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Blaire shook her head rapidly. “This is insane…”

“It really isn’t that bad. Like the professor said, you’d have no problems healing quickly, so your bruising problem would be a thing of the past.”

“Shut the hell up,” Aiden said with a sigh.

“What?” Riley looked at her brother.

“You’re not helping the situation at all.” Aiden walked over and handed Blaire a beautiful ornate knife in silver and black, with rubies inlaid down the sides.

She looked up at him and raised a brow. “What’s this for?”

He shrugged. “Kai had it in his room for decoration, but he always kept it sharpened. I figured it could prove useful for protection.”

Blaire held the dagger in her hand, inspecting it before setting it on her nightstand. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Aiden sighed and sat on the bed next to Lukas, who was staring at Blaire.

She didn’t like the idea of having to be in a position where she needed a weapon to protect herself. Even against Caleb, the idea of using an actual weapon to fight back made her uneasy. She didn’t know if she’d be capable of inflicting harm on another person, even to save her own life. She didn’t feel strong enough to face this. Of all the things that had happened to her starting from the time her mother married Caleb’s father, this was by far the most challenging. How did anyone expect her to do any of this?

“I am going to do whatever it takes to make you safe,” Lukas said before dragging his fingers through his hair, resting his hand on the back of his neck as he hung his head, mumbling, “…even if you don’t want the bond with me.”

Blaire jerked her head up and stared at Lukas. That was the furthest thing from reality. It scared her how badly she wanted this with him. How badly she needed him. Just because she was afraid of everything, and had reservations about the blood—dying, drinking his blood. And just because she didn’t want to be a Vasirian, didn’t mean she didn’t want him. Her words, when she was upset, may have sent the wrong message. She opened her mouth to say something, but Riley cut her off.

“It’s obvious Blaire wants the bond, you idiot. You’re blind to think otherwise.” Riley crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, I was starting to think so too, but this morning… and that meeting in the office…” Lukas clenched his jaw. “I just don’t know anymore.”

Blaire hung her head, not able to say anything.

“This morning?” Riley asked.

“It’s nothing. Just leave it.”

Aiden shifted the conversation, sensing the tension rising in the room. “If Blaire doesn’t want to be a Vasirian, she doesn’t have to be. But what in the hell can we do to protect her as things are now?” He motioned up and down at Blaire’s obvious human state.

“For one, I’m not going to leave her side going forward. I’ll sleep with her every night until this issue is resolved,” Lukas said, gripping his fists tight.

“You mean once they finally kill me?”

Lukas jumped up. “No!”

Blaire flinched, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He leaned toward her, resolve clear on his face. “That will never happen.”

Blaire tugged on her long hair, twisting the ends. “I’m sorry. You can’t blame me for feeling this way when twice in two weeks they’ve attacked me. Between that and what happened with Caleb all in such quick succession… I’m just so tired and fed up with all of it.” She closed her eyes. “All I wanted to do was escape my stepbrother and the future he planned for me, but now I may not even get a future with the way things are going.”

Aiden clenched his fists tight, cursing under his breath.

Lukas dropped back down onto the bed, gripping his hair in frustration.

Riley said, “We know a lot has happened recently, but we’ll protect you, and you’ll never have to be with your stepbrother again. Besides, the school took care of him.” She placed her hand on Blaire’s arm.

Blaire didn’t know if what she dealt with living with Caleb would be better than this. She should have just stayed. Served apple pie for the rest of her life in a greasy diner. Caleb might have been abusive, and she might have had to endure marrying him and being the mother of his children, but she wouldn’t be dead. Was that better than death, though? It was its own special death.

As her thoughts descended to a dark place where nothing constructive would come of them, she sought out the one thing that kept her grounded lately. She brought her gaze up to stare at Lukas, and her heart beat faster when she considered what life would be like married to him, being the mother to his children someday.

Lukas lifted his head and met her eyes, as if sensing her. He said nothing, but his eyes spoke volumes. She couldn’t tell what was going through his head, but the intensity she found in those striking green depths chilled her to the bone.