Page 101 of House of Ruin
“You know, I hated you once upon a time. It wasn’t hard to convince myself that you’re a fucking asshole, which made it so easy to hate you.”
Blaze could only nod. “I hated you once as well.”
Now it was hard to even remember why.
“But then you had to ruin it all. You had to make me feel.”
From Alecto’s voice it was hard to know whether she was angry, amused, or whatever else. It was hard to tell where this conversation was going.
“Come here.”
To Blaze’s surprise, Alecto did.
Slowly, she padded over to the bed and crawled towards him. When she straddled Blaze’s hips, his cock awakened in his jeans.
But the only thing Blaze did was place his hands on her hips and wait.
“You drugged me and strung me in the Cursed Forest to die.” Alecto caressed his naked chest, and her words were like a stab to Blaze’s heart. “You treated me like I was trash beneath your shoe, someone not worth breathing the same air.”
Blaze closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
“I know,” he said after a moment. Blaze wasn’t sure what prompted him to be this honest with Alecto. Maybe it was the darkness of the night. Or maybe it was his stupid need to have her no matter what. “There is not a day that passes where I don’t regret what I did to you. I don’t regret much, but I do regret making you feel unsafe when I was around.” Blaze took one of her hands, lacing their fingers together. He brought their hands to his lips, kissing her hand gently. “I can’t change the past. But I can make sure the past doesn’t repeat.”
Alecto’s fingers traced lines and circles over Blaze’s chest while she took in his words.
Blaze wished there were something that could show her he meant every word. A spell or a serum that would allow Alecto to read his mind and know his feelings were genuine.
Underneath her hand, his heart was hammering so hard, it almost hurt. He wondered if she could feel it.
“Okay,” Alecto finally said. She leaned over him, their lips almost touching. Blaze’s head was swimming. “But break my heart, and I’ll kill you.”
When their lips finally met, she kissed him with such intensity, Blaze was sure she meant it.
So, as their bodies molded into each other, naked skin touching and sending sparks of pleasure down Blaze’s spine, he made sure Alecto could tell that he also meant it.
37
Something about their parents being so involved with their House recently had made Alecto weirdly nervous. And suspicious.
Sure, she could understand the worry about the House of Snakes clearly being targeted this year by someone who might be the Dean himself.
But she had a hunch that there was something more than met the eye. Alecto just couldn’t figure out what it was. However, there was something else she could figure out: a way to unlock the notebook she’d found in the attic.
There was no indication of who it belonged to or what it contained. But Alecto was sure it had belonged to her mother. She was also sure it had something important enough inside for it to be guarded with such a potent spell.
Alecto waited for the day to end, for the Snakes to settle behind the closed doors of their bedrooms, to make her way down to the basement. The old stairs creaked with each step she took, her boots clunking heavily as she descended.
With a murmur of a spell, Alecto lit up the light orbs scattered around the basement. It was eerily quiet and calm. The scent of sage and gallor incense they burned for protection at all times in the house still lingered from earlier.
The notebook rested under Alecto’s arm as she made her way towards the bookshelves lining the whole wall. On the third shelf on the right side of the bookcase sat their Book surrounded by tall black candles. When Alecto approached, the red flames started flickering.
They had gotten a new, more potent protection spell for their Book after the Tigers had managed to snatch it from right underneath their noses. And the new spell bound the Book to the Inner Circle by blood.
Alecto picked up the needle lying in front of the Book and used it to prick her finger. Wincing, she squeezed her finger and let the blood trickle over the barrier surrounding the tome.
It took a moment, but the candles’ red flames died down, and Alecto picked up the Book from its place. She plopped on the leather sofa in the corner, placing the Book in her lap and the notebook right next to her.
Alecto was familiar with the contents of the Book by now. She remembered where specific spells could be found, which pages held the secrets of each family, and where to find examples of living herbs they might need to perform a ritual.
