"What are my other options then?"
"There's really only one."
I waited.
"You solidify your bond with Marcus with a blood exchange. It would break the link between you and Dumont."
"The amulet would be effective against Dumont, but not Marcus, right?"
Ava nodded. "You need to know what you're getting into. Marcus would have the same sort of power over you that Dumont had earlier. He could control your mind anyway, but it will be easier with a blood bond. You'll also be able to speak to each other telepathically. And he'll be able to track you, at least for a while. It takes time for the blood bond to wear off, but it does eventually."
"How long?"
"A couple of..." She hesitated. "Months."
I sighed. "You've known Marcus for a long time, right?"
"Not really. About a year. But Macgrath has known him for over a thousand years and he trusts him with his life. And mine."
"Does Marcus strike you as someone who would take advantage of this sort of...power over another person?"
She shook her head. "Absolutely not." Her response was immediate and vehement. "He is one of the most honorable, honest men I know. His integrity goes down to the bone."
Every person I'd spoken to about Marcus said the same thing. That he was trustworthy. And I wanted to trust him.
This wasn't just staying in the same house. This was giving up my privacy. Inviting a kind of intimacy I'd never had with another person.
But I knew damn sure that I would rather have Marcus in my head than Dumont.
"Have you spoken to Marcus about this?" I asked her.
"Yes."
"And how does he feel about it?"
"I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe," Marcus answered from the doorway. He leaned against the jamb and folded his arms across his chest. "But I'd prefer not to do it against your will." He grimaced a little. "I won't have to give up my privacy as much as you, but I promise that I will do my best not to invade yours."
I nodded.
Coming to Austin. Meeting Marcus. It was all based on my decision to follow my instincts.
Right now, my instincts were telling me to trust not only Ava but the rest of them, too. The thought of having any sort of empathic talent freaked me out. I couldn't even think about it right now. And even if I wanted, Ava was probably right. I wasn't that strong and I doubted I would find it helpful.
I took a deep breath. In for a penny, in for a pound.
"Okay, so what do we have to do first?"
Marcus glanced at Ava. "May I speak to her alone for a moment?"
Ava patted my arm and got to her feet. "I'll be in the living room with Macgrath and Callum if you need me."
She left the bedroom as Marcus came further in and shut the door behind her. He stood at the end of the bed and gripped the footboard. It made the muscles in his forearms stand out and I found my eyes drawn to his hands.
In some of the books I'd read, the hero's hands were often described as capable. I'd always wondered what that meant until now. His fingers were long, the knuckles larger and the skin rough. His hands looked as though he could destroy anything in his path. Or fix something that was broken.
I wondered if I was the broken thing.
"Have you ever been bitten by a vampire?"
