Chapter Twenty-Seven
The warehouse feels like a distant nightmare now as we step inside Drake”s mansion. I”m still shaken up from the events that have transpired, but I”m relieved to finally be back here. It”s like I”m home, and it feels so good to be back. I look around the living room, taking in the familiar sights and smells. There”s nothing more comforting than being surrounded by people who care about you.
I can”t believe it”s over. It”s finally over. More than that, I can”t believe I killed someone. I know it was to save Drake, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but it”s still a shock to my system.
”Are you okay?” Drake asks, squeezing my hand.
”I think so,” I reply. ”I”m just... in shock, I guess.”
He nods, understanding. ”I know. It”s okay to feel that way. It”s normal. Just know that I”m here for you, whatever you need. We all are.”
I smile at him gratefully, feeling tears well up in my eyes. ”Thank you,” I murmur.
”There you are!” Sage pops up from the sofa, hurrying over to us. ”I was getting worried that things had gone south. How are you feeling? Are you hurt?”
”I”m fine,” I assure her. ”Just a little shaken up.”
Sage gives me a sympathetic smile, and then she looks at Drake. ”And you?”
He shrugs. ”Nothing a little rest and a blood bag won”t fix. We got lucky. It could have been a lot worse.”
I shiver as images from the fight flash through my mind. ”Tell me about it.”
”Well, I”m glad you”re both okay,” Sage says. ”You”re sure you”re not hurt? Nothing that needs healing?”
”I”m fine,” I insist. ”Really.”
”She was injected with something,” Drake explains. ”We interrogated Adrian”s driver, who says it was just a sedative, but I”d like you to check her out, just to make sure.”
Sage nods. ”Of course. Come on, let”s get you cleaned up and see what”s going on.”
I follow Sage into the kitchen, and she sits me down at the table while she gathers supplies. She brings over a bowl of some blue liquid, places it in front of me, and says, ”Just a mild healing concoction, nothing too strong. It”ll work out whatever they gave you and heal any wounds you might have. Drink up. I”ll be right back.”
She disappears into the other room and returns a minute later with a bottle of water. She hands it to me, and I drink it gratefully, the cold liquid soothing my dry throat.
”Better?” she asks.
”Yes, thanks.”
Sage sits down beside me and takes my hand in hers. She closes her eyes, and I feel a warmth spreading through my body. I”m not sure if it”s the potion or Sage”s magic, but it feels good.
”I”m glad you”re okay,” she says softly, opening her eyes. ”I was so worried about you.”
I shift in my seat. ”Can I ask you something?”
”Of course,” she says with a nod. ”Anything.”
”Drake... marked me the other day.” I wait for some sign that she”s surprised, but when she just blinks, I continue. ”When Adrian had me, anytime he would touch me, not in a sexual way, just in general, the bite marks would sting. Why? Is that normal?”
Sage smiles. ”It”s normal when you”re marked by a vampire. It”s their way of staking claim to you. They”re jealous creatures, after all, and they don”t like to share what belongs to them. The bite marks sting because it”s a sign of ownership.”
”I see. So, um... how long does it last?”
”It”s permanent,” Sage says. ”But that”s not a bad thing, if you think about it. You”re bonded to Drake now, and he”s bound to protect you. It”s a sacred bond between mates, and it should be cherished.”
I smile, thinking about how lucky I am to have found someone who cares about me as much as Drake does. I know he”ll always be there for me, no matter what happens. ”I understand,” I reply.
Sage pats my hand. ”Good. Now, let”s get you back to your vampire. I can hear him pacing from in here.”
I laugh. ”Thanks, Sage.”
She stands up and kisses my forehead. ”Anytime, sweetheart. And I mean that.”
As I make my way back into the living room, I see that Sage wasn”t kidding about Drake”s pacing. He looks up when I enter and crosses the room in two strides, pulling me into his arms.
”Are you okay?” he murmurs.
”I”m fine,” I assure him as I pull the ceremonial knife out of my waistband. ”Let”s go get this over with before any other vampires come knocking.”
He holds up his hand and turns to face the rest of the clan, who are all but passed out all over the room. ”Just a minute. There”s something I need to say. You guys have been there for me through thick and thin. You”ve stood by me through everything, even when I didn”t deserve it. And for that, I am eternally grateful. I couldn”t have asked for a better family than the one I have right here.”
