Chapter eleven - The Blood Oath
930 Words
Alina’s fingers curled into fists as she stared at Lucian.
His words still echoed in her mind.
"You are the key to something far greater than you realize. And that makes you the most hunted being in existence."
The garden around them seemed almost too perfect, like an illusion—beautiful but dangerous. Just like him.
She took a step back, her instincts still on high alert. “If I’m being hunted, why should I trust you? Maybe you’re the one they sent to take me out first.”
Lucian didn’t react. He simply watched her, his red eyes unreadable. Then, slowly, he stepped closer. Deliberate. Unrushed.
Alina’s breath hitched, but she held her ground.
“If I wanted to kill you, Alina,” Lucian murmured, his voice dropping an octave, “I wouldn’t be wasting my time talking.”
His proximity was unsettling—not because she feared him, but because her body reacted in ways she didn’t understand.
The air between them felt electric. Charged.
Alina swallowed, willing herself to ignore it.
“Then what do you want?” she pressed.
Lucian’s gaze flickered over her, lingering on her lips for half a second too long before he met her eyes again.
“To keep you alive,” he said. Simple. Direct.
Zara snorted behind them. “Oh yeah? And what’s in it for you?”
Lucian barely spared her a glance. “More than you could ever understand.”
Alina tensed. “Try me.”
For the first time, something flickered in Lucian’s expression. A c***k in his mask.
Then, without warning, he raised his hand.
Alina flinched, but he didn’t touch her. Instead, the garden around them changed.
The silver leaves darkened, the glowing flowers flickered and dimmed. Shadows slithered along the ground, weaving between the trees like living things.
A vision.
Images flashed in the air before them—battles fought in blood and fire, cities burning under a sky split in half, creatures made of darkness crawling from the earth like nightmares brought to life.
At the center of it all… her.
Alina gasped.
Her own face, eyes glowing like molten gold, power raging around her like a storm. She looked... unstoppable. Terrifying.
Lucian’s voice was quiet, but it carried. “This is what happens if they take you.”
The vision shifted—a cage of silver chains, her own hands clawing at the bars, her screams lost in an endless void.
A cold chill crawled down her spine. “Who are they?”
Lucian held her gaze. “The ones who created you.”
Alina’s pulse pounded.
Created?
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “That’s not possible.”
Lucian tilted his head, studying her. “Isn’t it?”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Everything she thought she knew about herself—her past, her origins—felt suddenly uncertain.
Zara cleared her throat. “Okay, so let’s say we believe you. What’s stopping us from walking out of here and figuring this out on our own?”
Lucian smiled. Slow. Dangerous. Amused.
“The fact that you wouldn’t make it five steps before they found you.”
Alina narrowed her eyes. “Then what do you suggest?”
Lucian didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer—too close. Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him, the scent of something dark and intoxicating—fire, steel, and something uniquely him.
Alina refused to step back.
Lucian’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I can protect you. But you have to trust me.”
Her pulse jumped.
Trust him?
She barely knew him.
And yet… her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
Something about the way he looked at her, the way he spoke her name like it meant something, made her feel like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, the wind at her back, one step away from falling.
Her breath came out shakier than she wanted. “And what do you want in return?”
Lucian’s smirk was slow, predatory. “A blood oath.”
Zara’s eyes widened. “Whoa, hold up. That sounds sketchy as hell.”
Lucian ignored her, his gaze never leaving Alina.
“A blood oath is binding,” he continued. “It ties your life to mine. If you die, I die. If you break the bond, the consequences will be… unpleasant.”
Alina clenched her fists. He was serious.
Her entire body screamed at her to refuse. To turn away, to run.
But deep down, she already knew—this was the only way.
She inhaled sharply. “Fine.”
Lucian’s smirk didn’t falter, but something in his eyes darkened—approval, satisfaction… maybe something else.
He lifted his hand. A small dagger appeared between his fingers.
Alina exhaled, ignoring the way her pulse sped up as Lucian reached for her wrist, his fingers brushing against her skin.
A single cut. A drop of blood.
And then—heat.
It wasn’t pain.
It was something else. Something that curled through her veins like fire, like power, like fate itself latching onto her.
Lucian let out a slow breath, his grip tightening for a moment before he pulled away.
The connection settled between them—a pulse in the air, invisible but unbreakable.
Alina sucked in a breath. “What… what was that?”
Lucian’s smirk faded. “That, little star, was the moment your life changed forever.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
And somehow… she knew he was right.
- Writer
