Bound by Curses and Vows – By Samantha Shaye #4
“Draupati was never yours to begin with. I will not let you have her. Not when she is innocent and remembers nothing of her past. Have you no shame?” The real Decimus was not someone to be messed with.
The way he curled his lip and sent the front gate flying was enough to make Suhana want to curl up in a ball and cry.
Instead, she stayed frozen, watching the two men.
“She was never supposed to be yours. You knew that, and still, you fell in love with her.”
The real Decimus threw his head back in laughter. “You were always so naive. A good for nothing creation of the devil himself. A demon disguised as a vampire. Did you really think she wouldn’t see through you? What love did you have for her? To torture her to death and drain her of her life!”
Suhana’s head reeled as she watched the two men arguing, and all at once, the world spun. The last thing she felt was the ground beneath her head as everything turned to black.
“Who said it was love?”
Decimus wanted to punch Caelus where he stood. The devilish sneer on the demon’s face said all it needed to. He’d never cared about Draupati. All he cared about was the power her blood could give him.
Draupati’s powers were ancient and lethal, making her immortal and invincible. Yet Caelus had taken advantage. And all for what? A power that was useless unless their life forces were bonded?
“What do you get from killing her again? Was the first time not enough?”
“Why do you want to know? So you can do it yourself?”
Decimus seized the demon by his throat and held him against Draupati’s statue in his garden.
Never had he been happier to be in his corporeal form.
He was only allowed this form until Draupati faced Lustitia and cleared his name.
He had two weeks to get her to agree. It wouldn’t be an easy feat, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to try.
If nothing else came of it, at least he’d be able to touch his beloved one last time. He hoped.
“I demand you tell me what it is that you got out of murdering my wife!”
A sinister smile spread across Caelus’s lips. “Blood magick.”
Decimus’s grip tightened around the man’s throat. Blood magick was one of the darkest magicks to exist. It allowed anyone to manipulate blood and create hexes and curses. It could bring demons to life, summon demon lords. Some spells could even kill—He didn’t want to finish that thought.
“You mean to make yourself a man among the gods.”
Caelus’s power-lusting gaze made Decimus snap. Just as he was going to break his brother’s neck, the man headbutted him, loosening Decimus’s grip. A second headbutt made Decimus stumble far enough back that Caelus delivered a kick to his ribs.
While it didn’t shatter them, it was enough to bruise. It took him several seconds to catch his breath.
He was not going to lose his wife again.
This time, he would fight with everything in him.
Decimus had a fortnight to prove his innocence to Lustitia, and by the gods, he was going to keep his promise.
Otherwise, he would lose Draupati forever.
If he didn’t prove himself innocent, she would never be born again, and his love would have failed him.
The seven rounds for seven lifetimes would have proved useless.
Decimus summoned his ax to his hand and lunged at Caelus with every ounce of strength in his being, only for Caelus to teleport behind him, his ax slicing air instead.
“You have grown weak, brother .”
“Don’t you dare call me brother.” Decimus whirled and charged at him again. This time his ax caught the man's arm and sliced his skin open. Caelus screamed in pain and held his hand over his arm as Decimus smirked, waving his ax. “Pure silver and sharper than a vampire’s fangs.”
Many beings were weak toward pure silver, vampires, too. The only thing that kept Decimus from being harmed was his bond with Draupati. One that would wear off if he didn’t get her to remember who she truly was.
Two weeks. I can do this . He hoped.
“You are going to regret the day you came back into your corporeal form.” Caelus’s voice was weak as the silver singed his skin.
“You can’t threaten a man ready to lie down on his deathbed. But I certainly can threaten a man who thinks he is above death. If I ever see you near her again, you’ll see your father sooner than you wish. And may he eat you alive when you get there.”
“This is not over,” Caelus growled before disappearing.
Sighing heavily, Decimus ran to where Suhana lay on the ground.
He gave her body a once-over, listening to her heart and breathing, then thanked the gods she had only passed out and was not truly harmed.
He gathered her into his arms and carried her into his mansion, one he hadn’t seen in ages.
