Dracian Legacy (27 page)

“We need to bind her and take her back.” One of the voices remarked from behind as he started to read text from a language I was all too familiar with. It was an ancient binding spell.

“Dean, please, don’t let them hurt me.” Fear struck deep in my core. I wanted to be free…
needed
to be free.

I felt Dean’s cold hand on my cheek.

“No one will hurt you, babe.” He promised in a soothing voice.

That was when the pain started.

“You imbecile! This body could’ve been yours!”

The agony inside me spread throughout my body. Something tugged at my soul, wanting to rip it apart, separate itself from me. I felt a hand holding mine, never letting it go. Screams came out of my mouth, but I didn’t recognize them. Then everything went black.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

My eyes opened to a blurry image of a James Dean poster hung in the midst of bright glow-in-the-dark stars and a moon plastered to the ceiling.

Am I in my room?

My throat felt uncomfortable when I gulped, like tiny needles were jammed inside it. I rubbed my hand over my aching neck.

“You’re awake.” Tyler’s voice startled me, and I shrieked like a little girl, jolting into a sitting position. “Sorry. It’s been almost two days and we didn’t know…”

“What happened?” I scanned my surroundings. The wind chime Dean made almost four years ago twinkled blue and white light as the sunlight reflected against it.

I’m in my room.

Instead of responding, he pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen. I wiggled into a more comfortable position, tucking my legs under my butt. Despite a few aches and pains, I felt strangely rejuvenated, like I just came back from a day at the spa.

Tyler sat at the edge of my bed, offering me a glass of water. “How you feeling?”

“Surprisingly great. I should black out more often.”

“Here.” He handed me a gummy bear. When I cocked my eyebrow, he shrugged.

I let the essence of strawberry flow across my taste buds, savoring the overwhelming burst of flavor before swallowing it. Tyler left, mumbling something about informing the others of my change in my status.

Feeling crusted in two days’ worth of grime and ick, I heard the shower calling to me. I grabbed some clothes and headed toward the bathroom as the events of my last waking moments began to prod through my consciousness. By the time I made it back to my room, I was mortified.

Oh. My. Freaking. God.

I cheated on Axel. I was a damn cheater.
Shit!

Cheater! Cheater!

Two knocks sounded against my door, startling away my depressing revelation.

“Come in.” My strained voice sounded strange to my own ears.

Tyler walked in, followed by Axel and my legs gave out, dropping me to my bed limply. It appeared he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. The dark bags under his eyes and lack of color in his cheeks somehow aged him. His eyes expressed only pain and confusion.

He knew I cheated. Embarrassment and guilt consumed my every thought.

How could I do this to him? To us? What the hell was I thinking?

I
wasn’t
thinking. That’s what.

Axel approached me with caution, unsure of his presence here in my room.

He hates me.

And he has every right to.
My conscience scolded.

Axel kneeled before me so we were almost at eye level. His hand landed carefully on my knee.

I’m a horrible person!
I’m a monster worse than a Goarder.

He reached up warily and cupped my cheek. I leaned into his touch, knowing without a doubt
we
were going to end… soon. I swallowed hard.

Can you blame him? You cheated on him, for crying out loud.

His brilliant blue eyes locked with mine. I froze, lost in their depths. An uneven breath escaped my lips as I turned and kissed the inside of his palm. His eyes closed in response. Hope slowly built in my chest.

Tyler cleared his throat. “I think I hear someone downstairs.” Amusement colored his voice. I heard a click seconds later.

“Hi,” I said and looked away, disgusted with myself.

“Hi.” His hand still lingered on my face, gentle and evaluating.

He was hesitant, as if asking me permission to be here. I reached out to him, squeezing his hand.

“I’m sorry.” I blurted out. “No one in their right mind would do what I did. There’s no excuse. I’ll understand if you hate me and I disgust you and you don’t ever…” I couldn’t finish that thought because truthfully, I had fallen head over heels in love with Axel. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, not even for this. Not even if I was the one that messed up. Big time.

My throat constricted like something thick and heavy clogged my windpipe. I couldn’t look at him. There was no way to explain what I did. No excusable reason. Yet, I could no longer imagine my life separate from his. This was all wrong. Very wrong.

He placed our interlaced fingers on my knees and rested his forehead atop them, exhaling deeply. Then he stood up, placing a finger under my chin, and tilted my head so our eyes could meet. But I refused. I couldn’t look at him. Not when…

“Look at me,
Amor
,” he said. His voice was cautious and low. “Please.”

I opened my eyes and tears coursed uncontrollably down my fiery cheeks. I expected to see hatred or judgment. But, all I saw was love. He ran his thumb across the salty river, wiping away my tears.

My tears.
I cheated on him and he comforted me.

“It wasn’t you. It was the Proxy.” He held my gaze, his brows creased with worry. “
She
infected you, angel.”

“But I knew what I was doing. I did all those—”

“When she infected you, she left a little of herself inside you somehow. We still don’t understand it all, but it wasn’t you, angel.” He pulled me to him, his arms tightly wrapped around my body. His forehead leaned against mine. “Dean noticed it too. All that time with Dean, you spoke in third person, like you were two separate souls. And your eyes glowed red.” I opened my mouth to protest. “I know you think it’s your fault, but please don’t, okay?”

I let my tears—of melancholy, of anger, of relief—flow easily this time. Soon we relaxed back on my bed. He pulled me onto his lap and I straddled him, wrapping myself in his embrace. He stroked my hair, softly kissing the top of my head.

