Page 40 of Blood Lord

"You're thinking really hard," he hedges.

I blow out a breath. "Tell me about Brinda."

He blinks, seeming surprised by my interest. "Oh, okay. Well, Brinda is our Matriarch. She is the head of the Council. She has final say on everything, and we have the highest respect for her. As you saw, she leads the vrakken. Others help, but it's ultimately her."

Raziel shifts, scratching at the back of his head. "And, I don't know if you want to know this, but I swore I wouldn't lie to you and I believe purposeful omission is a lie. Brinda was a partner of mine."

My eyes nearly bulge out of my head as jealousy strikes through my core. "You were married?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "No, no. Vrakken don't marry." Again, my emotions play out on my face, and he reaches forward to grip my hand. "Not saying that we can't find a lifelong mate, but it's just not typical. You see, with vrakken living so long, we find that after a few hundred years, it's hard to be with the same person. Brinda and I had some time together, and we parted ways amicably."

"So, she's not, like, going to come after me?" I hedge.

Raziel gives me a half-smirk. "No, she won't be jealous, unlike you."

Huffing, I give him a glare. "I'm not jealous."

He taps the tip of my nose. "Oh, please. I know what jealousy looks like. It was all over your face. But you have to know that what is between us, I didn't have with Brinda, or anyone else."

"No?" It warms my heart, and I start to lean into him a little.

"No, vrakken don't have romantic relationships. It was purely physical."

I freeze up at that. I'm not sure if that's really better or worse, but either way, it's not something I necessarily wanted to know. I try to wipe the idea of Raziel with anyone else out of my head, especially that fiery Brinda that has a confidence I've never managed, and push past it.

"Do you think she's unhappy about you turning me?"

His lips quirk a little as he tries to hold onto his smile. "I'm not really supposed to do something like that without Council-approval. That's part of the reason I left out the dark elves and that one human I killed. They'd be pissed about a trail of bodies."

"But you don't think you'll get in too much trouble for turning me? You risked telling her something that's not even true."

His fingers glide down my face, easing my worries so simply with one motion. "You are the first to be Made in centuries, and while the action is something that should have gone through the Council, I am not concerned about the repercussions. They will see it as a breach of our laws, and I may even be punished, but it won't be anything to fret over. Trust me. Brinda knows I am a rational, respected Elder. One of the first vrakken."

I wrinkle my nose as he says 'Brinda knows.'I wonder what else Brinda knows.My frown deepens, and I know that now is not the time to be getting territorial when there is so much more at stake.

Raziel pulls me out of my thoughts as he whispers, "Besides, they'll be more focused on you proving yourself."

I blink, and my heart nearly stops. When I came up with this plan, he did not mention I'd have to prove myself. I have none of the powers of a vrakken. There is no way that I will live up to these expectations.

A shiver breaks out over my body, and I shake my head. "Raziel, what were you thinking–"

He picks me up, holding me to his chest as he smooths my hair back and rocks me. "Shh. Don't worry. Nothing will harm you. I've always promised that. Don't worry about the Council. We will be long gone by then–"

His words are muffled by a sharp knock on the door, and he freezes, leaning back to look at me. The worry in his eyes makes ice shoot through my veins, and it takes everything in me to remember to breathe as he settles me down onto the moss covered flood.

I watch after him as he goes to the door, and when he pulls it open, I see the same vrakken from before. "The Council summons you."

I want to fall back against the floor and refuse, but I know that we can't. Raziel doesn't seem to share the sentiment. "I've told Brinda all that I know. I've had a long journey, and I need some rest."

The smaller vrakken shifts to the side, and behind him are large, winged soldiers. They look like strong warriors, and Raziel goes still. Even he doesn't press it as he turns to me.

I scurry to his side, and he wraps an arm around me when their backs are turned. We all go down the same winding path back to the massive caverns, and when we reach the area the Council was before, I notice it is empty.

We've taken one step aside, Raziel's arm falling away from me, when the guards that were just in front of us twist with amazing speed and leap at us. I cry out, ducking out of their grasp, and only then do I realize they are going for Raziel.

I barely have time to process it as two more vrakken launch forward, grabbing at my arms. I scream, trying to fight them as Raziel flails. Blue magic dances around his hands, and his wings flare, but then he curses as another vrakken brands him with fire.

Still, he fights, growing flustered as he tries to get to me. "Selene!" He slams his foot into a guard. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you– Get off of me!"

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