Chapter 30 Blackthrone Blood

Chapter 30 Blackthrone Blood
The drive to the secondary estate felt like being transported in a high-speed hearse. The interior of the black SUV was stifling, the leather seats smelling of Azran’s sandalwood and a metallic, sharp scent that I realized was the smell of his agitation. Outside, the trees blurred into a wall of dark, jagged needles, as if the forest itself was trying to keep pace with us.

Azran sat beside me, his thigh pressed firmly against mine. He didn't look at me, but his hand was clamped over my knee, his thumb digging into the silk of my dress with enough pressure to bruise. He was staring out the window, his jaw working in a slow, rhythmic grind.

"You’re hurting me," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the hum of the engine.

He didn't pull away. Instead, his grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he relaxed his fingers, though he didn't remove his hand. "Good," he rasped, his voice sounding like it had been dragged over gravel. "Maybe the pain will keep you from thinking about jumping out of a moving vehicle."

"I told you I wouldn't run."

"And I told you I don't believe you." He finally turned to me, his eyes dark and hollow. "I can feel your heart, Elara. Through the bond, through the air... it’s beating like a trapped bird. You’re looking for the latch. You’re looking for a way out."

I turned my head away, blinking back hot tears. He wasn't wrong.

The secondary estate was a fortress disguised as a hunting lodge and surrounded by an iron fence that looked more like a cage than a perimeter. As the gates hissed shut behind us, a heavy, oppressive weight settled on my chest.

When the car stopped, Azran didn't wait for the driver. He shoved his door open, walked around to my side, and practically hauled me out.

"Azran, stop! I can walk!" I stumbled, the heels of my shoes catching on the gravel.

"Inside. Now," he commanded. His authoritative aura was suffocating now, a physical force that made the guards at the door bow their heads in silent, fearful respect.

The lobby was filled with the people from earlier… Isolde, Vane, and the others. The tension was thick enough to choke on. Vane was leaning against a stone pillar, a glass of dark liquid in his hand, his eyes tracking me with a look that made me feel naked and hunted.

"The girl lives," Vane drawled, his voice echoing in the vaulted ceiling. "For now."

Azran ignored him, dragging me toward a set of heavy iron-reinforced doors at the back of the hall. "Where are you taking her?" Isolde demanded, stepping into our path. "The Council is arriving in an hour, Azran. She needs to be prepared for the interrogation."

"She isn't being interrogated," Azran hissed, stopping so abruptly I slammed into his back. He loomed over Isolde, his shadow swallowing her small frame. "She is my ward. She stays in the north wing, under my personal guard. If any of you approach her without my explicit permission, I will consider it an act of treason against the Blackthrone seat."

"She’s a human, Azran! There is no treason where a human is concerned!" Vane shouted from across the room.

Azran’s hand flew to the small of my back, pulling me so close I could feel the thrum of his heart. "She is a Blackthrone by blood-bond now," he roared, his voice shaking the chandeliers. "And if you don't like it, you can take it up with my brother. I’m sure Callum would love to hear your complaints before he rips your tongues out."

The room went deathly silent at the mention of Callum’s name. Azran didn't give them a chance to recover. He kicked open the double doors and pulled me through, marching me down a long, dimly lit corridor until we reached a room at the very end.

He threw the door open and shoved me inside. It was a bedroom, but unlike the one in his main house, this one was sparse.

"Stay here," he snapped, turning to lock the door.

"You're locking me in?" I spun around, my blood boiling with a sudden, desperate rage. "Again? After everything you said?"

"I’m keeping you alive!" he yelled, turning back to me. His face was contorted, his chest heaving. "Do you think they were joking down there? Vane wants to kill you to 'purify' the bloodline. Isolde wants to use you as bait. And Callum..." He stopped, his voice breaking. "Callum wants to use you to break me."

"Then let him!" I screamed, stepping into his space, my hands balled into fists. "Break! If you’re so fragile that a girl from an auction can destroy your empire, then maybe you deserve to fall! I am tired of being your shield, Azran! I am tired of being the reason you’re all turning into monsters!"

He grabbed my wrists, pinning them to my sides. "You don't get to talk about what I deserve," he whispered, his face inches from mine. "You don't know the things I’ve done to keep this seat. You don't know the things I’m going to have to do to keep you."

"Then don't! Just let me go!"

"I can't!" He shook me, his grip bruising. "Don't you get it? The bond... it’s not just a ritual anymore. I can feel your fear. I can feel your hunger. I can feel the way your soul is screaming for the woods, and it’s driving me insane! I’m losing control, Elara. And when a Blackthrone loses control, people die."

He shoved me back toward the bed, and I tripped, falling onto the heavy furs. Before I could move, he was hovering over me, his hands on either side of my head, his shadow draping over me like a shroud.

"You think I’m the monster?" he whispered, his eyes glowing with that terrifying, molten gold. "Wait until you see what I do to the next person who tries to take you from me. Friend or foe, I will burn this world to the ground to keep you in this room."

He leaned down, his lips hovering over mine, the heat radiating off him enough to make me dizzy. "You wanted to know who Callum was? He’s the man who showed me that mercy is a weakness. And tonight, Elara... I’m feeling very, very weak."

He didn't kiss me. He just stared at me with a look of such raw, agonizing possession that I felt my heart fracture. He stood up, backed away, and slammed the door, the sound of the heavy iron bolt sliding into place echoing like a death knell.

I lay on the furs, staring at the ceiling, the sound of the ocean crashing against the cliffs below. I was in a new cage, with a new name, and a new monster. And as the moon rose over the water, I realized the most terrifying thing of all.

I wasn't just afraid of Callum or Azran anymore. I was afraid of the girl in the green dress, who was starting to wish the monster would come back through the door.