25. Asher
Twenty-Five
Asher
Pulling carefully back from the bond we share, I keep my eyes focused on Chloe’s. She’s still in a vulnerable state, regardless of what white lies I’ve told her.
Her willingness to fight the voice that lives inside all us monsters though is what gives me hope that she’ll soon be whole.
It's the voice that begs to be let out, encouraging us to fall to our lesser instincts. It craves blood and carnage, and it promises security, but it’s a lie. Too many of us have fallen into its seductive embrace. Too many of us have died because we believed the falsehoods it spewed.
Taking a deep breath, I smell the filth that covers us, including my newest son’s blood.
“You smell bad,” I say with a smirk.
Eyes widening, Chloe stutters, “ I—I don’t…”
Taking another sniff of her, I say, “You smell really bad.”
Eyes burning now with anger, Chloe leans forward. “You don’t smell so fresh yourself, and you… you... fucked me.”
Wrapping both my arms around her, I lift us off the floor. “Very true.”
Carrying her into the bathroom, my smirk becomes a grin as she purses her lips and stares daggers into my eyes.
“But I’m a man who cares little about such things. I’ll fuck you anywhere, anytime, regardless of the situation. Just say the word.”
Chloe begins to soften in my arms, some of her anger fading.
I sweep back the shower curtain and lower her to her feet.
Unable to resist stirring her up again, because I love to see the fire in her eyes, I say, “What’s your excuse?”
Chloe gasps at me, and I tip my head back, laughing.
Shaking her head, she pushes past me, stepping into the shower.
I eye her juicy ass as she moves.
It’s perfection. The way it sways and jiggles as she walks…
I want to bite it. I want to lick it.
I want to feed from it.
Fuck, even after all these centuries, I still get fascinated by something truly precious.
“I suppose I have none,” Chloe says as she bends over, purposely sticking her ass out as she fiddles with the knobs.
I’m behind her in an instant, my hands grabbing and kneading her juicy flesh. I grind my hips against her, rock-hard and ready to go again.
Chloe laughs, and then she’s gone. Leaving me fondling emptiness as ice cold water blasts me in the face.
"Chloe!" I bellow.
Her musical giggles fill the bathroom as I jump out of the shower.
Growling in anger, I hide my own amusement as I stalk toward her, water dripping everywhere.
"You're going to pay for that."
"Oh?" she asks, smirking saucily and jutting out her hip in front of the sink.
"Yes," I grin, advancing on her.
The sexy little minx is going to pay by giving me that ass.
* * *
“I don’t know…” Chloe says as I push her toward the basement stairs.
“It’s time we do this, Chloe,” I say, nudging her down the hall. “Your children are waiting to meet you formally.”
She lets out a loud groan and looks back at me. “I look like a gothic barbie doll!”
“Not at all, my kitten. You’ll fit in perfectly.” I smirk, repressing the snicker that begs to be free, then point down at myself. “We fit together.”
She stops walking and stands perfectly still. Through the bond, I can feel her steeling her nerves.
Chloe is definitely not ready for the wardrobe my boys have picked out for her. She doesn’t look like a gothic barbie doll, though. She looks like a well-off woman.
Her tight black dress and heels accentuate her flawless hourglass body. The black stilettos tone her legs so perfectly they look as if they were crafted by one of the greatest sculptors of our time. Her ass is yet again in a class of its own, the sheer magic of high heels nearly bringing me to my knees.
When she reaches down to push at the hem of her dress, I growl, “Do not push the dress down any further, you’ll stretch it out of proportions.”
Turning to face me, she whispers in something akin to shame. “I’ve never shown anything above my knee.”
Seeing that the hem is only two, maybe three, inches above her knee, I grin at her. “Oh yes, this must be so scandalous. Whatever would the prudes of the Order think?”
Her eyes narrow in annoyance. “Fuck them.”
Turning around, she nearly trips into the wall from overbalancing.
“Crap,” she squeaks, reaching out to steady herself on my arm. “Even as a vampire I’m still clumsy.”
“It will come, my dear,” I say quietly.
