be in her dragon form.
“Jemma, you will have your revenge,” Larsson says calmly, before turning to the king. “I want his head, Raphael. I don’t care what that is going to cost you.”
“You’ll have it, Larsson. You have my word.”
32
Aurora
It’s almost daybreak by the time we arrive at Bloodstone. Saxon was all jittery in the car, moving in his seat almost as if he wanted to jump out the door and run. It’s an ingrained instinct in vampires to seek cover when sunup is near. Saxon chose to drive back with me, but I kept my distance from him, even though I was itching to reach over and squeeze his hand.
When I think how close I was to losing him to this unfair condition vampires suffer from, my heart twists savagely in my chest. I’m not sure how long he’s been awake since the last time he hibernated, but I still have plenty of years left of him until I … fuck. If I manage to be free of the vow I made, and thwart my unwanted marriage, there is the immortality detail to deal with. I’ll grow old and Saxon will remain the sexy god that he is. I’m not sure if I will be able to handle that. And would he want to stay by my side and watch me wither and die?
The sky is getting lighter, but it doesn’t mean our evening is over. The mood within our group is depressing as we walk up the steps of the dark stone building. Silence is prevalent. Even Saxon, who has been always quick with a joke, doesn’t say a word.
Once we’re inside, Lucca glances at Manu, breaking the silence first. “I have to see Vivi. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I just need to feed and rest.”
“You should have gone home with the king,” Ronan grumbles.
“And you should have gone after Cheryl,” she snaps. “She’s sleeping with that dragon, you know.”
It’s right then that I remember where I recognize that dragon from. He’s the bartender Cheryl screwed when we went to rescue Rikkon from Larsson’s clutches.
“How do you know that she is?” I ask.
She gives me an arrogant look. “I could tell.”
“From the one-second glance you spared in their direction?” I raise an eyebrow.
There’s no reply from her unless I count her death glare as one. Maybe she’s so in tune with Cheryl because Ronan is definitely linked to the she-wolf, and only a blind person wouldn’t notice Manu has a thing for the brooding vampire. And there’s Karl in the mix too. I’d bet a limb he’s more than just a familiar. No wolf shifter would pledge an eternity linked to a vampire if some serious feelings weren’t involved. Damn. This is not even a triangle anymore. It’s a square of unresolved issues and complications. It almost makes my relationship with Saxon seem easy in comparison.
He brushes his fingers against the back of my wrist, sending a blazing ripple up my arm.
“I’m going to see Solomon. Will you come with me?”
“Yeah, of course.”
We say goodbye to our companions and head over to the headmaster’s office. Saxon was able to drink from me, but that’s far from enough to recover from the wound he suffered. His appearance is still too pale for my liking, and he has dark circles under his eyes.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he grumbles. “I’m okay.”
“You scared the hell out of me. Don’t do it again.” I force my eyes to remain focused ahead, even though every fiber in my body pulls to him.
“I scared you?” His voice rises a little. “You were the one who collapsed and stayed catatonic for a whole minute. I thought … fuck, I thought that I had drunk too much from you.”
The choke in his reply makes my heart twist in a vicious manner. But it’s the inability of reassuring him through touch that hurts the most. I know it has only been a day since I snagged the promise from the warlock to free me from the blood vow, but after we see Solomon, I’ll have to find a way to contact him.
I get lost in my head for a minute, and don’t notice right away Saxon’s change of demeanor. He stops abruptly and snarls as he stares at Solomon’s closed door.
“What is it?”
He doesn’t reply, but Solomon’s door opens, and I understand why Saxon is going berserk. Calvin steps out, spearing me with a look of so much hatred and loathing that