She doesn’t have the ring, but we can use her to get Rachel to cooperate once we reach Crete. I guarantee she has it.”

She cleared her throat. “Already fucking this up,” she berated and then sighed dramatically. “Remember our agreement. If you don’t return with that ring and the sword once you use it, our deal is off. You can kiss your freedom goodbye, and those hunters will have a field day with you and your entire clan. We don’t give a shit. Find the dhampir and take care of it. If you can’t get the ring back her, just use Valentina’s blood to get the sword and we’ll send a team to track Rachel down. We’re running out of time.”

I bit down on my tongue, trying to hold in what I truly wanted to say to her. But we needed the Black Onyx’s help, so until then, I had to play nice.

“That’s the plan,” I said, now gnawing on the inside of my cheek. “For now, we need to feed before we get on that plane. Your newest recruit from the Atlanta division, Liam, has been more than happy to let us drink his blood. Once we reach Athens, I’ll update you.”

There was silence on the other end before Helen spoke again. “What are you talking about? We don’t have an Atlanta division. Who the hell is Liam?”

Everything around me froze like the world was turning, and my stomach gripped tight.

“Andrei? Are you there?”

“Um … yeah, I—no one”—I looked back at the car—“just someone we met on the way. I’ll call with an update later.”

I clicked off the call and narrowed my eyes, watching Liam exit the car and walk over to me and onto the beach. “Don’t take too much. Jackson got carried away, but it’s your turn.”

He held up his wrist, and I looked down at the smeared blood along his skin. What was happening?

Who the hell is this guy?

Immediately, I lashed out to grab his throat and demand answers, but Liam caught my fist and twisted it. I felt my bones crack and tried to shout for Jackson, but the witch placed his hand on my head and started to chant.

The blackness in my head began to pulse crimson.

“You’re okay. You’re okay,” he said calmly. “I think you’re a little confused and tired. Take it easy.”

As my head spun, my nerves settled, and I looked back at Liam.

“I need you to feed. Got it?” he said again.

I looked down at his wrist and shook my head, feeling my body settle, and for a moment, I couldn’t remember how I even got on the beach. I looked down at my phone, and the call log was still open.

“Oh, um, I called Helen. The plane is ready for us. We need to get going.”

Liam smiled and held his wrist up to my lips. The scent of his blood caused the veins under my eyes to swell. It smelled intoxicating. “That’s it … drink,” he said in a soothing voice, like he was lulling me to sleep. “Drink.”

I nodded and grabbed his wrist, my fangs digging into his skin. My entire body melted as I drank, falling forward and into his arms. He caressed my hair and allowed me to take in the euphoria from his blood. At that moment, calm washed over me, and all was peaceful and good in the world.