28. Tied to Her

twenty-eight

Tied to Her

Rainer

A lessia’s scream pierces my heart like a needle, aspirating every drop of blood in a split second. The sound barely registers in my mind before my feet instinctively start moving.

With her essence still in my system from yesterday, my vampyr senses are heightened. I inhale, quickly catching her scent in the air.

A growl bursts from my throat as I pick up speed, shooting through the trees so quickly my lungs are seconds away from bursting.

Up ahead, the treeline breaks, and just beyond, I catch sight of a dark shadow the size of a carriage sitting at the base of a small hill.

I abruptly come to a halt, my hackles raising.

The shadow wavers slightly, like a dark, thick fog, obscuring whatever lies within it. I close my eyes, listening carefully.

Thump. Thump-thump. Thump.

Two overlapping, frantic heartbeats reach my ears.

Alessia .

I know one of them is her. I can’t explain it in words, but I’d recognize the sound of her heartbeat anywhere. But I don’t immediately run to her because she’s safe within her shadow shield .

I detect a couple of faint, remote heartbeats, followed by the distinct fragrance of human .

Crouching to plan my next move, I scan the valley. Movement atop the hill to the left catches my eye. A couple of men dressed in hunting boots and green leather tunics move swiftly, descending the hill. They use the few sporadic trees there for cover.

An arrow zips through the air, hitting Alessia’s shadow and bouncing off without piercing it.

Panic sluices through me. My legs coil with tension, ready for me to spring free. But I stifle the urge to move.

She’s okay.

Her heartbeat stays steady, and her shadow doesn’t budge. I don’t smell any hint of her blood spilling.

She’s okay.

I repeat it to myself, reminding myself not to be rash. If we were bonded, and I acted impulsively—running to her side and recklessly exposing myself to the enemies—it would put her doubly at risk. Risking my life would be risking hers.

So, instead, I steady my gaze on the men trickling down the hill. There are three of them. They crouch low, keeping their bows raised and arrows knocked.

I squint, my heightened eyesight allowing me to make out the details of their weaponry. They each have a quiver at their back and a dagger at their side, and they’re in matching harnesses with finger gloves.

They’re undoubtedly soldiers.

It would be easy to unleash my fearcaller power to make them cower and beg, but Alessia’s scream from earlier echoes in my mind, dredging up my bloodlust .

I’m not afraid they’ll hurt her—not with her shadow power at her side. However, I am concerned that her lack of control could lead to three fatalities, for which she would feel personally accountable. She has only recently begun to accept and reconcile with her inner darkness. I want to avoid the possibility of her regressing and withdrawing again due to guilt.

Staying in control during a high-stakes situation is a win she needs. It’ll serve as proof that she is the one in charge. The shadow does not own her.

I must get to them before her shadow can strike and kill them.

Another animalistic growl bubbles in my throat. My vision flickers as my primal urge grows, further enhancing my senses. The sweet, tempting scent of human blood draws me forward a few steps.

Unlike Alessia, I feel no remorse in ensuring the safety of my loved ones—no matter the cost. I want to look these adversaries in the eyes as I kill them. I want them to beg me as I tear open their thin, pathetic flesh with my teeth and drain them dry.

I track my prey with steady, quiet steps, maneuvering unseen through the trees. As I edge closer to the men, my nose prickles with a familiar scent.

Tynan.

He’s somewhere close behind me, but he’s wise to stay out of my way—unseen and unheard.

The three men reach the base of the hill.

The moment their feet hit the valley, the shadow in the middle of the clearing convulses. It shifts from the box-like covering into a massive tentacle in the blink of an eye. The dark arm lashes out, sweeping the men’s legs and taking them all down swiftly .

All three of them hit the ground, groaning.

Alessia and Seraphina stand in the tall grass, exposed. My rose is stiff, her jaw slack with disbelief, and I quickly realize her fear is warranted—she isn’t in control of her shadow-self. It’ll kill these men, and in the process, it’ll destroy another piece of her heart.

