Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

13. Atlas

13

ATLAS

A fter an exhaustingly dull work day filled with meetings, a quarterly financial review with my company’s accountant, and an irritating call with Marcel, I stop at home to shower and change.

Lex is in the kitchen chopping vegetables when I walk into the house, though he seems to be eating as many as he’s chopping.

“Honey, I’m home,” I mutter dryly.

Lex chuckles. “I’ll refrain from calling you any of the pet names that come to mind.” He sets the knife on the counter, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Rough day?”

I walk into the kitchen, leaning against the island counter he’s working at. “Marcel has no new information on Dante,” I tell him.

Lex nods. “Is that necessarily a bad thing? Maybe he acquired a few brain cells and realized that picking a fight with us is fucking insane?”

I thrust a hand through my hair, then loose my tie, pulling it away from my collar. “We wouldn’t get that lucky.”

He sighs heavily. “Of course not.” He checks his watch. “Calla will be done with her study group soon.”

“I’ll swing by and pick her up.” I steal a carrot from the cutting board, biting off the end as I leave the kitchen.

After a quick shower, I throw on a dark gray sweater and jeans, shoving my feet into a pair of combat boots before heading to the garage.

The campus parking lot is still mostly full when I arrive well after dark. I could send Calla a message to let her know I’m here, but I’d much rather witness the look on her face when she sees me.

I spot her and Brighton leaving the library and get out of the Escalade, moving at preternatural speed to position myself against a building as they pass. I step out of the shadows as she’s saying something to Brighton.

“Oh, that’s okay, I?—”

She stops in her tracks when I say her name, her pulse tripping over itself as she whirls around to face me. I watch her face contort with a mix of annoyance and anger as I push away from the building and approach.

Where Calla’s eyes are filled with distain, Brighton’s flare with curiosity as she whispers, “Who is that?”

“Nobody.” Calla steps in front of her, putting her back to me. Stupid move . It has the predator in me begging to haul her away and show her exactly why. “Listen,” Calla continues, “I?—”

Brighton sidesteps her and meets me halfway, grinning and offering me her hand to shake, along with an overly cheerful, “Hi, I’m Brighton. Calla’s B-F-F.”

I stare at the human for a moment before nodding and shaking her hand.

“Erm, okay.” She looks at Calla. “Calla’s never mentioned you before.”

“Uh, yeah. Atlas is a…family friend,” Calla chimes in before I can make a comment. “He just recently moved to DC, and I’ve been showing him around a bit.”

I press my lips together, amusement flickering through me at the utter panic in her voice as she crafts this story for her friend.

“That’s cool.” Brighton’s looks between us, winking at Calla. It’s meant to be conspicuous, which is laughable. The Ellis girl turns her attention to me once more. “So if you’re new here, that means you probably don’t know about the St. Patrick's Day party this weekend.”

Nor do I care . One brow lifts as I purse my lips. “No, I don’t.”

She practically vibrates with delight. “You definitely need to come. Calla and I go every year. It’s a fucking blast.”

Calla’s eyes widen and whip toward me, but before she can speak, I say, “Sounds fun. I’ll be there.” I turn my attention to Calla, finding her already staring at me. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure.” Her eyes slide to Brighton. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh,” she says, her tone suggestive as she looks between us. Once she’s gone, Calla turns to face me.

“Your friend is very…enthusiastic.”

I’m gifted an ice-cold glare as Calla folds her arms over her chest. Her pulse thrums faster than normal and her cheeks are flushed an angry shade of pink. “What the hell was that?”

I tilt my head, surveying her face. “What was what, Calla?”

“You showing up here.” She shakes her head. “Kade messed with her head to make her forget me telling her about you, then you?—”

“Her knowing I exist is far off from her knowing you are living with a house full of vampires.” I’m very quickly losing any semblance of patience I had at the start of this conversation. I don’t believe it’s ever been tested so constantly by one person in a long time; this human is giving us all a run for our money.

“Whatever. Let’s just go.”

I give her a curt nod, then start walking toward the Escalade without looking to see if she’s following.

The ride home is only quiet for a few minutes before Calla speaks.

“Am I to expect a vampire chauffeur every day, or…?”

I keep my gaze trained forward. “It’s dark, and I didn’t want you taking a cab.”

There’s a beat of silence and then: “Okay. Well, I don’t have class tomorrow, so you don’t have to worry about picking me up.”

“I know.”

Her voice sounds more deflated when she says, “Right.”

There’s a twinge of something I can’t quite place in my chest as I flick the blinker on and take a right, tapping the steering wheel. “Are you hungry? Gabriel and Kade are out for the night, and Lex already ate, so we can stop somewhere.”

“Oh, um, I’m okay. I mean, unless you’re hungry?”

I glance toward her briefly. “I’m always hungry, but I’m afraid a Chick-fil-A drive thru won’t satisfy my cravings.”

Even in the dark, I spot the splash of color in her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she says, “their waffle fries are pretty good.” To solidify her point, her stomach grumbles.

