“Zara’s soul belongs to me! Just as mine belongs to her. Your lies have no hold on her any longer,” Wadim roared.
Zara didn’t know what was happening, but the rage that overtook Ander’s face terrified her.
“NO,” the vampire bellowed.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and, for a split second, she thought it was a vampire bite. But then the pain subsided, and pleasure coursed through her body. If this was some sort of drug, then sign her up for more.
“Zara, swallow.”Wadim’s voice sounded strained. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I didn’t mean to take the choice from you. I didn’t know what else to do.”
He sounded so forlorn and lost that Zara wanted to wrap her arms around him, but that thought fled when she felt something warm sliding down her throat. A second later, light exploded in her mind as memories flooded in and Zara remembered everything.
She opened her eyes and blinked several times. When her vision cleared, she stared up into golden eyes.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Wadim said, his lips drawn tight across his face. “I almost lost you,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” Zara whispered.
Wadim shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. It is I who will be doing the apologies, but first we need to get you cleaned up.”
Wadim felt nauseatedas he carried his mate to the bathroom. Sally and Rachel had stepped out of the room the minute Zara had opened her eyes, allowing Wadim to have time alone with his newly bonded mate. Considering he’d just performed the Blood Rites on her without even discussing it first, they were probably going to need some one-on-one time to talk about it.
He hadn’t known what else to do. Rachel and Sally had managed to loosen the hold Ander had on Zara. But once the vampire started speaking again, Wadim had been terrified that Ander would be able to drag her back into the darkness of the spot in her soul he occupied. He needed his mate to break free. When Sally pulled out of Zara’s mind long enough to tell Wadim about the soul bond the vampire had placed on Zara, Wadim had nearly lost it. His wolf had simply reacted. It sank their teeth into her neck without a second thought. Wadim hadn’t even had time to truly enjoy marking her because all he could think about was the fact that, even though he might be saving her life, she’d most likely hate him when she found out what he’d done.
Then, to add insult to injury, he’d given her his own blood without her consent as well. He couldn’t stand the idea Zara might hate him, but he couldn’t let Ander have her soul. Even if she never wanted anything to do with him, Wadim would rather have that outcome than see her die and be stuck with that vampire for eternity.
In the bathroom, Wadim kicked the door shut and set Zara on the toilet. He knelt down in front of her and tilted her chin up so he could see her face. “I’m going to run you a hot bubble bath. Is that okay?”
She nodded as silent tears tracked down her face. Wadim didn’t know what to say or do so he simply leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He stood and went about running her bath until the tub was full and nearly overflowing with bubbles. Then Wadim opened the door.
“I’m going to wait out here while you get in the tub. Do you think you’ll need help undressing? I can get Rachel or Sally if you’d like.”
Zara’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. “Please don’t leave,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable with a female?” Wadim asked.
“I’d be more comfortable with my mate,” she said, her voice cracking just a bit. As she stood, Wadim realized she was trembling.
He shut the door and stepped up to her. “Shh,” he said gently as she started to cry. She buried her face in his chest and the sobs were muffled, but they still broke his heart. “My love, what can I do?”
“Forgive me,” she whimpered.
“For what?” Wadim nearly growled. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I forgot you. I forgot everyone who has helped me these past months. How could I do that?”
“Zara, you have been through hell. You may be physically healed, but the emotional trauma may take years to mend. I would never fault you for what has happened. Not only were you dealing with the memories of the horrors you endured, but your mind was also wrestling with black magic,” Wadim explained. “You didn’t know Ander had marked you.”
“Even in death, he holds power over me,” she cried.
Wadim shook his head and put two fingers under her chin, lifting her face to his. “No, not anymore. And it is I who needs to ask your forgiveness. I did not know how else to break the soul bond he placed on you. I’m sorry, beautiful. I performed the Blood Rites without your consent.” Wadim drew in a heavy breath before continuing. “I know I didn’t ask your permission, and I am so sorry I took the choice away from you. I didn’t know what else to do.” Wadim waited for the anger and hurt he was sure she would feel toward him, but instead, Zara cupped his face and rose up on her toes to kiss his lips. She rarely initiated physical affection, and it was a gift when she did.
When she pulled back, she smiled and it lit up her lovely face. “Thank you for saving me. Thank you for taking care of me, for loving me.”
“The honor is mine, Zara,” Wadim said as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes and breathed in her unique scent. His wolf wanted to wrap her up, take her far away from any danger, and give her time to heal. He wanted to reassure her over and over again he would never let anything or anyone hurt her again. But sticking her in a bubble wouldn’t be what was best for her. She needed to experience life, especially after being locked underground in hell with a demon for so long.
“Ready for that bath?”
She nodded. Her hands were still shaking as she started to lift her shirt. Wadim started to turn around to give her privacy, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Could you help me?”