She must let her human reflexes die first. It’s hard for our minds to understand that when we’re first turned. Even though our bodies are greatly enhanced, it can take time for us to find our stride.
Moving forward, I guide her by placing my hand on her lower back. Being this close to her though is a torture. I want to drag her back into the bedroom and rip the very clothes I practically forced upon her off.
Moving slowly down the stairs, I see a very subtle shift in Chloe’s posture.
“Is he still down there?” she asks, a touch of fear in her voice.
“Who? Isaac?”
“Yes,” she says, and yet again stops moving forward.
“No.” I sigh. “He’s been moved to a room on the second floor. Caden and Maddox will be watching over him until he wakes, then they’ll assist him during his frenzy.”
“Why not you?” Chloe asks.
“Because those who have been in this house the longest want to rip his head off his shoulders,” I say, and push her gently forward again. “We do not forget what he was before you asked for him to be spared.”
We remain silent as we finally make our way down into the basement. Everything from upstairs in the dining room has been moved down here. Maps and computers line the walls. It’s now become a war room of sorts.
I can see where Kian and the rest have begun marking sections of the map off with large x’s.
“Mother,” Ambrose says brightly. He turns in a perfect spin of his body, his frock coat looking clean and quite fresh.
Chloe stands stock-still as she watches Ambrose bow as if he is presenting himself to a queen.
Every one of my children stop and turn from whatever they’ve been doing. As one, they drop into formal bows, some definitely more graceful than others.
Matthias nearly falls to the floor as he tries to mimic Ambrose.
“Wh-what…” Chloe stammers and looks back at me in fright.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I snap at the men. “Quit fucking around.”
Laughter fills the room as they all stand up and start grinning at the two of us.
All but Ambrose who continues to bow his head in supplication to Chloe.
“Mother, I must humbly apologize for the pain I’ve caused you,” Ambrose says, and at once all the laughter and commotion vanishes.
No one moves or says a word at first. I can see all the others staring hard at Ambrose.
Then all of my children converge on Ambrose.
Raphael and Andrei are the first to reach him, cruelly twisting his arms behind his spine.
Matthias quickly grabs his head, roughly yanking it back.
Dragging him towards the stairs, Maddox and Caden are there to grab his legs.
Chloe gasps at the sudden brutal display before crying out, “What’s going on?
“Pay no attention to this fool,” Matthias says. “We’ll deal with him quickly.”
“Stop!” Chloe bellows as they drag an unresisting Ambrose up the stairs.
When they don’t stop, she pushes me out of the way and screams, “ Bring him back! ”
Simply observing what’s unfolding, I watch my sons freeze where they are. It’s like some scene in a dark mafia movie. They all stand perfectly still in their black suits, immaculately pressed shirts, and ties. Holding a man in their arms they’re about to drag off to his death.
A deeply satisfying warmth fills my stomach while I watch my soulmate use the power to impose her will on all those around her.
She probably doesn’t even realize what she’s just done, but for her to be able to use her command of the bond like she has is extraordinary.
Slowly dragging Ambrose back to where she stands, my children bare his neck to her.
Raphael speaks quietly, “We must apologize, we did not realize you would like to end this wretch’s life yourself.”
“No!” Chloe grits between her teeth. “I’m not going to murder him. I don’t even know what he’s talking about. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Staring between me and Chloe, Raphael clearly tries to figure out when I’m going to step in and take control of the situation.
Not moving a single fraction, I continue to watch.
Chloe is my soulmarked, I am their sire. She has the right to do as she wishes.
Ambrose moves his head enough to look at Chloe. “I caused you pain when I stopped you from freeing the abomination. I did not mean for you to feel my internal fractures, but your ability to feel those around you… I know what you felt, and when you felt me through the wall before you came down here… I should have known you’d have felt my touch like a cold dagger.”
Andrei and Raphael look to me in confusion, and I finally allow myself to move.
“Release your brother. It’s your mother’s choice if she wishes to pursue punishment,” I say, coming to stand beside my bride.
“This is absurd!” Chloe snaps. “He did nothing wrong.”