I can’t help but chuckle as I turn my gaze back to the road and point out, “I thought you weren’t hungry,” simply to throw her words back at her.

“I’ll eat when we get back to the house. I’m sure there’s some leftover lasagna. Gabriel made enough to feed an army.”

I nod. “He does that. It makes him feel like he’s taking care of his family.”

“He’s a good guy.” Her voice is tinged with a hint of regret. It’s clear she feels bad about trying to get information out of him using manipulation instead of being up front and asking him.

“You should try apologizing to him. He cares about you, so I’m sure he’ll be forgiving.”

“You know?” The dread in her voice makes me cast a quick look in her direction.

“I’m surprised you resorted to seduction for information so quickly.”

She takes a deep breath. “Well, the four of you don’t exactly make it easy to get information otherwise.”

“Hmm, and how did your tactic work out?” I turn onto our street.

“Go to hell,” she snaps defensively.

We’re barely in the driveway before she has her seat belt undone. I park in my usual spot in the garage, and when Calla starts to open her door to flee, I unbuckle and reach past her to yank it shut, sending her pulse racing.

“Wha—”

“You will know what we want you to know, when we want you to know it.”

“What if I can help?” When I arch a brow at her, she’s quick to add, “I mean, if I can—if I help you with whatever ’business acquisitions’ you’re talking about, will you let me out of this damn contract?”

Shifting back slightly, I brace my arm on the center console that separates us, glancing out the windshield at the concrete wall. Try as I might, I can’t deduce what angle she’s playing. She can’t truly believe I trust her enough at this point to give her information that could be used against me and the others.

“I’m not going to be a slave my entire life.” Her tone is icy and sharp, and I glance her way again as she continues, “If that’s all you want me for, you may as well kill me now because I’m not going to be complacent.”

The sound of her heartbeat is constant thunder in the space between us.

I make no move to stop her from leaving when she tries the door again. Instead, I watch her climb out of the Escalade, slam the door, and storm into the house.

Her fiery disposition and determination are both equally irritating and mildly amusing. More than that, though, they just might help keep her alive in our world.

As like most days, I get out of bed before the rest of the house. Kade would sleep all day if we let him—ever the vampiric stereotype—and Lex would cuddle up right next to Kade if I didn’t employ him, requiring him to start work at a reasonable hour. Gabriel is a self-proclaimed morning person, as long as caffeine is involved, so I spend quite a few mornings with him, sitting in silence as we read the news or catch up on emails before he leaves for the office.

Financially, there is no reason for Gabriel to work at a human company, but he’s maintained his desire to hold a position in the public sector. Truth be told, Gabe enjoys interacting with humans—far more than the rest of us—and he’s damn good at it.

Instead of enjoying a quiet morning coffee, I find myself on edge, so I throw on some joggers and head upstairs to the gym above the garage. It’s my favorite and most used part of the house besides my office. Every square inch of the space was carefully designed by me, each piece of machinery handpicked and arranged around the room just so.

After a quick warmup on the treadmill while I check my schedule for the day, I move to the rack of weights across the room. I get my blood pumping with half a dozen sets of weighted squats before moving to one of the padded benches. I load it up with weights and am on my third set when the sound of foot steps on the stairs reach me. The door to the gym opens, and I don’t have to so much as turn my head to know Calla is standing there. I focus on my reps, letting her gawk at me until I finish and sit up.

“Are you planning to stand there and watch me the entire time?” I swing my leg over the bench and look at Calla as I push my hair back and stand. She says nothing, so I move closer, arching a brow at her.

Her gaze is stuck on my bare chest for a moment longer before it meets mine. “I…” Her voice breaks, and she clears her throat. “I was going to go for a run, but it’s raining and cold.”

I nod. “Cardio machines are back there.” When I point across the room, Calla’s eyes follow, taking in the space. She walks around, exploring the facility as I watch her, downing a water bottle as my heart rate calms. And then because I can’t help myself, I saunter toward Calla, too quiet for her to notice, and ask, “What do you usually do?”

Her pulse spikes, and she startles at the proximity of my voice, whirling around to face me before promptly stepping away. “Cardio to warm up and then weight lifting until I can barely walk or lift my arms.”

“And you did this?—”

“Every day.”

Color me mildly impressed.

“I, uh…I’ve been training vigorously since the day my parents told me about the agreement.” She offers a humorless laugh. “As if I could somehow fight my way out of it.” Her voice gets quieter as she shakes her head, a faint blush filling her cheeks. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

I step into her, closing the distance between us. Calla speaks again before I can get a word in.

“I was willing to fight for my freedom. To train and work hard every single day so that…” Another head shake. “Forget it.”

“Calla—”

“The moment I stepped into my apartment the night you came for me, I knew.” The words burst from her lips as if she can’t hold them back. “No amount of training would have been enough.”

She’s right, but continuing to train in spite of that earns her a modicum of respect in my book. “Your dedication to protecting yourself is admirable.”

She shrugs. “My family certainly wasn’t going to.”

“What’s your reason for training now?”

Another shrug. “Maybe I’m going to stab you again. Gotta keep my strength up.”

