Crimson Bound (Blood Oath #7)

16. Atlas

16

ATLAS

I follow the sound of Calla’s heavy breathing and racing heart to the gym above the garage. She’s in her own universe, hitting the punching bag as music blares in her ears, oblivious to my entrance.

I lean against the wall near the door and observe each labored grunt as her fist connects. Her movements are too rigid and forced. She’s hitting the bag with too much emotion and not enough focus. That said, her knuckles are raw and bleeding in a couple spots, rousing the bloodlust in me at the sharp, coppery scent.

Her pulse skyrockets when she spots me. Yanking her headphones out of her ears, she huffs out, “What…are you…doing?”

“Your form is pathetic,” I comment mildly, pushing away from the wall and approaching her.

She drops her headphones next to her water bottle, folding her arms across her chest as she pins me with an unimpressed glare. “Gee, thanks for the unsolicited critique.”

I pause a few feet from her, a muscle ticking along my jaw as my fangs extend. “You’re bleeding.”

Her face pales and she moves away from me, her back hitting the punching bag as she drops her gaze to the broken skin across her knuckles. Her heartbeat quickens, and she presses her lips together as she covers the open cut with her other hand without a word. The notion that she didn’t notice the wound until now is concerning; that she was so focused on tuning out the world that she didn’t register the pain…

I swallow, my eyes locked on her as I force my fangs to retract. I’m not controlled by blood like some vampires can be, but the scent of Calla’s still burns my throat. It takes longer than it should, but several beats later, I’m able to relax my shoulders. “I’m sorry. I haven’t had an opportunity to feed in a couple of days.”

Calla only nods, still looking rather unsure of my proximity.

I close the remaining distance between us in a single step and take her injured hand, holding it with intentional care as I inspect her knuckles.

“It’s fine,” she says under her breath.

“I can heal it,” I offer in a low voice as my fangs show themselves once more.

She attempts to take her hand back, though I don’t release her. Her eyes dart from mine to my mouth, where she no doubt sees my fangs. “I?—”

“Relax, Calla. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re doing a good enough job of that yourself.”

“I’ll just wrap it up. It’s fine.”

I stare at her, fighting the urge to snap in her face. She’s being so fucking reckless and she doesn’t even realize it. Or perhaps she does and just doesn’t care. “You live with four vampires who all want a taste of you. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

She hesitates, her heart pounding in the space between us. Finally she stutters, “F-fine.”

I nod, lifting my free hand to my mouth and biting into my palm. The flash of pain has blood pooling in my hand, and I tell Calla, “Drink.”

Her back goes ramrod straight as she tries to break free of my grasp again.

“Calla—”

“No,” she cuts in, heart pounding even faster. “I can’t. That’s not… No .”

I sigh because she’s making it a far bigger deal than it needs to be. “It will heal your injury.”

“I’m telling you, I can’t.” Her voice shakes with every word as sweat dots her brow and upper lip, and I realize she’s not trying to be difficult. She’s genuinely scared; the thought of drinking my blood terrifies her.

I’m not entirely sure what possesses me, but I find myself speaking in a soft tone. “Let me help you?”

Several beats of silence pass between us before she gives in. “Okay.”

I loosen my hold on her wrist, brushing my thumb over her skin gently as I speak in a calming, glamoured voice. “You’re going to drink from me, and it’s going to make you better. You don’t need to panic or be ashamed. Allow yourself to enjoy it.” I dip my face closer to murmur in her ear, “Drink, Calla.”

My words wash away any hesitation, and Calla brings my hand to her lips, letting my blood flow into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she moves closer, her grip tightening slightly as she closes her lips firmly around the puncture marks in my palm. She swallows mouthfuls as her heart beats steadily, and my gaze remains locked on her. Seeing her like this, so utterly consumed by drinking my blood, fills me with endorphins that makes my skin tingle and my own heart beat faster, which is…unexpected.

