Page 123

Blaire hung her head and sighed as she drank her orange juice in silence.

“Shouldn’t the Order give them more time to bond before trying to kill Blaire?” Kai asked.

Mera placed her hand on his shoulder. “At this point, it’s not a matter of them killing Blaire because she hasn’t bonded with Lukas yet. Aiden is right. If they keep trying to take her blood and botch it up like before, then she might not survive, even if we are with her. Because if Lukas hadn’t found her the first time, she wouldn’t even be here now.”

Again, they were talking about her like she wasn’t sitting right there. Talking about her death. Was she going to die? Was this really how it would happen when she had tried so hard for years to live? To escape and be free. Blaire shut her eyes to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.

Lukas paced the room, and the professor sighed, placing her hand on the black tome before looking at Blaire, then at Lukas.

“There is one possible way they may stop pursuing Blaire, or at least if they continue, it won’t result in her death.”

Lukas spun to face the professor and snapped, “Tell us what it is!”

The professor crossed her arms, meeting his stare. “Turn her into one of us.”

As if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Blaire bolted up out of her chair, spilling her juice and dropping the last few bites of her biscuit. “No way! Stop talking about me like I’m not here! Y’all keep doing it!” She threw her hands up and then jabbed a finger at her own chest. “I’m the one in charge of my life, and I’m not gonna just let Lukas drink my blood to lay some ‘claim’ to me and risk killing me.” She clenched her hands into fists as they shook, lowering her voice. “I’m certainly not gonna let you do whatever crazy thing is needed to become a Vasirian! That ain’t happening! I’m human!” Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she sucked in gulps of air to avoid spiraling into an anxiety attack. She had been told they didn’t turn humans into Vasirian. What in the hell was the professor talking about? She felt completely blindsided.

Everyone was looking at her like she’d told them the world was going to end in twenty-four hours. Lukas looked stricken, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.

Aiden pushed off the bookcase and took a step toward Blaire with his hand out, as if approaching a skittish animal. “Calm down…”

Riley reached out to touch Blaire’s arm. “It’s okay. No one is going to do anything you don’t want.”

Blaire’s hands trembled as she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists, her fight-or-flight instinct telling her to run. Run and never look back.

Riley looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Please sit down? For me?”

Blaire didn’t say anything, collapsing back into the seat and putting her hands over her face, hanging her head back against the seat. She wanted to scream.

The professor sighed, looking toward the ceiling as if seeking guidance. “Becoming a Vasirian would be the quickest and most efficient way to avoid death due to blood loss… that is, if Lukas can pull it off.”

Lukas’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Tapping the tome again, the professor said, “It’s not without its risks. I’ve done research in anticipation of both of you desiring to change Blaire after you complete the bond; and while it’s unorthodox for a Vasirian to turn a human… a taboo, really…” She waved a hand dismissively. “It is not completely unknown, or there wouldn’t be documented details on how to turn a human.” She once again tapped the surface of the old tome.

“How do we do it?” Lukas said, his eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists.

Blaire turned in her chair, yelling at Lukas, “I can’t believe you’re serious about entertaining the idea, because it is not going to happen!”

“Fuck! Why are you so difficult?” Lukas threw up his hands and resumed pacing.

The professor ignored their bickering. “We are ordered by King Blackthorn to bring no harm to humans—a rule that has been enforced since King Adrian’s father, the late King Luciano Blackthorn, took the throne. Before his reign, it is not known how humans and Vasirian interacted. The old texts from King Rosendo Blackthorn’s reign have either been lost or destroyed with time.”

Blaire glared at the professor. “Oh goodie, I’m once again the exception to the rule? I’m just all kinds of lucky. First, I’m the first human to have some strange connection with a Vasirian, and now? I get to be the first human ‘approved’ to be changed into some other being entirely!” Her voice rose at the end, on the borderline of hysterics.

Riley put a hand on her arm and squeezed reassuringly, looking at her with concern.

Professor Velastra crossed her arms. “This is merely a suggestion to possibly save your life.”

“So, how does he do it?” Kai spoke up from his place on the wall.

The professor looked around the room at the others, and Blaire couldn’t help but notice how she avoided making eye contact with her. “A Vasirian must drink the blood of a human to the point of near death, their heart almost stopping, before sharing their blood with them. This is why no one speaks of this, and why it isn’t done.”

Blaire was as white as a sheet, staring at the professor as she continued.

“The human is usually too weak to stay conscious after consuming the Vasirian’s blood, so they go into a deep sleep, like a coma, during their transition. After which, they awaken as a Vasirian themselves. It is risky to turn a human because drinking enough blood to bring a human to near death can cause a frenzy, and when that happens, it is difficult for a Vasirian to stop when they have consumed so much, which is why it is considered taboo. And in this case,”—she motioned between Lukas and Blaire—“it would be a Korrena pair, making it more difficult due to the addictive nature of Blaire’s blood to Lukas.”