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

Chapter 34

Jase

A fter becoming a vampire, I noticed you had to be very patient when you hung out with humans. While Lucy and I didn’t sleep, we had to account for the other two to wake up hours later. However, Lucy never came out of the room all morning and afternoon to join me, appearing as though she actually chose to sleep. Tony had already had his morning coffee and lunch but mentioned he had to make some calls to the States and speak to Giulia before we could leave. After the kitchen incident with Rachel, I spent the early morning trying to find something else to do. So far, it had been reading a mystery novel about a man who could speak to Death. I checked the time on the wall above the front desk.

It’s almost four in the afternoon. Wake up.

I’d be lying if I said that being so close to Rachel last night didn’t mess with my head. The minute I approached, her scent put me in a fucking tailspin. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to shut down the feelings—every instinct screamed at me to rip her clothes off and fuck her right there on the countertop. To stake a claim on my mate .

Grabbing her throat was the only thing I could think of to tame the beast inside me. It was oddly soothing. Keeping her still and in my presence was enough to regain control of my emotions. Insulting her, too, kept me from doing something even more reckless.

Knowing that the celestial powers fated our paths while she remained ignorant slowly destroyed me. The wisest—or most sane choice—would be to walk away as soon as we destroyed the summoning circle and ruined my brother’s ambitions. But the longer we spent time together, the clearer it became: walking away from Rachel Hardmann might not be an option.

No, fuck that. Rachel hates me; she’d be thrilled if I disappeared unless I tied her up and dragged her with me. Shit, that might not be a bad idea … What the fuck am I thinking? Tony’s rapid footsteps interrupted my thoughts as he rushed down the stairs.

“Jase,” Tony called out. “Turn the TV on. Now.”

I set my book down and hurried into the lobby, grabbing the remote on the coffee table and switching on the TV. The local news station flickered to life and appeared to be livestreaming a telecast from America. The stream showed the Louisiana Division leader of the Five-Point Order standing behind a podium in Jackson Square with dozens of microphones set up before him.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked as Tony came into the room.

He came beside me, phone in hand. “I got a text from a friend back home. Rachel and Lucy are packing right now. We gotta move as soon as they come down and check in somewhere else until the ferry leaves tomorrow morning—my cousin won’t be safe if we stay here.”

Luckily, the station had English subtitles under the Five-Point Order’s division leader’s dubbed-over voice.

“As of last night, we have uncovered years’ worth of secret contracts between supernatural entities within our city,” the man announced. “The Four-Fold Accord has been broken. I have received word from the other Five-Point state leaders, who have confirmed it’s not just affecting Louisiana. The bombing of the Black Diamond Club was just the start of these revelations. Thanks to the Bayou Perot Pack, we have received documents accounting for hundreds of assassination, blackmail, and illegal blood trade contracts as proof. We’ve deployed the Sanctum Order, our national enforcement division, to track down those responsible. Last night, we received word that two vampires of interest may be traveling to Italy. Once found, they will face trial and prison—but those guilty of violent crimes will be executed on sight. Our world forged the Accord to uphold peace and sanctuary between the species, and neither we nor the human government will tolerate such a grave offense.”

My jaw dropped, and my mind raced. While I was a rogue vampire and did my best to stay out of range of politics, I learned enough to know exactly what that meant. The Sanctum Order wasn’t just some enforcement group—they were a lethal force, each member forged into the perfect weapon. Each state had its division of the Five-Point Order and supernatural law enforcement that worked with Sanctum.

They were an elite hunting team comprised of two military-trained humans, a former coven leader, a vampire mercenary, and an Alpha werewolf. They ensured there’d be no bias, and the hunters acted as one unit. The team apprehended only those possessing crucial information and brought them to their Boston headquarters for questioning.

“Well, shit,” I hissed under my breath. Those motherfucking werewolves. I’d made a deal with them. They were supposed to take their revenge by looking into his contracts to use the information for their own strategic move—not handing everything over to the goddamn government.

What the hell are they planning?

“All this over what? A vampire mafia boss playing dirty?” I said. “Like that’s never happened in the history of mankind.”

Tony turned to me. “Technically, this is your fault, too. Nothing good ever comes from involving werewolves. Trust me.”

I flashed him a sneer before my attention turned back to the television. Tony had flipped through several stations, seeing what other coverage there was on it but then stopped on one of them. There was footage of the villa property Rachel was staying in, flames rising high over the trees and surrounded by flashing lights, and neighbors being interviewed. On the bottom of the screen the text mentioned that no one was home at the time of the incident.