Moving quickly, she yanks at the hands holding onto Ambrose. One by one, each limb drops, releasing Ambrose from his brothers.
“What the fuck is going on?” Kian asks loudly as he stomps down the stairs. “I can’t leave the house for more than a couple hours without missing all kinds of fun…”
Chloe grabs Ambrose by the hand, and I can see the moment she feels the pain again, but she doesn’t let it stop her from dragging him away from the rest of the group.
“Oh, you know, the fruit loop here touched Mom and hurt her psychically, so we tried to kill him. Mom said no, we can’t roughhouse with Ambrose because he’s the baby, and now we’re probably going to be put in time out,” Caden snarks before he gets an elbow from Maddox. “Oh, and Dad looks like he’s got a boner because Mom’s getting all grrrr , argh .”
“My children are morons, all of them,” I groan as I watch Chloe look from Caden to Kian.
Pushing Ambrose behind her, I can see her trying to figure out a way to escape the madhouse.
“Who are you?” Chloe asks Kian.
“I’m Kian,” he responds before moving carefully around her. “I don’t need to go to time out, I’ve been a good kid. I even brought dinner and more information.”
“Fucking ass-kisser,” Raphael grunts loudly.
“Enough is enough,” I say quietly. “They only wished to keep you safe, my love.”
A nodding of their heads has Chloe looking at each man standing before her. “I don’t understand any of this… lunacy.”
“I was deemed a threat,” Ambrose explains, and delicately extracts his hand from Chloe’s. “I would have done the same if any had harmed you.”
“But…” Chloe shakes her head in frustration. “I’m not some queen who needs a squadron of bodyguards.”
There’s a long silence as all of my sons look at Chloe like she’s grown a second head.
I can understand their confusion.
“Chloe, do you know how rare you truly are in our world?” I ask gently.
Taking her by the small of her back, I lead her deeper into the basement.
My children follow suit as they move back to where they originally were. But all eyes stay on Chloe as they watch her.
“I don’t understand,” Chloe says, looking around. “I know that there isn’t as many female vampires as males. I know that the Order does all it can to keep it that way, but… I… Is this about my powers or abilities or whatever?”
My body wants to heave a huge sigh of frustration at her words, but I know it’s not truly her fault. It’s the Order’s indoctrination that’s at work here.
“My beloved, while your powers are indeed rare, and well quite frankly unheard of, it’s the first part of what you said,” I say as I guide her to a comfortable chair.
Sitting down beside her, I motion for Andrei.
“What Father says is just the tip of the iceberg.” Andrei chuckles and looks around himself, waiting for the rest of us to join in.
“What?” Raphael asks in confusion.
“Oh hell. The tip of the iceberg represents the female population and the bottom represents the males? See what I did there?” Andrei asks.
When silence still reigns supreme, Andrei lowers his head, muttering, “I hate you all.”
“Icebergs? What does this have to do with those?” Chloe asks. “I saw the Titanic movie. I had to sneak to do it, but I did see it once.”
Ambrose slowly floats his way across our field of vision. Dancing lightly on his toes, he swings to and fro, as if he’s holding a beloved partner.
“What he means, Mother, is that if you can picture an iceberg, you can understand the number of males to females,” Ambrose says, then he suddenly stops pirouetting in front of her. “Do you know the minuet?”
“Fuck.” Matthias groans. “Why does it feel like we’re all sliding into dumbfuckery?”
“Lots of men, very few women,” I grumble. “There are almost thirty-five thousand vampires in the world currently, and fewer than three thousand of them are women.”
“Asher turned all of us himself, except for Raphael and Ambrose,” Andrei says, “You are the first woman in our coven, Mother. The reason we act as if you’re a queen… is because to us? You’re our salvation.”
“Salvation,” Chloe says the word as if she’s afraid of being blasphemous. “I…”
“He means to say,” Matthias interjects. “You’re the hope against the Order. You’re the hope that we all have a soulmarked somewhere in the eternal night. Asher waited almost a thousand years to find you. Will we all have to wait as long? Or longer? What if you had died before he could reach you?”
