Page 21 of Blood Sacrifice

“I heard that,” he said in a sing-song voice.

“What big ears you have.” The man was infuriating.

“Not big ears, just enhanced hearing. Want to see my teeth?” His full mouth widened in a smile, and I swear my panties felt too tight.

“People will wonder where I am,” I persisted.

“I already told you, the news has already been released that you were killed in the crash.”

“My coven won’t believe that.” I set my cutlery down, and clasped my hands together on my lap. “We lost too many people without a trace, so now we tend to monitor heartbeats to ensure we know who is still alive.”

I went to stand up to go and find my phone, but another wave of dizziness washed over me.

“For fucks sake, Lunabelle,” he snapped. “Can you not just sit there and eat breakfast?” His strong hands manoeuvred me back into my seat.

“How do you know that name?” I asked in nothing more than a hushed whisper. “I haven’t used that name in a long time.” Almost four centuries to be precise. I used the shortened version of my name when I left this country and headed across the ocean.

“Because it was your name when I knew you,” he said. “You might not remember me, but I still remember you.” He strode from the room without a backward glance, leaving me confused and speechless.

I had no idea what was happening, or how to respond to what had just happened. After what felt like an eternity, I padded through the house in search of the man who owed me quite a few answers. My first result was finding my case on abed in another bedroom, still locked with my travel bag beside it. My phone was out of battery charge, but nothing seemed to be disturbed in any of my possessions.

I opened my bag and grabbed the toiletries inside, taking myself into the ensuite to try and wash some of the blood and dirt off myself. My body and head still ached, and I felt dizzy every time I bent down or turned. The water on my skin felt divine, washing away sweat and blood. My shampoo stung my head injury, and the water was dyed with my blood as it swirled around my feet.

When I finally felt more human, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my hair and body in the fluffiest towels ever. I was still pale with shadows under my eyes, but food and a shower had revived me.

I came to a shuddering halt when I exited the bathroom since he was sitting on the end of the bed with his head lowered and his elbows on his legs and hands clasped. My heart stumbled over its beat at the sight of him in a defeated pose.

“I know who you look like,” I said in a low voice. “But that man would have found me if he survived the war. He possessed the only crystal that could have located me.”

His head slowly came up, his eyes meeting mine, and I swear the world slowed on its axis.

“I met him for years in my dreams, walked this world with his ghost haunting me and preventing me from forming any real relationships,” I continued. “His name disappeared from the history of this land until he was nothing more than a memory that lived inside me.”

“The only person who could activate that quartz was a magic user. They told me you were dead and the crystal useless. It didn’t stop me carrying it with me every day.” He pulled a chain from under his T-shirt that he had put on when I was in the shower. Dangling on the chain in an elaborate cage was thecrystal I had given him so long ago. I felt the energy of my first spell still pulsing inside it.

I pursed my lips together, my entire world tilting dangerously out of control.

“I searched for years, hoping the crystal would do something to show me your location. In the end, I asked the one witch I thought I could trust—your sister Aisha.”

“Aisha is dead,” I replied. “I felt the cord that connected us through the mother priestess break.”

“She’s very much alive and wanted to personally come to try and identify who Balor was looking for on that bus,” Salvator said.

I sank into the chair beside the dressing table, unable to comprehend all the information that was being revealed. “I need to get home,” I said. “We have witches who can decipher all this.” I vaguely gestured the air above my head.

“This is the only place I can keep you safe at the moment,” Salvator replied. “Outside that door, I have no idea who could be waiting for you.”

I tentatively tried to release my hair as the warm water was turning cold on my skin and a chill was beginning to set in. Salvator was in front of me in a heartbeat, slowly untangling my hair and rubbing it with the towel.

“You don’t have to—” I started, but a low growl stopped me from finishing my sentence.

I sat, staring at the fabric of the T-shirt stretched over his stomach as he gently towel-dried my hair and combed it with the brush I’d left on the dressing table earlier with some of my toiletries.

“I don’t belong in this world anymore,” I said, desperately trying to keep my hands from touching him.

“You’re my mate,” he replied in that low, growly tone that seemed to send goosebumps rising on my skin. “You belong with me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, considering that he had had four hundred years to find someone else to fit into that role. “I’m not that girl anymore,” I argued.

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