Chapter 33 Dimitri
dimitri
. . .
“Your assignment is to navigate a live terrain with simulated threats while achieving your mission’s goal.
In this case, you will extract a magical artifact that is in the hostile hands of a vampire cult.
You will be awarded points for stealth, control, and following through with this mission,” Professor Bloodwyne explained, his brown eyes flicking over us with a cold determination.
As exciting as this simulated mission sounded, and it did sound exciting, I couldn’t stop thinking about Rune.
Her golden eyes widening with betrayal as she realized her ex fucking drugged her on purpose.
Only Rune would ever think someone poisoning her would be a romantic gesture.
Thank the Fates that she was immune to poison, but also how trusting and ignorant was she that she trusted someone like that?
Knowing they had a physical relationship made anger burn a hole where my heart was, and I didn’t understand why that pissed me off so badly.
But it did.
“You will be dropped off in the coldest part of Cursinia, on the Frozen Peaks,” he explained.
A chill shot down my spine already at the thought of those snow-blasted mountains. The wind cut like blades up there, but we had our suits on to mitigate the effects of the climate.
“The snowy mountain is known for slippery terrain and sound-enchanting frost wards that amplify footfalls, breathing, and heartbeats. A courtesy from the ice fae.” Bloodwyne rolled his eyes.
“Silence is survival up there. The creatures on that mountain are not friendly. The saber-tooth tigers and polar bears alone are a threat, but your main threat will be the Cult of the Blood Moon.”
“Saber-tooths?” Eleanor gasped. “I’ve never touched one of those before…”
“No way,” Lorian scolded her. “You’re not getting close enough to one to touch it. I’d…lose it if you were hurt, Elle.”
My brows raised. Those two really did have a connection.
She blushed but nodded. “I understand. The only predator I’ve had the chance to touch is a black bear.”
“Not a grizzly?” He frowned. “If you want, you can touch me in my shifted form.”
She giggled, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “I have to touch real animals, not shifters. But…thank you, Lorian.”
His face went red as he nodded.
“What are the cult’s beliefs?” Slater tilted his head, pocketing his phone after he finished sending what looked like an email.
“First rule of being an agent: don’t ask questions.
” Bloodwyne narrowed his eyes at Slater.
“You will have to work with the intel you’ve been given.
You may do your own research in the field, of course.
But never ask questions during a mission brief as an agent.
Once you are promoted, you will get those privileges. ”
“Ah, sorry, future Pops-by-mating.” Slater shot him a sheepish smile.
He leveled him with a glare. “It just so happens that you do get briefed on the cult’s beliefs before the mission, but don’t get used to getting all of this information in the future.”
Slater gave him two thumbs up.
“The cult’s belief is that vampires should not be bound to the Fates because it makes them weak and predictable. The cultists sever their bonds to the Fates by physically removing their index toe bone and casting the intent before destroying it,” Bloodwyne explained.
My heart dropped.
The Cult of the Blood Moon.
That was where I’d heard it before. My grandparents had been members before the cult was destroyed by the council. My parents still held those beliefs, but they hadn’t severed their bonds to the Fates…that I knew of.
“The cult is in possession of a magical artifact that warps emotional bonds,” he continued, running a hand through his red hair.
“It’s able to amplify fear, lust, jealousy, and anger.
It can even turn longing into raw hatred, and it allows the cult to weaponize those emotions against their enemies.
It doesn’t just warp emotional bonds, though.
It’s dangerous because that artifact affects the supernaturals who are more in tune with the Fates.
It feeds off the proximity between fated mates the most, but emotionally linked supernaturals feed it well enough.
You need to get the artifact away from the cult as soon as possible. ”
“The cult isn’t just a threat to Kalista, but to the Fates,” I muttered, remembering all the shit my grandparents used to spew.
No wonder my parents were insane.
“Simulation Cult of the Blood Moon activate,” Professor Bloodwyne said before fading into the simulation.
The cold, barren landscape of the mountains formed around us, and the wind sliced the exposed skin of my face and fingertips mercilessly. Icy fog curled from my lips with every breath.
“Fates, it’s cold.” Rune shivered, but her golden eyes were calculating as she scanned the ridge line.
Chanting threaded the air, and I couldn’t tell if it was near or far. It had a double sound from the fae enchantment.
“Crevasse,” Hawk whispered, pointing with two fingers to a deep, open crack in the glacier. “It’ll give us a break from the wind.”
“Th-thank g-goodness.” Aura’s teeth chattered.
