Chapter Thirteen
After learning I was a Bloodwright, I didn’t think anything could scare me more than being hunted by a Stonebound or finding out I was magically tied—body and soul—to my mentor at sixteen. But apparently, brunch with my aunt, uncle, and said mentor was the real nightmare.
We had to wait about a half hour before Uncle Dan showed up, claiming work on his case kept him, when I had a feeling it had more to do with Bloodwright business and my upcoming initiation. Tiffany huffed when he sat down, clearly unhappy about his tardiness.
Tiffany continued to lead the conversation between herself and Alaric, asking about his college plans.
I was trying to pay attention, but my mind kept wandering to what had happened in the past few days and what lay ahead.
Elias had made it clear that completing the blood-binding ritual to complete my initiation was necessary in order to advance my training and to keep this death mark from killing me.
I glanced down at my right arm as I took another sip of tea, remembering how the sigil had expanded even more over my body when I went to take a shower this morning.
Elias said it would only continue to grow and spread as I came into my powers, so the blood ritual had to commence. Tonight.
I glanced up at Alaric, who seemed totally at ease, laughing and charming Tiffany off her feet. Dan drained the last dredges of his coffee, the anxiety in his eyes mirroring my own.
“And what plans do you and your father have for Thanksgiving this year, Alaric?” Tiffany continued to prattle, seemingly oblivious to the tension at the table. I stabbed my fork into my sliced strawberries, stuffing them into my mouth and chewing without tasting.
“We usually go upstate to our mountain cabin,” Alaric supplied with ease. “In fact, I was going to ask if it would be alright for Mari to come up too. The colors of the trees this time of year are spectacular.”
Both Dan and I choked on our food, coughing loudly enough for other restaurant patrons to look our way. Alaric didn’t miss a beat, keeping his smiling face on Tiffany as he gently patted my back as I continued to choke and gape at him. Go away with him? And his dad? For Thanksgiving?
Even Tiffany had the decency to look taken aback. “Well, that is a kind offer, but I’m not so sure. This is her first Thanksgiving with us, and I was looking forward to it as a family.” She eyed me sympathetically.
“Oh, of course,” Alaric responded easily, ignoring the death glare Dan was sending his way. Hopefully, that wasn’t a Bloodwright ability. “I didn’t mean for the whole week. Just for the weekend after. Friday to Sunday.”
Didn’t I get a say in this?
Before Tiffany could reply, her cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID and rolled her eyes as she stood.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to take this. It’s about the church renovation.” She excused herself as Alaric and Dan stood, watching her walk away before slowly sitting down again.
“Really?” Dan spat, his voice low but tense. “You want to take her away already?”
“If you knew or read anything about the Twinflame bond, then you know we won’t be able to be apart for more than a few days.
At least in the beginning, while she is still training,” Alaric retorted, his easy-going smile gone as a look of disdain came across his face.
“Plus, it would be an excellent opportunity for her to get some relief from the city and train without the constant threat of Stonebounds or death echoes.”
“As a matter of fact, I have been doing research into this Twinflame bond. That’s why I was late.” Dan turned to me, his eyes softening. “I tried, Mari. I know you are much too young for a bond like this, but there was nothing in the archives. Elias and I both stayed up all night researching.”
“What about your own secret little library?” Alaric asked, sitting back in his chair casually. “The Pollard Red Lexicon was it?”
Dan’s face blanched, the color draining from it, as he turned his gaze from me to Alaric.
“You know about that?”
“She told me,” Alaric responded, his arm draping over the back of my chair in a weird sort of act of possession. I tried to scoot my chair away, but he just pulled it back.
“Too late to get away from me now,” he tsked. “After tonight, you’re not going to be able to stand being away from me for more than a few days.”
“I could change my mind,” I mumbled dryly.
Both Alaric and Dan tensed, their obvious need to protect me being the one thing they seemed to have in common.
“Seeing as that particular option leads to death, no,” Alaric mumbled as Dan nodded, his stern gaze fixated on Alaric. “And just for the record, we are the only ones who know about your secret library. For now.”
“Why are you keeping those books away from the Council?” I asked, turning my attention back to Dan, attempting to put my upcoming blood ritual initiation out of my mind for now.
