8. Violet

8

VIOLET

No, this isn't happening. It can't be happening.

But it is.

He smiles. It's not the usual predatory smile, though. It's something completely different.

Caution?

I reach for the nearest towel and wrap it around myself, although that thought brings it to the forefront of my mind that he has already seen me naked. I woke up a vampire, clean and dressed in that stupid white dress. Unless he used magick, he saw me in my birthday suit.

I shudder and back away, ready to scream.

But the bathroom door behind me shuts quietly, and with his magick, he turns me to face him. He is leaning against the far wall, his eyes never leaving mine. I open my mouth to tell him to go to hell and that Caine will be back soon, but nothing comes out. My throat feels constricted, but I don't think it's magick right now .

It's a genuine fear of being alone with him.

"Violet," he says softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to protect you."

The sheer audacity of him, jump starts my body into action. I clench my fists and growl. "Protect?" I spit out. "The only thing I need protection from is you ."

Hurt flashes in his eyes, taking me aback, but I don't let it affect me. I can't.

"I understand your anger and your pain," he says. "Believe me, I have been where you are, Violet." His tone is bitter, and that feeling I had that I was trying to squash pokes at me.

It's the sire bond. Nothing more, Vi. Don't. Just don't.

I grimace. "Well, boo fucking hoo for you. If you know what it's like, why did you do it to me? Hmm? To torture me? Because you are a sadistic prick?" My stomach growls, and the hunger lurches up.

He narrows those greeny gold eyes at me with pursed lips. "You aren't feeding," he murmurs, removing his suit jacket. He folds it up and places it over the sink. Then he rolls up his white shirt sleeve to reveal his wrist. He holds it out to me, and I let out a whimper of longing that I can't stop, even though I want with every breath I take, to stake him where he stands, I can't. I see now why Flint said I couldn't do it until the severing ritual. Whatever that was in the dreamscape was different. Not real. This is real, and those real bond-y feelings are a bitch faced twat.

"Drink, Violet."

"No," I grit out .

He smiles softly. "Your boys wouldn't like it."

"They would fucking hate it and me, and I won't hurt them; I would rather die of starvation than hurt them!"

He sighs and drops his arm. "Your loyalty to them is admirable."

"I owe them everything!" I spit out. "From rescuing me from you to helping me adjust to what you made me. They are heroes, and I won't disrespect them in any way."

"You are so strong, Violet."

I clench my jaw so tightly that I give myself a headache. Violet. He keeps calling me by my name all of a sudden and it's annoying me as much as not creeping me out. It's very confusing.

"You don't get to call me by my name. You can leave. You are not welcome here. Even your own mother hates you."

"Hmm, the feeling is very definitely mutual," he murmurs. "She isn't to be trusted, Violet. That's why I am here. She can't help you with these powers."

"Oh, and what? Only you can?" I scoff.

He shakes his head sadly. "Yes and no. I once thought I was the one, but even I am not that powerful. Only you can help you, Violet. But forget all that. It will come. Right now, you are in danger from the hunters who wish to do you harm."

"Hunters?" I focus on the one thing that will hopefully get him to hurry up and get out of here. He isn't threatening me or trying to control me right now. He's talking to me like an adult, and it's unnerving, but also, I want to hear what he has to say. A part of me feels I might regret it if I don't.

"The hunters of the Morgana spirit. You basically, in case Amara hadn't caught you up to speed, yet."

I stare at Nathaniel, trying to process his words. Hunters? After me? It's almost too much on top of everything else.

"Who are they?"

Nathaniel's expression turns grim. "The Order of the Shadows Descent. They've hunted Morgan's descendants for centuries, seeking to eradicate her bloodline and her powers, and now that you've awakened as her heir, you've become their prime target."

My mind reels. Just when I thought things couldn't get more complicated. "Her heir ?" That is an unfamiliar word being bandied about. "But why? What do they want?"

"To destroy you and claim your power for themselves," Nathaniel says bluntly. "They so-called believe Morgan's abilities are too dangerous to exist. But in truth, they covet that power."

I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very exposed in just a towel. "So what, you're here to warn me? Why should I believe anything you say?"

Nathaniel takes a step closer, his eyes intense. "Because despite what you may think of me, I don't want to see you harmed. You are my charge, Violet. My responsibility. "

I scoff. "Oh, now you care about responsibility? After everything you've done?"

"Look, I know this is fucked-up. I played with you for my own sordid amusement, and I accept that it wasn't my finest hour. But please, believe me when I say I want to protect you now. You coming here was a very bad move, Violet. You can't see that yet, but you will. You were safer with me, locked away where no one could get to you. I know you have already come across a faction of the hunters. They are crawling around this plane, looking for you."

"Who?" I ask in surprise, ignoring his half-arsed attempt at an apology. It will be a cold day in hell before I get that from him, I'm certain.

"The feral weres. They were once hunters, but driven mad by the need to seek out this power and not finding it. I took care of them for you."

"What?" I croak, feeling sick.

"As well as that frightful witch who thought she could hurt you."

I shake my head. "No, Nathaniel. No!"

"Yes. You knew I was coming, Violet. I told you I was."

"And that other girl? Melody?"

"She and that other witch were plotting to hurt you, Violet. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"So, you've been coming and going as you please?"

"In a manner of speaking. The wards are difficult, but not impossible for someone with my power. Your power, Violet. But dreamscapes are easy, and they are deadly when they want to be."

"But I staked you in the dreamscape, and you are still here," I accuse him with disgust.

