This Blood that Bonds Us (This Blood that Binds Us #4)

71. Seventy-One

Seventy-One

Aaron

One foot in front of the other, Aaron. I made my way through the passageway from the castle to the cathedral. I had one shot to take Her out, and that would solve everything. Once She was dead, my brothers would remember themselves. Luke would remember Sarah. The tides would change. The thrall everyone was under would disappear.

I had the dagger tucked into my shirt, and it was poking me in the back with every step I took—a sharp reminder that danger was close, but I only needed a second. One good second and this would be over.

Luke greeted me when I entered the cathedral. The sounds of the battle outside were louder than they’d been before. He inspected me with a furrowed brow.

“You’re hurt.”

“By one of our own actually. Zach took care of it.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s good. Everything is working. It’s almost over I think.”

I followed him up the pulpit of dark wood that displayed intricate carved cherubs. At the top, She sat with Presley on the floor. She seemed to be comforting him by running Her hand through his hair and humming.

“What’s your favorite flower?” he asked, staring at Her like She was a goddess made only for him.

“Thistle,” She answered. “Such a beautiful flower. Painful to touch at times, but a welcome reminder of how strong beauty can be.”

With another swipe of Her hand through my brother’s hair, I spotted Kimberly’s ring. In the shuffle, I hadn’t noticed She’d taken it. The queen was actually jealous . . . Maybe I could use that.

She turned to me, and Her attention settled on the blood on my shirt.

“Are you badly injured?”

“I don’t know . . . I feel a little lightheaded.” I leaned back on the edge of the railing, feigning a dizzy spell.

“Can I see?” She muttered, and crossed the distance to me. My little brother scowled at me.

“Yeah. It’s my shoulder.”

Luke watched from a little way down the stairs. Still in combat mode and pacing a few steps every few seconds.

“Poor thing.” Her cold hands grazed my neck, and Her other moved my shirt down to check the bite that was already closed.

Being The Guardian made me the new shiny toy.

“I missed you,” I said. “I mean . . . I was worried about you while I was gone.”

“My Guardian. Would you like some of my blood to heal you?”

I considered it for a second. Taking any opportunity to drain Her of blood was a good idea, but I had the dagger. The final piece.

“Can I?” I asked, reaching for Her cheek. There was nothing enjoyable about it. Just a game that determined the life and death of my family. No pressure or anything.

“Of course. We’ll become very acquainted. You can have as much as you want, and you won’t become overcome. Because you’re special, my blood fuels you.”

Eros was The Guardian before me. From his journal entries, it seemed like something he had fought at some point too. He’d wanted to leave with his brother.

I moved Her hair from Her neck and crept in. With one hand on Her face, I used that to gain all Her attention. My lips grazed Her neck while I pulled the dagger out with my other hand.

Presley noticed a moment too late to scream a warning.

I thrust the dagger toward through Her heart and—

It fell out of my hand. It didn’t pierce Her skin.

Uh-oh.

Her misty eyes bore into mine, and the once soft smile turned sinister.

“How?” Her fingers were around my neck.

The pressure grew. Tighter and tighter till I thought my spine would crack, the world was gone.

Panic. Pain. Pressure. My head was splitting. She was in my head. Tearing through everything faster and faster. I think I was screaming, but I couldn’t hear it. All I could feel was Her.

Her fingers pulled at my memories. Tearing them up. Her nails were like razor blades.

Show me what you did. Now.

As soon as She said the words in my head, the image of me and Kimberly came up. Of our nights together. I could feel Kimberly’s skin on mine again. Smell her. Those moments were ours, and She was scarring them, intruding and making everything hurt. She lingered on the memories of me drinking Kimberly’s blood and how it turned into me giving mine.

The memories went by faster and faster till I was sure I would die. It was worse than I remembered when William had made his way into my head. It felt like Her fingers were in my eyes prying open my skull with both hands.

When the world came back, I was on the floor below the pulpit, lying in a scattering of broken wood. Sobbing. Next to me, Luke and Presley were too.

“You changed everything because of that girl.” She glared down at me from the pulpit. She’d thrown me off. My brothers must have followed.

I was yanked back against the marble from behind. Sirius had me by the collar, and the dagger in his other hand.

“I knew you were trouble.”

Where did he come from? He had to have been alerted somehow.

“Don’t, please!” Luke pleaded. Presley sobbed uncontrollably into his hands.

We didn’t need Her blood to bind us. Our bond was still there. My pain was killing them.

“Your brother is a traitor and deserves to bleed.” He grabbed the fake dagger and thrust it through my chest.

I clutched the hilt and fell back against the marble floor. He missed my heart by two inches. It still hurt. The dagger was a fake. Of course it was. Why else would Kilian send Kimberly here with the dagger?

I groaned. My heartbeat was in my ears. The marble was a welcome salve to my pain. As I turned my head, trying to pull myself up, my gaze settled on a long crack that went all the way to the door.

I can’t die here. Not yet.

Not yet.

Not. Yet.

“Aaron, are you okay?” Luke called, but he was still holding Presley who had crumbled to the floor.

“So good,” I groaned.

With one swipe, I pulled the dagger from my chest and threw it across the floor. If what She said was true, I had more power than I thought. The fight wasn’t over yet. Kilian couldn’t do it alone. Ezra had likely been outside fighting Kilian, but Ezra didn’t look like he had a scratch on him. No one else would do it. It had to be me.