Chloe looks around, and her eyes stop dead on Ambrose.
“An eternity of true damnation,” Ambrose says softly before he walks over to a chair beside Kian. Slumping down into it, he seems to truly fold into himself.
“The moment we are turned,” I say, “is the moment the ache of the void begins. We can feel it every moment of our existence. Every second of every hour, of every night, of every century, we ache.”
“We envy our sire as much as we cheer for him,” Raphael says. “It’s not like we get to stand in line for our soulmarked. There’s no number board calling off who’s next.”
“That’s why Nikolaos has caused a war between our covens,” I add. “To our knowledge, him forcing a bond upon you should have been impossible, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have worked.”
No one says much after that, the implications far and wide.
What if it had worked?
What could that have possibly meant?
“What of the other girl? The one I heard about when I was in the den?” Chloe suddenly asks, her eyes wide with fear. “She was being held there.”
Kian looks up from where he’s been tapping away at his phone, his fingers a blur of motion. “She’s with Nikolaos.”
“When did you find this out?” I ask in surprise.
“Right before I had to hear about your erection issues,” Kian says then looks down at his phone again. “Really, sire? Can’t you control yourself?”
Tilting my head to the side, I’m about to respond before I decide to shut my mouth. A small growl comes out, but that’s all I let out.
“Fair enough,” I say. “Is this the surprise you mentioned when you came down?”
“Yes, and probably no,” Kian says, and slips his phone into his pocket. “We knew he more than likely had her, but I was able to confirm it from his own camp.”
“Who?” I ask quickly.
“Vaughn. There’s a growing splinter in Nikolaos’s coven now. One that’s been pushed out into the light. All because many have voiced their disapproval of his actions against our mother. That, and it seems Nikolaos hasn’t felt the same… affinity for the one he still holds.”
“Is Vaughn able to give us the location of where Nikolaos has been hiding out?” Raphael asks before I can.
“No.” Kian sighs loudly. “That’s part of my issue right now. I was hoping he’d be able to find out, but it seems he’s been excommunicated from the coven, along with a couple others.”
“You know you use words like the Order,” Chloe says quietly to the room. “Excommunicated, salvation, soulmates, soulmarked…”
I laugh. “Two sides of the same coin.”
“It’s been debated since time immemorial whether we or the Order would exist without the other,” Raphael says.
“We’re getting off topic though. Do you have any more news?” I ask Kian.
“Yes, Dav’s rivals are starting to get antsy. They’ve been putting out calls for nomads to come join them,” Kian says.
“Damn.” I wince. “I had hoped that wouldn’t happen before we made our move.”
“So was he, I bet,” Raphael says. “But with your cock leading the way, we’ve be waylaid.”
Chuckles pop up around the room, and soon Chloe leans over to me.
Whispering quietly, she asks, “Why does everyone keep talking about your penis?”
Fuck.
“Mother, you should remember vampires have really good hearing,” Caden says loudly before he gets the nudge from Maddox. “His cock keeps getting talked about because for the past few days, if our sire wasn’t in the bedroom with you, he was walking around with an erection. It was like he was a teenager again.”
Chloe’s cheeks begin to turn a deep pink as her eyes widen in realization.
“Enough, children,” I growl, and point to Raphael. “I need you to set up a meeting with Dav. We need to meet up as soon as possible.”
“Got it,” Raphael says, and walks away from the group, already starting the call.
“Caden, Maddox, as soon as Isaac wakes up and is through the frenzy, we need every ounce of information we can get from him about the Order. We need to know why, when, and where they were giving him Chloe’s blood,” I say.
Through the bond I can feel Chloe recoil at my words.
“Chloe, we’ll need to talk about whatever information you can give us.” I say, then look to Matthias. “What news do you have for me?”
“None that will make you happy.” Matthias sighs. “There isn’t anything out there. Although just asking the question has put a shit ton of nervous Nellies on full alert.”
“Did your questions reach the Council?” I ask.
“Not exactly. I was able to get a line to Lord Albert, and posed a hypothetical question to him,” Matthias says. “He asked to be kept informed of anything we see, hear, or find.”