Shit. This has Andrei’s name all over it.

Tony cleared his throat. “Well … we can now assume Andrei is already here. Fuck.” His gaze shifted to me. “It looks like they’re reporting it happened at eleven last night, so it’s possible they’ve either passed us or are already in Crete. So, yeah, we don’t have a choice but to lie low somewhere else until tomorrow. We can’t risk Andrei tracking us down here if he has enough resources to dig into my family.”

“I thought you told us Manetti was a common family name,” I reminded him.

“Yeah,” he said. “That was before he, or someone looking for Rachel and Valentina, blew up an entire villa.”

I nodded and looked around. Luckily, no human guests were in the lobby. The creak of wooden stairs pulled my attention. Rachel and Lucy hurried down, their bags slung over their shoulders.

“Jase, whatever shit you have, pack it up. We’re leaving. Now,” Rachel said sharply with her messy bun atop her head and tank top strap sliding slightly off her shoulder. “We’ll hide out somewhere else until tomorrow morning. I don’t know how much information Andrei has on you or your family, Tony, but it’s a good idea to get out of here just in case he’s not far behind.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I said the same thing. I’ll talk to Giulia.”

Why was Rachel’s attitude such a fucking turn on? My dick twitched at her expression as she glared at me. I wanted to punish her for it.

“Andrei may be the only one we need to worry about. It’s not like the hunters themselves know where we are,” I said, though the knot in my stomach suggested otherwise. “Hunters in the U.S. can’t come to Europe without approval from their division and the EU.”

If they know about Andrei, they could know about her.

Tony nodded, and then turned to Rachel and Lucy. “Andrei is scary enough. Let me talk to my cousin. She may have some ideas.”

Rachel nodded, gripping her bag tighter. “Tony, I’ll go with you to talk to her. I want to say goodbye, too.”

Brushing past them, I rushed up the stairs. Frustration seemed to pour into every vein in my body. The fact that we weren’t even in Athens yet made me nervous. Then I thought about it. Even if Andrei were already in Crete, he didn’t have the key or the book. He still couldn’t do shit.

We … I still have the advantage.

I shoved my arms through my black hoodie, pulled the hood up, and packed the rest of my clothes. This was getting more and more complicated by the damn minute.

Ten minutes later, Tony and Rachel emerged from the locanda, with Giulia watching from the doorway. After a quick goodbye, they jumped into the car. Rachel scooted as far from me as possible again, and I rolled my eyes, leaning back into the seat.

The sun had barely peeked over the tree line, but thankfully, thick rain clouds dulled its intensity. As soon as the sunlight disappeared behind them, I pulled off my hoodie. Over the last decade, car manufacturers started using UV-protective film on windshields and windows—our rental was one of those models. We were safe as long as Lucy and I stayed inside until sundown.

“Okay, Giulia has a friend who’s traveling overseas right now, but they have a beach house not too far from the ferry in the Camerini Beach Front,” Tony started. “We hang out there tonight, get another good night’s sleep, and catch the nine a.m. departure to Greece.”

This was going to be a long trip.

The music from Tony’s playlist was the only element of this car ride that eased the tension. While he and Lucy chatted, Rachel and I were dead silent. No surprise there; the woman wouldn’t even look at me. I tried reading a book during the first leg of the trip, but the words quickly lost meaning, and I tucked it away after an hour.

The world flowed by in a monotonous sea of greens, reds, and grays, which meant absolutely nothing to me. My focus kept dragging toward the infuriating woman, who was mere feet away. Rachel sat as far away from me as physically possible, her arms crossed like a fucking shield. Though she did her best not to acknowledge my presence, she was all I could feel. The way she pulled at me was infuriating. All I wanted to do was bury my hands in her hair and taste her skin.

Knock it the fuck off, I berated myself, trying to clear my thoughts.

I shifted in my seat, glancing out the window to avoid looking at her because she pressed further toward the door every time I did. If that were even possible. I was pretty damn sure she was trying to fuse with it.

My mind wandered back to the train station, replaying every word Valentina said to me. It didn’t matter that Rachel and I were fated. Fuck what that woman said. It didn’t matter that my instincts screamed to protect her—to be near her. I’d spent four years watching Rachel, never making a move, even though the beast in me demanded it. I sure as hell wasn’t about to kowtow to that annoying bond just because fate had a twisted sense of humor.