Run .

Her gaze swings in my direction as if she can sense my presence. I’m unsure if she can see me, but her body goes limber as she relaxes. In the next breath, she’s grabbing the sorceress’s hand, and they’re bolting toward the forest’s cover.

My attention jerks back to the men now rising and nocking their arrows. I don’t give them a chance to succeed, nor do I give Alessia’s shadow another opportunity to attack them.

I explode from the trees in a fury, my body trembling with a potent mixture of rage and primal instinct. The air crackles with tension as I succumb to the bloodlust coursing through my veins. My vision narrows, the darkness encroaching from the edges and the rest of the world fading away, leaving only the savage desire to feast .

Bursting forth, each second dissolves into a blur of frenzied motion. My snarls echo through the air as I pounce. The first man’s face contorts with fear and disbelief. Trembling, he reaches for an arrow, but I knock it loose, wrapping my fingers around his throat and squeezing.

Another man jumps on my back, clobbering me in the temple with his fist. Unable to breathe through my grip, the first man slumps to the ground unconscious. With relentless ferocity, I whirl around and tear my teeth into the second man’s throat. The sound of flesh ripping and bones shattering fills the air, blending with a gurgling scream of agony as I tear him apart.

I’m not drinking—I’m annihilating. Using my fangs, I tear into his limbs, ripping the flesh from his bones. A thick, metallic tang fills my mouth, and I roar. As soon as the ivory bones come into view, I snap them with a satisfying crack, casting them aside without a second thought.

With the man now a grotesque heap of torn flesh and shattered bones, I turn my focus back to the first man. He remains unconscious, his body limp and pitifully sprawled across the grass. With a sudden lurch, I pounce towards his neck, piercing my fangs into the tender flesh. I tear through it like paper, feeling the warm blood coat my lips as I consume him like a crazed beast.

With each swallow, I feel my vigor expanding and my power growing stronger. My senses sharpen and intensify.

I mercilessly deplete him of all vitality until he’s a dried-up husk. Then, I forcefully snap him in half, leaving him with his friend.

As abruptly as it began, it ends.

Except… where’s the third man?

My head snaps up, and I catch him stumbling up the hill. He trips over his own feet as he flees in a panic. Growling, I bend and snatch up one of the abandoned bows. With ease, I nock an arrow and aim. Closing a single eye, I lock onto my target, pull the string taut, and release.

The arrow whistles through the air, finding its mark exactly where I aimed. It penetrates the back of his neck. His body convulses violently, causing him to collapse to his knees and slump over .

Slowly, the adrenaline subsides. The dark haze lifts from my vision, and a sense of satisfaction swells in my chest. The surrounding forest and hills stand tranquil.

My lungs heave with my ragged breaths. I use the back of my hand to wipe the blood from my face, but it only smears it further. Glancing down, I take in my red-stained hands and arms.

I’ll have to bathe again before continuing.

“I’ll take care of them,” Tynan says, licking his lips. He bolts past me, quickly reaching the dead man on the hill. Dropping to all fours, he yanks the arrow free. Then, he bends and latches his mouth onto the man’s wounded neck, greedily consuming the remaining blood.

Even in my state of bloodlust, I subconsciously left one of the men intact so Tynan could feed—so he could leave the boy we’re traveling with alone. Even my monster would do anything to make Alessia happy.

Turning, I prepare myself to hunt her next, but I’m surprised to catch her running toward me. Her ashy curls bounce behind her, having freed themselves from the braid she usually wears.

She picks up her pace when she meets my eyes, lunging for me the moment she’s close enough.

I catch her with ease, planting one hand under her arse and cupping her head with the other. She wraps her legs and arms around me, clinging to me.

“Are you okay, mo róisín?” I murmur into her hair, squeezing tighter.

“Me?” she says on a heavy exhale. Her heart thumps relentlessly against my own as if desperate to break free from her ribs and mesh with mine. “You saved me.”