“Sire, if there is a witch around,” Kian says quietly, “I can find her.”
“Witch?” Chloe asks, looking back and forth. “Aren’t those the things in fairytale books with like big, green noses and warts?”
Silence fills the room as each of us look at Chloe.
“No, love,” I say. “They’re very much real, and very much the worst horror you could imagine. The Benedictines may paint us as the big bad evil of the world, but witches were, or perhaps still are, the anti-thesis of anything good.”
“If we were to fight one now, Mother,” Ambrose says, oddly cheerful, “we’d no doubt lose at least a third of us.”
“I don’t get it.” Chloe says. “How?”
“We’d not lose that many,” Matthias says, though I can hear the slight doubt in his voice.
Ambrose stands up and begins to dance in a small circle. “Oh, to be sure, we’d kill it, dear brother. But it’s been many years since one has been known to exist. Imagine how powerful the one who’s been hidden has to be? Then imagine how much power they’ve collected over the years since the last war happened…”
Fuck.
He’s one hundred percent right. Hiding out this long without being caught… Collecting power over the centuries, plotting and enacting plans over periods of time so long the humans forget…
“How would you find it, Kian?” I ask.
“It has to have a base of power, and it has to have corruption surrounding its main location. It’s a matter of finding a pattern and then slowly circling in on the location, like we’re doing with Nikolaos,” Kian explains. “But it would be on a much larger scale. Global instead of a city.”
Nodding my head slowly, I think it couldn’t hurt. “Do it, but be discreet, and keep Matthias in the loop.”
“Got it.” Kian stands from his chair and motions to Matthias. “Let me see what you’ve been doing. Do we know if Lord Albert still has the blade?”
“Yep,” Matthias says. “He’s carried that fucking cursed shit for the last hundred and how ever many years.”
Raphael comes back into the room and says, “Dav will be here just after sunset. Perhaps we should all have dinner before he gets here and take a rest?”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” I say.
You’ll feed off me, kitten , I push through the bond.
Chloe’s eyes slide over to me, and she gives me the faintest of nods. I can feel the uneasiness of her mind as she thinks about feeding.
If you want to keep your sanity, you must eat, I push hard.
She doesn’t have to feed off humans if she truly is hellbent on taking that stand, but I will not allow her to put herself in danger.
* * *
The sleek black Audi driving up to the house is the exact opposite of what I expected the leader of the Dalton pack to arrive in. Having seen the SUVs and trucks earlier this week, such a car is a jarring juxtaposition.
Dav pulls himself out of the driver’s seat of the car, giving me a sheepish grin. “The Pack decided this is the only thing I can drive through the city in and not get made.”
Meeting him halfway to the house, I shake his hand. “I would have to agree. How’s the city doing?”
He grunts and follows me to the house. “Feeling more and more like a powder keg.”
“Is there anything we can do to support you?”
Dav shrugs his thick shoulders. “We’ve been keeping tabs on the other pack. They may be bigger, but we’re older and more established. Some of the guys in their clan are worried about being in debt with Nikolaos.”
“Anything we need to worry about with you guys?” I ask as we step inside.
Shaking his head, Dav says. “Nah, our terms are more than favorable to us. You’ve got us in a good spot to take things in a better direction.”
“Good.” I lead Dav into the living room then motion to where Chloe is sitting on the couch. “I’d like to introduce you to Chloe, my beloved.”
Dav moves to the center of his room and does something entirely unexpected.
He actually bows to Chloe.
“Mother Chloe,” Dav says in his gravelly voice. “I welcome you and your coven to the city. If you should ever need our services, we are only a phone call away.”
Chloe’s eyes quickly jump to me, asking what the hell she should do. When I only smile, she takes a deep breath and stands from her chair.
“Thank you for your gracious welcome,” she says. “If you ever need us, we’re here for your pack as well.”
“I truly appreciate it,” Dav says, then he turns to me. “Congratulations, Asher. I’ve learned as much as I could about what it means to find a soulmarked, though I doubt I learned enough to fully grasp the concept.”
