Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Alaric.
I would be a bloody liar if I said I didn't feel Rhea's gaze on my back as I pulled Selene along with me. For a mere mortal, her gaze packed quite the punch. This wasn't being dramatic or overly exaggerating, but if she stared at another human like that, I wouldn't be surprised if they melted away or simply burst into flames.

I wasn't in her head but I knew for a fact she was furious I didn't take her side, but that wasn't all. A part of me just knew she was going to try to get back at me. And worse? I was looking so forward to it I almost cracked a full blown grin.

Almost.

A small ping from was all it took to pull me back to the present, and the moment the elevator doors slid shut, Selene’s perfume coiled in the air. It smelled heavily like dark flowers and smoke, sharp enough to sting, and almost enough to cause my eyes to water. As the elevator started its descent, I realized my jaw was tight, too tight, and she noticed.

Of course she did.

“Relax, darling,” Selene purred, leaning back against the mirrored wall like it was her throne. “I can smell the tension dripping off you.”

“Oh, now you’re bothered?” I cut her a sidelong glance. “Perfect timing, don't you think?”

Her smile widened, a slow curve that was more knife than warmth, and for a quick second, I wondered just how that was seductive to the men that flanked around her.

“You never had a problem with it before…” Her gaze flicked upward, toward the ceiling as though she could see through the floors. “Or does this sudden restraint have something to do with the lady upstairs?”

“You’re fishing.”
I forced my shoulders loose, staring straight ahead at the glowing numbers. “And you're doing it badly.”

“Fishing implies I don’t already know the answer.” She laughed softly, the sound low and wicked. “You wear it in your eyes, Alaric. I’ve seen that look before. On you, on others, and I'll tell you one thing. Dangerous, that sort of attachment.”

I didn’t take the bait. I’d learned long ago that Selene thrived on reactions, on getting under skin and into veins just like her fangs did. I'd known her long enough for her charms to wash over me like water from the shower, but bonus points for still trying I guess.

The elevator chimed open in an instant, and the doors slid open. I had no idea what I expected to be on the other side,but believe me when I said it was nothing like the scene in front of me. Vampires were said to be undead creatures that tethered between life and death, but believe me when I said I'd never been to hell that looked like this and was waiting on the other side.

The floor bled red light. Velvet curtains shivered in some unfelt breeze, and chandeliers hung with black crystals scattered fractured shadows across marble that was slick as wet stone. The metallic tang of blood kissed the back of my throat instantly, but that wasn't the most absurd thing in the room.

Three, no, four, men lingered in the haze, half naked. Their bodies were sculpted but their eyes glassy, their postures slack, like puppets whose strings dangled from Selene’s hands alone. One knelt by the wall, another lounged against a velvet chaise, while the other two simply stood as though waiting for command. Selene's command no less.

“What the fuck is this?” My voice cut hard through the hum in the room. “Selene?”

My sanctuary.” Selene’s heels clicked as she stepped forward, arms spread like a benevolent queen. She didn't sound the least bit remorseful and I was forced to think that perhaps she was slowly going loco. “My kingdom, since the others saw fit to strip me of theirs.”

Before I could spit a reply, one of the men broke from his trance. He staggered toward her, chest bare, and his head tilted back in offering. Selene’s eyes darkened with hunger, and she didn't hesitate either.

Her mouth lowered, fangs catching the crimson glow, and sank into his neck. The sound was intimate, indecent, a sigh escaping the man’s lips as though he’d just touched paradise.

“Selene.”I growled. “This is outrageous.”

She drew back, lips painted in red, and licked them clean. The man slumped to his knees, dazed, still breathing but clearly on cloud nine.

“Don’t be dramatic. They’re hypnotized.” She waved a hand dismissively. “They’ll remember nothing but pleasure, and besides, not everyone gets a free pass at not feeding frequently to stay alive.”

“You’re playing with fire.” I added, making sure to ignore that last comment.

“I’ve always played with fire,” she murmured, brushing past him and crooking a finger at me. Her smile slowly turned into a smirk as she ushered me deep into this weird house of wackos. “Come. You didn’t come here to scold me.”

Her office was a different world entirely, clean lines, black wood polished to a mirror shine, walls lined with tomes bound in cracked leather and maps scattered with pinholes. Relics glinted under glass domes, and the air was cooler here, steadier, though no less dangerous.

Selene lowered herself into a chair behind a desk carved from a single block of obsidian. She crossed her legs, eyes fixed on me like I was prey.

“You don’t just drop by for a chat, Alaric.” A smirk tugged at her mouth. “What do you want?”

“The bond.” I didn’t waste time and she didn't mind. “I need to know what you know.”

“Bond?”Her brows arched, amusement curdling into intrigue. “What bond?”

I sucked in a deep breath before I told her. The pull in my chest, the way her presence seared and soothed in equal measure, the damn dreams that left me raw, the kind of intimacy that burned through walls I’d built brick by brick. I kept my tone even, but I knew the frustration bled through.

“A bond that strong is permanent.” Selene tilted her head, studying me like a puzzle. “For all I know, anyway. You’re shackled, darling.”

“Rhea.” My jaw clenched. “Her name is Rhea.”

Recognition flickered, then she laughed, sharp and sudden.

“Rhea? The vampire hunter?” She leaned forward, green eyes glittering. “Of course. No wonder you want to get rid of her.”

“No.” The word cracked sharper than I intended. I met her gaze, steady. “That’s not it.”

Selene’s smile faded when I told her about the dreams. About how they felt less like visions and more like an invasion. Her eyes narrowed, the amusement draining from her face until only tension remained.

“That’s… bad.” The hesitation in her voice was my cue that whatever this was, wasn't nice.

“Define bad.” My chest went still.

“If she’s bleeding into your dreams, Alaric… it means she’s already inside your soul.” She didn’t look away this time. Her voice was low, cert
ain, and cold enough to bite. “And that’s something even you can’t undo.”

Wait, what? This couldn't be right. What the hell was that supposed to mean?