Chapter Fifteen
Iwas foolishly under the impression that after coming into my full Bloodwright status and taking care of the death mark through my new Twinflame bond, I would be in more control, no longer having to worry about being pulled into death echoes or unsettling dreams. But that first night after the blood-binding ceremony, I dreamed of Nana again.
It was the same place in Central Park, in front of the Obelisk monument. Nana was sitting on a bench in front of the statue, this time not on fire, but glowing faintly. She seemed worried; her forehead creased in concern as she stared at the stone needle.
“Nana?” I questioned as I walked closer. This dream felt more lifelike, more real. The haziness and distortion I had experienced in previous dreams were gone, like I could finally see clearly.
Nana turned toward me, her long gray hair braided in its usual style, her soft blue eyes widening as she noticed me, almost as if my presence was a surprise she wasn’t expecting.
“Mari,” she breathed, relief palpable in her voice. “Please, come sit with me, dear.”
I did as she said, feeling the warmth of her body as if she were truly alive and breathing.
“Is this real?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off her. She looked so vibrant, worry clouding her eyes, but real and alive at the same time.
She patted my leg, taking my hand, the one wearing Alaric’s ring, in hers. She reached for my other hand, her soft fingers tracing my new scars, the ones formed from the blood-binding.
“Oh, it’s real, my dear.” She finally spoke, her eyes meeting mine, tears of unsaid emotions glistening there. “I’m so sorry for all this. I tried to protect you.”
I shook my head, willing the tears stinging the back of my eyes to disappear. “What do you mean?”
She sighed heavily. “I don’t have much time. He’s given me far more than I could have imagined, letting me stay with you a while longer.” She lifted her hand to my pendant, the soft glow of the white jade shining and pulsing as Nana touched it.
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “Who are you talking about?”
“Don’t always believe what you are told,” she replied, her voice thick with hidden meaning. “You must determine for yourself what is truth and what is falsehood.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked again, frustration and exasperation making my tears sting again.
“The enemy you fear may be closer than you think,” she replied cryptically. “And that enemy may disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing.”
“Nana, I don’t understand.” I gripped her hands tightly, fearing she would disappear at any moment. “Why can’t you just be straight with me?”
“He’s waiting,” she replied simply, her gaze leaving mine and settling on the Obelisk monument that began to pulse and breathe, as if it were alive.
A dark shadow cast over us as the statue began to crack, red veins throbbing as if the statue had blood pulsing through it, bringing it to life.
A deep, ancient, and disembodied voice echoed toward me, its tone full of grief and pain.
Blood remembers. Blood returns.
My mind instantly made the connection between this disembodied voice and the vision I had when training in the Archive of Shadows. The Bloodwright who had been executed had said the exact same thing to me. I stood, leaving Nana on the bench behind me as I stepped closer.
“Who are you?” I demanded. “What does that mean?”
The bond meant to strengthen, to protect, may be your undoing, your destruction.
A deep-seated feeling of agony and panic pooled in my belly, fresh tears stinging my eyes.
“I thought the Twinflame bond was supposed to protect me? To save me? To make me stronger?”
The monument paused, as if contemplating its words carefully, the air surrounding us thick with tension.
You must seek the truth amongst the lies.
“How do I do that?” I shouted, exasperated.
The stone pulsed and groaned; the fissures cracking even more deeply. I feared it would crumble apart when I took another step forward. Its hum ended, the red glow fading, and it was once again just another broken piece of history, empty and quiet.
“Nana?” I asked, turning back toward the bench, but it was empty.
The warmth I had felt, her hand in mine, the comfort of her presence—gone, as if she had never been there at all. My breath hitched, panic clawing up my throat as I spun in place, searching for her.
That’s when I saw them.
Stonebound. Seven of them. Emerging soundlessly from the edges of the park, their forms jagged and inhuman, made of stone, bone, and shadow. Their eyes burned faintly, fixed on me.
They did not move. They did not attack. They only watched.
Waiting.
I awoke with a start, my hand reaching for my amulet at my neck, expecting to find it gently humming and warm like it usually did.
But instead, it sat still, quiet, and cold.
Silent tears flowed down from my eyes to my ears as the horrible feeling that Nana was really gone sank in through my skin down to the marrow of my bones. I wouldn’t dream of her anymore.
I jumped when my cellphone rang out, Tall, Dark our last conversation about her growing nightmares and fear made me worry she was falling into the same trap I was currently trying to understand.
Alaric stayed by my side as much as possible, meeting me outside my apartment, walking me from class to class, even skipping his lacrosse practice to sit with Sara-Kate and me at lunch.
Sara-Kate had rolled her eyes, quipping. “The boy is already whipped.” Alaric smiled, admitting that he was quite aware, his grip on my hand the only thing that felt secure in the sea of unease I felt like I was going to drown in.
The bond only relented in the tight pull in my chest when Alaric was nearby. When we were apart, the tug tightened, reminding me of who and what I was now. The bond felt most at peace when we were touching—holding hands, arms brushing, sitting thigh to thigh.
But my dream lingered like smoke, just out of reach, enough to make me wary whenever Alaric reached for me.
We sat in the training chamber once again, Alaric draining his water bottle as I wiped sweat from my brow.
Alaric had spent the last hour teaching me basic hand to hand combat, something he insisted he would feel better about me knowing when we were apart.
It was clear the bond was affecting him just as much as it was affecting me.
He wiped at his mouth, his sweaty t-shirt clinging to his chest, his dark eyes locked on me, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin.
“What?” I asked, suddenly embarrassed. “Something on my face?”
His expression softened. “No. I was just wondering if you saw anything during the binding last night?”
Flashes of Alaric’s memories zoomed through my mind, remembering his pain and grief as if they were my own. I nodded, pulling my knees to my chest. He was standing in front of me, but the hollow space in my chest felt heavy and weighted.
He sat down, taking my hands in his. As was becoming normal, our power flared to the surface of our skin, humming in greeting with one another. I could finally take a deep breath, his connection to me feeling like a cool breeze in the middle of a desert.
“I saw some things too,” he admitted softly, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand where our matching scars were etched into my skin. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shrugged. “If you want. I know it probably wasn’t pretty, my memories.”
“Same.” His eyes flickered to mine, restless. “My life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.”
“I know.” I gripped his hand softly. “I’m sorry about your mom again. I know you told me, but . . .”
“You saw.”
“Yeah,” I continued. “That day and another when you were training with your dad, and then the day you found me in the library and gave me this.” I lifted my finger, showcasing my now useless ring.
Alaric had said one day its use would no longer be necessary, and while I could have, probably should have, taken it off and given it back, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Not unless he asked for it. It made me feel better, even though my own magic, tied to Alaric’s, was enough now to keep me safe from the Stonebound.