"That's because it was my dreamscape. You have a lot to learn about magick and the way this world works. I was hoping to teach you, Violet. I still can if you come back with me."

"Never," I hiss, and then hear the bedroom door open and Caine's voice call out, "Violet?"

I shoot Nathaniel a triumphant smile, and he shakes his head. "I'll be back, Violet." Then he vanishes in a cloud of dark power that makes my nostrils flare with the sharp smell of darkness.

"In here," I call out and open the bathroom door. "Nathaniel was here."

Caine practically shoves me aside to lunge into the bathroom, and I giggle. "He's gone."

He whirls on me, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You don't appear to be too concerned about this visit."

I stare at Caine. "Of course I'm concerned. But it was an interesting conversation."

Caine's eyes soften slightly, but I can still see the tension in his jaw. "I'm sorry, snowdrop, I know I shouldn't question you, but the thought of him near you makes me crazy."

I step closer to him, placing a hand on his chest. "I know. But I'm okay. He didn't hurt me. Quite the opposite, in fact. "

Caine wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. "Meaning?"

I take a deep breath, trying to organise my thoughts. "He said he was here to protect me. That there are hunters after me because of my Morgana powers."

Caine stiffens. "Hunters?"

I nod against his chest. "The Order of the Shadows Descent, he called them, and he said the feral weres we encountered were part of it, too."

Caine pulls back slightly, his brow furrowed. "This is not good."

"He also said..." I hesitate, not sure how to phrase this next part, but knowing it needs to come out. "He said I was safer with him. That coming here was a mistake, and that Amara can't help me harness this new power."

"Oh, and let me guess… only he can, right?"

"That's what I said," I say with a small smile. "He said I was Morgan le Fay's heir. So not just some descendent, but her actual heir. I need to know more about that. If he's telling the truth?—"

"I'm sure he is," Caine says. "It would make sense, and he would use it to try to get to you and your power."

"He can come and go as he likes; he killed Melody and Briar."

Caine's jaw clenches. "To frame you?"

"To protect me. He says they were plotting against me to hurt me. "

Caine's expression changes to one of acceptance. "Yeah, I can't say I don't believe him on that."

"This is very confusing." I cling to him, needing his reassurance that it will all be okay.

He doesn't let me down, but I know he never will. "I can imagine, and you are nothing short of amazing, Violet. You are still his charge, and yet you didn't fall to his feet and beg him to take you back to his home. You stayed."

"For us." I hesitate, but the whole truth has to come out. "He offered to feed me, but I refused."

Caine stiffens in my arms, his body turning so icy cold that my body sticks to him.

"Ow," I mumble as my cheek burns from the contact.

He defrosts me quickly, stepping back and visibly regaining control over his actions. "Thank you, Violet," he croaks. "I understand how difficult that must have been for you."

My mouth drops open. "Are you joking?" I stammer. "You don't need to thank me, you arsehole. I would never hurt any of you that way. I told him that as well."

Caine's expression softens. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."

I shake my head, still frustrated. "It shouldn't even be a question. He has no right to offer me anything, let alone his blood."

Caine pulls me close again, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "You're right, and soon, with the severance ritual, he won't have any hold over you at all."

I sigh, leaning into his embrace again. "I can't wait for that day."

We stand there for a moment, taking comfort in each other's presence. Then my stomach growls loudly, reminding us both of why Caine had returned in the first place.

He chuckles, pulling back slightly. "Come on, let's get some food in you before your training with Amara."

After the fastest shower in recorded history, I'm back in the bedroom and wriggling into some clothes. I really need to find a laundry room around here soon. When I sit to put my boots on, I voice the concern that's been nagging at me since Nathaniel's visit. "Caine, do you really think we can trust Amara? Nathaniel seemed pretty adamant that she couldn't help me."

Caine pauses, considering my words carefully. "I think we need to be cautious. Nathaniel's words could be a ploy to isolate you from potential allies. But at the same time, we can't discount the possibility that he might be telling some truth, even if it's twisted to serve his own agenda."

I nod, chewing on my lower lip. "So what do we do?"

"We proceed with caution," Caine says, hauling me up and leading me towards the door. We step out, and he shuts it behind us. "Keep training with Amara, but be vigilant. Watch for any signs that she might not have your best interests at heart, and of course, we'll need to tell Flint and Thorne about Nathaniel's visit and these hunters."

"What about Blackthorne and your dads?"

"Most of me thinks we should tell them about this visit, but I'm scared about what they will do to know Nate-y boy can get through their wards. I don't want them locking you up again."

The thought chills me, but then I bump him with my shoulder as we round the corner to the dining hall. "Did you really threaten a new Ice Age if Blackthorne didn't let me out?"

He snorts. "That and more, snowdrop, and I'd do it again."

"I love you," I blurt out and then feel my cheeks going hot.

Caine stops dead in his tracks, his eyes wide as he stares at me. For a moment, I'm terrified I've said the wrong thing, that it's too soon or too much. But then a slow smile spreads across his face, lighting up his eyes in a way I've never seen before.

"I love you too, snowdrop," he says softly, pulling me close. "More than I ever thought possible."

My heart soars at his words, and I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. He leans down, capturing my lips in a tender kiss that makes my toes curl.

When we finally pull apart, both slightly breathless, Caine chuckles. "Come on, let's get you fed before you pass out on me. "

We enter the dining hall, and I pull away from him, aiming straight for the blood dispenser with gusto.