I can’t help but laugh, feeling lighter despite the weight of her body in my arms. “You would’ve been just fine without me.”

And I believe it. Even if she didn’t have complete control over her shadow-self, it would’ve protected her. She was afraid, but it’s because she hasn’t yet learned to trust herself.

“I didn’t leave you,” she says, pulling back to look at me. Her wide, grey eyes roam the mess I’ve made, but she doesn’t balk. She keeps her hands wrapped around my neck. “I couldn’t. I was watching from the trees. You…” Another big exhale bursts from her lungs. “You protected me.”

The way she says it tells me she knows why I stepped in. Not to save her life but to save that tender heart of hers.

“Always, little rose,” I murmur.

Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears as they bounce between my eyes. Her fingers slide up to the nape of my neck.

“My only regret is that you had to see that,” I say, using my thumb to wipe away a clump of blood on her cheek.

Her gaze flits to the ground behind me, then to the distance, where Tynan slurps from the body. She pales, and I angle us around so she’s no longer facing them. Then, I carry her toward the trees.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” I say, hoisting her up to adjust my grip as I stride away from the scene. She doesn’t deserve to be stained by their filth.

She’s much too precious, too perfect to be tainted.

“Rainer,” she whispers. Gods, I love how my name sounds when it falls from her lips. “My shadow was shot at—with arrows. ”

My feet stop moving, and fear licks my spine. I pull my head back, quickly inspecting her for any signs of a wound. I hadn’t seen—or smelled—an injury on her.

A tired laugh spills from her. “No—I’m not hurt. That’s the thing, though. I’m not hurt.” Wonder lights up her face. “It’s like only I can hurt my shadow.”

Leaning forward, she wraps herself tightly around me. I let her ponder the implications in peace, grateful as hell that she’s unharmed.

“I’ll never let anything hurt you, mo róisín,” I mutter into her hair. “You’re mine to protect.”

We make it back to where we stopped for lunch. Kenisius sits with Zephyr—exactly where I told him to stay. My pal’s brown eyes flash with the fight, and his leg bounces. I’m sure he’s thrilled about being left behind to watch a human. Seraphina sits on the ground beside our belongings.

“You,” I snarl at Seraphina. “You could’ve gotten her killed, pulling that shite.”

The sorceress’s mouth stays in a grim line, and she nods. “I shouldn’t have fled.”

Kenisius glances up at me, and he must read whatever is on my face because he quickly jumps to his feet.

“Hey!” He tugs Seraphina’s braid playfully. “There’s something over here that I wanted to show you.” The two of them swiftly move away, giving us privacy.

Zephyr stares at me, his body trembling like a leaf. He jumps up, darting after Kenisius and Seraphina. “Wait for me! ”

I place Alessia on the ground, gently guiding her to sit on a rock. Then, I locate a canteen and rag, wetting it to wash away the droplets of blood on her arm and face.

“You need that more than I do,” she says softly, trying to pull it free of my hands. I don’t relent, wiping her down carefully before I bother to analyze my own unfortunate state.

After a stretch of silence, she sighs.

“Rainer… I could’ve gotten you killed. If we were bonded, I mean,” she whispers. “Doesn’t that scare you?”

I go still, lowering my arm. “No,” I say honestly. “But living in a world without you does.”

Her breath stutters, and she gazes at me with a question. Those grey eyes of hers soften, flitting across my face.

Much like myself, she had contemplated the consequences of the bond. Neither of us would’ve entertained the possible implications unless we were considering it. The fact she worries about how it might affect me indicates that she’s giving it serious thought.

A gleeful warmth fills my guts, radiating through every inch of my body.

We shouldn’t complete the bond.

We have so many reasons not to.

But none of them are stronger than my reason to complete it: for her. The thought of losing her and living on without her is worse than dying at her side. There is no life for me without Alessia.

I want to be completely and irrevocably tied to her.