Page 63 of Blood Vows
“You can’t just leave me here without telling me what’s going on!”
He was already moving, crossing to me in a blur of motion, his hands gripping my shoulders firmly.
“Listen to me,” he said, his voice low but fierce, the command in it vibrating straight through my bones.
“Lock your door, Nessa. Do you understand me? Whatever you hear, whatever happens, do not open it.” I blinked up at him, the intensity in his voice making my stomach twist.
“Why? Vas, you’re scaring me.” He shook his head once, sharply.
“It’s not safe. Not tonight. Stay away from the east wing. Promise me.Promise me, Nessa.”I hesitated, but the look in his eyes, dark blue, wild and desperate, made it impossible to argue.
“I… I promise,”I breathed, though I wasn’t sure I meant it.
He released a heavy sigh, his fingers brushing my jaw as though he wanted to say more. But whatever words he’d intended vanished into the air. He stepped back, his mask of composure slipping into place like armor.
“Don’t leave this room. Don’t even think about leaving the house.”
Something inside me snapped.
“So that’s it?” I shot back, my voice trembling between anger and heartbreak.
“After everything we shared tonight, after everything you said… You’re just locking me away again? Is that what I am to you? Back to being your prisoner?” His jaw clenched, and for a long moment, he didn’t speak. The barest hint of guilt gone in a flash as if it had been something he had needed to eradicate out of necessity. Finally, he met my gaze, his voice a low growl that was equal parts confession and warning.
“You can call it what you want, but you’re not leaving me.” He stated as if this was the law. The words hit harder than any soft claim. But before I could respond, he turned and strode towardthe door. I reached out, my fingers brushing air where he had just been, my voice breaking as I whispered,
“Vas…”But he didn’t turn back. Instead, he gripped the doorframe, pausing on the threshold, keeping his back to me. His back was rigid, every muscle drawn tight like a bowstring ready to snap. The dark shadows under his flesh pulsated with some unspoken need.
“I am never letting you go,” he said quietly, his tone a low promise that chilled and burned all at once. He turned his head just enough for me to catch the dark glint of his eye.
“No matter how much they beg.”
The words struck me like a physical blow.
They.
My heart lurched painfully in my chest now knowing where he was going. Or should I say… who he was meeting.So, before he could take another step, I lunged forward, clutching his arm. My fingers wrapped around the solid muscle, the tremor in my hand giving away the panic clawing through me.
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended.
He didn’t answer at first. His gaze fixed somewhere far away, as though he could already see the battle waiting beyond these walls. The air between us seemed to tighten. Finally, he spoke, softly now, but every word was heavy enough to make my knees weaken.
He turned then, fully facing me. His expression was carved in grim determination, the kind that came from years of pain and vengeance etched into the soul.
He reached up, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch unexpectedly gentle. Then, just before he could leave me alone to my own torment, he told me,
“It’s time…”
“…Time for a family reunion.”
24
THROUGH BLOOD AND FEAR
VASILEIOS
It had been days, or perhaps mere moments since she’d entered my world, and already I couldn’t remember what it had been like before her.
For years, I had existed, not lived. Every hour had been marked by purpose, vengeance the steady pulse that kept me moving through endless, empty nights.