As much as he hated to admit it, he was grateful Balthazar kept it spic and span.
Though, he would have to give him hell for letting moss cover the front pavement and the statue of his beloved wife.
Did she even know that her best friend, who she thought was human, was truly an immortal thrall enslaved by Caelus but saved by Decimus? How would she react when she found out?
Gods, he should have never lured her to this place when he caught her searching.
Suhana came to in a candlelit room she did not recognize.
The bed, made of dark wood, mahogany or cherry, had a beautiful canopy.
Further inspection from where she sat revealed a desk in the far corner, upon which seemed to be paper and an old quill pen.
Next to it was a trash bin. On the wall opposite the bed was an armoire whose wood seemed to match the bed, and large wooden doors, probably leading to a walk-in closet.
On the ceiling was modern lighting, so why the candles?
Getting out of bed, Suhana found the light switch next to the door of the room.
Then she blew out the candles and whistled low when she saw everything the room had to offer.
Opposite the armoire, on the other side of the bed, an open wooden door led to a beautiful white and peach tiled bathroom.
Soft, plush brown towels hung on the handle of the shower door. A note was taped on it:
The bathroom has everything you could need: toiletries, shampoo,
conditioner, soap of every floral scent I could find, shaving cream, razors,
lotion. You name it. It’s here. Feel free to rummage through the cabinets. There are fresh clothes in the wardrobe. Your friend Brad brought them for you. You are not a prisoner here. You are free to leave at any time you wish, but do not leave without talking to me.
Yours,
Decimus
Her heart leapt into her chest. Decimus.
The man from her dreams. Suddenly, her memories returned.
Her visit to the historic part of town, the fog, the fight between him and his lookalike, Calcium?
Caleb? Caelus , her mind reminded her. Gods, what had she gotten herself into?
And how did Brad know where she was? Did Decimus call him? He must have. But why?
She needed to know what all of this meant. Who he was. Who she was.
If Brad is right and I am reincarnated, then that could definitely make Decimus my husband .
Suhana’s heart jumped into her throat. She had never thought of love or marrying before, but the thought of Decimus being her husband didn’t scare her. Instead, it made her feel … whole? Was that the right word?
She took a quick shower before dressing in the clothes Brad had brought for her because of course he’d chosen the oversized long-sleeved t-shirt and black leggings. Well, it wasn’t like she wanted to impress a man she knew nothing about. Yet, it seemed he knew everything about her.
When Suhana stepped out of the room, she wasn’t exactly sure which way to go until she noticed notes taped to the wall with arrows on them.
The note on her right read “To Leave,” and the note on her left read “To talk to Decimus.” Her mind screamed for her to leave.
After all, she knew nothing about this man.
On the other hand, this was the man from her dreams. If Brad was right and she really was reincarnated, this man’s memories were of her as his wife.
The least she could do was listen to what he had to say.
Maybe he just wanted to tell her what had happened and let her know how long she had been here.
How long have I been here? Where’s my phone?!
Panic immediately set in. Suhana didn’t know if Decimus had taken advantage of her, where her phone was, or if anyone was looking for her. Sure, Brad knew where she was, but were her parents aware?
She immediately set off in the direction for talking to Decimus. She needed to know exactly what had happened, not just in the past but from the time she had passed out.
When Suhana followed the last arrow, she ended up in the kitchen. There were various breakfast dishes out on the island, and Decimus drank out of a black cup. Bile rose in her throat as she accidentally imagined what the liquid might be.
“It’s just coffee.” Decimus’s voice was deep and low as he spoke. “Despite what people think, some vampires do have a taste for certain foods and drinks other than blood.”
He took a sip from his cup and gently put it down on the table.
“I am not sure what you like to eat, so I made it all.”
Suhana could see that: eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles, pancakes, and a box of cereal with milk were all waiting on the table.
“I know I could have asked your friend Brad when he called to see how you were, but I did not want to keep bothering him. Here’s your phone.” Decimus slid it to her side of the table. “Don’t worry. I didn’t go through it.”