Smiling outwardly, I can only internally wince. I highly doubt he knows much more than whispers and conjecture, but that he seems to care is a good sign for our partnership.
“Thank you,” I say.
After nodding his head, Dav tilts his head to the side, cracking his neck, and grins. “Ready for business?”
“Absolutely.” I nod for him to follow me.
Heading into the dining room, I show him the maps and information we’ve gathered so far. It probably wouldn’t hurt to take him down to the basement, where our command room is, but better safe than sorry.
“My men think Nikolaos is located somewhere within a two-mile radius of here,” I say, and point towards the northwest portion of the city. “I, however, doubt he’s there, but it’s the best location we’ve got so far.”
Looking at the map on the table, Dav frowns at the location I’m pointing at. “He won’t be on the outskirts, or too much further up. That area is all forest and countryside.”
“That was my thought, as well. It would be far too easy to spot them bringing dinner in through the roads. His coven, from what I can gather, has lost a few men over the last two days. He’s down to twelve non-nomadic guys,” I say, and sit down on the edge of the table.
“The pack he’s allied with is about twenty-two strong, but I’d say only fifteen of them have the stomach for outright violence.” Pushing his finger down on the map, Dav marks a small warehouse district. “This is owned by the church, I doubt he’d be there.”
My hand goes to mark off the location on the map at first, but the second my fingers touch the pen I stop in midair.
“Do you know when it was bought?” I ask.
“That was in my father’s time, about forty years ago? He worked for a sheet metal operation out of there.” Dav shrugs. “One day the church bought up a big section of the buildings and kicked them out. Wasn’t much charity or goodwill for the people they put out of work.”
“I can imagine not. Any idea what they did with the buildings?”
“Mostly repurposed or shutdown. I know they ran a book press out of my dad’s building for a long while. Pretty sure they were printing off apocalyptic type stuff. Lots of where will your soul go, be saved, type of books.”
Chloe moves around the table, looking at the spot we’re talking about. “The church runs a homeless shelter close to there… And I think one of the priests lives around that area. He has a sprawling estate outside the industrial zone…”
Dav looks between us. “Either way, it’s doesn’t have enough warm bodies to fill your missing coven. I’m betting it’s further down here.”
He points to the lower section of our circled area. “Couple of strip malls, a few middle-class subdivisions, and a mall there. All of which can handle a few missing people here and there. Especially because it has quick access to the freeway. They can easily pop into the city for a quick bite to eat.”
Matthias comes into the room, laughing at that, and I start to chuckle as well.
Dav raises his hands. “I know, lame jokes aside though, it’s a good area.”
More of my sons trickle in from different parts of the house to check in with us, and I’m reassured when Dav doesn’t flinch. He’s good with us being around him, and good with us outnumbering him.
It bodes well for us in the future if he’s not easily startled by us.
Raphael moves into the room and shakes hands with Dav. Then he comes to stand beside me. “I need to talk to you soon.”
Looking at Raphael, I nod. As I’m about to turn away, I notice something is clearly off with him. His eyes are fucked up. One pupil is the size of a pinprick and the other eyes is almost completely black. He’s swaying just enough that if he were human, I’d think he was slightly drunk.
“Raph?” I ask, turning fully to face him.
“Something’s not right,” Raphael says before turning to the side.
A large amount of blood suddenly spews out of his mouth.
“Fuck!” I shout in alarm.
Before I can do anything, Dav is wrapping a big, beefy arm around Raphael’s shoulders, mindless of the blood getting all over him. “I didn’t think your type got sick?”
I feel a flare of annoyance before I’m bellowing, “Andrei!”
“I’m here, Father.” Andrei speeds through the room and quickly kneels beside Raphael. “What’s happening?”
Looking over to Dav, I say, “We don’t. I must apologize for the mess we seem to have gotten on you.”
“Would it surprise you if I said I’ve had worse?” Dav says.
Staring into his eyes, I say. “I’m sure we all have, I suppose. Would you mind terribly if we finished our meeting at a later time?”
Dav shakes his head and lets go of Raphael. “Not at all.”