I stumbled to my feet. “Wait. I’m not finished.”

Sirius was next to Her at the stairs of the pulpit, caressing Her and whispering to Her.

“You should kill me. Because I won’t stop until She’s dead.”

“Aaron, stop.” Luke worked to get Presley to his feet.

“I can’t. I’m not like you. I’m immune to Her blood. Neither of you can see it or even reason with it, but She’s manipulating you.”

“He’s a traitor. He tried to kill me.” Her voice shook. “My Love, you can’t trust him.”

“Luke . . . you can fight with me.”

His once concerned expression deteriorated, and his jaw hardened. A second. That’s all it took for my brother’s image of me to crumble into disgrace.

“That’s how it’s going to be, huh?”

Luke’s voice was cold. “Stay away from Her.”

“Yeah, stay away.” Presley sniffled.

I met Her eyeline. “Turning my own brothers against me now? That’s new.”

“You’re the one who’s manipulating him. Trying to persuade him to go against his true family.”

I stepped forward, moving toward them. Sirius craned his neck.

“I will kill you where you stand.”

“Good. Try it, then.”

Serve Her. Serve Her. Serve Her. The voice was louder than ever, but it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t listen.

No. I won’t. Not now. Not ever.

I walked another step, and Sirius met me there in an instant.

Serve me. Now. I demanded of the Thing inside my head.

My world was red again. I focused on the memory of Akira in the forest and the moment I’d let go for Kimberly. This was different. But similar. Letting go this time felt intentional . . . controlled.

Sirius’s fist went for my chest. Foolish boy. I don’t answer to you.

I barely dodged it. I needed the Thing’s power. I had to get it. Sirius went for me again, and I slipped under his legs.

Help me.

He caught me with an arm around my neck, and I flipped him to the floor. He was faster. Better. I would lose in a matter of seconds.

A force hit me from behind, and Sirius took me by the neck. His other hand was wrapped around the dagger. He went to stab me, and I grabbed the hilt, fighting against him inch by inch.

“Little help here,” I said through gritted teeth.

My brothers stayed silent, moving closer to Her and away from me. They wouldn’t help me now. Sirius would snap my neck. That or slice me open. I grabbed the dagger and directed it into my side. I cried out at the slicing pain through my gut. My hands were shaking.

We will serve Her.

I was giving in. The Thing would take over and take me with it. I imagined the Thing in my head and all the hatred I’d held for it since it came. I imagined all the pain it caused me. The terror. The fear. And I imagined it engulfing me. Like a pool of black blood was surrounding me. It should drown me. It did nearly every day, but it wouldn’t. Not today.

Because I was strong enough.

I imagined drinking all that hate and pain. All that fear and letting it into my body. Accepting it. No more running.

It was finally clear. I had control the entire time. I was always stronger than the Thing inside my head.

It all snapped together, and the tug of war inside me was gone, and I felt . . . powerful.

Powerful, like how I’d felt fighting Akira powerful, but this time I had the reins.

I wrapped my arm around Sirius’s neck. He pulled away, but it was useless. I had him. My teeth tore the flesh of his neck, and his blood spilled to the floor. He released me, stumbling back, but I didn’t give him a second to breathe before I charged him and forced him to the ground. Shock. He was in pure shock at my advancement and strength, but it lasted seconds before he flipped me on my back.

He was still a better fighter, but I used the strength brimming in my body to fling him off me and charge him again. I had to do something. I had to make a dent in his armor.

In seconds, the strength was leaving me and the weakness was returning.

I wasn’t much for fighting, but I was good at dodging, and that’s all I needed because Sirius was trying to tear me limb from limb. I used that to counter him and get him on the floor. When I retreated, he came back for me.

I chipped away at him. A bite on the forearm. Then another on the arm. The shoulder.

The queen gasped and grabbed Her head. Luke was already there holding Her up.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel . . . strange. Weak.”

Sirius’s split-second distraction was all I needed. I couldn’t get the dagger in his heart. The gut would do. The blade slipped, and I shoved it into his belly. His eyes widened as I used the rest of my strength to push the blade horizontally through tough skin and muscle.

That was it. All I had left. Sirius’s blood spilled across the floor. His initial shock wore off, then he worked to stop the bleeding.

Luke held the queen in his arms while She continued to blink slowly. Her eyes were flickering back to green.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

“She . . . you have to . . .”

Kimberly had the real dagger, which was great, but Sirius would likely kill me before I ever made it out of the cathedral. I was spent. The burnout of using the Thing’s power left my legs wobbly. I had to work to keep upright.

Presley tugged on Luke’s shirt, watching me with worried eyes.

Sirius stalked toward me again, and I braced. Maybe it was my time. Maybe I bought Kilian time and weakened Sirius enough for an opening.

No. Not yet.

An explosion blew the door of the cathedral open. The force of it threw us all to the back of the room. I hit something. Many things. Everything hurt. Stone and splinters were stuck to the skin in my arms, and my entire body felt like it was on fire.

“Aaron!” a familiar voice called my name.

“Thane?”

He was a blur as he pulled me to my feet. “Hi, we have to go. Now.”

“But . . .” I couldn’t open my eyes. My ears were ringing.

“Your brothers are fine. We have to go.”

“I can’t move.”

“You can. It’s not over yet. Just a little longer.”

With his words, I found my footing and let him drag me through the passageway that led back through the castle.