Axel pushed himself back toward my headboard, laying his head over my chest. I rested my cheek in his soft hair. His breath teased against my upper body. My soul responded by pulling itself toward him. He kissed the hollow at the base of my throat and an involuntary shiver passed through me.

“I thought I lost you, that I wouldn’t get a chance to hold you or tell you what you mean to me… what you are to me.” He took a deep long breath and exhaled roughly. “Screw caution.”

Oh my.

I tilted my head down and watched his eyes swim with so much devotion and desire. My heart raced unsteadily, ready to combust into a million pieces.

“I missed you, baby.” With his strained and husky admission, something spiked inside me. He never called me
baby
before. If that wasn’t sexy as hell, I didn’t know what was. “I’ll follow you even in death. I was ready to, when… I-I love you.”

My lungs worked vigorously as my heart took flight in uncontrollable magical flutters. An unknown beast awakened inside me, sending tingles of excitement from my heart out to every extremity. I was sure he could feel my heart pounding against my chest.

Axel loves me.

I pressed my forehead against his, still not entirely believing what he just confessed. I don’t know why it surprised me, especially after Elijah and Joshua flat-out told me he did. But hearing it from his lips, in this moment, officially made my wildest dreams a reality. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them, looking back into those brilliant blue irises that held me captive since the first moment I caught their gaze.

“I’m lost in your touch, your magic. I think of you in every waking moment and dream of you when I’m asleep. I love you in so many ways it’s hard to breathe. I love you above everything—heaven, earth, body, and soul.”

He absently started playing with my hair and continued to flood me with his affection.

Having apparently lost my voice, I sat still and drank in every tiny detail.

“If I could wish for one thing, I would wish to keep you in my arms and love you until my last breath. I love you with everything I have. I will love you until I no longer exist. I love you with every beat of my heart, with every breath I take, with every facet of my existence.”

I felt dizzy as his words struck me straight in my heart. His incredible declarations made my body feel light, like I was floating amidst the star-filled sky.

Nothing could stop the tears that fled down my cheeks. I was completely out of sorts.

Axel looked at me full of love and concern. The twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes, even though his lips stopped moving. He wiped the tears with his thumb, his touch only intensifying my emotions and sending my heart into a faint spell.

Concern clouded his usually bright eyes. I wanted to explain to him these were tears of joy, but I was still unable to speak.

“Angel, you don’t have to say it back.”

Then I collapsed into another round of sobs. How was it he could tell me he loved me while I crushed his heart?

“Ah, baby, please don’t cry.”

It didn’t matter what I did that night or that I hurt him, he still worried about me, my feelings. He never thought about himself. He didn’t care about my mistakes, demon possessed or not. He always put me before himself.
That’s why I know I love him.

“Just shut up, Alexander. You’re an idiot.”

And he was. He was for loving me unconditionally, for thinking I didn’t love him back. I’d have to be a heartless demon to not love a soul like Alexander.

My
Alexander.

I pulled myself up to a sitting position and placed my hand on his cheek, looking him in the eye. His brows furrowed in doubt and confusion and he frowned.

“These are tears of happiness, silly.” I ran my thumb between his brows, smoothing the crease. I leaned in. “I love you. I will love you until my last breath and even in death. If there is such thing as reincarnation, I want to be reborn so I can live to be yours over and over again. I will love you whenever, wherever, however. I love you, Alexander. Now shut up and kiss me.”

With lightning speed, his hands were around me and he hungrily pressed his lips against mine. Just like all the times we kissed, this was magical. Cosmic. Soon, his pace slowed. He took his time with every peck, every nip, every kiss, like he was imprinting on my very soul.

I felt an invisible bond wrapping around us, tying us together, linking us in mind, body, and soul. He pulled back and smiled, knocking the breath out of me.

“You’ve made me the wealthiest man in all the existence of mankind,
Meus Amor Aeternus.
”

Then he kissed my lips gently and spoke against them. “I would like to give you something.”

I nodded. He let go of me, allowing me the space to move. When I raised my hips to get up, he held me in place and smiled.

“No need.”

He removed the leather string from his neck and took off the pendant. He placed it in my palm and asked, “Will you accept this small token as a symbol of our love.”

I choked, unable to respond. It was a beautiful griffin pendant, his magical marking. It looked old and ancient. There were two cobalt diamonds that represented its eyes and the rest was a smooth, antique gold. I took the pendant between my fingers, feeling effervescent as I admired its value—not in money or power, but as a token of our love.

Our love.
I couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s beautiful.” I started rambling. “It looks old and ancient and very much like your magical marking. Does it have magic? I…”

He traced my lower lip with his thumb, successfully shutting me up before his lips engulfed mine. He placed his forehead against mine, smiling.

“You’re far too observant for your own good.” He took the pendant from me.

“Yes, it’s infused with
my
magic. And yes, it’s ancient.” He smiled, looking at me with an intense gaze that melted my heart into a puddle of goo. “I want you to keep this… I want to see this next to your heart.”

My heart thumped erratically. There was no stopping the idiotic grin about to form on my lips. I was sure if I looked at myself in the mirror, I’d see a deep shade of crimson.

I removed my chain with my mother’s amulet and gave it to Axel. He smiled, adding his pendant to the necklace. I pulled my hair up and turned around. He placed the chain around my neck and let his fingers graze my skin. I shivered and he kissed my neck gently. My head fell back, my pulse increased, and my toes curled. I gasped. He continued to assault my skin with sweet decadent kisses down the path toward my collarbone.

He smiled and played against my skin in ways that churned my heart and iniquitous thoughts came to mind. I bit my lip in hopes he didn’t notice the increase in my heart rate, erratic breathing, and scorching body temperature.