He ran his fingers through his thinning brown hair, lifting his glasses to his head as he glanced around the restaurant.
“I just wanted to keep some things in the family.” He tried to explain.
Alaric simply raised an eyebrow. “If they found out you were hiding critical information and research, they could exile you. Even execute you if they felt so inclined.”
“Execute?” I exclaimed.
“So why are you keeping it to yourself?” Dan countered, both ignoring me.
“I have my reasons,” Alaric spoke in a cryptic tone. “Maybe I’m not completely against keeping some information away from the council. Or more specifically, my father.”
Before Uncle Dan or I could press him further, his hard expression softened as he stood. “Everything alright, Mrs. Pollard?”
“Oh, please.” She blushed as she sat down. “Call me Tiffany.”
“Of course, Tiffany.” He winked, making Dan roll his eyes out of view of Tiffany. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yes.” She shook her cloth napkin before putting it back in her lap.
“Just issues with the contractor at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Apparently, certain tools are going missing or being moved.
They are also hearing strange noises when it gets closer to night, and the workers have convinced themselves the place is haunted.
” She laughed, rolling her eyes as she took another sip of her coffee. “Can you believe that?”
Considering the church sat right above the New York secret Bloodwright Council, yeah, I get it. But of course those workers and Tiffany couldn’t know.
“That’s odd,” Dan thought aloud, his eyes darting between Alaric and me. “I wonder what the actual problem is.”
“Oh, they probably just misplace or forget things,” she replied easily. “I told the contractor we would keep working hours to daytime only and that if anything else goes missing, we will file a police report. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Alaric’s hand reached under the table, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly, making me believe that he also thought there was something suspicious about what Aunt Tiffany had revealed. Maybe the Bloodwright safe haven wasn’t so safe after all.
When brunch finally ended, I excused myself by explaining that I was going to meet Sara-Kate at the library for a much-needed study session.
“Maybe you should reschedule,” Alaric said as he walked the three of us out the door toward Mr. Lewis, who had the car pulled around and ready. “You know, till tomorrow.”
I knew he was hinting at the fact that I still needed to undergo my initiation before I was considered protected or safe from my death mark.
But I’d be damned if I was going to miss out on an afternoon of some normalcy with Sara-Kate before my entire world changed forever.
Alaric said that after tonight, I’d want to be with him all the time, and right now, I wanted to relish the fact that I didn’t want to be with him. Not really, anyway.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I replied, glaring up at him. “It’ll just be for a few hours and then we’ll hang out with your dad.”
Aunt Tiffany was under the impression I had dinner plans with Alaric’s father just as we had our get to know each other brunch when in reality, I was going to be part of a blood ritual that would essentially bind me body and soul to the charming Bloodwright mentor in front of me, but I don’t think she’d take that well.
Alaric was about to argue when Uncle Dan slapped his hand on his shoulder, winking at me as he said, “Why don’t you and I have some one-on-one time? I could show you my legal library since you are interested in law.”
“Oh, what a wonderful idea,” Tiffany beamed. “Come by our place, and then Mr. Lewis can drop you off at home before your dinner with Mari and your father.”
Alaric smiled tightly, nodding as he found himself trapped between Tiffany and Uncle Dan. “Of course, I’d love to.”
I smiled and waved as I started to walk down the street towards the library. “Bye! You guys have fun.”
I only got two blocks before a text pinged on my phone.
Tall, Dark & Grumpy ??
You will text me when you get there
and when you leave. Better yet
send me your location.
Mari
You’re not my Twinflame or
whatever yet. So no, I’ll keep
my privacy mine for now.
I shoved my phone into my jacket pocket, amazed at his audacity. I know walking around a concrete city with really old buildings probably wasn’t the best idea for someone like me, but I had my necklace and my ring. I could also still feel the thrumming of my newly awakened power beneath my skin.
Before we had left training yesterday, Alaric had taught me a simple protection ward that I could imbue into my skin.
It wouldn’t last very long considering my half-awakened status, but it would be an extra layer of protection until tonight when I fully emerged as a bloodroot.
Then we could continue to train without fear of the death mark.