Chapter 45 CHAPTER 45
My journey to the blood bank up north took the entire weekend.
I asked everyone I could, tortured those I could and traced dead trails.
Something told me he was in danger and the guilt of abandoning him to it kept me moving.
But it got to a point where I just couldn't keep moving anymore.
And that tug back to her was getting more ... intense.
If not that I don't need oxygen that much, I would have been dead now.
Well, more than I already am.
Because every air that didn't smell of her felt like poison to my nostrils and the further I travelled, the worse I felt.
After the last dead end which was a wild goose chase a terrified new vampire sent me on, I couldn't take it anymore.
My drive back was fast, and by the time I saw the signs leading to Tennessee, I parked the stupid car in a car Pack I found along the road and ran the rest of the way.
I was almost at her house when I realised I was going the wrong way.
I should be going to the hotel, not to a Pack of wolves that were protecting her with everything in their reach.
Why she's still alive, I have no answer for but I was happy she was still here.
Breathing.
But the fact that the longer this took meant she was becoming a tougher weapon drowned my excitement.
I turned away painfully and headed back to the hotel when all I wanted to do was crawl into her room from her window and exist in her space even though it was turning me into a weakling.
This week away from her gave me a little bit of my powers back and I was beginning to think of a way out where we get to have our cake and eat it.
The fact that we're both merged to her is still something I find hard to process.
I've kind of been scared of thinking about it, thinking Fabian would have done the job so what's the point?
But as I pushed the door in and I saw the supreme King of the Vampire race napping, my heart fell.
He jerked awake and threw up a ward around himself.
I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of me.
"It's just me brother. How does it feel to finally sleep after all these years?"
"Fuck off," he grunted, pushing a frustrated hand through his hair.
"At least your frown wrinkles are disappearing. What did she do? Share her skincare routine? Is that why you changed your mind?"
"Stop joking about this, Cael. It's our lives on the line."
"If you hadn't punished me for the exact same thing you're doing right now, trust me, I won't be pissed. But you disgraced me before Marcus and despite that, you could see how it hurt me to not get this done, you still didn't care. I've held your crown on your head for centuries and I mess up once and you go on the offensive. Now you're in my shoes and you're even in a worse state than I am."
He didn't say anything so I went about my night, cleaning off days of stress and travel.
When I got back, he held out a knife to me.
"What is it?"
"Take it back. I won't have you angry at me at this time. Cut as deep as you can."
It's a vampire ritual, usually between friends.
But he's my brother, before we became vampires and I refuse to inflict pain on him.
Especially when we were exposing ourselves to a weapon capable of making us weak.
"You're forgiven. I'll try not to think that if she wasn't yours as well as mine, you won't feel an ounce of empathy for my plight."
"No one has had this gift in centuries Cael! No one! I acted rashly, I know that now and I might be powerful but I can't rescind time. So cut my fucking flesh and let's get past this!"
"No. I want an apology. You're already sleeping. Who knows what blood loss will cause?"
"I'm not that weak, don't be ridiculous."
"What have you been up to the entire time I was away?"
"Teaching! Isn't that what we said I was going to be doing?"
"Yes, and trying to lure her away from her guards. Did you try at least?"
"Actually, yes. A lot. But every time I'm in her presence, this fierce protectiveness comes over me."
"Like you'll rather kill yourself than hurt a strand of her hair?"
"Yes."
"Which means that you've been exposed to her every day and considering she's stronger now, I promise you, you're weaker than you can ever imagine. I want an apology, I'm not cutting your skin."
I walked to the laptop and began pulling out books I've been thinking about looking through.
My mind was already looking for loopholes.
We've never thought about it, it made absolute sense to just root out the problem rather than manage it.
Well now said problem isn't an 'it', she's ours and we can't let her be in the hands of those bastards.
And even though Fabian hasn't realised it yet, we know we can't kill her.
There must be a loophole.
There has to be, I refuse to die for love and I refuse to kill my love.
We've cheated the fates before, our entire existence is proof of it.
We have to do it again.
"I'm sorry." My neck nearly broke turning to see my brother. He was on his knees. "You've spent your entire life keeping me in power. You've been more than a brother, you're a part of my soul. I shouldn't have been so dismissive of something so powerful. I'm happy I didn't kill her. If she weren't mine and I did, I would have lost you too. But accept my apologies brother."
I stood up, clasped my arms all the way to his elbow and pulled him up.
"I forgive you. We have to find another way to defeat this."
"What do you suggest?"
"Loopholes. We need loopholes. We'll stay here for another week and then we must go back to England. Your library might have answers."
"That's a solid plan. Who knows, we might save ourselves."
I nodded and went back to the laptop, a treacherous feeling of hope growing in my chest.
If we win, she'll be his queen and my everything.
But then, what if there's nothing we can do?