Calla opens her eyes as she pulls back and sucks in a breath when she looks down to find her skin completely healed. “Holy shit.”

I release her, stepping back and keeping my eyes on her. “Take a minute. Vampire blood can be overwhelming for humans, especially that of a born immortal.”

She squints at me. “A born immortal?”

“As opposed to a turned one,” I explain. “The others were turned. I, however, was born a vampire.”

She seems to recall that, nodding. “Is that why you can glamour people differently?”

“Yes,” I answer.

Where are you going with this?

“What else makes you different?”

My brow lifts. “Not much else, really. I’m faster and stronger, harder to kill, and don’t need human food to survive. But you already knew that part.”

Calls nods, and her heart rate plummets, causing her to sway on her feet, reaching out for stability.

I catch her, steadying her as I murmur, “Easy.”

Her cheek is pressed to my chest as she peers up at me, her eyes filled with a faint haze from drinking my blood.

Vampire blood does things to humans, though its effects can differ from person to person. Some could feel a slight buzz, while others could experience a euphoria so intense they’re rendered immobile. Vampires don’t make a habit of feeding their blood to humans for that and many other reasons.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“You’re welcome.”

Her eyes are clearer now, though she doesn’t pull away from me. I should step back, put distance between us, but truth be told, I’m enjoying her closeness. The feel of her warmth against my hard chest.

“Tell me,” she says all of a sudden.

My brows knit as I dip my chin to look down at her. “Tell you what?”

She wets her lips, pressing them together briefly. “What you’re going to do with me.”

This human continues to surprise me.

I release a deep breath. This isn’t a conversation to be had right now. Not here. Not while my blood sings in her veins, clouding her head. “Calla…”

“ Please . Atlas, I can’t stand living with not knowing. If you’re going to kill me, just please?—”

I grasp her cheeks in my hands, tilting her head back to meet my gaze. “Slow down. Breathe. No one is going to hurt you. Killing you would be pointless. A waste of an asset.”

If we can get Dante to make a move, instigate an attack, we can’t be held to punishment for wiping that scum off the earth. But Calla doesn’t need to know that. It would only fill her with fear of being hunted by another vampire, and she doesn’t need to worry about him when there are four vampires in this house standing in the way of that.

Sounds from inside the house reach me, and my eyes narrow as Marcel stands in our living room and tells the others of the rumblings from his contacts in New York, confirming that Dante is in fact looking for Calla. He doesn’t know about this property we built in Washington—not many do—so we still have time, but the confirmation makes me want to tear the bastard limb from limb incredibly slowly before finally driving a white ash stake through his chest.

Calla’s expression is conflicted as she silently works through her thoughts, then she huffs out a sigh, snagging my attention again. “What would you do in my position? Would you just accept being kept in the dark and given scraps of pretty useless information every now and then?”

I don’t get a chance to respond as she continues, “I mean, what’s the point, Atlas? Really? Be honest with me, please. If I’m just a human plaything for the lot of you, at least let me know. I’m grateful you’ve had the decency to let me continue my studies—mostly because it gives me something to do that isn’t sitting around here wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow, but?—”

The conversation from inside the house gets loud enough for Calla to pick up on it as Lex curses and, by the sound of it, throws something, and she frowns, asking, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I say automatically.

She looks less than impressed that I’m not being forthcoming with information and moves toward the door. “Fine, then I guess I’ll go see for myself.”

I block her path in an instant. “The hell you will.”

“Move,” she snaps.

I don’t. I simply arch a brow at her.

“Atlas, move.”

“Make me,” I taunt.

Her eyes narrow, and she crosses her arms. “I’m fucking sick of the secrets.”

“I don’t give a shit, Calla. You’re not going in there.”

“You can’t just?—”

The front door slams shut, making Calla’s heart trip over itself at the force that nearly shakes the house. Marcel is gone, so I step aside and say, “Fine, go ahead.”