I feel tears welling up in my eyes, and I”m not sure if it”s the post-adrenaline rush or the emotion of Drake”s words, but either way, it”s touching. He clears his throat as if to clear away the emotions, and continues. ”Which is why I want you all to know that I”ve marked Lola as mine, and that she will be staying with us. If you have any problems with this, now is the time to speak up.”
There”s a moment of silence as everyone glances around at each other. Then Marlon grins and says, ”What took you so long?”
Everyone laughs, and the tension breaks.
Drake turns to me with a smile. ”I think that”s their way of saying they approve.”
I nod, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. I”m happy and relieved that everyone has accepted me into the family, especially since nothing but trouble has followed since I arrived here. It”s been a long time since I felt like I belonged anywhere, and I”m going to do my best to make this work.
”It”ll be like a sister,” Marina coos, grinning at me. ”Finally, some more estrogen around here.”
I laugh, wiping away a few stray tears. ”Thank you, everyone. I”ll do my best to keep up.”
Drake wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. ”Are you ready to do this?”
I take a deep breath and nod. ”Let”s go get that vial.”
Together, as a group, we make our way outside, through the graveyard, and back into my great-great-grandmother”s crypt. Following the secret passageway we uncovered before, until we come up to the familiar mural. The one with Genevieve in her beautiful white dress and yellow bow, with Drake”s vampiric ancestry standing right behind her.
After everything we”ve been through, I look at this in such a different light now. I feel like I”ve been let in on the most important secret in the world. A secret that will change my life forever. No more do I fear that Drake is tricking me like Theron did Genevieve. No, I know that Drake would do anything for me. And that”s why I have to do this.
I walk over to the wall and hold up the ceremonial knife, my hand shaking slightly. Drake puts his hand over mine, steadying me.
”We”re doing the right thing,” he says softly. ”You know that, right?”
I nod, taking a deep breath. ”I know.”
I cut the palm of my hand, just enough to draw a small amount of blood, and press it to the wall. For a moment, nothing happens. Then, with a loud click, the secret door swings open. It”s a small opening, nothing we could fit inside, but nestled there is a crumble of velvet wrapped around something.
I reach in and pull out the little package. My hands are shaking as I unwrap it, revealing a glass vial filled with a crimson liquid. It bubbles and sizzles, like it”s alive. Like it”s angry.
”Holy shit,” Marlon mutters.
”It”s real,” Simon whispers.
Marina just stares at it like it could explode at any second.
”Is that...?” I ask, not daring to finish my sentence.
Drake nods, his expression grim. ”Vampire blood mixed with holy water. The source of unimaginable power.”
There are a great many things I”ve longed for in life. Love, financial security, peace. But looking down at this vial, I realize that the one thing I”ve never cared to have is power. Yet, when I hold the vial up to the light, watching the way it sparkles and shines... It”s beautiful. Mesmerizing. It calls to me, begging me to drink it.
But I shove the thought away. Instead, I hold it out to Drake. ”Here. It”s yours.”
He smiles at me, a warm, genuine smile. ”You have no idea how long I”ve been trying to get my hands on this.”
I inch it closer to him, but when he reaches out to take it, the walls around us start to shake. ”What”s happening?” I shout, over the roar of the earthquake.
Drake curses and pulls me close, wrapping his body around mine to protect me from the falling rocks. ”The magic,” he yells. ”It”s protecting itself. We need to get out of here!”
I turn and run toward the passageway, but it”s blocked off by rocks. Without thinking, I hold out my hand and close my eyes. A blast of magic shoots from my palm, blowing a hole through the wall.
”Holy shit,” Drake breathes.
I glance back at him in shock. ”I didn”t know I could do that.”
”Neither did I.” He grabs my hand and leads me out of the crypt.
The others follow behind us as we hurry through the exit I”ve created and back out into the cemetery. Once we”re outside, the earthquake seems to subside, and we all take a moment to catch our breath.
”What the hell was that?” Marlon asks, looking around in bewilderment.
”The blood has spoken,” Sage shouts from across the yard. ”And it has a lot to say.”