When I try to pull away to see Dav quickly out, Raphael grips my forearm.
Pulling me down tight to his side, Raphael sputters blood against my ear as he harshly says, “Something is happening… I don’t know what... I feel sick… and drunk… I haven’t been drunk since I was a human.”
In the background, I hear Chloe quickly escorting Dav from the house and out to his car. Dav is nothing but manners, but he’s moving quick, eager to get away.
“Poison?” I ask Raphael, even though I highly doubt it.
“No,” he growls before another burst of blood comes streaming out of his mouth.
“What the fuck?” Matthias says.
“What do you feel?” Andrei asks Raphael.
“I don’t… I don’t know… but I feel an impending doom,” Raphael answers.
“Doom?” I ask.
Nodding his head, Raphael slowly pushes us away and moves toward the table. Using the end of the table to straighten himself out, he looks to me and says, “Like the world is shrinking into one place all at once.”
“Raphael?” Chloe asks quietly, reappearing out of thin air. “What do you hear?”
Looking between the two, I feel as confused as the rest of the men standing here with me.
What does he hear? What the fuck does that have to do with him vomiting?
“A faint heartbeat?” Raphael murmurs more to himself than anyone else.
“A what?” I ask.
The moment my words come out of my mouth, his eyes roll into the back of his head and his body slumps to the floor like a boneless bag of meat.
There have been instances in my life when I’ve felt time stop. Like it stops so completely I could pluck out a specific grain of sand spilling inside an hourglass.
All of us, save one, is stunned into inaction.
Chloe vanishes, reappearing with Raphael’s head in her lap.
Her eyes stare up at me as she whispers, “He’s connected… He’s hearing her.”
My head wants to shake at the impossibility. It’s too damn soon. It’s unheard of. Never. Never has this happened before.
Not in the same coven.
But one moment, Raphael is fine, and the next he’s spewing blood...
“Asher, what in the ever-living fuck is going on?” Matthias asks as the rest of my sons crowd around Raphael.
Looking over to Andrei, I see him raise his eyebrows at me, but he doesn’t voice his opinion.
“Does it match with how I collapsed?” I ask Andrei.
“From what Raphael described? Maybe? But you didn’t vomit blood or hear things,” Andrei says.
Listen to me! Chloe slams through the walls of our bond. Her mind like a battering ram from the days of my youth.
“Listen to me,” Chloe growls viciously to the room at large. Tenderly, her hands cover Raphael’s ears. “I feel it.”
“Feel?” Maddox asks, his voice a harsh rasp from disuse, before he quickly looks to Caden.
“You can feel it?” Caden clarifies for them both.
Chloe nods her head. My poor wife is now covered in blood as she cradles Raphael’s head in her lap like she would a wounded animal.
“Mother,” Ambrose says in a delighted voice, “feels things through the spirit of our dear blood brothers. Or perhaps through the bond we all share with Father.”
“We need to get a sample of Raphael’s blood,” Andrei says with a grin.
I growl so deep at him he freezes instantly.
“No, leave him be until he wakes,” I say with a deep push of calm through the room.
Maddox elbows Caden hard enough that Caden elbows him back. “We want to know if this means we finally get a little sister to pick on?”
“Mother!” Ambrose sings. “We can all dance together, and you must promise I get to help dress her!”
Sighing so deeply I’m not entirely sure she’s mentally well, Chloe points to Caden and Maddox. “Go to your rooms, all of you. Especially you two.”
“If you dare touch my fated…” Raphael rasps out slowly. “I’ll pull your entrails through your eye sockets.”
Squatting down close to Raphael, I ask quietly. “Is it her?”
“Yes, but she’s very weak, and very sick. I don’t know what’s happening, but she’s terrified.” Raphael pulls himself up until he’s sitting. “I’m sorry I’ve ruined your dress, Chloe.”
Chloe grins. “I was right, you can feel her.”
“I can,” Raphael agrees, his eyes drifting to the front windows of the house.
“How far away is she?” Kian asks. “Can you tell?”
“That’s not the right question,” Raphael grunts, rising to his feet. “The question is… how close?”