We followed his lead, our suit-clad feet crunching on the frozen surface as we entered the ice slit. The ice cracked, the sound echoing hauntingly as the mountain’s pressure mounted.
Frost clung to Rune’s dark eyelashes, and her hands were shaking by the time the crevasse narrowed. “We need to warm up. Do you guys trust me? I have a venom that can warm our blood. I picked it up from a venomous spider back when I was hiking with Mom.”
“Always, venom baby.” Slater slid in front of her, tilting his head to bare his throat with a grin that fogged the air. “Dibs on first bite.”
She swallowed hard, pushed her fangs out, and whispered, “Hold still.” Her pupils slit as she leaned in and sank her fangs into his neck.
Slater’s breath hitched, and his lashes fluttered for a moment before she pulled back. “Whoa,” he whispered, a goofy grin on his face. “That’s fucking incredible.”
Rune licked the tiny mark just before it healed. “Next?”
“Me, pretty little poison.” Zuko stepped in next with a wicked smile plastered on his lips.
“Of course.” She sank her fangs into the curve where shoulder met neck.
Zuko’s hand flexed on her shoulder, but he didn’t pull away. He exhaled a low, surprised sound, then laughed against her hair. “That’s… mm. Warm. Very—mm—sweet of you.”
“Behave,” she murmured, brushing her thumb over the wound that had already healed.
“Define behave,” he breathed, his orange eyes brighter now, and there was color back in his cheeks.
“My pops is watching this,” she reminded him.
He coughed and straightened up. “Whoops.”
“I trust you.” Koa hovered beside her, fidgeting with his fingers before sticking his hand out to her. “Can you bite my fingertip? Neck feels…intimate.”
“You don’t want me to bite your neck?” she teased.
He went red, and Rune took pity on him.
“Fingertip it is.” Rune took his hand and held the index finger. “You’ll feel a prick first, then you’ll be all warmed up.”
He nodded fast.
She used one fang to slice the pad of his finger as gently as she could manage.
The venom slid in, and Koa’s shoulders dropped in audible relief. “Oh,” he said, surprised into stillness. “That was easy. That’s so much better. I didn’t think the cold would affect me the way it did, being a phoenix, but that’s a huge difference. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled softly.
Aura stumbled back from Rune with a fearful expression as she zero-ed in on her fangs. “How much venom? What will it do to me? I’m an imp, you know. I can’t take venom. And...fangs scare me.”
“It’s a micro-dose, Aura,” Rune answered, voice soft. “Even a human wouldn’t be hurt by it. They’d just be warmed for a while, even in this frigid climate. I promise. I don’t even have to use my fang. I can just touch your finger if that’s easier.”
Aura searched her face for a beat, then held her finger up, bare and steady. “Then, get it over with.”
Rune touched her finger to Aura’s and let her venom seep into her. Aura didn’t flinch, but her jaw clicked once. Heat must’ve found her fast because she nodded. “Thank you, Rune.”
Eleanor outstretched her trembling hand toward Rune. “Please. It’s so cold.”
Rune immediately spread her venom through her finger, and Eleanor closed her eyes with a small sound of appreciation. “You rock, Rune. Thank you.”
Lorian held out his thumb for her, and she dosed him, too.
Lorian’s mouth quirked as he felt the effects. “Warm,” he rumbled. “Deep warm. Not at all what I was expecting.”
She pressed her finger to Raze’s quickly, and he nodded in appreciation before stepping back.
Hawk grinned as Rune moved to him, his cheeks flushing pink the moment Rune touched his finger. “I, uh—yeah—you can bite, if you want. Finger is good. Wouldn’t say no to the neck.”
“The venom’s spreading already, Hawk,” Rune said, amused.
“Blood’s warming. That’s good. Thanks,” he said too quickly, looking anywhere but her face.
Why did I want to punch him in the face?
“Weirdo,” Koa grunted.
“She’s ours,” Slater muttered.
“Yep,” Zuko agreed.
I’d been quiet the whole time, but when Rune turned to me, the crack in the glacial wall we were in seemed to disappear.
“Finger,” she said with an undertone of teasing. “Unless you want a neck bite, too.”
My gums itched where my fangs were. “Finger is fine.”
Rune took my hand. “Fang or finger?”
“Fang,” I answered, not fucking knowing why I chose the more intimate option.
My magic stirred in my chest. I’d wanted to bare my throat like Slater and Zuko, just to see how her mouth would feel there. I’d wanted to sink my own fangs into her to find out how sweet her blood would be.
But I couldn’t.
Rune Bloodwyne wasn’t my mate—I didn’t even think the Fates would bless me with a mate.