Perhaps the others would find amusement in her wholly empty threat, but I don’t acknowledge it at all, giving her the opportunity to amend her response.

“Fine. It’s a…release. It feels good to push my body, to test the limits of my endurance.”

Now that I can understand. That could be why I tell her to, “Fight me.”

Calla stares at me, scratching the back of her neck as if she didn’t hear me. “Huh?”

I thought I was quite clear but I repeat myself. “Fight. Me.” Then add, “No weapons.”

I see the spark ignite in her eyes at the challenge as she crosses her arms. “Fine. No vampire mojo.”

I press my lips together against a smile. “You think I need that?”

She tips her head back in forth in mock thought. “I don’t know. Seems pretty convenient that you can touch or look at your opponent and make them do whatever you say. It’s kind of cheating if you think about it.”

I don’t give her a moment to prepare as I strike, slamming her into the mats. It stuns more than hurts her, and she sucks in a breath, heart pounding in her chest as she mutters, “Cheater.”

I brace myself over her, trapping her wrists over her head with zero effort. My eyes narrow at Calla, listening to the sound of her heartbeat as the wicked scent of her arousal teases my senses, taunting the beast and testing my willpower.

If I don’t move, I’m going to take her right here, and I’m not sure either of us are truly ready for that. I stand, pulling Calla up with me. She wastes no time before lunging for me. She gets points for consistency, and when she lands a punch to my jaw, something akin to pride fills my chest. I reach for her, but she’s more focused now and manages to evade me, spinning and kicking out to catch me in the back. I stumble forward and roll my shoulders as I turn to face her again.

“You’ve got strength behind you. That’s good.”

She exhales a laugh. “For what exactly?”

I stalk toward her again, pushing her back into the wall next to the bench press, caging her in and pinning her wrists against the wall above her head. Her pulse races as I lean in, brushing her nose with mine.

“Being a human in our world is very dangerous.”

She tenses, my warning before she tries to catch me between the legs with her knee. I turn away in time to take the hit to my thigh, and Calla hisses out a breath, trying to free her wrists, but I don’t let her go.

“What’s your point, Atlas?”

Fuck me. I shouldn’t enjoy the sound of my name on her lips so much. It shouldn’t affect me, and yet I can’t stop my gums from throbbing or the blood in my veins from rushing to my cock.

I lean back to look at her face, flicking my tongue along my bottom lip. “You’re safe here,” I offer in a low voice. “From outside dangers, at least.”

“Not from you?”

My fangs descend when I open my mouth to respond, though the words die on my lips as Calla’s eyes drop to my mouth, her expression turning curious. Heated. I could have her if I wanted, and that makes it far more difficult to resist sinking my fangs into her throat.

My jaw snaps shut, clenching, and I warn her, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” The defiance in her tone has me biting back a growl.

My upper lip curls, and I close the distance between us, my lips brushing the shell of her ear when I say, “Like you want me to take you right here against this wall. With my fangs and my cock.”

Calla’s pulse jackhammers, calling to me like a fucking siren. “What do you want?” Her voice is soft, breathy, and she’s no longer fighting to get away from me.

I laugh at the absolute insanity of the situation. I could do anything I wanted to her, and she’d let me. “What I want, Calla…” My lips trail along her jaw as I tighten my grip on her wrists in warning. “You wouldn’t survive it.”

I expect her to whimper. Or scream. Maybe even shed a tear in fear of the monster in me.

So imagine my shock when the human leans up and presses a delicate kiss against my cheek, rendering me utterly incapable of speech. All I can do is blink at her.

“I’m not as breakable as you think. And I don’t think you’re as vicious as you’d like me to believe.”

My eyes narrow as I find my voice. “Are you sure you’d like to take a gamble on that?”

She shrugs. “What do I have to lose? Truly?”

I let go of her wrists, letting her drop them to her sides before I capture her chin and tip her head back until our eyes meet. “You are not at all what I was expecting.”

Her brow lifts. “What were you expecting?”

I consider that, then say, “Fear.”

Calla hesitates, her eyes searching mine for a moment before she asks, “Do…do you want me to fear you?”

I don’t miss a beat. “Yes.”

She trembles before me, licking her lips as I slide my fingers around her throat with just enough pressure to keep her against the wall.

“I want to tear into your throat and devour your blood. I want to see the moment you realize you are completely powerless against me. And more than anything, I want to feel that delicious moment of surrender when the last ounce of fight leaves your body and you give yourself to me.”

Her heart pounds against her chest as if it’s fighting to escape as she stares at me, her eyes darkened with a mix of fear and…excitement?

Fucking hell. Does this woman have a death wish, or does she just want to torment me?

My thumb grazes her jaw before I free her, stepping back. “You should go.”

She blinks but says nothing. No more quips or taunts. It seems as though my words have finally registered as she hurries toward the door and leaves the gym.

While part of me hopes Calla will be smart and keep her distance, there’s a darker, more depraved streak zipping through me that hopes she doesn’t—mutually assured destruction be damned.