She shoots me an icy glare before storming out of the gym. I follow at an unhurried pace, walking into the house as Calla faces Gabriel and Lex, seeking an explanation. I glance between them without a word.

“Because he won’t tell me a damn thing,” Calla says, jerking her thumb in my direction.

Lex smirks. “Nothing we can’t handle, which means you don’t need to worry about it.”

Calla’s jaw works, her cheeks going a deep pink, and I silently move toward her.

Before she can say anything, Gabriel chimes in, “You were bleeding.”

She quickly wipes her hands on her pants. “I’m fine.”

“Go take a shower,” I say in a low voice. “All any of us can smell is your blood.”

Her eyes shift between Lex and Gabriel, and she mumbles, “Sorry.”

Lex laughs. “You don’t need to apologize for bleeding, you silly little human. We are capable to controlling ourselves.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kade says to announce himself, his eyes immediately going to Calla and darkening with hunger.

She swallows hard. “Tell me what’s going on, then I’ll take a damn shower.”

Lex just smirks, sitting on the arm of the couch, while Gabriel exhales softly, looking to me for direction.

“We can talk about it later,” I tell Calla.

“Bullshit,” she bites back.

My brows inch upward as I fold my arms.

“Calla—” Gabriel starts.

“No. I’m not going anywhere until you…” Her voice fades as Kade moves toward her. She steps back, colliding with my chest.

“What—”

“You’re getting in the shower whether you like it or not,” Kade says firmly. “I’ll throw you over my shoulder if you don’t care to walk there yourself.”

I don’t give her a chance to respond. I push her toward Kade, who has her over his shoulder in an instant. He walks out of the room as Calla goes feral in his arms.

“What the fuck,” she shouts, her voice cracking. “Let me down!”

“You need to settle down,” Kade tells her, and that’s when I tune out, focusing on Gabriel and Lex.

“She’s so fiery,” Lex comments. “I fucking love it.”

Gabriel pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “She has a right to be upset with us for keeping things from her. We can’t expect her to behave let alone trust us if this is how we’re going to handle the conflicts of our world when it comes to her.”

Lex rolls his eyes, groaning. “Why do you have to come in here with all of this reason?” He shakes his head. “It’s so annoying.”

Gabriel frowns. “Atlas?—”

“I know,” I cut in, my tone deep with reluctance. “Though Kade will keep her occupied for a while so we can figure out just how much she needs to know.”

“I say we tell her everything and watch her head explode,” Lex offers.

Gabriel shakes his head at him. “I think you underestimate her strength. She’s been through a lot, yet she continues to fight. It’s deeply admirable.” He rakes a hand through his copper curls. “Calla deserves to know what’s going on. So we tell her everything and show her that we’ll keep her safe. Until we start telling her the truth instead of hiding it, she won’t be able to trust us.”

“She still might not after,” I point out.

Gabriel nods. “That’s true, but I don’t think that should stop us from having the conversation. Calla is going to be with us for a long time. The faster we can find a way to make this arrangement bearable for her and us, the easier it’ll be for everyone.”

“ Fineeee ,” Lex says dramatically. “So we tell her and hope to hell she can handle it.” He rolls onto the couch, stretching out his legs and tucking his arms under his head. “Though I suppose if she loses it, we can always glamour it away, so really it’s foolproof.”

I glance between Lex and Gabriel. “Yes, well, let’s try to avoid that if possible.”

Lex rolls his eyes, while Gabriel checks his watch. “I have a meeting to get to. We’ll have this conversation later?”

“Later,” I confirm, and he grabs his messenger bag from the armchair and leaves through the garage.

My gaze slides to Lex. “Are you planning on working today?”

“Sure thing, boss.” He yawns, closing his eyes and mumbling, “Give me thirty minutes and I’m all yours.”

I walk away, shaking my head, and grab a cup of coffee before heading upstairs to my office. Today is off to a tumultuous start, and something tells me it’s only going to get worse.