“What the fuck is your deal?” Rachel’s voice cut through my thoughts but was low enough not to reach the front seats.

I rolled my head to her. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“The kitchen,” she said sharply. “What the fuck was that about?” her tone was sharp enough to get under my skin. “Before—” Rachel’s mouth clamped shut, her fingers twitching against her thigh as if she was physically holding back another smartass remark. “I never thought, in the two hundred years of living, I’d have to worry about some broody, self-serving vampire coming along and destroying everything.” She tilted her head, the muted sunlight making her hair glow a deep gold. “First, Andrei storms in and destroys any semblance of a normal life. And now you . I swear, I think fate hates me.”

My lips raised into an arrogant grin. “The kitchen? Nothing happened in the kitchen. You were blocking me from getting to the sink.” My tone was flat, dismissive.

Her lips thinned. “Really? You grabbed my throat, you asshole. But then you …” Rachel’s nostrils flared, making it crystal clear she was dancing around the other tension brewing between us last night. There was something there. I felt it, and I knew Rachel would rather die than admit she felt it, too. My heightened senses were going haywire in that damn car. I could smell the arousal between her legs.

Of course, instead of saying something to ease the chaos between us, I opened my mouth and made it worse. “The amount of strength I’m using not to rip that ring off your finger, take your blood with it, and do the spell bullshit myself is astronomical. I’ll take the risk of the blood not being fresh.…” My voice trailed off. If Rachel wanted to see me as only the villain, then I’d give her a villain.

The ice-blue of Rachel’s irises flashed into something dark, violent. “Try it, dick.”

I clenched my jaw, matching her threat. “Lucy will try to kill me, and I’d hate to make a mess. I’ll wait until we’re not sharing a car with her.”

Her laugh was humorless and cold. “That sounds like a good time. It’s been a while since I got to brawl with an asshole male vampire. Did you know before Andrei jumped me, I ripped off a bloodsucker’s arm who tried to bite me? You probably did, now that I think about it, since you were likely watching from some dark corner like a fucking alley rat.”

Rachel raised a brow at me, daring me to react. I carefully leaned back, determined not to show how much she’d gotten under my skin.

Unfortunately, that night, I wasn’t in that alley. If I were, I would have stopped Andrei from ever meeting her.

Lucy must have heard Rachel because she glanced over her shoulder at us. “If you two are going to have some dramatic lover’s spat, can you wait until we’re not on the run?”

Rachel glared at her. “Bestie, you’re supposed to be on my side. We’re not having a spat. Jase is being a self-entitled asshole, and it’s his fault we’re all on the run in the first place.”

Lucy chuckled like our banter was adorable before returning to Tony. “We’re going to have to figure out how to handle what’s going on in the States after all this. It may not be safe right away for us to return with what’s going on with the hunters. If they know about Andrei and Jackson, it won’t be long before they figure out we’re involved somehow, too. Rachel’s name is in those contracts.”

Tony nodded. “Well, hopefully, if all goes well, maybe we can use that angel’s sword to negotiate her freedom. They only send out the Sanctum Order if the suspect poses a threat. Right now, we’re stopping a vampire from possibly disrupting the balance of the universe and summoning an angelic entity to Earth. I’d say they better fucking reward us instead of arresting her.”

“Maybe,” Rachel said. “We can’t be naive enough to think the Five-Point Order won’t figure out soon that dhampirs exist—that vampires can have children with the right spell. Lucy’s right. If the Bayou Perot Pack handed over those contracts, they would have seen the one on me. Next, they’ll dig into the Black Onyx and uncover what they’ve been hiding. They’re the reason the world believes Valentina Vasile is dead. Five-Point will soon learn she’s not. Until things settle, going back to New Orleans might not be an option.”

It was silent as that point sunk in with all four of us.

“Besides, we don’t even know if my blood will do shit to activate that spell to raise that angel to begin with. Right now it’s just a theory.”

Tony gave her a nod and readjusted his hands on the wheel. “Alright,” he started, “once we get to the beach house, let’s hang until dark, and then go into town for food. Once we get a good night’s sleep, we’ll head to the port for the last stretch to Athens.”

Rachel nodded and sat back again, looking out the window.

I wanted to reach out, make her fucking look at me again, and talk about the real reason why I invaded her space in the kitchen, but I couldn’t. No fucking way I’d ever admit that to her, though I knew at some point, I’d lose all self-control and unleash something on her I’d been suppressing for the last four fucking years.